Frequently Asked Questions

Protecting your financial information is our top priority. All online donations are processed through Flutterwave - a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor trusted by millions of businesses globally. We never store your full credit card details on our servers. All transactions are encrypted with SSL/TLS technology, and our website undergoes regular security audits. For additional assurance, we undergo independent financial audits each year and publish our annual financial reports on the Resources page.

While we strive to maximize program impact, a small portion of every donation (approximately 12%) supports essential operations: payment processing fees, accountability and reporting systems that track every dollar, staff who implement and monitor programs, audit costs, and essential infrastructure. This compares very favorably to the global nonprofit average of 20-30% operational costs. We publish our annual audited financial statements so you can see exactly how funds are used. We invite you to review them on the Resources page.

We accept a wide range of payment methods: Visa and MasterCard credit/debit cards, MTN Mobile Money (Rwanda), Airtel Money (Rwanda), Flutterwave (which supports additional African mobile money platforms), direct bank transfers, and PayPal for international donors. We also offer recurring monthly giving - which actually reduces our administrative costs per dollar, meaning more of your donation goes directly to programs. All payment options are available on our secure Donate page.

Absolutely! You can designate your donation to a specific program (Education, ECD, Health, Nutrition, etc.) or to an individual fundraising project with its own progress page. When you donate to a project, 100% of your donation (minus payment processing fees) is restricted to that specific project and tracked separately. You will receive updates on the project's progress, and donors to completed projects receive impact reports showing exactly how their money was spent.

Child sponsorship creates a life-changing one-to-one relationship between you and a child in our programs. Your monthly contribution (from $45 USD) covers that child's holistic needs: school fees and supplies, daily nutritious meals, access to healthcare and medicine, participation in talent or ECD programs, and the wrap-around support of our social work team. Most importantly, sponsorship means a child knows someone in the world believes in them. You will receive a welcome pack with your child's full profile, quarterly progress updates with photos and report cards, and opportunities to exchange letters through our program.

Yes! We strongly encourage sponsor visits - they are deeply meaningful for both sponsors and children. Many sponsors describe their visit as the most moving experience of their lives. Our Sponsor Visits team will help you coordinate travel, schedule the meeting, prepare age-appropriate activities, and ensure the visit is conducted according to our child safeguarding policies (designed to protect the child, not restrict your relationship). Approximately 15% of our sponsors visit Rwanda each year.

Children leave the sponsorship program for wonderful positive reasons: completing school, graduating from university, becoming self-sufficient, or reaching age 18 with a stable path forward. When a child you sponsor graduates, you will receive a final comprehensive report celebrating their journey and achievements. You will then have the opportunity to continue your sponsorship journey by sponsoring another child on our waiting list - carrying forward the life-changing support you have made possible.

We offer a wide range of volunteer placements matching your skills: medical and health outreach (doctors, nurses, pharmacists), teaching and tutoring at ECD centres or primary schools, building and infrastructure projects, sports and arts coaching for talent programs, photography/videography and communications, administration and grant writing at our headquarters, and community engagement. We have short-term placements (1-4 weeks), medium-term (1-6 months), and long-term opportunities. Skilled volunteers are particularly needed, but we also welcome general volunteers willing to work and learn.

Minimum volunteer age is 18 years for solo placements. Family volunteer trips with children aged 12+ are available through our special Family Volunteering Program (accompanied by an adult). We do not have a maximum age limit - we have had volunteers in their 70s and 80s make extraordinary contributions! The primary requirements are flexibility, cultural respect, willingness to learn, and a commitment to our child protection policies and code of conduct.

English is our working language at ROHCAF and is widely understood in all program areas. However, we encourage volunteers to learn basic phrases in Luganda, Lugbara, Runyankole, or the specific language of your placement area. We provide a free language orientation session and phrasebook at the start of your placement. Many volunteers find that learning the language is one of the most rewarding parts of their experience - the joy on a child's face when you speak to them in their own language is priceless.

ROHCAF currently operates across multiple districts in Rwanda, including Musanze, Kigali, Rubavu, and more. Our headquarters are in Musanze, from where we coordinate programs implemented through regional and community-based field offices. Our community-based approach means we do not impose solutions from the capital - we embed our staff within communities and work through existing local structures and trusted leaders. This model ensures our programs are culturally appropriate, community-owned, and sustainable.

Transparency and accountability are core to ROHCAF's values. You can verify our work through: 1) Our published Annual Reports and Audited Financial Statements on the Resources page, including detailed breakdowns of expenditure and impact metrics by program. 2) Independent evaluations conducted by third-party organizations (also published on our site). 3) Direct visits - we welcome donor visits with full access to all program sites. 4) Registration and good standing with the Rwanda NGO Board and other regulatory bodies. Registration details are available on request. 5) Reviews and ratings on independent charity watchdog platforms.

We would love to hear from you. You can reach us through: 1) Online Contact Form on our Contact page - we respond within 24-48 hours. 2) Email: rockofhopecommunity7@gmail.com for all inquiries. 3) Phone: +250 788 000 000 (Office hours: 8am-5pm CAT, Monday-Friday). 4) Visit us in person at P.O. Box 175, Musanze, Rwanda. 5) Social Media: @ROHCAF on all major platforms.