Our Student Sponsorship Program
creates a lasting connection between YOU and MITS students. When you sign up to sponsor a student through MITS, your monthly contribution plays a vital role in our mission to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the students. You help to love them fully, equip them to earn a living and send them out as leaders. Specifically, you can choose to sponsor student housing, meals, educating, and/or mentoring of MITS students. Each of these monthly sponsorships helps transition these amazing kids from street life to new life. |
|
MENTOR
Our Kenyan team members care deeply for our students and spend their days praying for and walking alongside our students to nurture their emotional and spiritual growth. $25 each month /2 per student |
EDUCATE
The core of our program is education. Every week day, our students progress through core curriculums at our Learning Centre. Once their classroom education is complete, they advance to skills training. $50 each month / 1 per student |
HOW STUDENT SPONSORSHIP CHANGES LIVES
When our students know they have someone from the United States who loves, supports and believes in them, it is powerful and inspiring. Think back to your own teen years, when an admired adult in your life took an interest in you. Perhaps it was a teacher or a basketball coach, a youth minister or a camp counselor. Whoever it was, that relationship changed you. That's the power of belief. Someone believed in you and gave you permission to believe in yourself.
Will you believe in one of our students? |
THE PROCESS
1
REGISTER NOW
You can register now to sponsor a student. The online form takes just a few moments! Once you complete the online form, you'll select a method of payment.
|
2
WE'LL MATCH YOU
We'll match you with a student who needs a sponsor. Sometimes this is a brand new student who has recently left the streets, or it may be a current student who still needs sponsorship.
|
3
STAY CONNECTED
Watch your student grow as he or she lives, learns and thrives with MITS in Kenya. Stay connected by sending an encouraging note twice a year and by Praying, Encouraging, and Advocating for MITS students each month.
|
LEIGH ANN & ZERA
"My family has sponsored Zera Atieno since summer 2014.
I met Zera when I was teaching at MITS during the 2014 summer break. She was in my middle level math and library classes and I fell in love with her immediately. My family has always loved helping people, but sponsoring Zera is more personal than just helping someone; we get to be a part of her life. We have the opportunity to help MITS provide her with a future. We feel so blessed to be able to watch her grow and learn, especially in her relationship with Christ. The pride we feel in Zera and her accomplishments is indescribable." |
FAQS
ABOUT OUR STUDENT SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
How much does sponsorship cost?
$25 to $400 per month. Some sponsors choose to pay each month and some would rather make one annual payment to cover 12 months of sponsorship.
Where do you get the monthly Sponsorship figures? What does the money cover?
Our monthly sponsorship pays for housing, food, education and mentoring for all our students.
Housing covers all the material needs of the student. This includes a roof over his or her head, a warm, dry bed, and use of shared restrooms, living areas and cooking facilities. This also includes the necessary transportation that is involved with life at MITS, ranging from shopping trips to medical care and home visits (when family members are in the picture).
Food and clothing covers all the nutritional needs of the student. All students at MITS eat breakfast, lunch, tea time & dinner together with us at our boarding facility in Kamulu. Teens eat a lot of food! We purchase most of our raw ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, meat & grains from local markets and supplement that with vegetables grown in our gardens and milk from our dairy cow. You also provide clothing for our students in the form of school uniforms as well as casual clothing, shoes and daily necessities.
Sponsorship provides for mentorship for each of our students. Some of our students have living parents or relatives but none are able to care for them. All our students are legally in our custody. When we provide mentorship, we mean the love, care & discipline that would typically be provided by a parent or guardian. Our carefully selected staff members build authentic, meaningful relationships with our students that equip them spiritually to succeed in life after MITS. Part of the cost of sponsorship covers salaries for our staff.
Education is our primary tool for changing the futures of our students. In the classrooms of the Learning Centre, our students receive education in a variety of subjects from English to Bible, Math & Science. Whatever education they missed during their time on the streets, we attempt to recover in record time. We keep our class sizes small to maximize the learning experience. Once students complete our core curriculum at the Learning Centre, they select a skill. Skills training takes place in an apprentice-style environment, with students learning directly from our staff members, who are also practitioners of that particular skill.
Housing covers all the material needs of the student. This includes a roof over his or her head, a warm, dry bed, and use of shared restrooms, living areas and cooking facilities. This also includes the necessary transportation that is involved with life at MITS, ranging from shopping trips to medical care and home visits (when family members are in the picture).
