Helping needy children one sponsor at a time

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.

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.

Well, you’re in luck! July eNews is brimming with information on our child sponsorship program. This month’s publication includes stories about sponsored youth who were invited to visit the United Nations for International Youth Day, our efforts to support good health, a look at our redesigned country pages and your personal invitation to throw a house party.

Intrigued? Read on.
 

And they send it too! Not an hour ago, I got paged to the front desk. Was I in trouble? Who could possible want to talk to me? But when I got there a big, sugary surprise was waiting.

Children International’s Google Group has really taken off this year, and our members amaze me continually with their generosity and dedication to the sponsorship program. Recently on the Google Group, sponsor Steve Hogan announced his plans to travel to Chile to visit his sponsored girls, and extended an invitation to fellow group members. He graciously offered to meet with and take pictures of their sponsored children in Chile. Many took him up on the offer too.

So why the cake? Well, our staff in Chile organized a little party for all of the sponsored kids who were making the journey to our community center to see Steve. Naturally, our Google Group members were touched by the thoughtfulness of our Chile staff and Lori Kays, our sponsor visit coordinator. When this post from sponsor Stephanie came across my email screen this morning, I was definitely curious:

I've cooked up a surprise as a thank you to CI for throwing a party for our kids in Chile and for working so hard to make sure that they can meet with Steve. I think it's going to be a great day for the children and I hope the surprise will make day the day fun for CI as well. :) So any CI people reading this....Shhhhhhhh! Don't spill the beans!

“Oh, I can keep a secret,” I smugly thought to myself. Little did I know that this fabulous cake was on its way to our headquarters!
 

 Sarah Trapp - Google Group moderator, Greg Jones - Sponsor Services Representative and Lori Kays, Sponsor Visit Coordinator pose with the cake.

This gesture is just one more reason why I know that Children International sponsors are the best. Thanks for the cake and for everything you do for your special needy children...Now guess what I (and many other staff members) are having for lunch?

To join Children International’s Google Group and interact with our wonderful sponsors, please visit our group.

Well you can! Children International has teamed up with House Party to help promote child sponsorship. Apply to throw a party at your home to spread the word about our program, and those selected will receive a great activity pack to get the party started.

Have a sponsorship party - Tupperware®-style - at your home and share childhood memories, photographs (yes, that’s me), games, candies and fun. As you take a trip down memory lane, contemplate the realities of children living in poverty and how sponsorship can help make their childhoods a little bit brighter.

Sound like a good time? Apply to host a Children International Sponsorship party in your home today.

If you haven’t stopped by our homepage recently, you’re missing out. We’ve added some new sections to keep our sponsors and prospective sponsors informed. Best of all we update our featured stories every week. Our latest updates include:

Photo of the week – See whose outstanding picture from around the world caught our eye this time.

News from the Field – Want to learn more about what’s happening in your sponsored child’s country? Well, you’ve come to the right place if you click on this page.

Inside C.I. – A behind-the-scenes look at how Children International’s child sponsorship program gets the job done.

Thanks for browsing!

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.
 

Our Communications Coordinator, Patricia Huerta in Guayaquil, Ecuador was covering the Crocs distribution at one of Children International’s community centers when she ran into these cute little friends just waiting to show off their new shoes. She took a moment to chat with them and snap a few photos. Here’s what these sponsored children had to say:

Dayana: I like to play with my friends. I also like to stick my tongue out at people on the street. When I grow up I want to be a model.

Oscar: I don’t know if I want to be a doctor or a soccer player; I like both.
I like the shoes I just received - I really like them!

Tatiana: I like singing when I feel happy, and I think I’m never sad...only when my mom is mad at me. When I grow up I want to be doctor to heal the children, or maybe a singer.

As bloggers, Kelly and I like to use the blog as an opportunity to provide a more close-up, personal view of the work that Children International does. So when Javier Cárcamo, our Communications Coordinator in Guatemala, sent us René’s story, we knew the blog was the right medium to reach out to our sponsors.

Last November we introduced you to René. René, his parents and three siblings lived in a home built with scrap materials situated on a small plot of land that they still hadn’t been able to pay off. The loving patriarch of the family often worked far away to bring in what little money he could to put food on the table. Although life was difficult, things were going okay. Until one day, when René’s father didn’t come home... (To read the complete story, please visit CI’s original blog.)

