Sponsorship Policy

1. Policy Description

The policy of Mukti NZ on Sponsorship outlines our approach to sponsorship.

2. The Context

Mukti NZ’s sponsorship programme, which incorporates the sponsorship of both children and women, forms a core component of Mukti NZ’s support for the work of our partner, the Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission in India (“Mukti India”). Mukti NZ recognizes that sponsorship differs from other types of development programmes in that it emphasises a personal relationship with a specific child or woman. The challenge is to facilitate this relationship in a manner that complements the overall sustainability of the development programme within the community and that protects the child’s or woman’s safety at all times.

3. Policy

Through Mukti NZ’s sponsorship programme, Mukti NZ aims to assist with meeting some of the children’s and women’s basic physical, emotional and educational needs where each person may thrive, as well as working with their community to implement development projects that benefit both the sponsored individual and their communities.

Mukti NZ expects Council members to ensure that:

• The sponsorship programme is formulated within a broader comprehensive development context aimed at improving the well-being of both the sponsored individual and the Mukti community by working to relieve and reduce poverty.

• Every effort is made to avoid predatory marketing and false advertising in portraying those who are to be sponsored as hopeless or devalued. Mukti NZ will ensure that children and women are always portrayed in a dignified and respectful manner. Further, Mukti NZ will ensure that our advertising and marketing of the sponsorship programme is clear, transparent and informs donors where their support is going.

• Mukti India provides regular reports on the sponsorship programme and on the girls and women who are sponsored, and that these are passed on to sponsors as appropriate.

• Regular correspondence between the sponsor and the sponsored individual, both through personal correspondence and progress reports, is encouraged to foster a relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored individual.

• Every reasonable precaution is taken to protect children’s information (including pictures) from falling into the hands of individuals who do not share Mukti NZ’s commitment to the protection of children. The handling of children’s information is to be limited to those staff and volunteers for whom accessing the information is necessary to fulfil their roles. Mukti NZ will maintain child information (including pictures) in as secure environment as is practicable and every precaution will be taken to ensure the security of this information.

• While visits by a sponsor to see their sponsored child/woman at Mukti India are encouraged, the protection of the sponsored child/woman is paramount. All visits by sponsors to their sponsored individual must be arranged in advance through the Mukti office and sponsors must be screened and interviewed by Mukti in partnership with Interserve NZ. Sponsors wishing to visit their sponsored child/woman must inform Mukti at least 2 months prior to their proposed visit to allow sufficient time for the screening and interview process and to allow for arrangements to be made in India. All sponsors visiting Mukti India must complete a satisfactory Working With Children Check/National Police Record Check and satisfy the requirements of Mukti and Interserve. Any person denied a Working with Children Check or who fails to provide a satisfactory National Police Record Check will not be permitted to visit Mukti India, and Mukti India will be notified of the denial in case the sponsor attempts to arrange a visit directly.