By Dolores Kitchin
There’s a lot of buzz about Children International’s Youth Program lately. You might wonder why we are touting these incredible teens that are turning their lives of poverty into personal stories of hope. If you met one youth, you would know why -- because they lead truly inspirational lives.
Let’s take Lara Villanueva from Tabaco, Philippines. She lives with her parents and 3 siblings and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. Her father supports the family on $55 a month he earns as a fisherman in their coastal village. However, Lara didn’t let a rocky start in life keep her down. With the help of the Youth Program, Lara became the president of her youth council. She was her high school valedictorian. With support from a HOPE Scholarship, she is now in her first year of nursing school.
Then last year, I traveled to the United Nations with Lara where she was presented the Youth Achievement Award for leading her youth council in improving her community. Even though the trip was full of firsts – her first time on an airplane, first time she had to run through an airport to catch her flight, and first time to the United States – Lara returned home more determined to change her community by sitting on the Board of Directors of Children International in the Philippines.
To read more about our youth program, click here.
To learn more about supporting our youth program, click here.
Dolores Kitchin is the director of Public Relations for Children International. To learn more about our child sponsorship program or to learn how to sponsor a child, visit www.children.org.
A Youth Health Corps member in Colombia uses games to teach younger children healthy lessons.
There’s a lot of buzz about Children International’s Youth Program lately. You might wonder why we are touting these incredible teens that are turning their lives of poverty into personal stories of hope. If you met one youth, you would know why -- because they lead truly inspirational lives.
Let’s take Lara Villanueva from Tabaco, Philippines. She lives with her parents and 3 siblings and sleeps on a mattress on the floor. Her father supports the family on $55 a month he earns as a fisherman in their coastal village. However, Lara didn’t let a rocky start in life keep her down. With the help of the Youth Program, Lara became the president of her youth council. She was her high school valedictorian. With support from a HOPE Scholarship, she is now in her first year of nursing school.
Then last year, I traveled to the United Nations with Lara where she was presented the Youth Achievement Award for leading her youth council in improving her community. Even though the trip was full of firsts – her first time on an airplane, first time she had to run through an airport to catch her flight, and first time to the United States – Lara returned home more determined to change her community by sitting on the Board of Directors of Children International in the Philippines.
To read more about our youth program, click here.
To learn more about supporting our youth program, click here.
Dolores Kitchin is the director of Public Relations for Children International. To learn more about our child sponsorship program or to learn how to sponsor a child, visit www.children.org.
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