Tag Archives: education

Shelley Callahan | En Español

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 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.

Though a seemingly small gesture, for these children and their parents, creating something handmade as a way of saying thank you to sponsors shows just how important our sponsorship program is to them, as well as to the school and community.

These maladies are perhaps even more pronounced in the city of Tecpan, located some sixty miles west of Guatemala City. The overwhelming majority of Tecpan’s 50,000 inhabitants claim direct descent from the Maya. However, despite their rich cultural heritage, indigenous people often find themselves marginalized, left to endure the brunt of poverty and its associated effects. For this reason, the Tecpan School, one of our affiliated projects in Guatemala, is incredibly important to these families. Run by nuns of the Hijas de la Caridad (Daughters of Charity) Order, the school strives to aid the impoverished children of this region; and thanks to the help of their sponsors, children and their families are receiving basic needs, which helps them to break the cycle of poverty.

Families in Guatemala work together to make gifts for sponsors.

Showing appreciation

Recently, we received pictures from our volunteer coordinator at the Tecpan School of children and their mothers making small gifts of handmade bracelets and bookmarks for the kids’ sponsors as a way to show their gratitude for all that our sponsors do to help these families. Though a seemingly small gesture, for these children and their parents, creating something handmade as a way of saying thank you to sponsors shows just how important our sponsorship program is to them, as well as to the school and community.

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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 donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Guatemala that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Last year, we received a wonderful donation of hundreds of pairs of shoes, thanks to a special donor, Rit,a who wanted to help children in Richmond, Virginia, where our office has been located since the organization’s inception more than fifty years ago. Rita spearheaded a massive shoe drive with local churches in response to the devastating Hurricane Harvey of 2017. Many of the shoes were shipped to Houston, but Rita set aside about 250 pairs specifically to help children in our program, because she strongly believes that children must have their basic needs met so that they may attend school and have the chance to succeed.

Upon receiving the donation of shoes, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, delivered the shoes to four of our Richmond projects: E.S.H. Greene Elementary School, T.C. Boushall Middle School, Elkhardt-Thompson Middle School, and Huguenot High School. The children were incredibly grateful for the shoes, and we are thankful for people like Rita who go above and beyond to help children in need!

Rita set aside about 250 pairs specifically to help children in our program, because she strongly believes that children must have their basic needs met so that they may attend school and have the chance to succeed.

Our history in Richmond, Virginia

Founded in 1609, Richmond is among the nation’s oldest cities, steeped in a history that spans the colonial era, Civil War era, and beyond. It is situated upon the picturesque James River, which winds its way from Appalachian tributaries into the Chesapeake Bay. It is also here in Richmond that Mrs. Jeanne Clarke Wood first founded Children Incorporated out of her home in 1964. Since then, we have moved our office to just outside of the city in North Chesterfield, Virginia, where our dedicated staff of fifteen works diligently to help children all over the globe, including in the City of Richmond Public Schools system, where we partner with Communities In Schools. Children Incorporated is currently affiliated with ten public schools in the city: seven elementary schools, two middle schools, and one high school — all located south of the James River.

Quick facts about child poverty in Richmond

Despite its wealth of history, culture, diversity, and the arts, many areas of Richmond, Virginia struggle beneath poverty and its socioeconomic effects. Some facts about child poverty in the city include:

 – In 2015 (the most recent year for which data is available), the City of Richmond was home to 14,254 children who were living in poverty – a rate of 36.3%

– Between 2011 and 2015, children living in “deep poverty” were three times more likely to find themselves in the same circumstance as adults, and to experience greater toxic stress and negative experiences than children living in or above poverty. In the City of Richmond, these were an average of 9,604 children, or 25.1%

 – In 2015, children who were living in the City of Richmond and struggling with food insecurity were numbered at 7,910, or 20.1% – despite access to and the use of food stamps

– 1 in 7 children in Virginia struggles with hunger – a combination of charitable action and government assistance is necessary to help bridge the meal gap [source: Feeding America]

– There are 7 food banks that serve Virginia, including the Capital Area Food Bank in Richmond. Our volunteer coordinators tell us that many families have transportation barriers – especially grandparents and great grandparents raising children – and that they have difficulty accessing the food bank. Programs that let the children take food home are very helpful in overcoming these transportation barriers, and in ensuring that children have nutritious food [source: Feeding America]

– In general, children who live in the south side or east end of the city are poorer than those who live in the north side or west end

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA?

