Sponsoring a child through Children International is so much more than a monthly contribution, a photo and a couple of letters. It’s an entire network of sponsors and dedicated field staff who really care about each and every child we serve. Javier Cárcamo, Communications Coordinator in Guatemala helps us illustrate this point:
Sponsorship provides support for diverse circumstances and needs, and sometimes, it’s the only support that families receive when they face emergencies and tragedy. When the Children International team must cover an emergency, our involvement goes far beyond just doing our jobs. In moments of uncertainty, when families are confronted with a loss, framed by despair, poverty and the anguish of not being able to do anything, Children International is there to give support and a comforting hug.
This is the case of Ludwin, a sponsored boy of just 8 years, who comes from an impoverished family. Sadly, Ludwin passed away recently due to a prolonged illness. Since the detection of his illness, Children International - Guatemala made a series of efforts to help him improve his health - exams, tests, treatments, transportation to specialized treatment centers, medicines, food. But after several months, we got the devastating news; the specialists had given Ludwin only a few weeks to live.
This information pulled at the hearts of our committed staff at the community center. A moved Field Official, Nelson Cali, realized that Ludwin would not live to see his next birthday. With great sorrow, but the intention to give Ludwin a moment of happiness amidst the inevitable, staff members took up a collection of gifts so Ludwin could celebrate his last birthday properly.
The community joined the celebration full of happy moments, yet our hearts were heavy. There were dozens of gifts, toys, stuffed animals and items of clothing. A cake with candles. A clown who donated his regular performance fee to the family. Two piñatas, only one of which Ludwin was able to break open, and candy, lots of it, which little by little got a smile out of Ludwin. Only he knew the pain that forced him to remain seated during much of the party.
They were hours of joy for Ludwin. Perhaps this was the best memory that accompanied him until his last breath when he finally could rest from his suffering, surrounded by all of his gifts in his little bed.
The help that sponsorship provides in these heartbreaking cases allows families like Ludwin’s to get support for the funeral costs, which for a poor family is an expense that is almost impossible to cover. Many sponsors and donors don’t know that their support is the only thing that the sponsored families can count on when they are confronted with these situations, and only in this way is it possible for them to provide their loved ones a dignified last goodbye.
Right now there are dozens of cases of children who are receiving specialized medical attention around the world, and in other cases for various reasons, a loss is mourned. It’s comforting to know that when facing this pain, all the sponsored families can count on Children International to offer the help that sometimes is hard to talk about.
John Carl and I have a few things in common. He likes sponsorship. So do I. One of his chores is washing the dishes. So is one of mine. Singing is one of his talents. Well, what do you know? Me too!
But what really makes me smile about John Carl is his answer to this simple question:What makes you happy?
John Carl: "Eating chocolate cake makes me happy." Me too, John Carl. Me too...
Photo and reporting assistance by Sarah Jane Velasco from our Tabaco, Philippines child sponsorship agency.
We’re excited here at Children International about Consumers Digest having just identified us as 22nd in terms of charitable efficiency in its annual guide to charities. That puts us in some very good company given the number of charities doing great work today, and we’re very proud of that.
Consumers Digest is a widely read and well-respected publication that really provides a great service to the giving public, enabling people to make informed decisions about where to put their charitable contributions. It is one of a number of organizations that either rank or list charities.
The listings or rankings of all these organizations are necessarily based on quantitative measures; and while those are good indicators, they tell only part of the story.
The full picture is complete when one is able to see the programs in action, preferably over time. That’s when the qualitative aspects can be seen. In our case that plays out in our field locations, most of which are in other countries. There one can see the children we’re helping and how we’re helping them. The conditions in which the families live is also a valuable input to the overall picture and those conditions paint a clear picture as to why the help we’re providing is so necessary.
One of the most impressive things to me every time I travel to the field is the dedication and commitment of our field staffs. Working under often extreme and almost always adverse conditions, they do a great job day in and day out. Again, this isn’t something that lends itself to a ranking system but if it did, I humbly believe we’d be Number 1.
