Help Poor Children

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.

Tomorrow, September 17th is Special Hug Day. Sure, it may not mean much to you unless you’re familiar with Children International’s child sponsorship program. But let me assure you that this holiday is very meaningful to our sponsored children. In fact, it’s downright, well...special.

We didn’t come up with this holiday to sell cards or cheesy decorations or to make people feel compelled to commemorate the day with frivolous gifts. Perhaps the name Special Hug sounds silly, but the items the children and their families receive are nothing but practical.
 

Even making the bed is fun when you’ve got new clean sheets. “The bedspread is beautiful, and I like the color,” says Angie from Barranquilla, Colombia.
 

View our Special Hug slideshow to see gifts from past years and read what children living in poverty say about this special day.

Photo by Patricia Calderón, Communications Coordinator in Barranquilla, Colombia.

On September 16th, Mexico will celebrate its Independence Day...a day remembered in Mexico as "El Grito" (The Battle Cry) because the indigenous people rose up to secure autonomous rule.

Recently, a group of teens in Mexico sponsored through Children International received the first HOPE scholarship ever. The endowment ceremony was a happy event where 30 young people including Ana Fajardo, who was one of the youth delegates attending the United Nations Youth Assembly, received a scholarship to help them pay for tuition, school supplies, and books. The scholarship recipients may use the funds to pay for vocational training or university fees.

I was fortunate enough to get to know Ana in New York last month. She is a funny yet driven young lady who upon meeting me presented me with a business card and resume on matching floral stationery.

With the help of the HOPE scholarship, I am sure Ana will become the self-reliant adult she is driven to be.

Blog by Dolores Quinn Kitchin.  Photo by Alejandro Bonilla from our child sponsorship agency in Jalisco, Mexico.

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

Hi, Bloggers! I'm enroute home from attending the International Youth Day at the U.N.   Eleven of Children International's sponsored youth attended, along with about 700 youth from around the world.

As always, these sponsored youth blew me away with their poise and maturity…to say nothing of their pretty highly developed sense of humor that manages to transcend language barriers. These guys were having fun, and if they were experiencing any culture shock from their first airplane ride, first trip out of their country, New York City etc, they weren't showing it. (I think I experience some shock whenever I'm in New York!)

I was SO proud of these kids…they put on a workshop about leadership yesterday to a roomful of other attendees, and I think those peers were impressed by how much leadership training "our guys" have already practiced in their youth councils.

The theme of this gathering was, Committing Youth Leadership to the Millennium Development Goals, many of which are directly linked to overcoming poverty and enabling youth to develop in a healthier, fairer world. I'm telling just about anyone who will listen that I can't imagine a group more qualified than our sponsored youth to deliver against that theme. They've grown up in the grip of poverty, and they've been focused on leadership in their youth councils the past five-plus years. They are awesome, charismatic young people!

We had a reception for our sponsored youth last night. We heard from each youth…they spoke eloquently about what the sponsorship program has meant to them, and really it was very humbling and gratifying to hear them heap praise on the program and how instrumental it has been in effectively transforming each of them. I would also add that their own initiative and "want to," along with a healthy dose of perseverence, also had something to do with their success to date!

In addition to the youth, we hosted a number of sponsors and "Friends of CI" from the New York area.  It was really nice for me to be able to put some faces with names of people I've visited with on the phone over the past few years.  It was a fun, vibrant group, all connected by the common thread of making children's lives better!

If you've been checking out Children International's homepage or our blog, then you know that the International Youth Day at the United Nations is coming up in New York City. We're sending eleven of our best sponsored youth to share their messages and inspiring stories about overcoming the challenges of poverty with other youth from around the globe.

Here, David Nebel, our resident cartoonist and translator shows us what the youth might be thinking as they step off their planes into the Big Apple.

When Kelly and I started Children International’s Google Group, we knew it would be a great place for sponsors to get together and share ideas. But slowly it has evolved into something more – a group of friends who support one another ... and each other’s sponsored children as well.

The sponsors on the group share the stories of their sponsored children and the needs they face. Reading the stories and seeing an opportunity to help even more, sponsors set up fundraising projects, and the results have been pretty amazing. Some of the smaller projects funded include fundraisers for beds, food, school items, tuition, nutritional supplements and clothing. Sponsors have also raised money for Income Generating Projects which allow families to start up businesses to help them break free from poverty. As sponsor and fundraiser organizer, Heather puts it, “We are working as a group to change the lives of many families.”

