57% of the elderly
in Kyrgyzstan
live in poverty

ADOPT

Help an elderly person through our Sponsorship Program. For already €15,-
a month you help them to survive!

DONATE

You can give a (one time) donation in the form of money, clothing, bedding, food or medical equipment.

VOLUNTEER

Become a volunteer for elderly in poverty. Walk a marathon, help in the office, hold a fundraising dinner or do something else that suits you.

SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

To alleviate the impact of poverty on vulnerable elderly people in Kyrgyzstan, Babushka Adoption Foundation has set up a successful private sponsorship program providing monthly welfare cash transfers to the most vulnerable old people in Bishkek city and rural areas of Batken oblast.
The lists of the vulnerable elderly are provided by the local social security departments of the Ministry of the social protection of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Identifying and selecting which elderly will be supported is accomplished by our social workers, with the support of an independent commission of experienced people working in the community sector. Our social workers conduct needs assessments, by visiting the elderly applicants at their home. The assessments take into account the applicants’ work experience, health condition, housing situation, family status and value of pension. These are then measured against Babushka Adoption Foundation’s criteria:

1. Over 65 years old
2. Monthly pension less than 7000 KGS (ca. 100 EURO), which is the average pension
3.No family support (i.e. childless; have disabled or pensioned children, or children have left Kyrgyzstan and do not provide support)

Adopt a Babushka Donate now

€15

The average amount
of monthly support

<900

Babushkas adopted and received support

>150

Babushkas
are waiting for adoption

SPONSORSHIP PROCESS

If you don’t want to adopt a babushka directly through our website, please send us your request.
From the sponsorship money 80% goes to your beneficiary and 20% goes towards the running costs of BA, including staff costs, communication costs (post and internet), transportation of distributing the money and all our social activities and projects.

1
Your request
Please send us an email with your request to adopt an elderly person. Let us know whether you leave the choice of an elderly person up to us or if you want to choose between several beneficiaries from our database.
2
Selection Process
We will send you the biographies of a few elderly persons in need, so you may decide whom to support and inform us of your decision.
3
Agreement Process
After you have made your choice our Sponsor Coordinator will send you the profile of a needy elderly person. All other necessary information that you need to become a sponsor will be provided too.
4
Payment Process
Transfer the yearly amount of €180 to one of our bank accounts. We have four bank accounts: in Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany. Please consider making your adoption an on-going commitment and continue to provide long-term support for your beneficiary by setting up a Standing Order or Direct debit with your bank. It is the best way to make our sponsorship program affordable and efficient.
5
Confirmation
When we have received your sponsorship money our Sponsor Coordinator will send you a confirmation right after she gets the bank statements. We usually get bank statements on the second or third week of the next month. As soon as your transfer is received, we will start providing your chosen beneficiary with the Kyrgyz equivalent of €12 monthly, at two-monthly intervals.
6
Reports & Receipts
Our Sponsor Coordinator will send you the following reports:
– Pictures of your beneficiary, receiving the sponsorship money for the first time.
– Once in the three months a newsletter
– A financial report in the end of the year.
– A renewal request, if there is only €40,- left on the balance of your beneficiary, to renew the sponsorship.
– Information e-mail when your beneficiary dies or quits the program.

DONATION

Sometimes the elderly people need more help than the adoption program can offer.
You can help them by giving a (one-time) donation

Donate now

VOLUNTEER

Your energy can make a huge difference in the lives of elderly in poverty. Get involved in the work of Babushka Adoption in a way that suits you. Write letters, become a fundraiser, let yourself be heard online or get your relatives moving. Everything is possible!
Here you find a few suggestions what you can do to contribute, beside adopting. If you have a nice idea to raise awareness for elderly in poverty or for the work of ‘Babushka Adoption Foundation’, we will be pleased to hear this.