Another interesting measure is impact over time. I vividly remember something said to me by our field director responsible for sponsored children on islands in the Philippines…he said that while sponsorship was making a big difference in the lives of the sponsored children every day, the biggest impact was measured over time—for instance, he said, anyone really evaluating our programs should compare how people manage their health now compared to ten years prior when they were still using very primitive, ineffective cures and techniques compared to a more enlightened approach today. And all that was thanks to persistent teachings and the introduction of modern practices by our staff.
I also believe that the amount of time we are in the communities where we work is a valid program effectiveness measurement. We’ve been in many communities for nearly thirty years. I still think of our Ecuador agencies as “new” ones and we began working there in 1989—twenty years ago! That consistency of presence and service has enabled us to become part of those communities and a steadfast and dependable support for children from a young age to their graduation at age 19.
All that said, we are most appreciative of Consumers Digest’s mention of Children International. Being Number 22 is good…great, really.
Patricia Huerta graduated from the Catholic University of Guayaquil, Ecuador with a degree in interior design. However, her early career took a very different course, leading her to work for the Canadian consulate in Guayaquil as well as serving in Human Resources and as an assistant manager at two different banks.
She and her husband welcomed a daughter…and then another. Recognizing the importance of spending time with her children, Patricia took a break from her career to become a full-time mom. But after her daughters were older, she returned to the professional world – this time to work for Children International. Although she started as the director’s assistant, in 2007 Patricia took on the challenging role of Communications Coordinator for our Guayaquil agency.
“I love visiting children and youth at their homes and to be in their neighborhoods with their special particularities and similarities,” shares Patricia. “I like to talk to them and listen to their thoughts, wishes and ideas. I feel proud when our sponsored children and youth express themselves better than many kids with better economic resources and education; maybe they're more mature because of the difficulties they face in daily life, and they do recognize and acknowledge the support CI is giving them.”
Going to the field for stories involves advance planning, particularly to secure the use of the agency vehicle and its driver – who also serves as Patricia’s bodyguard in the sometimes dangerous neighborhoods she visits. “Before an interview I go to the community center to collect the staff who will guide us to the house to be visited, sometimes the Supervisor, other times one of the assistant and in many occasions, the volunteers go with me to the houses,” she reflects. “Talking to the volunteers is the best; they're nice and they know helpful information that could lead to a good story. We visit the houses, take photos, talk to the family and go to the next house or return to the community center. If the driver doesn't have other vehicle requests, I stay in the community doing interviews, talking to children and taking more photos. I love my job!”
Sometimes the job is incredibly rewarding, as was the case when a former sponsored youth, Diego, stopped by to let the office staff know of a prize he is being awarded by the Nobis Foundation for his service when he was in the sponsorship program. And some days it’s incredibly sad…like when she got the news about a sponsored youth who lost his battle with tuberculosis. “I visited him twice, as I heard he had tuberculosis; I wanted not only to write a good story, but to know if he was taking good care of his health with the help of the Agency doctors. Unfortunately he couldn't make it and I feel so sad because he was a valuable young man whose only illusion was to return to school and to rejoin the youth group at the community center – activities he had to leave when he became ill.
“I think that bringing the stories direct from the field, and sending a photo of the reality our children and youth live in, is one of the best resources CI has to let the world know the importance of its labor to help needy children,” adds Patricia. “I feel so good when I see one of my photos published in Journeys or in other CI publication; it's like a dream come true for me.”
When an outside news organization decided to visit Children International's child sponsorship agency in India to see firsthand how an international children's charity functions, they encountered a model of efficiency. See for yourself the results of their visit.
Children and families in the Philippines are still struggling to recover a measure of normalcy in the wake of typhoons Ketsana and Parma.
Staff from Children International’s Manila and Quezon City child sponsorship agencies continue to carry out disaster relief efforts – an overwhelming challenge due to the enormity of the losses, which, sadly, include the lives of a sponsored child and most of her family.
Manila Agency Director Cynthia Tiotuyco visits with flood victims.
Two top-priority efforts are food relief and medical assistance. Thousands of dollars of food items have been distributed to affected families, and thanks to the generosity of a local drug manufacturing company, children and families have also benefited from the donation of thousands of dollars in medicine.
