Why are sponsors needed?
The intention of the Ghanaian government is to provide free education for basic and senior high children in the equivalent of Years 1-9. In practice, most education is still provided through fee-paying private schools. Diamond Hill School is a private school for 300+ children aged 2-14. Government schools are usually over crowded with up to 60 in a class and there are not enough of them.
Osmond deliberately keeps the fees low to fulfil his vision of educating the poorest children. Children are identified as coming from such a family and without sponsorship would not receive schooling.
How is sponsors' money used?
Sponsorship enables children to attend Diamond Hill School, have a uniform, a hot meal each day and basic school equipment. Some of the money goes towards teachers’ salaries and transport and other expenses shared by all, like exam fees and educational materials. A small number of children are residents in the Home of Hope within the school compound and their sponsors contribute to their living expenses i.e. meals, etc. There are also some statutory government taxes that the school is required to pay.
How does sponsors' money get to the child?
New Life Baptist Church, Northallerton, transfers all sponsorship monies received by New Life Ghana via direct bank transfer. Payments are made bi-monthly to reduce admin costs to Osmond’s registered non-government organisation – Rescue Aid Mission. All accounts are audited to Charity Commission standards and are open for inspection by arrangement
There is a clear policy for how the money is spent and there are no admin charges apart from bank transfer fees. Everyone involved in this charity in the UK gives their time freely for nothing.
How are NLG sponsors' involved?
Our Sponsorship Coordinator sends sponsors regular updates on their child, including a letter from your child, your child’s report and an up to date individual photo or class photo.
We also have a Communications Coordinator and they will send you regular updates on developments at Diamond Hill School, the Home of Hope and items of interest about the New Life Ghana project generally.
We actively encourage our sponsors to write to their sponsored child. It is wonderful to see the delight on a child’s face when he or she gets a letter. However, this is not a re-quirement of sponsorship.
We suggest that sponsors who wish to write to their child, send their letters/cards to New Life Ghana and we will ensure that your letters/cards are personally given to the children when our teams visit there is no postal delivery service to the area in which the school is situated. This typically twice a year in February and October. We also encourage the children to write to their sponsors on an annual basis.