You can sponsor a child in Richmond in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | En Español

In 1964, Mrs. Jeanne Clarke Wood, our founder, visited Guatemala and discovered that in many poor communities, children had to work to help their impoverished families. “We found the need in Guatemala was even greater than we had thought,” Mrs. Wood wrote to a friend. “Children — even very small ones — roam the streets selling bits of candy or shoestrings, pencils or even lottery tickets, in a pitiful struggle to earn a living.”

Upon returning home from her trip, Mrs. Wood wrote letters to friends and family seeking assistance for the 95 children that she met on her journey.

Mrs. Wood pictured with a sponsored child in India.

Mrs. Wood was able to quickly connect each of the Guatemalan children with sponsors, thus establishing Children Incorporated and our first affiliated site. Within two years of visiting Guatemala, Mrs. Wood had expanded our child sponsorship program to ten different countries, including on Indian reservations in the United States. Today, with the loyal support of thousands of sponsors and financial contributors, Children Incorporated has blossomed into an organization that provides assistance in 20 countries, including in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and that has assisted over 300,000 children worldwide. One affiliated site in Guatemala has grown to 250 sites around the globe.

Fond memories of our founder

Mrs. Wood was known for her hard work and dedication not only to our sponsored and unsponsored children, but to our volunteer coordinators and sponsors as well. She operated Children Incorporated out of her home for its first four decades, where she was extremely involved in most every aspect of the organization. She had a telephone on her bedside table, and she often answered incoming calls from our coordinators and sponsors well into the evening. Long-time supporters of Children Incorporated have recalled over the years speaking with Mrs. Wood late at night, and have commented that she never minded the interruption of her personal time.

Today, with the loyal support of thousands of sponsors and financial contributors, Children Incorporated has blossomed into an organization that provides assistance in 20 countries and has assisted over 300,000 children worldwide.

The staff of Children Incorporated was equally fond of Mrs. Wood. Mrs. Odell Dunavant, who worked for Children Incorporated alongside Mrs. Wood for many years, stated that there was never a day when she wanted to skip work; she loved her job at Children Incorporated because she loved and respected Mrs. Wood. Mr. Ronald Carter, our current President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Mrs. Wood treated her employees like family. She tried to do little things to make work life more like home life, including having gatherings and sharing meals with the staff. Mrs. Wood valued people; she was funny and personable.”

Mrs. Wood passed away in 2006, yet her legacy continues to touch the lives of children and families around the world. We are so proud to have stayed true to Mrs. Wood’s vision for almost fifty years: we continue to envision a world in which each and every child has the education, hope, and opportunity they need to build a better life.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD WITH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

You can sponsor a child with 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 sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan |

As a child assistance organization, Children Incorporated understands well the correlation between children’s health and their ability to receive an education. We often hear from our volunteer coordinators at our affiliated projects in the United States and abroad that children living in poverty are at risk of falling behind in school. Our coordinators often note that children haven’t eaten over the weekend, so they are too hungry to concentrate in class; or sometimes that kids are sleep deprived because they don’t have a bed at home, and must sleep on the floor. Sometimes children suffer from poor hygiene, and they are too embarrassed to go to school at all. Without support, children from low-income households potentially miss out on the opportunity to receive an education, and to break the cycle of poverty from which they come.

By providing children with basic needs such as adequate clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and food, Children Incorporated supports their overall welfare.

Poverty is described as an economic state that does not allow for the provision of basic needs such as adequate food, clothing, and housing. In America today, children are the poorest segment of our society. 22 percent of children in the United States live below the federal poverty level, which is the highest rate of child poverty among developed countries in the world. Over the past 35 years, child poverty has increased in the United States due to various factors. Since the 1960s, the costs of housing and transportation have increased exponentially. Uneducated workers are earning less, the benefits that welfare programs offer have decreased in value, and the number of single-parent, female-headed households has increased.

