Tag Archives: donors

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.

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 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

Children Incorporated | December 19, 2022

Argentina, the second-largest nation in Latin America, is truly a nation of contrasts. Its borders envelop a full spectrum of topography from rugged, towering mountains, frigid tundra, and tropical lowlands to arid steppes and plateaus. Nestled along the estuary where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean, the sprawling Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires is the second-largest metropolis in South America.

We work with volunteer coordinators in local communities in Argentina 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.

Renowned for its wealth of culture, arts (including the famous tango), and beautiful European-style architecture, Buenos Aires draws thousands of tourists each year. However, there is a hidden side of the city that few tourists experience. Extremely high inflation, rising unemployment, and an increasing poverty rate leave many families struggling to simply feed their children.

As a result, many area families must live in the hopeless poverty of Buenos Aires’s slum neighborhoods, packed together in wooden shacks with tin roofs, separated by narrow footpaths.

Challenges for Children in Argentina

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

– It is estimated that about 4 in 10 people in Argentina are living in poverty

– About 5.5 million children in Argentina are living in poverty

– One million children in Argentina are homeless

Our Work in Argentina

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

***

How do I sponsor a child in Argentina?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

SOURCES:

https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/argentina/around-55-million-children-in-argentina-living-in-poverty.phtml

Shelley Callahan | December 5, 2022En Español

Children Incorporated’s Hope In Action Fund supports our affiliated sites in a variety of ways, from emergency relief to construction projects and beyond. As one of our oldest and most valuable funds helping children and families living in poverty, it is amazing how this special fund touches lives in so many positive ways.

“With the Hope In Action Funds, I started a Fall garden at the school that includes kale, lettuce, beets, collard greens, cabbage, rainbow chard, arugula, peas, and pole beans. It has been so much fun!”

Today, we hear from our volunteer coordinator, Sydney, at G.H. Reid Elementary School, about how our Hope In Action Fund allowed her to create a new school garden, and how it has not only been educational for students, but a lot of fun as well!

A letter from Sydney

“With the Hope In Action Funds, I started a Fall garden at the school that includes kale, lettuce, beets, collard greens, cabbage, rainbow chard, arugula, peas, and pole beans. It has been so awesome!”

The school garden is bringing smiles to the faces of children at G.H. Reid.

“I am sharing a photo of a student in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program named Maria.* Maria was having a tough morning a few weeks ago, and her teacher asked if I could spend some time with her so she could have a break from the classroom. I was watering the garden at the time, so I asked Maria if she’d be interested in helping me.”

“While we tended the garden, I taught Maria about the different parts of the plants (leaves, roots, stems) and showed her how to water directly at the roots. We found some beets that were ready, so she pulled them up. Afterward, I called her mom to see if they would eat beets at home. Her mom was so excited, she happily accepted! Maria took the beets home with her that day.”

Meeting Giselle

“I have also shared a picture of another sponsored child named Giselle.* Giselle used to have a garden at her house in El Salvador, but she doesn’t have enough yard space at her new apartment in Richmond to have one. She loves to help me in the garden and said when she’s grown up, she wants to have plants of her own.”

“We also were able to invite fourth and fifth grade classes out to the garden last week on ‘Hamburger Day’ to add fresh picked lettuce to their hamburgers. The kids thought it was so cool! They were able to try arugula, red leaf lettuce, kale (soaked in water, salt, & olive oil), Great Lakes Head lettuce, and a salad bowl mix.”

“I truly can’t thank you enough for supporting our school garden. It has brought so much joy to staff and students alike! We couldn’t do it without your support.

Warm regards,

Sydney”

*Names changed to protect the children.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | October 29, 2022En Español

For nearly 60 years, Children Incorporated has provided basic essentials to children living in poverty, including much-needed clothes, shoes, and other clothing items that help ensure they can go to school properly dressed and prepared for the day.

Thank you for all you do to keep children warm and comfortable throughout the year!

It is incredible how often we hear from our volunteer coordinators about how a new outfit or a new pair of shoes or a new winter coat drastically changed the life of a child in their school or affiliated site.

