Tag Archives: donors

Shelley Callahan | March 14, 2023

Before I left the Children Incorporated office for the Philippines in mid-January, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, made sure to mention to me that I should visit the housing project in Marikina that was built thanks to Children Incorporated donors while I was in Manila.

I loved seeing all the individual touches that the families had added to their homes over the years — bright colored patterns on window curtains and tablecloths, and family photos hanging on the walls.

In 2009, when our former volunteer coordinator, Polly Johnson, had yet to retire from her position running our affiliated site, the Fortune’s Children Center, she proposed to Luis the idea of constructing homes for families of our sponsored children in the area. Luis liked the idea, having himself seen the conditions that the families lived in — small shacks along hillsides with no running water or electricity was standard housing for those living in poverty in the Philippines, as in many places around the world.

Building Houses from Across the World

Although he knew it would be a difficult task to accomplish from the United States, Luis trusted Polly’s ability to secure the land and hire a team of builders who could see the project through to completion. The plan was to build three buildings – two identical buildings with 5 apartments each facing one another, and a third building with 3 apartments just behind those.

From start to finish, it took two years to complete the houses, and in 2011, thirteen families moved into their new homes, where they traded dirt floors and sheet metal roofs for solid concrete walls and ceilings that would protect them from harsh rains or dangerous storms. Luis himself had visited the apartments in both 2015 and 2018, and was excited for me to see them, knowing that the same families who originally moved into the homes still resided there, happy to have a permanent place to raise their children.

A mother and sponsored children stand in the doorway of their home in Mt. Goshen, built by Children Incorporated donor funds.

After meeting with our sponsored children and their parents at the Fortune’s Center, and getting to hear their stories of gratitude for their sponsors, we all enjoyed a traditional Filipino lunch at the center. Then it was time for our current volunteer coordinator, Joy, and former sponsored child, Genesis, along with some other volunteers from the center, to take me to see the community where the houses had been built.

We all packed into a cargo van, along with the children and families who lived in the apartments, who were happy to accept a ride up into the hills where the neighborhood is located.

The Mt. Goshen Neighborhood

We arrived less than 10 minutes later, the van pulling over to the side of a small road, after we had climbed steadily and slowly continuously since we had left the center. At first, it was hard to tell where the apartments were — I saw small houses and storefronts, but nothing that seemed to be newer construction. Before I even finished my thought, Joy pointed up a dirt path and let me know we would have to walk the rest of the way, as we had driven as close to the neighborhood as the road would take us.

The dirt and mud path careened further up, and the storefronts quickly disappeared behind us as our surroundings turned more jungle-like, with large plants and trees covering the mid-afternoon sky above us. The walk took no longer than a few minutes, but was on tough terrain, and I started to realize just how incredibly difficult it must have been to get material and equipment to the housing site during construction.

Our group stopped short of a small blue tent that read “Mt. Goshen Neighborhood Association.” To my left, a few local residents sat on benches, greeting us warmly, speaking in Tagalog to Joy and their neighbors who had been walking with us. To my right, a set of five or six stairs led down to a courtyard lined with trees and shrubs which served as the yard for the apartments. The children quickly ran to their apartments, opening the doors, as their mothers followed closely behind. Before I knew it, I was walking in and out of each one, seeing how they were similarly designed, but decorated differently based on the separate styles of each family.

With each doorway I stepped through, I could feel the sense of pride that these families had and how much they cherished being able to raise their families in such a wonderful and safe environment.

A personal touch to each home

All of the homes had a small kitchen, living area, and bedroom downstairs, with a steep staircase leading to a small second floor that was used either as a second bedroom or for storage. All the homes had a small backyard as well, where dogs or chickens wandering around and laundry was hanging out to dry.

I loved seeing all the individual touches that the families had added to their homes over the years — bright colored patterns on window curtains and tablecloths, and family photos hanging on the walls. With each doorway I stepped through, I could feel the sense of pride that these families had and how much they cherished being able to raise their families in such a wonderful and safe environment.

