Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How often does the Malawi Committee meet?
A: Once a month on the first Wednesday of the month from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm in the Common Room off the east narthex of the church.
Sponsor a Student Program
Q: How are administrative costs
handled?
A: It is very important to the Malawi Committee that 100% of your donation goes directly to the students. Administrative costs are kept very low for the Sponsor a Student Program. Current administrative costs include printing and folding of the brochures, the one time cost of the display boards and correspondence expenses. Malawi Committee volunteers print and fold the brochures. It is very important that a sponsor include a phone number and e-mail address in order to keep correspondence costs to a minimum. Currently, an anonymous donation has been made to cover these administrative costs. Therefore 100% of your donation goes directly to your student!
Q: How is my donation distributed to the students?
A: Holy Family’s bookkeeper wires your donation directly to the Pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish to a bank account set up specifically for the Sponsor a Student Program. The Pastor then pays the student’s tuition directly to their school. He also buys the uniforms, books, etc. and distributes those items to the students. The Pastor e-mails the Sponsor a Student Program volunteer a detailed spreadsheet of each cost incurred per student. In order to cross reference the Pastor’s bookkeeping; a Sponsor a Student volunteer records all donations in a separate spreadsheet.
Q: How is the program monitored in Nguludi?
A: The pastor of St. Joseph’s Parish personally visits the students at their schools to monitor their progress. Progress reports will be sent occasionally that will be passed onto the sponsors.
Q: Can I correspond with my student?
A: Yes, the Pastor of St. Joseph’s will request an initial letter from each of the students. Once these letters are received at Holy Family Parish, the letters will be distributed to the sponsors. Sponsors are then encouraged to correspond with their student. All correspondence must pass through the Sponsor a Student Program. Please mail your correspondence to Holy Family, c/o Michelle Benes. Your correspondence will then be mailed to St. Joseph’s Parish and distributed by the Pastor to the students.
Q: Am I able to send additional funds to my student?
A: As part of our Sister Parish Covenant we work to promote community and independence for St. Joseph’s Nguludi Mission. We would not want one student to receive additional funds and another not. Therefore, we ask you donate your additional funds to either the Sponsor a Student Program to sponsor another student or to the General St. Joseph’s Parish Fund to support your student and their community.