Tag Archives: Children Incorporated

Shelley Callahan | February 24, 2023En Español

In 1998, the deadliest storm in Central America’s recorded history caused nearly 12,000 deaths in Honduras and Nicaragua and devastated the small town of El Progreso. Because of the destruction, the local community created the El Refugio (which means “the shelter” in Spanish) Welfare Center to help children and families in need receive resources in the aftermath of the storm.

Last year, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited El Refugio, and found that nearly 25 years later, residents still rely on the support they started receiving decades ago.

“The support that children receive from their sponsors covers their basic needs – shoes, clothing, food items and school supplies – which help ensure the children stay in school and continue to get an education,” says Luis.

About the Center

“El Refugio is located in the town of El Progreso, just about one hour away from San Pedro Sula, the capital of Honduras,” explains Luis.

“The center has been run by a local woman, Maria Esther, ever since it began operating many years ago, after Hurricane Mitch hit this area and produced flooding and disaster. With nearly 130 children enrolled in our sponsorship program, Maria gets the help of participating parents and a former teacher to complete food distributions, enroll new students in our program, help children write letters to their sponsors, and conduct home visits.”

“The support that children receive from their sponsors covers their basic needs – shoes, clothing, food items and school supplies – which help ensure the children stay in school and continue to get an education,” says Luis.

Luis met with sponsored children and their parents during his visit to El Refugio.

“When I visited, it was noticeable that the area was developed by the local government after Hurricane Mitch and has slightly improved as far as the houses are concerned, but the neighborhood is mostly occupied by low-income families. There is a good deal of violence, gang activity, and poverty, as there are little or no opportunities for employment. Most of the parents of children in our program work daily service jobs or are construction workers with no consistent income.”

“While I was at the center, I met with most of the parents and children in the program, and all of them expressed gratitude for the support. The support they receive from Children Incorporated and our sponsors is a large contribution for the families, which is representative of the poverty in which they live,” explains Luis.

“The parents were eager to tell me how the program is essential for them, and the support is crucial for their survival and education for their children. I then had the opportunity to participate in the distribution of the monthly support, and it was incredible how much food and supplies were given for just $35 per child!”

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How do I sponsor a child in Honduras?

You can sponsor a child in Honduras 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 in Honduras that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 12, 2023En Español

After leaving Costa Rica in the fall of 2022, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, traveled to Nicaragua to visit our two affiliated sites in the country, the first being the Casa Betania Center.

“We were very glad that he wants to continue his education, and we will be glad to support him because of his family situation and his interest in higher education.”

Today, we hear from Luis about his meetings with our volunteer coordinator, our sponsored children, and their parents during his time there.

A Visit to Boaco

“Casa Betania is a community center with an after-school program and a medical clinic and serves 90 of our sponsored children. It is located in Boaco, a city about an hour and a half away from the capital city of Managua,” explained Luis.

“As with all of our other affiliated sites in Central America, this center is also run by the Sisters of Mercy and provides educational support for the children.”

“With the support of older children and a couple of volunteers, the younger children get their schoolwork done while at the center. Some come once a week, and some come more often, depending on their school needs,” said Luis.

Grateful for the Support of Sponsors

“The center provides the children with a meal during their time there. Our sponsors ensure that the children have school supplies, uniforms, shoes and clothing, food, and medical care. At Casa Betania, neither the children in attendance nor their families are charged for visiting the on-site medical clinic.”

One of our sponsored children at Casa Betania receives food while she is at the center.

“During my visit, all of our sponsored children came to the center to meet with me, and I was able to ask many questions regarding the benefits they receive from their sponsors. All indicated that the program is essential for their education, and they are glad to have sponsors. The food received is also welcome by the families, as the economic situation of all of them is very precarious,” said Luis.

“Additionally, I was presented with requests for support from our Higher Education Fund, as this fund has provided life changing opportunities to many in the past. One former participant and one that is still going to university and graduating this year are full-time volunteers at Casa Betania, where they tutor our sponsored children.”

Helping Renaldo

“Before we ended the day, we conducted a few home visits. One of the houses we went to was truly deplorable, and our coordinator will look into the possibility of helping this family obtain a government funded home, so that they can live with dignity. One of the sponsored children who lives at the home, Renaldo,* will graduate this year, and he would like to attend university. He also volunteers with the after-school program and helps our coordinator with all activities at the center. We were very glad that he wants to continue his education, and we will be happy to support him because of his family situation and his interest in higher education,” explained Luis.

*Name changed to protect the child.

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How do I sponsor a child in Nicaragua?

You can sponsor a child in Nicaragua 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 in Nicaragua that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 6, 2023En Español

In this edition of Stories of Hope, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, concludes his trip to our Costa Rica affiliated sites with a visit to the Costa Rica Center in San Jose.

The beginning of the center

“This center is located in the northern part of San Jose. It is run by a woman, Marta, who is also our volunteer coordinator,” said Luis.

“The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school.”

“Marta used to work at what was the Costa Rica Children’s Orphanage, located in the downtown area of the city, which supported abandoned children or children from low-income families that could not raise their children on their own.”

“Our sponsorship program was initiated at the orphanage to provide additional educational support to the children, until the local government decided to part with the orphanage and converted it into an afterschool program and then a community center. When this happened, Marta was no longer employed, and the Children Incorporated program was dissolved,” explained Luis.

“But Marta was persistent and didn’t want her community to lose the support from sponsors or Children Incorporated. She decided to look for support through a local church, and she started her own version of a center where children could meet and receive food, school supplies and other essential items. And so started the Costa Rica Center!”