After we finished visiting with each family, we said our goodbyes to the Mt. Goshen community, and as Joy and Genesis and I headed back down the mountain to return to the Fortune’s Center, I thought about how I couldn’t wait to call Luis to tell him how wonderful I found the the homes to be. I knew he would be thrilled to hear that just as he did, I now knew how life-changing this project had been for so many people.

***

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

Ron Carter | March 13, 2023

Dear Friends,

My nineteen-year-old daughter, a sophomore in college, moved into a shared apartment back in the fall. Deciding which of her belongings to bring from home was a challenge because of the limited space in her closet and dresser at the apartment.

New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing and Shoes Fund.

My family is currently in the process of downsizing to a smaller house, so we wanted my daughter to take as many of her personal belongings with her as possible. She was actually forced to get rid of quite a few quality items as she moved into her new residence because there simply was no room for them.

You see, my daughter loves clothes and shoes, and she has a lot of them. She likes nothing better than to scour the racks at thrift, bargain, and vintage clothing stores in search of discounted name-brands and stylish jeans, tops, outerwear and sneakers. This problem – having too many clothes and shoes – is definitely not one that the children enrolled in Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program ever encounter. In fact, many of them face just the opposite issue. Over the years, we have heard numerous stories of children with only one outfit suitable to wear to school, or of children whose clothes are threadbare and ill-fitting. We have even witnessed siblings who shared one coat between them, forcing them to alternate the days they attended school during the heart of winter.

Our Clothing and Shoes Fund provides for children in the United States and across the world.

It is a common theme, even today, in many of our U.S. site locations for children to attend school during the coldest months of the year without socks, wearing flimsy footwear such as flip-flops, and without jackets, coats, gloves, or hats.

Our Clothing and Shoes Fund is one of the most important resources we have for helping children to dress appropriately, neatly, and warmly. This fund has provided pants, shirts, shoes and socks to thousands upon thousands of children in need. It was one of the first special funds that we created back in the 1960s and was originally called simply our Warm Clothing Fund. Over the decades we, through the incredible and continuing generosity of our sponsors and donors, have supplied children with coats and jackets, hats and gloves, and in some situations, sandals, shorts and t-shirts, to equip them for the weather where they live.

We come to you again, asking for your support of our Clothing and Shoes Fund. New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing and Shoes Fund.

Our organization has repeatedly been recognized as an exemplary nonprofit by the major charitable monitoring groups, such as Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, because we take helping children seriously. Our mission is and always has been to improve lives and to offer hope and opportunity. We can only do these things with your help.

From the heart,
Ron Carter, President and CEO
Children Incorporated

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Children Incorporated | January 5, 2023

The small, landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises rugged Andes Mountains and vast, high-altitude plateaus to the west (including a portion of Lake Titicaca, the largest high-altitude lake in the world) and lush, lowland plains of Amazon jungle to the east.

Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups.

In Bolivia, children’s very lives and futures are at risk, as they struggle with poverty and a lack of educational resources.

Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime, and disease.

Challenges for Children in Bolivia

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

60% of Bolivia’s population lives in poverty
In rural areas, child poverty has reached as high as 80%
Children from low-income households often suffer from poor nutrition
and a lack of educational opportunities
During the pandemic, many secondary school students dropped out of school and sought
employment to financially support their families, halting their education

Our Work in Bolivia

Thanks to caring people like you, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children living in poverty in Bolivia 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 our work to help children in crisis in Bolivia possible.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Bolivia?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/results/2017/03/22/opportunities-poor-children-youth-bolivia

https://www.unicef.org/media/115821/file/Bolivia-Plurinational-State-of-2021-COAR.pdf

Children Incorporated | January 3, 2023

Situated in the northwestern corner of South America, Colombia is rich in natural beauty, comprising rugged Andean mountains, lowland plains, sprawling Amazon rainforest, and coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Archeological evidence suggests that humans have called this land home for thousands of years.

