FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What does SAID stand for?

Salvation Army International Development

What countries does the International Development Office support?

Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar, The Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

In which countries can I sponsor a child?

ASIA:  Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar(Burma), Philippines, Sri Lanka
AFRICA:  Congo (Kinshasa), Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe
SOUTH PACIFIC:  Papua New Guinea
SOUTH AMERICA:  Argentina, Brazil,
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic

Why do I need to give you my mailing address?

We need your mailing address so we can post you the tax invoice and greeting cards that accompany your purchased item.
We also need it so we can send you the annual gift catalogue and two publications a year with updates of where your money has gone.

Do I need to request greeting cards?

No. For every item you purchase you will automatically receive a greeting card. If you would not like to receive greeting cards you need to let us know.

When I buy gifts, do I get them delivered at my place?

No. The items you are paying for will be received by people in developing countries. You will never receive physical items at you address other than the greeting cards and receipt of purchase.

How much of my donation reaches the destination?

90% of your donation will go to the field; administration expenses and fundraising amount to 10%.

What does the price of the gift include?

Some gifts such as water tanks and livestock include their own expenses. For example, building a water tank includes local labour, transport of supplies and maintenance.When providing livestock, we provide training in animal care, provision of items for cages, the first feed for the livestock and training in business so that the livestock can become a self-sustainable project.

How do the gifts get there?

The Salvation Army THQ receives all donations.The money is then sent via telegraphic transfer to the territory where the project is located.The territory distributes the money to the Corps and/or centres where the products/livestock are purchased to boost the community’s economy.A project’s officer ensures that the money was spent on its intended purpose through reports and field visits.

How can I find out when the gift has reached its destination?

A lot of the countries we support have difficulties in communicating back to us because of their precarious conditions: electricity is scarce and internet is not accessible a lot of time of the year.
However we are committed to following up the projects that we support. Twice a year we will email you a report of what has happened with all donations, and twice a year we will post you a printed newsletter so that you are aware of the impact we are having in those communities.

Can I choose where to send my money?

For gift catalogue items No, as it is a difficult task to track this for individual items.
For other donations you can ask if your money can be sent to a particular country, however if there are no projects available in that country, we will need to send the money to a country where there is a higher priority.

Does the developing community always receive the gift I purchased?

Most times the gift you purchase will be the gift delivered, however as every community is different, the item may be substituted if required; for example a pig may be more beneficial than a goat as a means of livelihood for a certain community.
When a substitution like this is required, the money of your gift is always allocated towards the project that the gift represents. For example animals always get allocated to livelihood and agricultural projects.