Staff works to keep families healthy despite difficult circumstances.
Preparing to distribute emergency food supplies.
Our agencies are also helping with in other ways. Families who lost everything they owned are receiving help with materials to repair their houses; additionally, many children and families are receiving items like blankets, clothing, footwear and – of critical importance – school uniforms and supplies, so no more time is lost from school than is absolutely necessary.
Replacing children's lost or damaged school supplies is critical.
We are looking at ways to make life safer for families in the future. Our agency staff is working with local government officials to identify more secure sites for settlements that, prior to the typhoons, were located in flood-prone areas such as riverbanks and sewage canals. The agencies have also registered with the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs and the National Disaster Coordinating Council to ensure all relief efforts meet international and national standards.
Grateful children smile after receiving emergency rations.
Our sponsored youth are no less involved. Local Children International youth council members are working to launch preventative education efforts to address issues like improper garbage disposal, which has been identified as one of the factors that contributed to the widespread flooding during the typhoons.
Please check back Monday for a special message from Children International President Jim Cook.
Photos by Children International's staff in the Philippines.
I thought I might contribute some information about the Philippine flood disaster. Today, after evaluating excellent assessment reports from our two agencies in Metro Manila, we have made the decision to send over $500,000 in cash and $1.6 million in badly needed supplies to provide further emergency relief and to help people begin to rebuild their lives.
This is a significant contribution that addresses similarly significant destruction caused by the flooding. Our sponsored families are disproportionately affected because they are forced to live in very marginal locations and situations. Areas that are often prone to flooding with homes not built to withstand the force of floodwaters.
I should also add how proud I/we are of the amazing efforts our staffs there have made. Within three days, under the most difficult of circumstances, they have accounted for all the sponsored children! In addition, they were there almost immediately passing out emergency supplies. One staff member reported a flood victim saying how reassuring it was to see familiar staff there with emergency supplies!
"My sponsor makes me happy because my mom cannot buy shoes for me, and my sponsor gives me shoes for school. It is nice to write to my sponsor because it's like having a friend, and I like to have friends.
I would like to tell my sponsor I enjoy playing at the park in the slides. If I could, I would like to take my sponsor to play together in the slides, and I would give her a big smile. That is how I would show her how happy I am for the help I get."
Sarahi (right) with her sister Wendy.
Photo and reporting assistance by Cecilia Carrión, Communications Coordinator for Children International in Quito, Ecuador.
My favorite Bloggers, Sarah and Kelly, have gently reminded me that it’s time for my first-of-the-month blog contribution. I knew that. They also suggested that, since it’s Labor Day weekend, I might want to weave that into my entry.
And so it shall be. Gladly.
As I’ve been thinking about this it’s pretty obvious that labor is one of the dominant themes in the lives of our sponsored children and their families.
Those families have at least some kind of chance when Dad and/or Mom is able to find work. Often when I’m visiting the families of the sponsored children, I ask the mothers (the dads are often out working!) what kind of work the husbands do and how much they earn.
As often as not, the answer to what they do is “day laborer,” often some type of job in construction. The answer to “how much does he earn in a month?” is often a dollar amount ranging from not very darn much to just a little more than that. And that answer is invariably, quickly, followed with, “When there is work.” And the dads I’ve met, the few times they’re home and not working or looking for work, don’t expect a handout. They want to work and are happy to find work when it is available.
As far as Mom’s work…if she doesn’t have a “real” job such as doing housekeeping for another family, taking in laundry or doing some type of “cottage industry” such as making anything from hot pads to tortillas, then she is, I guess, what might be called a stay-at-home-mom…except when she stays at home, she works harder than I’d care to…and she does it every day, seven days a week. Her “stay at home” job likely includes cooking not enough food over a wood stove, burning wood that she may have cut, bundled and carried, balanced on her head, for over a half mile.
And the water she uses in cooking she may have had to collect in large buckets and, like the firewood, lugged to the house. Water is about eight pounds per gallon…a family of five goes through a lot of gallons…the math makes my back hurt.
