Located just southeast of Mexico, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. Its spectacular mountains boast a wealth of natural resources and stunning biodiversity. For centuries, this land served as the core territory of the renowned Mayan civilization. Following two centuries of Spanish colonization, Guatemala gained its independence in the early nineteenth century — only to endure another 150 years of political instability and civil unrest. Additionally, this area is prone to devastating […]
Skills Training for the Future
At the Juan Apostol School in Guatemala, young people learn skills that will help them to obtain employment once they graduate
Virginia Woman Sends Help and Gifts to Young Kentucky Friend
Sponsors have special bonds with their sponsored children
We arrived in Jackson, Kentucky on Wednesday and caught up with some of the kids at LBJ Elementary School. The children here seem like typical kids. Some are shy, some are rambunctious, but each has faced incredible hardship in their short lives. Jackson is one of the poorest cities in the state. Several have lost one or both parents to the rampant drug epidemic in the region and live with a single parent, grandparents or […]
The Hidden Face of Americana
Looking at our work at our affiliated projects in Eastern Kentucky
Bolivia is still fresh in my mind as we head out on I-64 to get to our next destination: Williamsburg, Kentucky. I am joined this time by Shelley Oxenham, who manages relationships with all of our U.S. volunteer coordinators. Shelley has worked for Children Incorporated for eight years. She works closely with our volunteers and has watched many of the children we serve grow up and graduate. One of the great things about a road […]
Bolivia: Visions of hope from 30,000 feet
Reflections on time spent visiting our affiliated projects
After more than a week in the mountains of Bolivia, I’m headed home — back to Richmond, Virginia, and my life of comparative ease and comfort. As the ground falls away beneath the plane, I’m staring out the window, trying to compose coherent thoughts, but they are lost amid a thousand mental images of the people and scenes I’ve experienced in the last few days. Our tour guide: An architect rises from poverty Roberto Andrade’s […]
Out of the Shadows to the Head of the Class
Proud moms raising role models at Villa Emilia
A positive role model can make all the difference. Single mothers in Santa Cruz, Bolivia are finding that out, and so are the children who look up to them. Sister Pilar Hidden behind the popular tourist destinations and modern attractions of Santa Cruz lurks the shadow side, where many children knew nothing but homelessness, poverty and crime–until Sister Pilar showed up. Sister Pilar and her fellow nuns at Villa Emilia regularly […]
These Kids’ Futures Just Got a Little Brighter
The Montero School in Bolivia has updated classrooms
Roberto Andrade and his wife, Verónica, are waiting for us when we step off the plane in hot, humid Santa Cruz. Roberto is an artist and an architect now, but he was once a little boy with enormous potential and struggling parents who worried about his future. They saw the talent and creativity in their son and knew that a quality education would help him develop into a happy, healthy adult. “Because the happiest people […]