For some, a pair of shoes is the difference between attending school or staying home. For others, new clothes means that a child living in poverty, who might otherwise only wear hand-me-downs or older, worn clothing, gets to fit in with their classmates and doesn’t have to worry about being teased or distracted in class by feeling like an outsider. Just as much as these items physically allow students to go to school, they also support children’s mental and emotional needs.

Combining two funds to make one special fund

In the past, we have supported children in our program with immediate clothes, shoes and winter clothing needs through two Special Funds: Our Warm Clothing Fund and our Shoes and Socks Fund. Both funds are and continue to be of great importance, and for that very reason, we have decided to combine them into one fund — our new Clothing and Shoes Fund.

As always, donations to our Clothing and Shoes Fund will provide children with warm hats, coats, boots, scarfs and gloves during the winter months, as well as sturdy shoes and cozy socks for children in our program — all thanks to your generous and thoughtful monetary gifts — and we will continue to bring you Stories of Hope about how your donations to this Special Fund are changing the lives of children who need your support the most.

Thank you for all you do to keep children warm and comfortable throughout the year!

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How do I donate to the ClothING and Shoes Fund?

You can donate to our Clothing and Shoes Fund 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 donation portal, create an account, and make a donation.

DONATE TODAY

Shelley Callahan | July 5, 2022En Español

After a little more than a week in Mexico, the time has come for Luis and I to visit our last affiliated site before returning home to the United States.

Hogar Santa Maria is located just across the river from the city center of Guadalajara where you will find high rise hotels and a bustling main street. The contrast is stark as we drive from our hotel to the neighborhood where Santa Maria is located — it is completely different from one side of the city to the other. Wealth and commerce are contrasted with poverty and old, small buildings. One side is modern and striving, growing towards the future, while the other seems to not be a part of the same world.

It is so apparent that these children feel loved and safe at Santa Maria.

The same but different

These were all the same feelings I had the first time I visited Santa Maria in 2016, but I doubted that everything had stayed exactly the same due to the pandemic. If Santa Maria was anything like all our other affiliated sites in Mexico, our coordinators also had to go through big changes to continue to provide for the children in our program.

When we arrived at the Home, we were greeted by one of the four sisters who takes care of the children, and Santa Maria’s full-time social worker. Unfortunately, our coordinator was away in Mexico City having surgery and couldn’t be with us for our visit, but we were made to feel welcome all the same, given a tour of the facility, and heard about how our sponsorship program has been going over the past few years.

The social worker explained that they were able to continue to provide support for the children during quarantine when the children were sent home, largely thanks to our sponsors. The children only returned just a few short months ago when public schools finally opened again, and now 18 children are living at Santa Maria again during the weekdays. Since before the pandemic, attendance has gone down, and although the home isn’t at full capacity again, almost all of the children who attend have sponsors through Children Incorporated.

As we wandered through the dormitories and the small classrooms, we talked also about the ways in which Santa Maria is a blessing for families in the community. With many parents working long hours or overnight shifts, it is crucial for young children to have a place to live, learn and play with their friends during the week.

With many parents working long hours or overnight shifts, it is crucial for young children to have a place to live, learn and play with their friends during the week.

The parents pay a very small fee for the children to stay at the Home, which as it was explained to us, was mostly just to ensure they felt invested in their child’s care, and less about what the money really provided. Fortunately for these children, their sponsors help make sure they have healthy meals every day, new clothes and shoes, and school supplies throughout the year.

As we finish up our tour, the children arrive excited and, unknowingly to us, expecting our visit. As we gather in the dining room, the children have a surprise for Luis and me — they have learned a song to sing to us to say thanks to our organization and all of our sponsors.

It is so apparent that these children feel loved and safe at Santa Maria, which is important to giving their parents peace of mind while they work. For these children, Santa Maria ensures they and their parents have nothing to worry about while they are there so they can focus on enjoying just being kids.

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How do I sponsor a child in Mexico?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD