Answers to Some of Your Most Important Questions...
Based on pilot programs developed in Cambodia, Kinship Projects follow a strict model where the children’s home is designed for multiple uses. The buildings are designed with the children’s safety as our primary concern. Sleeping and privacy quarters for the children and caregivers are separate from public areas used for church services, music, or worship. In addition, the facility may serve the local village in other ways, such as serving as a community training center. In some cases, the Kinship Projects have been used as temporary medical treatment centers for surrounding villages.
Kinship United rescues and cares for orphans in some of the most desperate places on earth. War, genocide, natural disasters, and disease claim millions of lives, often leaving children behind with no one to care for them. We rescue children from refugee camps, garbage dumps, the streets, disaster areas, and worse. We provide them with emergency care and stability while we try to reunite them with their families. When there is no family, we welcome them into a Kinship Project where we provide permanent care in a family environment.
Religious affiliation is in no way considered a criteria for helping orphans and others in need. Children from all faiths are welcomed and accepted into Kinship Projects. Relief efforts, such as humanitarian food aid and urgent medical treatment, are provided as part of Kinship Projects when possible and are given to suffering humans regardless of faith, nationality, and beliefs, except where governmental restrictions prevent us from doing so.
Children from all faiths are welcomed and accepted into Kinship Projects. No child who needs help is ever turned away from a Kinship Project because of their spiritual beliefs.
The pastor of the Kinship church and his wife usually live in the Kinship Project as home parents. We also welcome widows from the community to become caregivers in Kinship Project families. We cannot take credit for this idea. Throughout the Bible, we see orphans and widows together and the church caring for them. It just makes sense. Orphans and widows need each other. They have experienced similar loss, grief, and needs. They help each other recover and heal.
As the name implies, it is the complete support of a family of orphaned children and their caregivers that are part of one particular Kinship Project. The contributors agree to work together over the years to supply funds, prayer, and arm’s length nurturing for the whole Kinship Project.
Remember, 100% of the money you send is going directly to the Kinship Project you are supporting. Your monthly support provides:
1. Food for the children and caregivers
2. Education, including school fees and supplies
3. Operational costs related to the home, including repairs, maintenance, etc.
4. Routine medical and dental care
5. Bible education
6. Vocational training
Whole-Project Sponsors are individuals, groups, churches, and organizations that have committed to the financial, prayer, and nurturing of a Kinship Project. Typical sponsor groups are made up of people with similar interests or geographically-based affinities, such as those who might attend a certain church or belong to a club or small group. The group might also include family members or neighbors.
The first step is to contact us at Kinship United. We can go over a couple of options with you, as well as provide you with materials to share with your friends and family! Among the options for sponsoring a Kinship Project on a regular basis, the two most common options are “sole” sponsorship of a whole Kinship Project and “shared” sponsorship of a Kinship Project:
1. A sponsor could be the sole sponsor for a Kinship Project: From land purchase to a completed Kinship Project building, an individual or organization could do it all. In this case, you or your group buy land, build, staff, rescue children, and fund the entire project. Cost: $60,000 start-up plus travel and teams cost and an ongoing management cost of $1,500 per month. Kinship United assists in the contacts and management of the process.
2. Shared Sponsorship Effort: You or your group concentrate on care for orphans and widows. In this case, Kinship United will work with partners to find the funds to build a new Kinship Project building or upgrade an existing Kinship Project building. With our partners, Kinship United supports the initial infrastructure until the Kinship Project can support the typical capacity of 25 to 30 children. Once children are brought in, you or your group step in. The Lord calls for His people to care for other people; this is discipleship, not sponsorship. It quickly becomes a situation where your life is changed through the lives you change.
Multiple families might join each other to care for a Kinship Project. The cost ranges from $500 to $1500 per month. Short-term trips for small projects help cement the relationship and allow for special projects, like fans in the church, concrete pads for play areas, land mine barriers, lighting, screens for windows and doors, agriculture projects, eye glasses, inoculations, English lessons, vocational training, and more!
There are groups that have a shortfall on a monthly basis until they establish a full contingent of givers and participants that cover the total commitment for their Kinship Project. We will help you find a group that fits your desires to serve. Contact the Kinship United office toll-free at 877-577-1070 or email us at info@kinshipunited.org.
We understand that circumstances arise and, sometimes changes in your financial situation are out of your control. In this case, contact your Kinship Project Advisor to press the “pause” button on your monthly giving. You’ll still be a part of your group and you can press the “play” button to resume your giving when you’re ready.
If you need to stop supporting the Kinship Project all together, we will look for another small group.
You can always find your Kinship Project’s website here. Just click on the country to view its Kinship Projects and see pictures of the kids, caregivers, and community.This is a great way to better understand the children’s everyday lives.
Yes, you can! Kinship United has traditionally organized several mission trips a year that visit the areas where we are rescuing orphans. We strongly recommend that you travel in one of those groups for safety and logistics reasons, though private trips can be arranged. Keep in mind that any persons having direct contact with the children are required to fill out an application and to submit to a background check. Please allow plenty of time for this process to be completed.
Yes, we are a 501(c)(3) charitable organization recognized by the Internal Revenue Service. All of our financial information is readily available and easily accessible on our Financial Integrity webpage.
After over fifteen years of reviving villages and restoring childhoods with devoted contributors like you, we’ve received some of the highest reviews and ratings from major watchdog organizations, such as Charity Navigator, Better Business Bureau, ECFA, Christian Service Charities, Excellence in Giving, and GuideStar.
Kinship Projects are well grounded with several international NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), CSOs (Civil Society Organizations), and FBOs (Faith Based Organizations). A list of other players is available by email request to info@kinshipunited.org.
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