Children International

The Boy of Eternal Smiles

Wednesday, August 26, 2009 by Sarah Trapp

That's José's nickname. And it's a really appropriate one too. I was there in Honduras when we filmed this daily life video for Children International, and I can tell you that there was hardly a moment when he wasn't grinning. When we asked José and his family to be a part of our video about child sponsorship, they readily agreed. His mom even did a little 'acting' while she prepared breakfast. Our sponsored families really are something!

Press play to see how a typical sponsored family begins their day and what happens at the community center during a gift distribution. (And for a special Where's Waldo-style challenge, see if you can spot Damon and me trying to hide in the background while José waits in line for a gift from his sponsor.)

Sponsorship: A Youth Report

Monday, August 24, 2009 by CI Staff

You all asked for it, and we at Children International listened. Sponsored youth and Youth Reporter Leydi Marroquín describes for us what sponsorship means to poor families in rural Guatemala.

Sponsorship is very important in my community because it is the only hope for the poorest families that live here. When mothers fill out the sponsorship forms, they feel happy because it’s one step forward in the search for a better life.

Sponsorship isn’t about covering every need that people have; at least that’s how I see it. But it does cover the most important things to have a better life. Sponsored children receive medical attention, free medicines, dental treatment and a lot of help so they can go to school. When mothers are told that their children have been sponsored, I have seen the happiness on their faces. That is an experience I wouldn’t exchange for anything.

I like to see the kids when they come to the service area to pick up their gifts. They anxiously await that day. They mark it on their calendars like a special day. I can’t explain how much love the children feel when they receive their gifts. They make good use of them too, because they enjoy getting gifts from their sponsors.

Sponsors are like angels. I have my own angel, and they have given us all help despite the fact that we are far away. Sponsors make kids smile; they make them feel loved without having seen them. They make us youth feel like someone has our backs and motivate us even though we have never heard their voices. They help us stay away from drugs and alcohol, because they make us feel important. They allow us to attend workshops and sports activities that let us enjoy life amidst adversity.

I thank each and every one of those angels and everyone who works here in Patulul. And I thank the staff everywhere in Guatemala, like Javier Cárcamo who not only taught me how to use the camera to take photos and shoot video, but who taught me to organize my ideas and know that what I have to say is important and that my opinion really does matter.

Reporting for you,
Leydi Marroquín

The Faces of Ecuador

Friday, August 21, 2009 by CI Staff

As the Children International team wraps up its heartwarming and heartbreaking visit to Ecuador, photographer David Nebel shares his top picks from the week's photos. Soon we hope to share with you the stories behind some of the faces.

From Lows to Highs in Ecuador

Thursday, August 20, 2009 by CI Staff

Forgive me if this post is a little long, but it’s after midnight, and I’m still reeling from a broken heart...

After two hectic days of interviewing sponsored children and families in Guayaquil, and encountering the extreme poverty faced by families there, my colleagues and I packed up our gear and headed to Quito. Now here I sit, at 2:00 in the morning – thousands of feet higher and several degrees cooler – trying to condense the intense emotions I’m feeling into a few meager paragraphs.

Our first day in Quito was supposed to be light. But that wasn’t to be. Before I could even acclimate to the altitude, the first interview of the day took my breath away.

Driving high up into a hillside neighborhood named La Colmena, or “The Beehive,” because of the clusters of poor families who live together in single buildings stacked like honeycombs, I was startled by the contrast to the homes we’d just visited in the low-lying river region of Guayaquil. Whereas impoverished families in Guayaquil typically live in split-cane shacks perched over dusty roads, those in Quito mainly occupy concrete tenements that cling to steep slopes that swarm with traffic. And it was there that we met 10-year-old Jessica.

Fellow writer Deron Denton and I wanted to interview Jessica because she had recently received one of the wheelchairs a group called Free Wheelchair Mission donated to sponsored children with disabilities, and we were curious to know how it was helping her get along. Our answer waited at the top of a dizzying set of narrow stone stairs that led to a claustrophobic, attic-like apartment Jessica shares with her petite grandmother, Doña Carmen.

Despite the steep surroundings, Jessica’s grandmother, 63 and barely five feet tall, used to carry her granddaughter up and down the hills to school and physical therapy every day. Pushing the wheelchair wasn’t much easier, she said, but it gave Jessica freedom to move around at school without someone to support her. When we asked who helped Jessica up the stairs to the house, the room grew quiet.

