About DCI

Yes, Distressed Children & Infants International is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the United States. We received our official notice of non-profit status from the Connecticut Secretary of State on April 27, 2005. Our US non-profit registration number (EIN) is 81-0671495.

We work with our partner organizations to serve underprivileged children and families in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Nicaragua. We also provide volunteer opportunities for American youth and raise awareness about child rights issues in the United States. Learn more about where we work

No. We are not affiliated with nor oriented toward any political or religious agenda. DCI was founded on the basis of a universal humanitarian philosophy – to help all those in need regardless of their political, religious, ethnic, or social status. See our mission and vision to learn more about the philosophy behind our work.

Getting Involved

Yes, you can get involved with DCI as a donor, sponsor, or volunteer from any part of the world. We have contributors and volunteers from a range of other countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh, to name a few.

No, you can volunteer for as much time as you wish, according to your schedule. As we try to reduce the expenses of running our programs as much as possible, we have great need for volunteer support and can benefit from any amount of time you can give. Visit our volunteer page, where you can let us know your interests and how much time you can give. We will do our best to match you with a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests and desired commitment.

Yes, you can get involved with DCI as a donor, sponsor, or volunteer from any part of the world. We have contributors and volunteers from a range of other countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, Thailand, India, and Bangladesh, to name a few.

No, you can volunteer for as much time as you wish, according to your schedule. As we try to reduce the expenses of running our programs as much as possible, we have great need for volunteer support and can benefit from any amount of time you can give. Visit our volunteer page, where you can let us know your interests and how much time you can give. We will do our best to match you with a volunteer opportunity that fits your interests and desired commitment.

Giving

You can send a charitable gift to DCI by mail or give securely online through our website.

By Mail:

Please print our donation form and include it in the envelope with your payment. Be sure to include your current email address so that we can send you your tax receipt.

Make your check or money order payable to “Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI)” or “DCI,” and mail it to:

Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI), Inc.

45 PHILSON CT, CHESHIRE, CT 06410, USA

Note:

  • We do not accept cash payments.
  • If you plan to make recurring donations to DCI (for child sponsorship or any other reason), consider asking your bank to send checks to DCI at regular intervals. Please have the donation purpose (e.x. “child sponsorship”) printed on the check’s memo.

Online:

You can donate securely by credit card/PayPal through our website.

All donations made to DCI by U.S. residents are 100% tax-deductible. DCI will send you a tax receipt for your donation by email (please provide your current email address on the donation form if you are sending your gift by mail). As DCI is a U.S.-registered non-profit organization only U.S. residents can receive a tax benefit.

If you make a donation to a particular DCI program, 100% of the funds we receive are used for the costs of that program. No portion of your donation will be used to pay for DCI’s administrative or fundraising costs. This is also true for all Islamic charitable contributions (Zakat and Fitra donations).Donations to DCI’s General Fund are used at DCI’s discretion, but we do everything within our capacity to keep our administrative and fundraising costs to an absolute minimum, making sure that as much of your contribution as possible directly supports underprivileged families. You can review how DCI’s contributions are used on our accountability page.

You can make payment in Bangladesh directly in cash or Crossed Cheque, Demand Draft (DD), Pay Order to our bank account. We will give you a money receipt. Please note that Rights and Sight for Children (RSC) is our partner and implementing organization in Bangladesh.

Our Account Information in Bangladesh:

A/C Name: Rights and Sight for Children
A/C Number: CD-001055919
Branch, Location / Address: Mohammadpur Corporate Branch, Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1207
Bank Name: Janata Bank Ltd

About the Sun Child Sponsorship Program

There are several ways you can become a sponsor:

  1. Online: here at distressedchildren.org
  2. By E-mail: dci@distressedchildren.org
  3. By Telephone: Tel# +1 (203) 376-6351 or +1 (875) 292-9186
  4. By Surface Mail: DCI, 45 PHILSON CT, CHESHIRE, CT 06410, USA
  5. In Person: At any DCI office or DCI information booths or state representative

Yes, if you pay for your sponsorship online (recurring monthly credit card payment) you can choose a child to sponsor on our website. If you pay for your sponsorship by mail, you can choose the gender of the child you’d like to sponsor and DCI will select a child for you. We plan to allow offline sponsors to choose their sponsored children in the near future but presently our system does not allow new sponsors to “reserve” a sponsorship while we wait for their sponsorship payment.

Yes. You can find a brief biography and photo of your sponsored child online and you will receive 4 updates from your sponsored child each year: a report card showing the child’s grades and school attendance, a drawing for you from your sponsored child, and 2 photos showing the child’s daily life.

No, sponsored children cannot be adopted, but you may consider them part of your extended family!

If you need to discontinue sponsorship, call us and we will cover your payments for 8 weeks. If you are still unable to pay we will do our best to find a new sponsor for the child so that the child’s progress can continue without interruption.

Currently sponsored children live in Bangladesh. The districts we operate in are Feni, Nilphamari, Patuakhali, Habiganj, and Dhaka.

DCI-Bangladesh/Rights & Sight for Children
House #167, Road #3, Mohammadi Housing Ltd., Mohammadpur, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh
Tel #01552460242, 01727264688
E-mail: dci@distressedchildren.org

DCI has a strong monitoring and evaluation system. DCI hires field officers and trains them to monitor the SCS program’s progress in the project area. The field officer keeps regular contact with the children, their families, their school, oversees overall progress and gives regular reports to Dhaka office. The field officer is closely supervised by the SCS Project Managers and Program Manager who work in the country office. DCI also has volunteer mentors in all the areas that it operates. The volunteer mentors monitor the disbursement of stipends as well as the education and healthcare of the children. The volunteer mentors report their observations and assessments regularly to the country office. The country office, in turn, has regular communication with the main office in the USA. DCI officials in USA and DCI advisory committee in Bangladesh assess the progress by regular onsite reviews & budget evaluations. DCI officials and volunteers in the USA also visit the supported areas in Bangladesh several times a year to check that things are being carried out according to commitments. Finally, audits of projects and office expenses are conducted by independent accounting firms in the US and Bangladesh.

There is a minimum of a one year commitment necessary to sponsor a child, but child sponsorship is intended to be an ongoing commitment that lasts until a child finishes his or her education, usually at least 16 years of age. After the minimum one year you can continue to sponsor as long as you like, but we encourage you to support the same child throughout their education for as long as you are able to. This will allow your sponsored child to continue their education and facilitate a supportive relationship. Once you choose to support a child, DCI is committed to that child’s uninterrupted development, so if you stop your support we will immediately look for a new sponsor.

Yes, you can sponsor a child with your friends, co-workers, or organization. Many of our children have group sponsors. All that is required is for one person to act as the primary sponsor who will be responsible for making sponsorship payments and sharing sponsorship updates with their co-sponsors.