These smaller projects understandably get funded much faster than the larger ones, but they are all so worthwhile. Currently Heather and company are working to build homes for two families living in poverty. You may even recognize them from past articles from Children International. First is the Mulangu Family in Zambia, a family of orphans who live in a borrowed home with the constant threat of eviction. The other is Jenie, a sweet little girl in the Philippines who lives under a bridge with her family alongside drug dealers and gangs. With the help of the fundraisers, both families can have the joy of a modest, but safe home.

If you would like to help with any of the group’s ongoing projects or see photos of the difference these fundraisers have made, please visit http://makeachangemac.webs.com/. Pages like these are just one more reason that I know Children International's sponsors are the greatest.

Gustavo Fernandez made a pit stop at Children International's headquarters to discuss his Hog for Kids program which benefits children living in poverty in the Dominican Republic. 



Thanks for your generosity and for taking time out of your day to hang out with Children International's staff, Gustavo! What a cool way to make a difference in the lives of children.

We’re in for a special treat today at Children International’s world headquarters. Professional photographer and Children International sponsor, Gustavo Fernandez, is making a stop in Kansas City on his cross-country motorcycle ride to help needy children through Children International. He calls the program H.O.G.® For Kids.

Gustavo is making stops in cities like Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York taking pictures of children and asking their families to sponsor a child in the Dominican Republic like he does. His goal is to find sponsors for 50 children living in poverty, and we support him whole hog! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Visit Gustavo’s cool H.O.G. for Kids homepage to see more of his photographs, see where he’s been and learn more about his mission.

Gustavo with his sponsored child Erica and her mother, Santa, in the Dominican Republic.

Each year our Communications Coordinator in Guatemala, Javier Cárcamo, trains a new batch of youth reporters to write stories, conduct interviews and take photos and video. Here, 17 year-old youth reporter Edwin Canac Tzaj shares what life is like in his rural community and how sponsorship is giving him an opportunity he never thought he would have.

My community is a small and hidden place. We live at the base of a hill and all of the neighbors are happy, but you always have a desire to have a better life. Even though we are happy, it’s kind of difficult to live here, because there isn’t any work. Some farmers give work to day laborers so they can support their families, but there isn’t enough work for everyone. Some only find work in other villages, so they have to go far away early in the morning and they come home even more tired.

The women help their husbands working in the fields cutting peas and lettuce, and some just do whatever work they can find each day in the markets or at construction sites. Every morning the sun rises and women weave their güipils (a traditional Mayan blouse) to sell, although many women work in the fields too, carrying their babies on their backs.

Even still, life here is beautiful, but everyone hopes to have happier lives with good futures for their children and to be able to enjoy the weekends at church or just taking a walk around town.

Poverty in my community is due to the fact that there aren’t any good salaries or jobs. And that’s why many people can’t afford to send their children to school, much less give youth like us higher education - like my siblings and me, for example. Our parents don’t have any way to support us, although they have always tried very hard. But sometimes it’s been difficult to keep studying. I know we have to struggle and work for our futures, because many desperate youth have thrown themselves into vice, because they have no work, nor the love of a mother or father, or anyone to support them.

But sponsorship in my community is something that makes things different for many families. In my community there are more than 100 sponsored children and youth, and that has helped us to improve ourselves and have a greater possibility of becoming better people. I am very thankful to all of you, because you have lovingly given us help, and that is such a benefit for each household. You have helped us with school supplies and personal items.

Now that I have the opportunity to be a Youth Reporter, I feel even better about myself, because now I can communicate my community’s feelings. And this is something I never dreamed of before, because it used to be very hard for me to speak Spanish, because I speak an indigenous language. But thanks to the opportunity to go to school, I can write this –although I still get a little nervous. I am learning to take photos and talk to people without feeling embarrassed. And I’m really happy about that, and I’m very satisfied being sponsored by Children International. That’s why I wish you all success in each and everything you do each day.
 

Guatemala's Youth Reporters
 

Did you like this story? Want more? Send us a comment, and let us know. We’ll be sure to make this a regular feature.

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.