Jessica’s mother had passed away and her father, Juan Luis, had mysteriously disappeared a few months earlier, explained Doña Carmen. The police searched for him but to no avail. All she and her granddaughter could do was wait and worry about his safety.

That’s when Jessica got up and stumbled into her bedroom to show us the picture her father had drawn for her. A big smile flashed across her face as she told us what a good artist he is, but her smile turned to grief as the thought of his absence brought tears to her eyes. When I asked her what her father last said to her, all the heartache she’d been bottling up inside came rushing out in a wave of tears. Two staff members, Maria and Cecilia, rushed to her side and took her in their arms while Deron and I furiously wiped away the tears from our own eyes.

The pain of Jessica’s loss filled the room as we desperately tried to console her. And yet thanks to Maria’s and Cecilia’s kindheartedness and expert reassurance, Jessica’s smile soon returned, and she was able to find comfort in the pink sunglasses we gave her as a gift.

And now, as I sit here typing this post, bleary-eyed and heartbroken, straining to imagine a happy ending, there’s no doubt in my mind that Jessica’s loss would be unbearable if she didn’t have sponsorship to connect her with people who love and care for her. Because even at those times when life can’t seem to sink any lower, the spirit of a young girl like Jessica can still soar to new heights if you and I are there to lift her up.

By Damon Guinn. Photo by Children International Communications Coordinator in Quito, Ecuador, Cecilia Carrión.

On the Ground in Ecuador: Revisiting Reality

Wednesday, August 19, 2009 by CI Staff

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.

Thoughts from Ecuador: Confluence

Tuesday, August 18, 2009 by CI Staff

This is my first trip to Ecuador, and – as always – we met some amazingly resilient people on our first day in the field here in Guayaquil, Ecuador. We’ll be writing stories about the families we met in the weeks and months to come. But I just thought I’d share a small insight I gained today.

I learned that the city of Guayaquil is named after the Guayas River. Two large rivers – the Daule and the Babahoyo – merge here, making the Guayas.

As we left Guayaquil proper on our way to visit sponsored children and their families, we crossed the Daule River. Patricia (our communications coordinator extraordinaire) pointed to the wealthier homes on the bank from which we had come. Even from a distance, we could see that the homes were large, well-constructed and neatly spaced apart, much like what I am used to back home in Kansas City. On the other side – the one we were approaching – we could see the rickety shapes the poor call home, tightly bunched together in a seemingly haphazard way.

After a day of visiting with the families on the “other” side, I thought of the confluence of humanity that merges in every city around the world, like the two rivers that make up the Guayas. I was pensive as we headed back to the hotel...asking questions that – for me – have no satisfactory answers.

You know: the “why” questions.

But, as is the case each time we make a trip to the field, the families we spoke with had a gift for me. They may not be living in that big, sturdy, expensive house with the expensive TVs and furnishings, but their homes are often filled with generous spirits, a love for one another, beliefs and bonds that help them stay strong, and a gratitude for what they do have.

And every one of them mentions that the help they receive from sponsorship is one of the things they are grateful for.

It made me wonder how easily I can come up with a list of all the things I should appreciate....

Deron Denton, staff writer for Children International, is currently on the ground in Ecuador with a team from CI's Creative Services Department. Look for an update each day this week through Friday.

The Return of Supergringo (Part 2)

Monday, August 17, 2009 by CI Staff

Only 13 at the time, Walter Mendoza had been hit by a garbage truck on the streets of Guayaquil and had awakened from a coma unable to walk or talk. Confined to a wheelchair that was all but useless on the steep, craggy dirt streets of his barrio, Walter found himself in a strange new world – incapable of functioning without another caring soul to direct his every move. I felt like I could relate, if only a little.

Lucky for Walter, and a hapless gringo like me, Raul Yunga was there to lead the way. As the veteran staff driver for the Guayaquil agency, Raul showed up every week after Walter’s accident to take him to physical and speech therapy and provide moral support. The two became fast friends, and as a result of Raul’s guidance, Walter now stands on his own two feet.

I can’t wait to ask Walter about the recovery he’s made when I meet him in person again today. And I hope Raul will be there to escort us to his young friend’s home and relive the memories. It’ll be a great way to kick off a return visit to Ecuador.

And this time, as I sit in the hotel lounge and read what Walter himself has to say about the help he’s received through sponsorship, I’ll take comfort in the fact that even when we feel vulnerable and alone, with the right support and determination, we can all stand tall. Right, Frank...

