“The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.” Psalm 146:9

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” Psalm 68:5

“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” Mark 9:37

Rudi International is fully committed to protect the security, privacy, and dignity of the children whose parents/guardians and community leaders have graciously allowed to be a part of our child sponsorship programs.

Below is important information you need to know about how we protect children, the ramifications of our policies in print media, on social media networks, on our website’s child sponsorship technology, and your responsibilities as a user of this technology.

CHILD SECURITY
What is child security?

Children have the right to be completely secure from the fear or reality of any potential abuse (either physical or emotional) resulting from an inappropriate contact by a sponsor or any other person.

How does the sponsorship program seek to protect child security?

If this is your first visit to our website, or if it is the first time you visit our social media networks, you will notice that we now only release limited information on the children we serve. Those who visited our website or other online media prior to this policy will notice a drastic change in the quantity of information we share about each child. Information released no longer includes last names, community names or locations, or other information by which the location of sponsored children could be easily identified. We intentionally withhold this information until after the identity of the sponsor is verified and we do keep this information as private as possible by keeping it offline.

Any partnership with us as well as the sponsorship process are contingent upon your agreement, as sponsor or partner, that you will NOT attempt to contact a sponsored child, his or her family or community members, in any manner other than that prescribed and permitted in advance in writing by Rudi International. In particular, telephone calls, email or unplanned visits to the child’s residence and community are forbidden without written permission and oversight by Rudi International. In addition, all postal mail and packages sent must conform to Rudi International policy that will be stated in materials mailed to each sponsor who desires to communicate thus with the students.

What is Rudi International’s policy on protecting child security during social media activities?

As a child-focused organization, Rudi International recognizes that in this fast-paced new-media world, technology can bring new types and levels of risk to children, especially as online predators look for ways to gain easy access to vulnerable victims.

At Rudi International, in accordance with the heart of the Lord God Himself, it is our deepest desire to ensure that children and their families are protected from the fear or reality of any potential physical or emotional abuse resulting from inappropriate and unsafe internet and social media use, including the sharing of private information about a child and their family.

We want you to have the opportunity to develop a meaningful relationship with your sponsored child in a way that is safe, secure and fulfilling for both of you. Because of this, we ask our sponsors to abide by the following standards while participating and partnering in Rudi International’s Sponsorship program: 

• Simply remember that Rudi International discourages direct, unmonitored communication with your sponsored child or family without Rudi International’s knowledge. This includes contact through the Internet or social media (e.g. Instant Messaging, Facebook, Skype, etc.). Note that Rudi International does not allow unplanned visits to the child’s residence or community, under any circumstance, without Rudi International’s prior knowledge.

• In order to protect children’s security and privacy, please do not post your sponsored child’s last name or child ID number on the internet or social media sites. For example, it’s fine to update your Facebook status by saying “I just sponsored a little girl named Maria from Bolivia!” –in fact, this is encouraged! But it’s not okay to post her photo and say “This is my 12-year-old sponsored child, Maria Cruz, from a little town named Tiraque in Bolivia.”

• Because your privacy and security are equally important to us, sponsored children and families are discouraged from contacting you without Rudi International’s knowledge as well. This is to protect you from being solicited, perhaps with threats to the child’s well-being, if someone with ill intent knows they have access to direct communication with you. Any unfacilitated contact initiated by your sponsored child or their family that makes you feel uncomfortable should immediately be reported to Rudi International for both their security and yours. 

CHILD PRIVACY
What is child privacy?

Children and their families must be assured that Rudi International is protecting the integrity of information, including photographs, that is shared about them with the public. We take potential abuse of child photographs on the web very seriously. Privacy also demands that children, their families and communities be shielded from any potential inappropriate contact from sponsors or others.

How does the sponsorship program seek to protect child privacy?

Downloading, copying, or other replication of photos or other information that are a part of Rudi’s website or Social Media without advance written permission from Rudi International is strictly forbidden. Child profiles are presented for the purpose of conveying appropriate information about the sponsorship relationship to the potential sponsor, and are not for distribution in any other manner.

Photographs on this site are encoded using a copyrighted digital watermark technology. Rudi International (intends to) work(s) with technical partners to scan the World Wide Web for inappropriate placement and use of these photographs.

Rudi International reserves the right to aggressive pursuit through all appropriate remedies against all violators of this policy.

CHILD DIGNITY
What is child dignity?

The lives of children, their families, and members of their community should be portrayed with accuracy and dignity. The children we work with are not objects to be pitied, but are partners with us in the process of bringing holistic (spiritual, physical, psychological, and social) transformation to communities in poverty and in transforming the hearts of beneficiaries and donors alike.

How does Rudi’s sponsorship program seek to protect child dignity?

We are committed to portraying the life situation of the children, families and communities we serve with accuracy and dignity. We seek the full, informed consent of parents, guardians, and/or community leaders for a child’s participation in our child sponsorship programs.

If you have any questions about any of these policies, please contact us. Thank you.

Note: Additional resources: http://www.itu.int/en/cop/Documents/S-GEN-COP.CHILD-2016-PDF-E%5b1%5d.pdf