Updated 27 August 2008
Following is a list of FAQ’s on the Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme.
What does ZCSS stand for?
Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme.
What type of children does ZCSS sponsor?
ZCSS sponsors all Shia children who cannot afford to pay for their basic education. ZCSS also helps University students who cannot afford their tuition by paying part of their tuition fees.
Is it true that ZCSS only helps children in India?
At the moment majority of ZCSS's concentration is in India because we Khoja Shia Ithnaasheri originate from India and the World Federation thought it to be wise to start helping children from where we originate and then slowly help others. However, it is not true that ZCSS only helps children in India because at the moment it supports children in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Kenya.
How many children does ZCSS sponsor?
At the moment ZCSS sponsors approximately eleven thousand (11,000) children altogether throughout the world.
How much does it cost to sponsor a child?
You will have to pay a fixed amount for the entire period you have chosen, which may be anything between 1 and 14 years. The yearly sum is £120 or US$ 240 or Can $ 240
Can I sponsor more than one child?
Yes you can sponsor as many children as you wish. Once you sponsor a child, you will be called the sponsor parent for that child/children.
How long can I sponsor a child for?
You can sponsor a child for a minimum of one year and there is no limit to the number of years you may sponsor a child. We prefer you to sponsor a child for at least four years.
How will I know who am I sponsoring?
Once you sponsor a child you will be sent a profile of the child you have been allocated, which will contain his/her photograph and all details. Also every year you will be sent a progress report of how the child has performed during the year. This will be sent to your home address and so if you change your address it is vital that you inform us immediately.
Do you sponsor students in Western Universities?
This work is being done by the Education function of The World Federation and not ZCSS.
What is the ZCSS graduate scheme?
The Zainabiya graduate scheme supports potential students who cannot afford their entire tuition fees. These are students who attend colleges and Universities. At the moment we have approximately 500 students taking different courses.
What is the cost of sponsoring a graduate?
The cost is £500 or US$ 1000 or Can$ 1000 per student per year.
Can I write to the child?
Yes indeed. In fact it will be good for the child to receive a letter from you from time to time. When they do well or badly in school, a letter from you could work wonders. But please do not expect a reply.
In what language should I write?
Simple English.
What address should I use?
For your address, use World Federation’s address. We will re-direct the reply to you. For the student’s address, use the Organisation’s address given on top of the student’s details which are with you.
Why are you discouraging me from giving my address to the family?
Because your letter could fall into the wrong hands and you could receive several fake letters appealing for financial help.
What if I want to visit the child/children I have sponsored?
You are most welcomed to visit them at any time of the year. Please contact ZCSS secretariat and you will be guided as to the best course of action when going there.
Are we allowed to give khums money to these children?
Our Policy is not to use Sehme Imam (A.S.) for ZCSS. As for the Sehme Sadat, these moneys can be spent on Sadat children and approximately 50% of the children being sponsored are Sadat. 50% of the khums, which is the Sehme Imam, is allowed to be spent on these children. As for the Sehme Sadat, these moneys can only be spent on Sadat children and ZCSS does sponsor quite a number of them at the moment.
What happens if the child I am sponsoring drops out of the scheme?
Generally we want children to study and are expending all efforts to that end. If a child drops out of the scheme, this will be due to an unfortunate circumstance of that child, but we will allocate another child to you as soon as possible. A child may drop for several reasons. They may have completed their studies or have joined their parents in business or are now economically well off.
What happens if I decide to discontinue sponsoring a child?
If your circumstances do not allow you to sponsor any more, the scheme will allocate another sponsor parent to the child you were sponsoring.
Does all the money I pay go to the same student?
No. Your student may get more or less than your donation. The rest goes into the pool to finance higher education, building of schools, providing religious education and other works.
If the child I am sponsoring is not performing well, does that mean that I am wasting my money?
No you are not wasting your money but to start with at least your efforts have taken out a child from the evils of debt slavery and illiteracy.
Why do I get a report only once a year? Can’t I get the quarterly report too?
The admin cost will be horrendous to distribute 4000 reports worldwide every quarter. It will be far more effective if you write to the student once or twice a year.
Why can’t the report be translated into English before you send it to me?
We try to make sure the report you get is either in English or Gujarati and no other language.
I have sponsored a child, however for Eid I would very much like to send a little bit of money as Eidi to the child and the family that I have sponsored - please advise me if this is possible?
We are pleased in the additional interest you have taken in the sponsored child's life and pray that Allah rewards you amply for this. Unfortunately, our experience has shown that such a payment can throw up a number of additional issues. For example, sending a gift to a child, when the rest of the family or the rest of the children in the neighbourhood or in the school receive nothing sometimes does not bode well for the child or the family in question. Also in the deprived environment they live in, such well meant acts sometimes create an unnecessary disparity between neighbours, friends and family members.
I hope you will understand that based on our experience we do not encourage sending extra funds or gifts. However we do encourage communication between sponsor parents and their children for example you could send a card or letter to your sponsored student which we are sure will be appreciated and be of great benefit to the education process.
As always you have the option of providing extra funds to Zainabiya which can then use this money to provide for the special needs of the very poor or the very unfortunate ones. So your donation will be helping other poor children also.
I hope our response does not disappoint you too much but we try to provide advice that is in the best interest of the Zainabiya children as a whole. We thank you for your continued support.
I notice from the reports that some children are taught “sangeet”? Is it music and if so is it allowed by the sharia?
The subject “Sangeet” in the reports is not music but Poetry what is better known as Shairi. In Government schools sometimes music is taught which we cannot stop but as far as our schools are concerned music is not allowed to be taught.
Is the money given to the child treated as a loan or an aid? If so are they obliged to pay back?
The money given to the children is treated as an aid but those funds given to the graduates are treated as a loan and are repayable whenever they can.
Is the levy of 7% that is charged on dispersal of all funds of the World Federation applicable to the ZCSS funds as well?
Yes the levy is applicable to the ZCSS funds as the World Federation is a big organisation and it is getting bigger day by day and employs many full time staff. You can be rest assured that the levy does not profit the WF in any way but is spent towards the cost of administration and financing other community projects for which funds are low.
Are the students under the ZCSS provided with secular education only or does it consist of religious education also?
In all our schools both secular and religious education are given equal importance but those who attend government schools, special evening classes are arranged for them for Qur'an recitation and other religious subjects like Fiqh and Akhlaq.
What is the easiest and fastest way of sponsoring a child?
Sponsoring a child can be done right from your computer at home. You can click on www.world-federation.org/zcss/SponsorAChild and it will take you through all the procedures. It should not take you more than 3 minutes to sponsor a child.
Click here to learn more about the Zainabiya Child Sponsorship Scheme (ZCSS).
Click here to donate towards this scheme.
For further information on ZCSS, email zcss@world-federation.org