Teaching a community new skills

“Marta still gets help from the church today and still uses a portion of the church to meet with the children and families on a regular basis. While I was visiting in September of 2022, I met with children and their parents, and they all expressed how helpful the sponsorship program is, and how grateful they were for the much-needed support that Marta provides,” said Luis.

“Marta finds ways to stretch the funds to provide what is most needed for the children’s education. After our meeting, the children and their families showed us some crafts they had made, all thanks to Marta, who is teaching crafting skills so families can earn extra money.”

“We then went to a couple of houses of our sponsored children. One particular house was made with scrap and metal sheets and had dirt floors and partial wooden sections. The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school, just as many of the other parents,” said Luis.

Looking to expand and grow

“Before we finished for the day, Marta expressed to me that she is working with a local community center so that they will have more space to do handcrafts and workshops. She hopes to expand on the skills training, so that parents and children can have a way to make life easier.”

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How do I sponsor a child in Costa Rica?

You can sponsor a child in Costa Rica 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 in Costa Rica that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | February 5, 2023

The Philippines comprise a vast island nation in southeast Asia. This archipelago of more than 7,000 islands boasts sandy beaches, towering mountains and volcanoes, tropical rainforests and an incredible wealth of natural resources and biodiversity. Humans have called these islands home for thousands of years, predating historic records. Today, the Philippines incorporate a staggering number of languages, ethnic groups, religions and cultures. Despite its status as an emerging market, however, nearly half of all Filipinos still earn less than $2 a day. Adequate sanitation, access to healthcare and access to potable water are still daily challenges in this widely underdeveloped country, which is also prone to typhoons, earthquakes and volcanic activity.

Children in the Philippines need your help. Please consider becoming a sponsor today.

Challenges for Children in the Philippines

In the Philippines, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as they struggle with poverty and lack of educational resources. Right now, children in Chile need your help.

More than 13 million Filipino children live below the poverty line
One-third of all children in the Philippines comes from impoverished households
Children living in poverty face multiple vulnerabilities that threaten their survival
and growth such as malnutrition, poor health, and lack of clean water and sanitation
Child poverty increases the risk of child marriage, child labor, abuse, and exploitation
of children in the Philippines

Our Work in the Philippines

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in the Philippines since 1964.

We work with our volunteer coordinators in local communities to provide health and nutrition, education, hygiene items, clothes, shoes, and other essentials that help children and families rise above the poverty in which they live.

Our strategy is to focus on individual children through our sponsorship program, ensuring they are receiving exactly what they need on a regular basis.

Your support makes all our work possible to help children in crisis in the Philippines.

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How do I sponsor a child in the Philippines?

You can sponsor a child in the Philippines 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 in the Philippines that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/children

https://www.unicef.org/philippines/social-policy-and-governance

Shelley Callahan | February 1, 2023En Español

In the fall of 2022, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited our affiliated sites in Costa Rica for the first time since before the pandemic. Today, we hear from Luis about his visit to La Milagrosa, where he met with our volunteer coordinator, as well as with parents and students in our sponsorship program.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

About La Milagrosa

“La Milagrosa Center is located in an area of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with very few opportunities for employment, and therefore has many low-income families,” said Luis.

“Like our affiliated site, The Santa Luisa Center in Bambu, La Milagrosa is operated by the Sisters of Charity, and offers educational support to children living in the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as to children in the periphery of the city.”

“The children who attend the Center meet weekly, and the Sisters follow-up with them regarding their lessons in school, as well as provide support and information on how to resolve problems they may be having, whether in the classroom, with other students, or even at home,” explained Luis.

Offering help when it is needed the most

During his visit, Luis had the chance to meet with children and their parents, who told him how valuable our sponsorship program is to them.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

“The majority of the children attend local public schools and live in dwellings that lack some basic services, such as electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. The schools are supported by the government, but they also lack many resources, which is why our program is so important for the children,” said Luis.

“When the children meet with our volunteer coordinator, she determines what their most immediate needs are, whether it be food items, mattresses, new shoes, or hygiene items. At the beginning of each school year, they receive new uniforms purchased thanks to their sponsors’ generous donations.”

Hope for the future

“I met with most of the parents and children participants in our sponsorship program, and they all expressed their gratitude for the support. They also hope for support to continue until their children graduate because many of the parents feel that without the help from sponsors, their children will fall behind in school and be forced to drop out at an early age,” said Luis.

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How do I sponsor a child in Costa Rica?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | January 24, 2023

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our January 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.

Along with so much more, your donations provided funds to help repair damaged pipes for drinking water in the home of a family in our sponsorship program at Inez Elementary School just in this past month.

Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.

YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

Just in this past month, your donations have:

– Provided support for computer and English language classes for students at the Santa Clotilde Home in Bolivia

– Provided funds for menstrual hygiene items for twenty-five girls for one month at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala

– Provided funds for an educational field trip for 8^th graders at Valle Crucis Elementary School in North Carolina

– Provided funds to help repair damaged pipes for drinking water in the home of a family in our sponsorship program at Inez Elementary School

– Provided food for 200 children for a month at the St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for families of children who attend Chrishanti Lama Sevana in Sri Lanka who are struggling through an economic crisis

– Provided warm clothing for students at Hannaa Dli Community School/Huerfano Dorm in New Mexico

– Provided funds to fill the clothing closet at the resource center at Morgan County High School in Kentucky

– Provided emergency aid funds for a family who is living without running water at Crum PK-8 School in West Virginia

– Provided materials and supplies for an afterschool tutoring program at Lotts Creek Elementary School in Kentucky

… all in addition to the support you already provide through sponsorship to children in our program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!

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HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can donate to Children Incorporated in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you with making a donation; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and choose a particular fund in which to make a donation.

DONATE