Tag Archives: children

Children Incorporated | September 27, 2022

Located in the easternmost portion of Africa, Ethiopia is ecologically diverse, comprising desert steppes, highland plateaus, towering mountains, and tropical rainforest. Archeological evidence suggests that people have called this land home for tens of
thousands of years. With one of the first known alphabet systems, Ethiopia is truly a cradle of civilization.

Your support makes all our work possible for Ethiopian children in crisis.

Today, it is the world’s most populous landlocked nation. Its wealth of natural resources lends itself to Ethiopia’s primarily agriculture-based economy. Coffee is its primary export. However, in a land already susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and droughts, the turmoil brought about by political instability, lack of adequate medical services, and a general deficiency in human rights have plunged much of the nation into abject poverty. Diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and dengue fever are tragically common as many Ethiopians lack access to safe water and are not able to practice safe hygiene and sanitation. Lack of education is both a result of and a contributing factor to the widespread poverty plaguing Ethiopia.

Challenges for Children in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as poverty leads to lack of educational and basic resources. Right now, vulnerable children in Ethiopia need your help.

Nearly 36 million children in Ethiopia are living in poverty
88 per cent of children in Ethiopia under the age of 18 lack access to basic services
Children from poor households and children in rural areas have far less access to clean water
than those from more affluent households
Less than 20% of children from very poor households finish primary school
Less than 25% of children living in poverty receive all basic vaccinations

Our Work in Ethiopia

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of impoverished children in Ethiopia 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 for Ethiopian children in crisis.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Ethiopia?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Ron Carter | September 26, 2022

Dear Friends,

Whenever Children Incorporated adds a new affiliated site to the list of schools and community centers we serve, we also enroll children right away, who are ready and waiting for their sponsorship experience to start. Inevitably, there is a period of time when the children must wait for assistance as we work hard to find caring sponsors to support them. It sometimes takes us weeks and even months to locate individual sponsors who are ready and willing to support these deserving children.

Our Shared Hope Fund, or our Assistance for Unsponsored Children Fund, is a special fund created for the specific purpose of providing sponsorship-like services to children not-yet linked to a sponsor.

Thankfully for us, we have amazing sponsors and donors just like you to help us along the way. Because of your thoughtful and generous donations, we are able to send supplemental funds to the sites to make sure that some of the children’s needs are being met until consistent, long-term sponsors are matched with the newly enrolled students.

Unfortunately, sometimes, the amount and scope of assistance offered to unsponsored children is somewhat limited and sporadic, leaving the child waiting not only for a sponsor but for basic needs as well. For these special students, their excitment about the idea of having a sponsor and having their basic needs met can often make them feel left out when they don’t start getting support soon after enrollment.

Our Shared Hope Fund allows us to help children while they wait for a caring sponsor to support them.

This is where our Shared Hope Fund comes into play. Our Shared Hope Fund, or our Assistance for Unsponsored Children Fund, is a special fund created for the specific purpose of providing sponsorship-like services to children not-yet linked to a sponsor. Shared Hope is also available to aid children who, for whatever reason, may lose their sponsors suddenly, as well as for older children, for whom it is often more difficult for us to find individual sponsors.

Shared Hope is one of our most meaningful special funds. Hundreds of children are supported through Shared Hope each month, which not only makes it a very valuable fund, but one that is desperately in need of continuous support. We are always in need of funding for Shared Hope, and what it offers for children in need is absolutely life-changing.

That is why I am coming to you, our loyal supporters, to ask for help. Please consider making a donation to our Shared Hope Fund today so that children all over the world won’t miss a single month of receiving the help that they need to ensure they can stay in school and get an education.

We can’t do our work without you.

DONATE

Shelley Callahan | September 25, 2022En Español

As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our monthly Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible. Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to have a help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.

Your Impact Around the world

Thanks to you, just in this past month, we have been able to:

– Provided funds to purchase food for 25 children for a month at the Dandora Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for flooding disaster relief for families of students at Dorton Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided funds to purchase school uniforms for students at Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary School in Virginia

– Provided funds to purchase menstrual hygiene items for girls at Santa Isabel Seton in Guatemala

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

– Provided funds for meals for 25 children for a month at Kids Hope in Ethiopia

– Provided disaster relief funding for students at Carr Creek Elementary after catastrophic flooding in Kentucky

– Provided funding for meals for children at the Fortune’s Children at Parang in the Philippines

– Purchased food for children for a full month at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funding for food and water for students at Valley Elementary School after flooding in Eastern Kentucky

– Provided funding for cleaning supplies and hygiene items after flooding for students at Knott County High School in Kentucky

From all of us at Children Incorporated, thank you all that you have done this month to help children and families living in poverty!

***

How to 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 as to how to make a donation, or online to our donation portal, create an account, and chose a particular fund in which you would like to donate.

DONATE

Shelley Callahan | September 20, 2022

Lebanon is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Israel to the south and Syria to the east and north. This country of six million people acknowledges eighteen religious groups, the largest being the Shiite and Sunnite Muslims; there is also a large Christian population in the country.

Up to the end of World War I, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the League of Nations issued France a mandate allowing it to govern Syria and Lebanon. Twenty-three years later, Lebanon gained its independence.

Since 2006, Lebanon has been politically divided into two almost equally-strong camps, whose conflict has prevented the political institutions in the country from functioning. The internal struggle between the two groups is mostly based on social and economic clashes of interest, linked with religious differences.

Other factors also play a huge role in the strife that exists in Lebanon. Internal disagreements over the conflict in neighboring Syria play a part, as well as foreign countries’ involvement and interests in the Syrian War. Both internal and external arguments on how to handle the crisis in Syria only worsen the current situation in Lebanon. Today, more than a million Syrian refugees have been registered in the country.