Food and clothing covers all the nutritional needs of the student. All students at MITS eat breakfast, lunch, tea time & dinner together with us at our boarding facility in Kamulu. Teens eat a lot of food! We purchase most of our raw ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, meat & grains from local markets and supplement that with vegetables grown in our gardens and milk from our dairy cow. You also provide clothing for our students in the form of school uniforms as well as casual clothing, shoes and daily necessities.
Sponsorship provides for mentorship for each of our students. Some of our students have living parents or relatives but none are able to care for them. All our students are legally in our custody. When we provide mentorship, we mean the love, care & discipline that would typically be provided by a parent or guardian. Our carefully selected staff members build authentic, meaningful relationships with our students that equip them spiritually to succeed in life after MITS. Part of the cost of sponsorship covers salaries for our staff.
Education is our primary tool for changing the futures of our students. In the classrooms of the Learning Centre, our students receive education in a variety of subjects from English to Bible, Math & Science. Whatever education they missed during their time on the streets, we attempt to recover in record time. We keep our class sizes small to maximize the learning experience. Once students complete our core curriculum at the Learning Centre, they select a skill. Skills training takes place in an apprentice-style environment, with students learning directly from our staff members, who are also practitioners of that particular skill.
Is there a minimum time commitment?
No, there is no minimum time commitment, but the majority of our sponsors stay with the program until the student graduates.
What if I can't make a payment? Or what if I need to back out of sponsorship?
Since there is no minimum time commitment to sponsor a student, this means your payment is “month to month.” If your circumstances change and you need to take a few months off, please let us know. If we notice that a sponsor misses several payments, we might follow up to make sure we haven't lost your payments in the mix.
If you need to discontinue the program, just let us know and we’ll likely find a new sponsor for the student.
If you need to discontinue the program, just let us know and we’ll likely find a new sponsor for the student.
What happens to students who are unsponsored or if a sponsor misses a month?
Monthly sponsorship fees are pooled and used to offset the many expenses of caring for our students. This means there is no negative effect if a student is unsponsored or if a sponsor misses a month, so don’t worry! If you miss a month or aren’t able to make the full payment, your student isn't kicked out of the program or fed less food. Similarly, a new student who has just joined our program is immediately given a home, meals, love and education. He or she doesn’t have to wait for a sponsor in order to begin the program.
What happens when a student graduates?
Every year in December, students graduate from our program. We celebrate with them and work alongside them as they gather their things, look for work, and prepare to transition into the real world. We continue to support our graduate financially for up to 1 year after graduation by helping pay rent and a spending allowance.
We ask that sponsors continue their monthly support for 1 year after their student has graduated. If your student has graduated more than 1 year ago and you are interested in taking on a new student to sponsor, please submit the Sponsor Registration Form.
We ask that sponsors continue their monthly support for 1 year after their student has graduated. If your student has graduated more than 1 year ago and you are interested in taking on a new student to sponsor, please submit the Sponsor Registration Form.
can i choose more than one monthly sponsorship type?
Of course! You are welcome to choose a sponsor level from $25 to $400 (or more) a month. Simply indicate on your Sponsorship Application Form which areas you would like to sponsor each month.
I've visited MITS, and became very close with one of the students who doesn't have a sponsor. Can I choose him or her as my sponsor student?
Yes! If you visited MITS and are aware of a student who needs a sponsor, please request that student by name and we will assign him or her to you.
I’ve just submitted the Sponsor Registration Form. What’s next?
Thanks for taking the first step! You’ll be hearing from one of our staff members shortly to match you with an unsponsored student.
Can I sponsor multiple students?
Of course! Many sponsors choose to sponsor several students, as their finances allow.
Can I share a sponsorship with a friend or family member? Say I pay Half per month and my sister pays the other half per month?
Yes! Just make sure you communicate that in your Sponsor Registration Form, so our records reflect all the sponsors’ names and contact information. When you send your monthly payment, whether it’s a check mailed to our headquarters or a recurring payment, just contribute the amount you’ve decided on with your co-sponsor.
what are my payment options?
You have two payment options. (1) online or (2) a check, mailed to our Nashville headquarters. You will be given the opportunity to decide which option you want after submitting your Sponsor Registration Form. You can switch options at any time. Online is the most convenient option, because it can be set up as an automatic monthly payment, like a subscription. If you choose to pay by check, you will be responsible for remembering to send a check each month.
If you would prefer to pay multiple months or a full year of sponsorship in one payment, you are welcome to do so either online or with a check.
If you would prefer to pay multiple months or a full year of sponsorship in one payment, you are welcome to do so either online or with a check.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
WANT TO SEND YOUR STUDENT A NOTE?Want to send your student an encouraging note or update? Use our MITS Mail form to reach out and our staff will pass the message along.
|