“For what is a man, what has he got?/ If not himself, then he has naught./ To say the things he truly feels;/…The record shows I took the blows/ And did it my way!”

***

Read the original article about Walter’s accident and the help he received from Raul and the sponsorship program.

Damon Guinn is a senior staff writer with Children International. Check back every day this week for updates from the team that is currently on the ground in Ecuador.

The Return of Supergringo (Part 1)

Sunday, August 16, 2009 by CI Staff

As my colleagues and I embark on a trip to Ecuador to interview sponsored children and their families, we’ll be sharing stories about the amazing people we meet along the way. In the meantime, here’s a two-part look at my first trip on behalf of Children International. It was an experience that left me with a fresh outlook on life and, in a manner of speaking, a whole new identity...

It was December 2003, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and I was sitting in the hotel lounge after a long day’s work.

As I skimmed over my interview notes and tried to make sense of the staggering poverty I’d just seen, a familiar song by Frank Sinatra echoed through the lounge...“Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew/ When I bit off more than I could chew./ But through it all, when there was doubt,/ I ate it up and spit it out./ I faced it all and I stood tall;/ And did it my way.” The jazz duo in the corner was staring directly at me, grinning.

I couldn’t help but smirk and give a nod of recognition to the musicians. I decided to take it as a sort of universal anthem. How else to explain the strength and resilience I’d witnessed in the people who had little more than pride to get them through poverty’s relentless hardships?

Two children in Guayaquil enjoy listening to themselves after an interview with Damon in 2003.

Besides, I’d drawn a lot of attention already. Earlier in the trip, I’d stepped out of the van and into the wide-eyed stares of several children playing soccer along the dusty streets of a community called Lucha de Los Pobres, or “Struggle of the Poor.” Bumping my head on the way out, two young boys pointed and whispered to one another, “Supergringo, Supergringo.”

My goal had been to hang back and observe, like a fly on the wall, but at 6’4” I looked more like a fish out of water – a very long, pasty-white fish. Then, just when I was starting to feel completely out of place and wet behind the ears, I met Walter Mendoza...

Damon Guinn is a senior staff writer with Children International. Check back tomorrow to learn more about the inspiration Damon gained from Walter's story.

Learning Life Lessons...From French Fries (Part 2)

Saturday, August 15, 2009 by CI Staff

This is the second of a two-part series by Children International employee Vong Hamilton, who accompanied the International Youth Day delegates from around the world as they visited New York City.

DAY 2
All week at IYD, my already humbled worldview was continuously broken down and rebuilt. A few things I learned from being around the youth were that:

1. overcoming the choking barriers of language gives you an exhilarating freedom to laugh and make new friends;
2. you are never too young to lead and teach;
3. you are never too old to learn from a younger generation;
4. your future is what you make of today.

On the last night, as the youth held hands and imparted their best wishes on each other, the tears flowed freely. A moment I will never forget, and couldn't even imagine most adults doing for each other, was watching Chengo's tears stream down his face and the hand that extended to wipe them away. Ranjit had reached out to dry the wetness on his new friend’s cheek. The two boys who started out in that pizzeria as strangers were leaving as life-long friends.

And I...I have a new appreciation for the job I do. Now I picture those 11 faces and know that every bit of effort I put into my job, albeit small, is making a big difference to someone else across the world.

Special note: A team of employees from Children International is on its way to Ecuador today. Starting Sunday and lasting all week, look for daily posts from the field. It's going to be fun!

Learning Life Lessons...From French Fries (Part I)

Friday, August 14, 2009 by CI Staff

This is the first of a two-part series by Children International employee Vong Hamilton, who accompanied the International Youth Day delegates from around the world as they visited New York City.

DAY 1
I fell headlong into humility in -- of all places -- a pizzeria in downtown New York City. And that was just the beginning.

I watched two of our youth delegates, Ranjit and Chengo, each order two slices of pizza, a cheeseburger and fries. I thought to myself, "Seriously...can they eat that much food?" To my surprise, they did!

As I listened to Chengo talk, something triggered a faraway memory, though I knew it could only have been drawn from my imagination as I'd never been to Zambia before except to lose myself in photos. I envisioned Africa’s poverty and desolation; and in that desolate place in my thoughts, I imagined what Chengo's life must be like.