Although Lebanon has been rebuilding itself steadily, the well-being of children has largely been undermined by these geopolitical circumstances. The country still has a long way to go before reaching an ideal situation, where the protection of children’s rights is taken into full consideration.

Facts about child poverty in Lebanon

Almost 30% of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line
About 10% of children in Lebanon do not attend school
Roughly 7% of children are still forced to work to support their families
Some children in remote villages are still not guaranteed drinkable water
More than 10% of young Lebanese women said have been married before the age of 18
Children from Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugee families in Lebanon especially face difficulties living in poverty as their rights are not protected

How you can help children in Lebanon

You can help a child living in poverty in Lebanon in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments.

Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being.

This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential — physically, emotionally and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites in Lebanon who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects — orphanages, homes, community centers and schools — at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON

You can also help children in Lebanon by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund and our International Feeding Program, we have been able to further support our projects in Lebanon beyond sponsorship.

***

Children at FAID use sign language to greet our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet.

Shelley Callahan | September 13, 2022En Español

All of our sponsors are incredibly important to us and the children they support, and we are delighted every time we receive a letter from one of our volunteer coordinators about how a sponsor went above and beyond to make a difference for children in need.

Today, we hear from Rachel at Broad Rock Elementary School in Virginia, who wrote to one of our sponsors, Sharon, after she donated toys and educational games to the school.

Today, we hear from Rachel at Broad Rock Elementary School in Virginia, who wrote to one of our sponsors, Sharon, after she donated toys and educational games to the school.

Rachel’s Letter

“Thank you for all of the wonderful donations to our school! I was surprised and so happy to hear from the Director of U.S. Programs at Children Incorporated, Renée, when she contacted me about receiving your thoughtful gifts. Renée even offered to deliver the donations herself, since the Children Incorporated office is located near our school.”

“When Renée arrived, we loaded two small handcarts with the boxes of donations and wheeled them in — and literally as soon as we crossed the threshold, a teacher spied us. She admired the items, and when I explained what they were, she asked excitedly for the three little rubber ducks to use for a special lesson she was planning, and I gave them to her on the spot.”

Putting a smile on Sherry’s face

Renée is pictured with a car full of donations for Broad Rock Elementary School students.

“It was such an incredible surprise to open up each box of items. I selected a few things that we knew your sponsored child, Sherry*, would love, and I surprised her with them the same day. She was over the moon about the Peppa Pig figurines especially. I then let her choose some toys to take home as well. She chose the tea set, puzzles, and a sleeping bag that she’s really excited to use soon when family members visit.”

“After Sherry returned to class, I was able to distribute the rest of the toys to other classrooms. The musical instrument pad went to our music teacher, and the solar robot went to our STEM teacher. A few other items, such as the hand puppets, Legos, and a few board games, I held onto to use for students during individual time or small-groups in our resource center.”

A small act of kindness going a long way

“The rest of the items will be shared with other students in the Children Incorporated program, and what’s left will be made available to parents during parent pick-up at dismissal. Thank you again for your kindness. These items really brighten the lives of children who otherwise don’t have a lot. We appreciate you!

Sincerely,

Rachel”

*Name changed to protect the child.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Virginia?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | August 30, 2022

Whether through our sponsorship program or through our special funds or special projects, we help tens of thousands of children around the world each year — thanks entirely to the support of our sponsors and donors.

Children Incorporated supports children in many different ways, all of which fall under four areas of impact — education, health and well-being, emergency relief and community support. Our focus on these four key areas allows us to expand our reach beyond the children in our program, helping their families and entire communities break the cycle of poverty.

Children Incorporated helps children living in poverty in many ways, all of which fall under four areas of impact — education, health and well-being, emergency relief and community support.

Read more about each of our areas of impact and follow our Stories of Hope blog to find out how you are directly changing the lives of individuals around the world by donating to Children Incorporated.

Education

Families living in poverty work hard to make ends meet living on low wages. To ensure that children have the resources they need to attend school, we provide children with educational items throughout the year such as school supplies, book bags and tablets for virtual learning. We also purchase desks and school uniforms, as well as pay tuition so children living in poverty have all their basic needs met so they can go to school ready to learn.

WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP KIDS IN KENTUCKY

KEEPING SIBLINGS TOGETHER IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE

DESKS FOR KIDS AT DANDORA

Health and Well-Being

One of our highest priorities is making sure children are healthy so they don’t miss school. We provide children around the world with the proper shoes, clothes, hygiene items, and vitamins on a regular basis. We also have feeding programs in the United States and internationally that provide regular and consistent meals to students as well as food to take home on the weekends.

WELL RESTED AND READY TO LEARN

AIDING RICARDO IN EL SALVADOR

MEETING GIRLS’ NEEDS IN INDIA AND KENYA

Emergency Relief

There are many instances when families living in poverty are not financially prepared for emergency situations. We provide emergency relief after housefires, earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and when families find themselves in need of immediate medical support. Our ability to quickly respond to emergencies means that families can worry less when disaster strikes, and can start to rebuild as soon as they can.

CLEAN UP AND RECOVERY IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

RESPONDING TO COVID-19 IN THE UNITED STATES

HOPE AFTER HAIYAN

Community Support

We believe strongly in supporting children, families and communities to help generations of people break the cycle of poverty in which they live. We support construction projects, playground and greenhouse projects, renovation projects and skills training projects at our affiliated sites to lift up multiple groups of people at a time and better whole communities.

OUR SPECIAL FUNDS AT WORK IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

EXTRA SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN IN NORTH CAROLINA

INVESTING IN THE YOUTH OF COSTA RICA

***