After a few days in Sucre, Bolivia, I was really starting to understand just how and why this city was so special. Since having the chance to visit a few of our affiliated sites, I could see why we would partner with so many schools in a small concentrated area — the focus on education for this community was high, but the need for support was also great, which is a perfect fit for Children Incorporated to really make a difference for children in need.
Behind each of those smiles I knew there was a parent who was just as happy with our work as Luis and I, as well as Claudia, were.
Meeting with Claudia
Luis and I were scheduled to meet with our volunteer coordinator, Claudia, on our fourth day in Sucre. She had invited us to a presentation before taking a tour of the Sagrada Corazon School, where she managed our sponsorship program. When we arrived at the school, Claudia escorted us to a small office with a projector set up, and after only a few minutes of waiting, other school administrators started to arrive, introducing themselves and taking a seat in preparation for Claudia to begin speaking.
As Claudia began talking about the history of this 110 year old school, I flipped through a packet she had created for us, in which she had a list of all of our sponsored children, the items she had purchased for them over the years, and then, to my surprise, a survey given to the parents of the children in our program. Claudia had taken the time to ask each parent what they thought of our program and the support our sponsors were giving to the children.
Satisfied all around
After years of working with Children Incorporated, reading their answers didn’t surprise me at all — the parents talked about how the emotional support is just as helpful as the financial support for their children, and that knowing they have a sponsor had changed many of the children’s attitudes about school and made them want to be better students.
Knowing they have a sponsor had changed many of the children’s attitudes about school and made them want to be better students.
These answers are ones I have heard from coordinators all over the world, and I loved seeing Claudia bring the same sentiments out of these parents as well, who also acknowledged just how powerful sponsorship is for children’s physical and psychological well-being. At the end of the survey, Claudia asked each parent to rate their satisfaction with our program, and the approval rating was an unsurprising 100%.
After Claudia finished her presentation, she took Luis and I on a tour of the school, and then we had the chance to meet all of our sponsored children in the auditorium, where Luis briefly spoke with them about the importance of doing well in school and working hard towards graduation. It was great to see all the children’s enthusiastic faces, beaming because visitors came specifically to meet with them. Behind each of those smiles I knew there was a parent who was just as happy with our work as Luis and I, as well as Claudia, were.
***
How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.