ERDO stands for Emergency Relief and Development Overseas. Our name encapsulates our four areas of focus – Child Sponsorship, Food Relief, Development and Crisis Response. Where there is poverty, hunger, disaster and injustice, ERDO is there on your behalf, doing good.
At any one time ERDO is working in over 35 countries around the world, bringing emergency relief during times of natural disaster and conflict while continuing to help families overcome challenges of poverty so they can build stronger futures. Our ChildCARE Plus program is currently running in 27 countries and we also have programs operating in other parts of the world through our ministry partners. When crises occur, these global partnerships allow us to extend our reach and respond to urgent needs, wherever they happen.
ERDO works with community representatives living in the areas that we hear are facing crisis. We also work with other emergency aid and development agencies, churches and organizations. When emergency supplies and funds are collected, we assess the situation and decide which partners are in the best position to meet the needs of the people affected. We then channel the donated supplies and funds through them to bring food, safe water, emergency shelter, counseling and other essentials to those who are suffering.
Your donations to ERDO's general fund help support important projects and activities we're running that may need additional support. General funding donations are vital to our work. They ensure all our relief and development projects receive the funds they need to be able to meet the needs of the people we're serving who are caught in desperate circumstances.
We typically issue one receipt for each gift you donate to ERDO. We send these receipts out within 48 hours of receiving your gift so that you know your gift has been received and applied to the project you have specified. However, if you would prefer to receive just one annual receipt, please let us know and we’ll be happy to arrange that for you. Your yearly receipt will be mailed to you in February of each year in time for your tax return.
If you need to change your mailing address or update any of your contact information, you’re welcome to contact us at info@erdo.ca or 905.542.7400.
Our charitable registration number is: BN# 87591 2701 RR0001
ERDO is an associate member in good standing with the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. As a associate member, we adhere to the highest standards of ethics and operations, and enjoy the accountability of being in association with other key Canadian Christian Charities.
Yes. ERDO undergoes a rigorous annual audit by PKF Hill Chartered Accountants Business Advisors who offer expert auditing and advisory services to a number of non profit agencies, churches and denominations. You can be assured that in giving to ERDO, you are supporting a charity that is responsible in finances and management and that is Biblically based. Visit CRA's overview of ERDO.
We're happy to answer any of your questions. Send us an email at info@erdo.ca or call us at 905.542.7400.
We work where our PAOC partners live, which gives us a unique, direct connection to the people and communities we are helping. These dedicated men and women of God know the stories and situations of their neighbours and because of that can identify the children in need of immediate care. These children are added to the ChildCARE Plus list of children needing sponsors and we then work to find people like you who will sponsor them, giving them the support and opportunities they need for a promise-filled future.
When you choose to sponsor one of these children, your support is sent to the ChildCARE Plus representative in your child's community - someone who knows your child personally! They then ensure your support goes directly to your child and their family to give them access to the things they need most, like nutrition, healthcare, clean water and education.
Yes. We will send you annual reports on how your support is helping your sponsored child, their family and their community. If your child is in school, you will hear how they are progressing and what their favourite subjects are. Your child may even send along a drawing or a short letter! You will also receive regular communications to tell you a little bit more about how sponsorship has helped children in need around our world. These are truly Good News Stories!
Your sponsorship provides the essentials of life to a child living in poverty. This includes things like clean water, nutritious food, sanitation, medical treatments and healthcare, vaccines, schooling, job training, etc. Not only is your sponsored child helped, but their entire family is assisted by your support. The representative working in your sponsored child's community ensures that your support goes directly to that child and their family... they benefit from your care firsthand!
ChildCARE Plus children love to receive letters and pictures from their sponsors. For many of them, these are the first gifts they have ever received! We will give you opportunities to send small gifts and letters to your sponsored child through ChildCARE Plus and you can also choose to write letters on your own. The choice to write letters to your sponsored child, however, is completely up to you. Some sponsors wish to establish a close connection with their sponsored child through letters. For others, it's satisfying just knowing their support is changing the life of a child.
Throughout the year we will give you opportunities to send special gifts to your child, like on their birthday or at Christmas. We ask that if you send a gift other than the ones we offer, you send only a letter or a picture. Other items sent like toys, clothes and food may have difficulties in travel and customs regulations and may not reach your sponsored child. We have established good communication processes to make sure that the small gifts you send to your sponsored child - like letters and photos - will arrive.
The longer you can support your sponsored child the better. Having a longer-term sponsor brings consistency to their lives. However, we only ask that you sponsor your child for as long as you are able. Typically children graduate from the ChildCARE Plus program at the age of 18 or upon completion of their schooling. We currently have children ranging in ages from 3 to 18-years-old being sponsored.
We know your circumstances may change over time and if you are unable to continue your sponsorship, that's alright. Just contact us so we can cancel your sponsorship and match your child with another sponsor so they continue to have access to the opportunities sponsorship provides.