And then there is the typical housework…I’ve seen moms determinedly sweeping dirt floors and most houses I’ve dropped in on are quite orderly and well kept. There’s laundry for the family—often done under very difficult conditions, given the lack of available water. It’s just one hard, often back breaking task, after another. That their spirits are as good as they are is a testimony to the human spirit and a person choosing to have a good attitude.
Children in this environment tend to learn to contribute to the family toil at a young age…I’m sure there isn’t a lot of whining, not that I remember my own kids ever doing that! Our sponsored children are happy to help out when needed…and thankful for the opportunity to be able to attend school and not get a “real job” to help supplement the family income. That’s often a tough choice the families make. But most of our sponsored children are able to attend school and big reason for that is parents typically really believe education is the best chance the kids have for a future better than what the parents are experiencing. And our staffs work hard to reinforce that concept!
So, however you spent your Labor Day, whether enjoying a picnic with the family or “laboring” around the house or in the yard, it’s nice to remember how central labor is to the families you’re helping through sponsorship!
Hope you had a nice and safe Labor Day!
Jim
Jim Cook is the president and CEO of Children International.
At the waistline of the World, half a league over seas and oceans, the mottled outline of Earth's tectonic bosom cradles the city below. I behold, through wispy haze, the vestiges of a conquistador’s Elysium…
The mountainous area that surrounds Quito is shockingly gorgeous. Its Andean air is a pleasure to breathe, while succulent clouds tease the eye from greater heights. And yet at city-level, the reality of human life smothers the carnival of emotions swirling inside of me.
Before long, thoughts start to grind their way through my head, reducing my ego to pulp. Here I stand in a neighborhood located in a single section of one city of a developing country among many around the world. How many more people are out there – how many more instances of abused and abandoned children, of battered and desolate mothers, of families imprisoned within labyrinthine grids of cold concrete, cane, and dirt so dismal they would make Daedalus smile?
While I bask in sunlight, there are so many more who soak in clammy darkness. And rather than blind myself with the light of a good life, I continue squinting toward the mouth of that pit and tighten my grip on the small piece of rope in my pocket. There are very long pieces in the hands of a few, but I should not wait for them. I should tie mine to the small bits of many others who share theirs, and together, we may have enough to lasso the Moon.
These baroque allusions are nothing but a smoke screen for my lack of answers. The hope I have in humanity's ability for compassion and charity, regardless of our source for inspiration or however we might find them, is one of the few antidotes to my paralyzing frustration regarding poverty.
David Nebel is a translator and photographer for Children International. In this post, he reflects on a recent visit to the children and families of our child sponsorship program in Ecuador.
As a former Communications Coordinator for Children International in the Dominican Republic and coming from a poor family myself, I thought I knew everything there was to know about extreme poverty; and, therefore, that it wouldn’t affect me all that much to see once again the way sponsored families live. Until now, that is...when I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador with some staff members from Children International. It was a trip that made me face once again the reality of living in extreme poverty.
I was very moved by some of the stories of the families that we visited during our first trip to the field in Guayaquil.
I saw very nice people trying to make ends meet out of very little. We met families with sponsored children that have serious health conditions; families that survive day by day with only the bare minimum; volunteer mothers who care about their communities and believe in the sponsorship program; sponsored youth who have a chance to step up and build a better future for themselves and their families; and sponsored children have faith in their sponsors’ contributions.
We also confronted the reality that there is a lot more to be done for these families. I realized that yes, there are differences among countries, cultures, food and ethnicities; but there is also a common reality that they all face: they desperately need help. But despite the sadness of these situations, I noticed that the families we visited were always so grateful for the little they have, always with a smile on their faces, always welcoming and trying to accommodate us and make us feel comfortable in their tiny houses. It was a valuable lesson that made me think about how much we have, and how sad sometimes people's lives can be...
I was also very impressed at how the staff interacted with the sponsored families, always trying to get the best interview, the best picture, and the best story. And I was happy to know that with the support of Children International’s programs and their sponsors’ contributions, these families have at least some of their needs covered.