I pictured him 24 hours prior, living in his squatter community with his mom, who is very ill. I pictured him in front of their shack, his little sister peeping from behind, and the rest of the world going on without them as they stared down the lonesome road, anxiety mirrored on their faces as they waited to see what they'd have for their next meal.

And there was Chengo...in New York...in a pizzeria...eating fries. Fries that I never think twice about throwing away if they get cold. Chengo and Ranjit couldn't believe they could choose anything off the menu. And I started to really reflect on how different their lives are from mine. How I get the liberty of having choices... deciding what to eat, what to wear and where to go; whereas, perhaps they just take what they’re given and are grateful.

Suddenly I felt appalled at all the materialism in my world…and yet appreciative at the same time of the simple things I overlook on a daily basis. I wished so much to do something special for the kids…as if a material gift could diminish their poverty. But I knew that, for them, being a part of something as special as sponsorship and getting to experience the trip of a lifetime was more than anything they could ever wish for.

Be sure and check back tomorrow as Vong finishes sharing her reflections on a trip that forever changed her way of looking at life...

Ready for a Journey?

Friday, August 14, 2009 by Sarah Trapp

Journeys Summer '09 - Awesome as always!

The Summer 2009 edition of Children International’s Journeys magazine may be sitting in your mailbox right now. (I got mine yesterday!) But if it’s still floating around the postal system and you just can’t wait to take a peek at all of the great stories, here’s a super secret hint just for our blog readers: It’s already live on our website!

So go! Go now! Happy reading.

Meet the Communications Coordinator from Barranquilla, Colombia

Monday, August 10, 2009 by Kelly Nix

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.”

Poetic Youth

Thursday, August 6, 2009 by CI Staff

As International Youth Day begins to wrap up, here's an opportunity to meet LaToya, Children International's youth representative from the United States.

Our Youth Council talks a lot about being an Agent of Change, so I wrote this poem about becoming an agent of change:

“My Path”
My path is my path paved just for me.
No one can pave it for me.
Not even God.
He can only show me how to pave it.
If I pave my path with anything or something thrown together,
What kind of path would that be?
A path that’s not for me.
My path is paved with success,
So successful that when I walk down it,
You can see success in me and my face, left and right,
And when it’s all over, my God will take me home
Because the path that I paved was the life that I was living.

LaToya is one of Children International's Youth Delegates to the United Nations

A Dream Come True

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 by CI Staff

In case you hadn’t guessed, International Youth Day activities are in full swing at the United Nations in New York, and eleven of Children International’s sponsored youth are in attendance. This is José Enrrique, our delegate from the Dominican Republic:

"I am very excited about this trip to New York. For me it's a dream come true. This is a unique and special trip because not everyone can have this opportunity that I have. They chose me because I have shown my dedication. I am a very lucky person.

My family supports me a lot, and they give me the confidence to do it well. I have a lot to share about the environment and the youth in my country. I'm going with an open mind, so that I can learn from others. I am very excited."

Check out our latest youth slideshow, “Bridging the Gap”.

Speaking for Youth

Tuesday, August 4, 2009 by CI Staff

Sponsored youth, Ranjit Jana will be giving a speech at the United Nation's International Youth Day. Here is a little snippet:

Being part of the Youth Health Corps has afforded me many advantages – confidence and education and especially this trip and honor to represent Sahay at the United Nations. But only a few months back there was a disaster called cyclone ‘Aila’, which affected our village. My family’s farm was flooded and poisoned by the cyclone’s salt water. Children International extended maximum support to our community, and on behalf of my community members I would like to express my gratitude and thanks towards Children International. My sponsor has sent a special donation to seek other means to support ourselves in the meantime. I hope I am making my youth council proud! There is so much I have seen that I can’t believe. Thank you for the experience. It has already changed my life forever.

Ranjit, center, with members of his local Youth Program in India.

Children International's Youth Program

Friday, July 31, 2009 by CI Staff

Next week our sponsored youth delegates will be at the United Nations in New York for International Youth Day. Melvin Yubal, our delegate from the Philippines expresses what the Youth Program means to him:

The Youth Program is very important. It achieves a lot purposes. The youth program develops us. It gives us the chance to use of our talents and skills. In the program, we learn how to create, share our time and talents and nurture friendships. We learn to work together. We come to know a lot of information we can use when we are in difficult situations. The youth program functions as a support group too for those who want to change. This is also a venue for us to be involved in doing our share in addressing the issues that confront our fellow youth. All in all, the youth program accompanies young people in the process of growth.