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

Its modern history begins at the end of the fifteenth century, when Christopher Columbus and the first Spanish explorers arrived in the region, subsequently establishing the area’s first successful Spanish settlement in 1508. Spanish colonization continued for over 400 years.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Colombia gained its independence and established itself as South America’s first constitutional government. However, political instability in the mid-to late-twentieth century led to the uprising of guerilla groups which have wreaked havoc through all manner of social injustice.

Tragically, their targets are most often children. Kidnappings, human trafficking, recruitment as soldiers into paramilitary groups, and forcible participation in drug-trafficking rings are all too common realities for vulnerable and disadvantaged children here.

Challenges for Children in Colombia

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

– Just over 34% of Colombians are living below the poverty line
– One in five children in Colombia has no access to education
– One in ten children in Colombia faces malnutrition
– Children living in poverty are at risk of experiencing child labor, homelessness, and food insecurity

Our Work in Colombia

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

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 it possible for us to help children in crisis in Colombia.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Colombia?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/colombia-children-poverty-have-healthy-nutrition-thanks-donor-funding-salesian

https://databankfiles.worldbank.org/data/download/poverty/987B9C90-CB9F-4D93-AE8C-750588BF00QA/AM2020/Global_POVEQ_COL.pdf

Children Incorporated | January 3, 2023

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 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.

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

Additionally, this area is prone to devastating natural disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes, which cause mudslides and flooding. Despite recent economic growth and successful democratic elections, Guatemala still struggles with widespread poverty, illiteracy, crime, and high rates of unemployment and underemployment.

Challenges for Children in Guatemala

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

47% of Guatemalans live in poverty
68% of Guatemalan children live in impoverished households
Due to widespread poverty, children suffer from malnutrition, lack of clean water
and lack of access to healthcare
Half of Guatemala’s population cannot afford basic food items, leading to 1 in 5
children under the age of 5 to suffer from stunted growth

Our Work in Guatemala

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

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 our work possible to help children in crisis in Guatemala.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Guatemala?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://www.unicef.org/media/110771/file/Guatemala-Case%20Study-Being-Prepared-Acting-First-2021.pdf

https://elibrary.worldbank.org/doi/abs/10.1596/1813-9450-2193

https://www.wfp.org/countries/guatemala

Ron Carter | December 20, 2022En Español

On Christmas Eve in 1914, as the battles of the first World War were raging all around, soldiers in the British Expeditionary Force overheard some German troops in the trenches across from them singing Christmas carols. The British soldiers noticed that their adversaries had placed lit lanterns and small fir trees all along their trenches, their way of decorating for the special night.

Slowly, the opposing soldiers began to call out to one another across the way, “Merry Christmas!” and “Frohe Weihnachten!” The following day, the British and German troops met mid-way between their camps, in “no man’s land”, and exchanged gifts and played football together. They also took the time to bury their dead and repair their trenches, enjoying a period of peace, even in the midst of war.

This holiday season, my hope and prayer is that we can all set aside our differences and discover that we share many things in common, among them a desire for health and prosperity.

This holiday season, my hope and prayer is that we can all set aside our differences and discover that we share many things in common, among them a desire for health and prosperity. Perhaps we can come together and find commonality in serving others, in providing those who go hungry with food, and in supplying clothing to those who are cold or ill-prepared for excessive heat. Perhaps we can join our hearts and our minds together to help “the least of these,” the children, by offering them hope and possibility for their futures.

Children Incorporated has been assisting children and families since the fall of 1964, meeting a vast array of needs along the way and addressing poverty head-on. Thousands of young lives have been improved as we have served as the conduit for our sponsors’ and donors’ incredible generosity. Through decades of upheaval and social unrest, we – along with you – have found common ground in serving, caring, and giving for the benefit of others.

This holiday season, may we join together once again and uplift those who struggle through acts of kindness toward them and toward one another. Through generosity and the sharing of our resources, may we celebrate this season of Love and Light, and may we find peace, even in our chaotic world.

From the heart,
Ron Carter

***

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.

SPONSOR A CHILD