I am so glad for this great opportunity and for experiencing for myself – this time as a visitor – how amazing, helpful (and sometimes life-saving) is the support that Children International provides to the sponsored families. This is, without a doubt, a sponsorship program in which I personally believe.
Vilma Nebel, a former Communications Coordinator for Children International in the Dominican Republic, is traveling with the CI team in Ecuador. Check back tomorrow for an update from Senior Staff Writer Damon Guinn.
Children International’s communications coordinators are the field correspondents who serve as the eyes and ears of the organization at each agency. Because they are the reporters who feed us the material you later read in Journeys, eNews, our website and our other publications, we thought you might enjoy getting to know them a little better. This month we chose to introduce you to Patricia Calderón, the communications coordinator from Barranquilla, Colombia.
Patricia holds a degree in Journalism and, prior to joining Children International, served as an award-winning television reporter and program host in Barranquilla. She also served as the Director of Communications for the Barranquilla Carnival Foundation.
We found a couple of her answers to be particularly engaging:
What is your favorite memory of your job as communications coordinator? One day as I was interviewing a 9-year-old boy, I asked him what made him feel happy and he just laughed very mischievously but didn’t answer. I repeated the question and he laughed even more, but he still didn’t answer. I asked him again and he came close and whispered, “Being close to María Alejandra!” I laughed and asked him who she was, but he put his fingers to his lips and went “Shhhh!” and let me know through gestures that it was a girl sitting at a table next to us at the community center library. We both giggled and I told him I’d keep his secret.
What is the most touching experience you’ve had in your job? I was covering the announcement to a family that lived in horrible conditions that they were going to receive a house. The sponsor requested that they find out the news through a letter he had written, so we sent word for the whole family to gather. The Sponsor Relations Manager went to the family’s house and read them the letter. As the family of 10 heard the news they became more and more excited, until finally they all burst into tears. They were hugging each other and crying and couldn’t believe such happy news. The family’s excitement was so great that even those of us who went to break the news ended up crying to see how overjoyed they were.
Patricia concludes, “I’m happy to be doing this job because it allows me to put into practice a lot of the areas I studied. Besides, I feel like I’m contributing a little to the neediest families by making their stories known, which gives them an opportunity for change in their lives.”
Erycah in Lusaka, Zambia Africa discusses how sponsorship helps to ease poverty.
Q: What is your favorite part of sponsorship? A: My favorite part is gift distribution. My favorite gift was a blanket. I was happy because I didn't have one.
Q: What do you want your sponsor to know about you? A: I want my sponsor to know that I am very happy. We used to suffer a lot before I was sponsored, but now things are better for my family and me.
Photo and reporting assistance by Clementina Chapusha, Communications Coordinator in Lusaka, Zambia.
While they may not sound like exciting gifts to you and me, for families living in poverty sheets, dishes, storage containers and towels are a pretty big deal. Just imagine trying to keep your water free from contamination when you have a dirt floor and a leaky roof. Or having to eat your food right off of the old wooden table because you broke the last plate you had. Even being able to snuggle your face into a soft new bath towel is a pleasure that few of our sponsored children get to experience. That’s why Special Hug Day really matters to poor children and their families.
Feeling huggy yet? Visit our Special Hug page to make a contribution.
P.S. - Want to know what sponsored children will receive this year for Special Hug Day? For the inside scoop on gifts head to our Google Groups page and look for the “Special Hug Day Presents” discussion topic.
Photo by Communications Coordinator Anthony Lorcha.
We’ve recently been doing strategic planning at Children International. I think maybe this is the longest strategic planning process ever experienced by an organization as we began it about ten months ago! Shortly after we began “thinking strategically” way back then, the economic world as we all knew it changed dramatically. And not for the good, in case I need to add that.
And so, rather than try to craft a plan that would take us out the next five to ten years during a time when the playing field was shifting violently, we decided it would be prudent to take our time and keep our eyes on the horizon while not ignoring that big, nasty wave that was about ready to crash over the ship!