“Be the reason someone believes in goodness of people“

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you can choose whether you would like to adopt a grandmother or grandfather. Our sponsor coordinator will send you a profile from our database. If for some reason the chosen profile is not suitable, please let us know and we will do our best to find a suitable alternative.
Yes, we would welcome your generous support.
Adopting a babushka or dedushka in Kyrgyzstan for one year costs €180. From this yearly amount, €144 goes directly to your beneficiary, at two-monthly intervals, and €36 goes towards the running costs of BA, including; staff costs, communication expenses (internet, post correspondence), transportation costs for delivering cash transfers and all social projects, which BA is implementing.
If you contributed for one year, your adoption lasts one year from your first payment. Therefore, we kindly ask you to renew your adoption every year by Direct Debit or Standing Order with your bank. We ask you this because it is the best way to make our adoption programme more affordable and efficient and our sponsor coordinator will be most grateful. If you choose to renew your support annually we will send you a reminder that the year is coming to an end when your balance is €40. We kindly ask you to reply as soon as possible to inform us if you will continue your adoption. If we do not hear from by the time your balance is reduced to zero, we will have to cease the financial support to your beneficiary.
If your circumstances change and you can no longer adopt your babushka or dedushka, please inform us as soon as possible. If you decide to discontinue your adoption we will try to find a new sponsor for your beneficiary quickly so that we can continue their financial support without interruption.
Babushka Adoption Foundation is a Kyrgyz non-government organization (NGO), which was officially registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2000. The work of Babushka Adoption Foundation is overseen by a Supervisory Board consisting of professionals working in international agencies in the Kyrgyz Republic, local experts, and representatives of international and local organisations. Furthermore, non-staff members, auditors monitor the two-monthly money distribution process each year. At Babushka Adoption Foundation we adhere to the highest standards of financial accountability. We have established stringent accounting and financial reporting procedures to ensure that the funds are used for the purpose specified. Babushka Adoption Foundation conducts audits yearly to make sure funds are properly received, tracked and managed. Accountability is a commitment and a value that drives our whole organization. We are totally committed to earning and keeping your trust. In addition, staff members conduct financial and programme reviews. We work hard to monitor and evaluate our programme effectiveness and long-term impact — right down to the individual elderly person. Any time we see an irregularity, we take immediate and appropriate action. Our Executive Director and the board members are happy to respond to any queries/complaints/suggestions you may have.
To keep administrative costs to the minimum we have a small team of dedicated local staff, which does constrain our ability to reply immediately to all enquiries. Our single sponsor coordinator manages almost 520 sponsors and almost 1000 beneficiaries. We will, however, try to respond to all enquiries within one week. There is also a time lag between when you the sponsor sign onto the program and make payment to Babushka Adoption and when we receive confirmation of this. Babushka Adoption is investigating ways to dramatically reduce this time lag. We appreciate your patience in this matter.
We send our sponsors a financial report when there is €40 left on their sponsor account, along with a request for sponsorship renewal. Upon request we can also send you a financial report at any time. In addition, once a year Babushka Adoption Foundation sends to all sponsors a New Year Letter, which gives a full report of the achievements and activities of our organization. Our Annual, Programme and Audit Report are available on our website. Once a quarter we send newsletters to all our sponsors, informing of our Foundation’s activities.
Yes! Your words of encouragement will make a big difference to your beneficiary. We will be happy to translate and deliver your letters. In addition to letters, you can also send additional monetary gifts, presents or parcels, and even visit your babushka or dedushka.
Yes. We encourage sponsors to send additional monetary gifts, presents and parcels to their beneficiaries for special occasions, to address specific needs or simply as an act of love. These gifts are another effective way for you to reinforce your care and commitment to your beneficiary. We will give your present to your beneficiary and send you a photo of her or him receiving your present.
No, unfortunately we cannot accept checks. However, if your Post office in your country allows you to transfer money through them to our bank accounts, we would gladly help you with information details. 
        Babushka Adoption Foundation has four bank accounts, in Kyrgyzstan, Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. You can select whichever bank is most convenient for you.

Note: Please do not forget to note your personal sponsor number in any bank transactions.


BA bank account in Kyrgyzstan:

Address:
Demir Kyrgyz International Bank
Chui Avenue 245
720001 Bishkek
Kyrgyz Republic
Name of the Recipient: "Babushka Adoption"
Account: 1181000300048642
SWIFT: DEMIKG22


BA bank account in Switzerland:

Address:
UBS AG
Bahnhofstrasse 11
Postfach
5200 Brugg
Switzerland

Name of the Recipient: "Babushka Adoption"
Account CHF
210 707.329.40W
IBAN: CH49 0021 0210 7073 2940 W
BIC: UBSWCHZH80A

Account USD
210 707.329.60N
IBAN: CH30 0021 0210 7073 2960 N
BIC: UBSWCHZH80A

Account Euro
210 707.329.43B
IBAN: CH82 0021 0210 7073 2943 B
BIC: UBSWCHZH80A

BA bank account in Germany:

Address:
Henneberger Weg 13
97762 Hammelburg
Name of Recipient: "Babushka Adoption Deutschland e.V.,

HypoVereinsbank Bad Kissingen"
BLZ: 79320075
Konto-Nr: 12619413


BA bank account in the Netherlands:

Address:
Demir-Halk Bank (Nederland) N.V.
Parklaan 8 3073 VL
Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Name of Recipient: "Babushka Adoption"
Account Euro: 0773863680
IBAN:NL06DHBN0773863680
SWIFT BIC: DHBNNL2R
Unfortunately all banks charge some amount of money for transfers. Babushka Adoption Foundation is not able to cover the bank transfer charges and cannot offer any other bank accounts for the transfer. We ask for your understanding and have also found most banks are sympathetic to waiving the charges if you tell them the transaction is for charity purposes.
By transferring the whole amount at once you will save the cost of bank transfer charges. Of course, if this is not convenient for you, you may transfer your money monthly or quarterly and minimise our administrative costs.
Our sponsor coordinator will confirm receipt of your payment as soon as possible. Please note that our Swiss bank sends statements that detail transactions up to the 15th of the previous month. Therefore, if, for example, you transfer money to our Swiss account on September 3, we will only be able to confirm receipt of your payment after October 15. We kindly ask you for your understanding.