We asked you, our readers, to help René and his family in any way you could, and you really came through. In addition to getting René sponsored, we raised enough money to provide the family with 5 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of jeans, 5 shirts, a wardrobe, a dining room table and chairs, food staples, a gas stove and gas, money to pay off the land, and finally, construction materials to rebuild the home. Amazing job blog readers! Your generosity has made a huge difference.



And what makes this story all the more special is what happened after the donations came in. After carefully allocating the contributions where they were most needed, there was no extra for labor. Without hesitation our field staff and sponsored youth all donated their time and energy to rebuild the family’s home. Our network of sponsors, staff and sponsored children and youth really came together on this one! You can view the construction process in the slideshow “René Gets His Hug”.  Once again, on behalf of René, his family and the staff in Guatemala and Kansas City, thank you.

Special thanks to youth reporter, Manuel Xoyón for his work in documenting the construction of Rene’s new home.

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Actualización: René recibe su abrazo

Como blogueros, a Kelly y a mí nos gusta usar el blog como oportunidad para brindar una perspectiva más cercana y personal del trabajo que hace Children International. Por lo tanto, cuando Javier Cárcamo, nuestro Coordinador de Comunicaciones en Guatemala, nos envió la historia de René, nos dimos cuenta que el blog era el medio ideal para solicitar la ayuda de nuestros padrinos.

El noviembre pasado les presentamos a René. René vivía con sus padres y tres hermanos en una casa hecha de materiales descartados y situada en un pequeño terreno que todavía no lograban pagar por completo. El padre amoroso de la familia a menudo trabajaba lejos de la casa para ganarse lo poco que podía para poner comida en la mesa. Aunque la vida era difícil, las cosas andaban bien…hasta que un día el papá de René no regresó a casa…(Para leer la historia completa, por favor visite el blog original de Children International y lea la versión en español al final del artículo en inglés.)

Les solicitamos a ustedes, nuestros lectores, que ayudaran a René y a su familia de cualquier forma posible, y ustedes realmente respondieron de corazón. Además de lograr que René fuera apadrinado, también juntamos suficiente dinero para comprarle a la familia 5 pares de zapatos, 3 pantalones jeans, 5 camisas, un armario, una mesa con sillas, alimentos básicos, una estufa de gas con cilindro, dinero para pagar su terreno y, finalmente, materiales de construcción para reconstruir la casa. ¡Excelente trabajo lectores! Su generosidad ha hecho una gran diferencia.



Y lo que hace que esta historia sea aun más especial es lo que sucedió después que entraran las donaciones. Luego de destinar cuidadosamente las contribuciones a las necesidades más urgentes, no sobró dinero para la mano de obra. Sin pensarlo dos veces, el personal de nuestra agencia y los jóvenes apadrinados donaron de su tiempo y sus esfuerzos para reconstruir la casa de la familia. ¡Nuestra comunidad de padrinos, personal y niños y jóvenes apadrinados realmente se unió para lograr esto! Usted puede ver el proceso de la construcción en el ensayo fotográfico “René recibe su abrazo”. Nuevamente, de parte de René, su familia y el personal en Guatemala y en Kansas City, gracias.

Agradecemos especialmente al reportero juvenil Manuel Xoyón por su trabajo al documentar la construcción de la casa nueva de René.

Today is the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, and after a typically chilly winter here in Kansas City, we are definitely ready. To welcome in the new season we’re sharing some photos of a place where the weather is almost always fine – Guatemala, Land of Eternal Spring.

Photos by Miriam Lemus and Javier Cárcamo.
 

Downtown Guatemala City is full of activity, but there's always time to stop and smell the flowers.
 

Or check out a gorgeous view of the countryside.
 

This indigenous girl makes her way through the hills of rural Guatemala.

Sponsored youth enjoy a sunny day to take part in team-building activities.

Once again another issue of eNews is making its way to your email inbox – and it’s a good one.

-If you’re a regular reader, you’ll recognize David Nebel as our resident blog artist. He recently lent his cartooning skills to eNews for a video about how our child sponsorship agency helps children living in poverty.

-The “Life as They Know It” slideshow offers our readers a glimpse into the lives of sponsored children around the world.

-Sponsored youth Eric Ecleo will teach you the true meaning of “Never Give Up.”

-And you can even see how kids around the world celebrate Easter and an Indian festival called Holi.

Read on!

(If you’d like to receive the latest editions of eNews, please sign up here.)