And we’ve succeeded in that pretty well, having come up with a pretty sound preliminary plan draft that has the goal of helping more children, better. And obtaining more contributions from more sources to make that happen. Our commitment to one-on-one sponsorship is stronger than ever.
And because of that, many of our strategic goals surround the objective of making the sponsorship experience even more gratifying and enriched for our sponsors, as I have always been committed to rewarding the generosity and commitment they demonstrate with their selfless acts of support for their sponsored children month in and month out.
A very good way of delivering and enhancing that personal sponsorship connection is through the Internet and our site at www.children.org. If you’re reading this blog, you “get” that. But my concern is that a lot of our sponsors don’t, for reasons that no doubt run the gamut, but the fact is, they don’t visit the website where they could enhance and deepen the sponsorship experience through the many opportunities it offers.
Our website has constantly expanded and improved over the past few months and years and, as I hope you agree, has a lot to offer. Even as you read this, we’re hard at work to make it more content-laden, and to take advantage of new and better technology so sponsors can have better information sooner about their sponsored children and the communities where they live—in short, to make visits to the site an even more exciting, texture-rich experience that sponsors want to enjoy often!
Beyond the sponsor’s own experience, a benefit of their greater involvement via the website is, we hope, more and easier advocacy which translates directly into more children being reached through sponsorship. Our challenge, then, is to somehow get as many sponsors as we can to visit www.children.org on a regular basis. Their increased involvement that way can only result in good things for them and for children out there on the waiting list!
If you, our blogging family, have any thoughts about how to better engage sponsors and contributors on www.children.org, we’re very receptive to weave your ideas into our strategies!
Sponsored child Matías Díaz from Valparaíso, Chile gives us a glimpse into his gentle little soul.
What makes you happy? I am really happy sharing with my friends. I get sad when we fight. I don't like to fight because I like to have lots of friends.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a police officer, gardener, doctor, soccer player...I want to be a little bit of everything to help people.
What would you like to say to your sponsor? That I love him a lot, and that very soon, when I learn to write, I'm going to write him a letter myself. Right now my mom writes them, because I'm very little.
Photo and reporting assistance by Leopoldo Montecinos from our child sponsorship agency in Chile.
The swine flu outbreak created fear and caused panic. Now the H1N1 virus is inspiring fashion and charitable giving in the form of surgical masks.*
Graphic designer Irina Blok of San Francisco recently created a line of masks after being laid off from her job. She had some extra time on her hands and decided to use her skills to help raise money for Children International’s child sponsorship agency in Mexico, the country where an outbreak of swine flu occurred recently.
“I thought what can I do as a designer to save the world,” Irina says half-jokingly. “I used the power of design to take something very sterile and unintriguing like a surgical mask and turn it into something that brings a smile and is a little humorous.”
Irina Blok (right) designed a line of fashion masks after an outbreak of the swine flu.
The masks – available with designs, including a pig snout, a skeleton, a beard and one with the word “oink!” – have garnered more interest than Irina bargained for. After a mention in a blog, word quickly spread, and Irina was fielding calls from newspaper and television outlets.
“I realized from the blog post that they become viral, more viral than the flu itself,” Irina quipped.
She attributes the interest to the uniqueness of the product and the need for levity during a time when the swine flu was creating fear.
“Overall, it caught that whole media frenzy about the swine flu, and it became something fun to talk about other than the statistics,” Irina points out.
The masks are $10 each plus shipping and handling, and proceeds will benefit international children's charity Children International. To purchase a mask, visit www.iloveblocks.com/swine.html.
Photo by Adam Eisendrath.
*As Irina states on her website, please note that these masks are for decorative purposes only and not for the prevention of disease.
Ten-year-old sponsored child, Evency, has big plans in life. When he grows up he wants to be a lawyer or an engineer. Until then, he's enjoying the benefits he receives from his sponsor.
"I like everything [about sponsorship]. It is fun to receive gifts. The gift that I like the most is a pair of shoes. They are very nice, and it was my birthday gift. My sponsored friends like receiving gifts too. Sometimes, we go together to the center to pick them up."
