Sponsorship Payments
Rule Numero Uno: NEVER SEND MONEY in letters or packages to Nicaragua! Someone could intercept the mail and none of it will get through. (You are encouraged to send letters and cards, and if you're inclined, small, inexpensive gifts, to your student. Please see the Letters and Packages page for more info.)
Payment Address
As of July 2009, sponsorship dollars should be sent to:
Circulo de Amigas
PO Box 6605
Huntington Beach, CA 92615-6605
You can also make payments online by using the "donate" page.
Standard Payment Options
Please know that regardless of the type of sponsorship you have, payments are due in advance of stipend disbursements. (January payments are due in December, and so forth.) If you are more than a month past-due on your payments, we may withhold disbursements to your student until her account is brought up to date - we simply may not have the resources to "cover" you!
Elementary / High School |
Higher Education (Jinotega area) |
|||
Without Basket |
With Basket |
Without Basket |
With Basket |
|
Monthly |
$44.00 |
$48.17 |
$59.00 |
$63.17 |
Quarterly |
$132.00 |
$144.50 |
$177.00 |
$189.50 |
Semi-annually |
$264.00 |
$289.00 |
$354.00 |
$379.00 |
Annually |
$528.00 |
$578.00 |
$708.00 |
$758.00 |
These are standard payments. If you are sponsoring a college student (universitaria) outside the Jinotega area, or some other special case, your payment may differ. Please contact us if you're not sure.
Finally, please note your student's NAME and NUMBER on your check and in your correspondence.
The Holiday Basket
If your regular payment does not include money for the annual Holiday basket, be sure to send $50 at the end of October or early in November.
Circulo de Amigas may be a small, secular nonprofit,
but we recognize that Christmas is a big deal in our students' lives.
What's in the "basket" (canasta)? Twenty-five dollars for food,
plus $25 for the student's mother or guardian to make
the holiday a little brighter by buying a few gifts.
Non-Standard Amounts for Gifts or the General Fund
If a non-standard amount is sent - for example, say $20 or $40 for a birthday present, or $50 or $100 for the General Fund (bless you!) - note how it should be applied. Also, allow 6-8 weeks for gift dollars to be disbursed. (For instance, if your student's birthday is in May, send your gift early in April.)
If you do not tell us how to apply a non-standard
amount, we will try to do it in a way that seems consistent with your
sponsorship type and your payment history. If there is an extra amount
we can't figure out, we will apply it to the General Fund.
Elementary / High School |
Higher Education (Jinotega area) |
|
Family / Student |
$25.00 |
$40.00 |
Campus, Staff, Utilities |
$19.00 |
$19.00 |
Total |
$44.00 |
$59.00 |
Christmas |
$25.00 for food $25.00 for gifts |
$25.00 for food $25.00 for gifts |
All students, even higher-ed students, receive a stipend even during
breaks (December and January). Higher-ed students often have practicums
to accomplish, and almost always have transportation and other costs,
including clothes. (Elementary and high school students wear uniforms.
Older students need to buy decent street clothes.)
Please note that higher-ed costs can vary depending on where and what the student is studying!
For more info on the Nicaraguan school system, see the Schools page.