Email Foster Parent Guidelines

Email Foster Parents International (EFPI) welcomes you to our email foster parent program! You have made a wonderful decision in becoming an email foster parent. Your email letters of love and encouragement to your foster child, as well as your financial support, will make a huge difference in their lives. Thank you so much for your generosity of time and treasure in helping one of the many orphaned and/or vulnerable children of Cambodia.

Each child or young adult at Future Light Orphanage of Worldmate (FLOW) is an individual with their own story. As FLOW’s founder, Phaly Nuon says, “...a hundred children, a hundred hearts.” Many of the children at FLOW have lost one or both of their parents to disease, war, accident or have simply been abandoned. An equal number have living parents who are simply too impoverished to feed and clothe them, let alone see that they receive an education.

FLOW's mission is to provide a safe and loving environment for Cambodia’s orphaned and vulnerable children while at the same time allowing them to pursue an education that will help them become self sufficient and productive adults of good character. Thank you once again for helping to make this happen.

The following are suggestions on how to correspond and get to know your email foster child:

1. Be consistent with your correspondence. Your email letters do not need to be too long and involved, if you do not have the time, but you should be able to take a few minutes each month as a minimum to show your foster child your interest and concern for them. Your letters are like a treasure to them, and they will be read over and over. Apart from the FLOW staff, you may be the only parent or adult that has shown that you genuinely care about them.
   

2. Keep your English simple. When the children first come to the orphanage they speak little or no English. Our teachers or older kids who speak English will translate your letter into Khmer for them; they will write back to you in Khmer and then it will be translated to English for you. With time and hard work and the motivation to learn English that you are providing them, they eventually will be able to read your letters on their own and write to you in English. This ability to understand English and use a computer will be a huge benefit to them when it is time for them to leave the orphanage and earn their own living!

3. Please try to encourage your foster child to study hard and help out with the chores at the orphanage as well as being good to his/her siblings and friends.  It is also better to encourage them to help their own country one day rather than encouraging them to move to your country.
   

4. How do you want to be addressed? Mom? Dad? Aunty? Uncle? Or by your name? There is no rule on this. It is whatever is comfortable with you. They may first call you mom or dad. If it feels comfortable with you, fine. If not, just let them know how you would like to be addressed.
   

5. Can you send email pictures? Sure! They will love them. Most kids love to know who is in your family, their names, your pets, where you live, etc. Try to keep the file size manageable.
   

6. Can you send gifts or pocket money? This is a tough one. When sending anything it is always good to ask yourself, "How will this affect the other 200-plus kids in and around the orphanage?" If you must send something, please make sure it is very simple and inexpensive; a framed picture, cute t-shirt or hat, or a very cheap watch. School supplies and very simple clothing are best. But you really don’t need to send anything. Please do not send money as it usually causes problems. (The only exception we have on the gift giving, which is totally optional is a bicycle. The reason being that the public school is several kilometers away and it saves them over an hour of walking each day. This is only for the kids that are at least 11 years old or so depending on their size. A good bike is $80 and we can arrange for the purchase of one there if requested.) You may send a small, inexpensive gift by U.S. Post to: Phaly Nuon, P.O. Box 818, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Be sure to put your name and your foster child’s name on the package or envelope also.
   

7. What about their birthdays? In the past this was a problem as some kids would get a bunch of goodies from their foster parent and most kids would get nothing! Now we have solved this problem: Each month we have a group birthday party for all of the kids that are celebrating their birthday that month. We buy a nice big cake for the birthday kids to share along with a little gift of school supplies, clothing or hygiene items for them...and the other 200 sing Happy Birthday! (This is something optional that you may donate towards supporting when we invoice you for you child’s annual support.)
   

8. Can I visit my child and the orphanage? Yes! FLOW has very comfortable guest rooms and welcomes guests. This will be a trip of a lifetime and your foster child will be thrilled! Click here for more information.
   

9. Can I ask the FLOW staff questions directly? Yes. Our English teacher and foster parent coordinator Porleang will usually be the one responding to your questions or will acknowledge your comments. Use the same email address you use to correspond with your foster child.
   

10. How about support or donation questions? Please contact here.

11. How long will my foster child be at FLOW? This is different for each child. Sometimes children will stay at FLOW for only a year, two or three and then return to their village; be taken in by a relative; or, if over 16 years of age, decide to find work. This can be sad for the foster parent who has bonded with the child but we must take solace in knowing that we were able to help the child when they were most in need, providing them with a safe and healthy place to live, advanced their education and given them the love and concern that was not available for them elsewhere. Many other children will stay on at FLOW with a dream of advancing their education and maybe one day learning a trade or going to college with the goal of being self-sufficient and contributing to the betterment of their country.