Photo and reporting assistance by Erenia Mesa, Communications Coordinator for Children International's child sponsorship agency in the Dominican Republic.
Inspired by recent editions of our Journeys magazine and their daily tasks with sponsored children, volunteer mothers in Guatemala took it upon themselves to write their own stories about the trials of living in poverty and how Children International is helping them get by. These simple, handwritten letters, short stories and even one multi-act play show us the honest and giving nature of the families we serve and the volunteer mothers who make everything possible. Here are just a few excerpts from these lovingly-written pieces:
Once upon a time there was a poor family with a mother who was struggling along with her three children. Then someone told her that there was an institution that helped many needy families. One day when she least expected it, the help that she needed came when one of her children got sponsored... – Iris de León
Thank you so much to all of the people that work for this program. May God bless you and help you find people with big hearts to continue helping the families that need it the most. – Elsa de Paz Tepaz
[María Elvira] feels so happy and thankful for the letters that her sponsor sends her...and that motivates her to keep moving forward in school...She wants to achieve all of the goals she sets for herself in life...She thanks her sponsor and Children International for having made her dream come true. – Hercilia Pérez, María’s mother
Once upon a time there was little girl who cried a lot because her sister was sent pretty cards because she had a sponsor in the United States... [One] day she received word that she had a new sponsor, and the sponsor had sent her a package. The little girl jumped and laughed with excitement and happiness, because no one had ever sent her what her sponsor did. – Keilin Aquino
Mothers unable to pen their own stories were aided by volunteers like Carmen Duarte and Claudia Beltetón, pictured here with volunteer coordinator Wendy Ávila (center). These and other mothers helped to ensure that their stories were told.
Helping children write letters to their sponsors, delivering messages, managing sometimes hectic gift distributions, cooking food for malnourished children in our feeding programs... the deeds of these hardworking volunteer mothers (and some fathers) are endless. Without a doubt these special parents are what keep our child sponsorship program moving forward.
To learn more about our volunteer mothers in Guatemala, check out our “A Tribute to Motherhood ” slideshow.
Photo and reporting assistance by Javier Cárcamo, Communications Coordinator in Guatemala.
I’ve got a problem. Or so some people would suggest.
It all has to do with my bicycle obsession. I have them stacked like cordwood in my garage and ride a number of them every week all year long. Twenty degrees and snowing, 90 degrees with drenching humidity, and everything in between.
It’s a way to exercise, a way to have fun and even a way to get from point A to point B. In fact, this week is bike to work week in Kansas City and my intention is to ride to the CI headquarters at least three times.
As serious as I am about my bikes and bike riding, they are not a necessity for me the way they are for so many families we help. Just visit any community where we work and you’ll see them swarming the bumpy, dusty roads, moving people, goods and dreams ahead one pedal stroke at a time.
Absent of two wheels, many of those families can’t get to work anymore and lose precious income to bus fares. Or, like the hardy men I met in rural India who grease the skids of commerce with their bicycle rickshaws, they would go without work and couldn’t support their families at all.
One of those men, Prasanta Naru, told me riding a bike amidst the blaring traffic and scorching sun was far better than farming. It gave him control over his own work day and his own destiny, a fact that filled him with great pride. Though once I swung a leg over his tricycle and tried to pedal a payload that consisted of him and three friends, I wasn’t really sure how he could keep going every single day. It was tough...
In the end, for me the bicycle represents one of the most utilitarian of tools, and this week especially, I honor its contribution for what it gives to so many poor families: an income, a job, a way to move from one place to another and get things done.
Sure, the bicycle is a form of transportation and work. But, it’s also a form of freedom...no matter where you live.
Another way bicycles contribute to sponsored families:
While they may not sound like exciting gifts to you and me, for families living in poverty sheets, dishes, storage containers and towels are a pretty big deal. Just imagine trying to keep your water free from contamination when you have a dirt floor and a leaky roof. Or having to eat your food right off of the old wooden table because you broke the last plate you had. Even being able to snuggle your face into a soft new bath towel is a pleasure that few of our sponsored children get to experience. That’s why Special Hug Day really matters to poor children and their families.
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