A DOWM sponsor is someone who has made the decision to create a personal relationship in the life of a child in Kiambu County, Kenya. For the child, this relationship strengthens the knowledge that they are loved and cared for, especially for those children that have experienced trauma in their early years. Sponsors in the DOWM community gain a deeper understanding of the difference that they are making in the lives of their sponsored children by developing a long-term relationship with the child through letter writing, phone calls, prayer and personal visits. Semi-annual updates from the ministry partners of DOWM or from the child themselves will help sponsors gain a better understanding of the child’s community, culture, and personal interests. Sponsors provide long-term and sustainable funding so that DOWM knows that the support provided for each child will be consistently provided. It allows DOWM to confidently grow the number of children cared for, without endangering our ability to continue providing for those already in our care.

To sponsor a DOWM orphan is $45 per month. Monthly supoport for a DOWM widow is $50 per month. When you choose to become a sponsor, your support provides for your orphan or widow necessities such as housing, education, medical, clothing, and food. Your donations are sent to PIEI who then forwards to Pastor Francis designating how the funds should be used. Donations are never sent directly to families. Your commitment provides for more than just your child’s physical needs –you will also develop a long-lasting relationship with your orphan/widow through regular letter writing. You have the opportunity to impact your orphan/widows life by providing emotional support, positive encouragement and by the sharing of your faith. You will receive semi-annual updates on your child’s progress and periodic DOWM newsletters. Video chats can be arranged with your orphan.

If you need to discontinue your support, we will immediately look for a new sponsor for your child and continue that child’s support without interruption. Please contact us immediately to let us know if you are no longer able to support your orphan or widow.

The DOWM Ministry offers you the opportunity to stay with a child for the length of time that child stays in our program. Children leave the DOWM program once they have completed their education and are living independently. Due to the transient state of many families and the difficult circumstances of the regions where they reside, we cannot predict or guarantee how long a child will remain enrolled in the DOWM program, although we make every effort to provide services to children for as long as possible. In these circumstances, we will inform you as quickly as possible, and we’ll offer you the opportunity to support another child in need of your help. Very often it is possible to continue your sponsorship when a child gets out of school to help with the expenses associated with learning a trade or attending college. We can let you know if that becomes a need for the orphan you are sponsoring. We hope that you will be able to continue as a DOWM sponsor indefinitely, although we recognize that sponsor's circumstances sometimes change. You may elect to stop being a sponsor at any time. Please contact us immediately if you decide to no longer sponsor your orphan or widow.

Prayer is a critical link between sponsors and the children they help. Your prayers for the health, safety, education and spiritual development of the child or widow you sponsor are critical. The child or widow you sponsor is greatly encouraged when they hear that their sponsors are praying for them. We hope that you will pray for your orphan or widow as often as possible. You might wish to use the information in their profile to help guide your prayers for his or her personal situation, the children’s home or foster family in which they live, as well as their community and country. Remember that your orphan or widow is being encouraged to pray for you, too. As your relationship grows you will begin to discover a deeper connection through your prayers for each other.

DOWM will send you semi-annual updates about your orphan or widow's progress, and periodic newsletters with updates on all ministry locations. You will also receive letters from your orphan or widow one to two times a year. You’ll be able to track the entire DOWM community through our web page, www.wotdowm.com, and through our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/PIEIWOTKENYADOWM. Through these tools, you will grow to understand the cultures of the areas where DOWM provides support inthe daily life of the children and their care givers. We also encourage you to visit your orphan or widow on a PIEI-WOT-KENYA/DOWM mission trip. You can find out more about WOT/DOWM mission opportunities at www.pieiwot.com/about-our-trips.

Yes! We encourage you to visit your orphan or widow on a WOT/DOWM mission trip. Our team leaders coordinate at least one trip per year. You can find out more about WOT/DOWM Mission trip opportunities at https://www.pieiwot.com/about-our-trips

Use the Write to Your Orphan letter page to access the letter writing form. This online tool is the fastest, least expensive, and most reliable way for us to forward your letter to your child. We encourage you to send your child a personal, family, or group photograph and a short letter of introduction. You may write to your child as often as you like. Writing letters helps the child develop a sense of well-being, and helps them grow in their reading and writing skills. The more you write to your child, the more he or she will benefit from your relationship. When it is possible, your child or widow will respond to your letter written to them.

We encourage sponsors to try and send a message to your orphan or widow once a month, but we know with busy schedules, that can be difficult. You may write anytime that you are able, even if that means once a quarter, or a few times a year. Your messages do not need to be long, but you can encourage them in their hard work at school, their creativity, and the various things they are learning and doing. Just a note that you’re praying for them can mean a lot. Remember that you may be one of only a small number of positive voices they hear; your emotional support will have lasting effects.

Talk about the things you enjoy doing: your hobbies and interests, interesting places you have visited, things you hope to do in the future. Share your walk with Christ with your child. Your letter does not need to be long, just one page is great, and include pictures of your family! When writing your letters please don’t make any promises you can’t keep; don’t promise to visit them “sometime,” or say that you hope they will visit you. To protect your privacy, don’t include personal information like your phone number, address, or financial information. For more suggestions go to writing letters Do's and Dont's.

Due to high customs duties and the likelihood of loss, we do not recommend sending packages to the DOWM ministry in Kenya. DOWM ministry cannot guarantee that the child you sponsor will receive such packages.