write letters

Our volunteers play an important role in encouraging VOH children in their faith and education. They help make sure every child has a letter for our three annual mail days. Having a consistent “penpal” in their life helps them gain confidence and happiness so we hope you will volunteer for at least a year but pray you will be a long-term encourager in their life.

Get Started Today!

  • Choose how many children you’d like to write (between 5 and 10 is usually a good starting place).

  • Mark the remaining letter deadlines for the year on your calendar (we’ll share next year’s deadlines with you once our travel schedule for the year is set, but it’s usually around the same dates each year.

  • Click the link below and include your name, email, mailing address, the number of children you will commit to write and how long you will commit to writing.

  • Once you receive your names, use the tips below (and those we send you) to write your first letter(s).

  • Mail your letters in plenty of time to arrive by the deadline. It can take a week or more to go through the mail.

The letter deadlines for 2025 are:

  • March 1

  • May 20

  • September 1

What should I write?

  • Describe your family…children also love to receive photos of their penpals. They will probably ask for a photo every time they write you.

  • Tell them about your favorite pastime - talk about your hobbies or sports you enjoy.

  • Share what you do (or did) for a living or your school - this opens a child’s doors on new careers they may not know about.

  • Talk about your church - share about your relationship with Jesus.

  • Explain customs or special holidays (except Halloween as it is tied with demonic religions in northern Uganda).

  • Give a general description of the area where you live - your state and city, but please do not give your specific address. Share what you enjoy most about where the you live.

  • Encourage them to stay in school

What should I avoid in my letter:

  • Elaborating on material possessions (the of your home, the kind of car your drive, video games, etc.).

  • Suggesting that your penpal child visit the United States.

  • Please do not make any promises to your penpal, like “I will visit you” etc. While your intentions are great, they will be very disappointed if you are not able to follow through.

  • Asking what your penpal would like you to send as a gift (see gifts).

  • Do not share your last name, mailing address, email, phone number or social media accounts. All communication should go through VOH for your protection and the protection of your penpal.

Gifts:

Because all the children at Village of Hope Uganda live together, for a child to receive special gift with their letter that no other child receives can trigger past traumas. You are always welcome to include photos and one or two sheets of stickers in your letter, but if you include other gifts (even though they are small) we will not be able to send them or return them to you.

Ideas - questions to ask your child:

Start with general questions: favorite pastime, sports, animals, foods, subjects in school, who their friends are, etc. As you get to know your child better, the questions will come more naturally.

Please do not ask about their parents, what happened to them or why they came to VOH. This re-trigger trauma for them. Once you’ve established a relationship with them, they might choose to share their story with you, but most children will not.

Learning about your child’s country will also be very helpful as you communicate. It can be a fun family project to research the customs, foods and culture of the Acholi people in Northern Uganda.

Simple steps to send your letter:

  1. Write your penpal’s name at the top of your letter.

  2. Place it in an unsealed envelope no larger than 6” x 9” or a standard #10. Write their name on the unsealed envelope and their ID number in the top right-hand corner. Please do not include your return address on this envelope.

  3. Place the unsealed envelope into an envelope with your return address and address it to: Village of Hope, PO Box 700126, Dallas, TX 75370

  4. Mail your letter in plenty of time to arrive by the deadline.

  5. IF are worried your letter will not arrive in time via mail, please email it to Terrie@villageofhopeuganda.com by the deadline. If you want to send us one or two photos with your emailed letter, we can print it on regular letter paper but we can not have it developed.