Poverty affects more than just health

When parents aren’t able to provide adequately for their children, kids are subjected to health issues such as malnutrition and insufficient healthcare, which can lead to increases in school absences, tardiness, incidents of illness during class, and untreated health problems. Children from impoverished families are also more likely to be admitted to the hospital, which further increases the number of days on which they are absent from school. Poor families suffer from increased infant mortality rates, and poor children suffer from frequent and severe chronic diseases, like asthma, and lower immunizations rates.

Poverty affects not only children’s health, but their growth and development as well. Beyond physical well-being, living in an impoverished environment can create stressful situations for children, sometimes related to perpetual abuse or neglect. Poor households are often crowded, noisy, and in deteriorating structures where children may often witness violence and crime.

Children’s health and their education are intrinsically linked.

Kids may also be isolated from their peers, who could otherwise provide them with a support system. If parents aren’t able to supply children with the time and attention they need to feel safe and secure, children living in poverty in turn often suffer from trauma, which further affects their ability to learn. Children who are suffering from trauma related to poverty can often be withdrawn and unwilling to participate in class, or they may have behavioral issues. Trauma can also lead to depression, sleeping disorders, eating disorders, and attention deficit disorders — all of which can distract a child from receiving an education.

By providing children with basic needs such as adequate clothes, shoes, hygiene items, and food, Children Incorporated supports their overall welfare. These essentials, which we help to provide to children in need on a monthly basis, are vital to a child’s growth and success in school. Beyond ensuring that children are adequately provided for, our sponsorship program, in which we partner individual sponsors with a particular child, also provides an emotional support system that is a crucial factor in child development. If a child living in poverty is both mentally and physically healthy, they will have more opportunities in life.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child with 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 sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

References:

 Jensen, Eric. Teaching with Poverty in Mind. ASCD. Alexandria, Virginia. 2009.

 “Teaching Children from Poverty and Trauma”. National Education Association. Washington, D.C. June 2016.

Wood, David. “Effect of Child and Family Poverty on Child Health in the United States.” Pediatrics. September 2003, VOLUME 112/Issue Supplement 3.

Shelley Callahan | En Español

In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, with damaging winds reaching 127 miles per hour; but it was when the protective levees failed and were breached that billions of gallons of water poured into the city. New Orleans is shaped geographically like a bowl; the land closest to Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River is higher, and the land in the middle of the city is much lower.

Epic catastrophe occurred as a result of the hurricane, as these waters became a toxic stew of sewage, chemicals, and decay. People developed blisters and rashes from wading in the water; many were stranded in their homes. Others trudged through the foul water to higher ground, making their slow and painful way to the Superdome, which was ill-equipped to help the number of people seeking refuge.

People were eventually evacuated to cities and towns across America. No schools were open during the 2005 to 2006 school year in New Orleans. Aside from a lack of children to educate, the buildings themselves were too badly contaminated and damaged to use. Katrina’s evacuees created a diaspora; victims filed for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in every state in the country. Some chose places to flee based on having family or friends in the area; others were sent by FEMA to places unknown to them.

An ariel view of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Just one year after Katrina hit, about 53 percent of city residents had returned to New Orleans – but less than one-third were back in their pre-hurricane homes. These families faced serious barriers, such as a lack of affordable rental housing. This was especially true because the four largest public housing projects were so badly damaged that the city decided to demolish them. The goal was to build mixed-income housing, but that was very slow in coming. While tracking those who were New Orleans residents at the time of Hurricane Katrina’s strike has been spotty and incomplete, it is known that the poorest sections of the city have not regained their former populations.

Challenges for New Orleans

New Orleans has a rich culture and history; its Mardi Gras celebrations are famous. There is a well-known annual Jazz and Heritage Festival each spring that draws music lovers from all over the world, and there are brass band parades every autumn. The city’s beloved cuisine makes instant fans. New Orleans is burdened by poverty, however, as well as a lack of affordable housing and high rents, crime, and political corruption.

After Hurricane Katrina, there was a host of good people who wanted to create charter schools in New Orleans. Many were established, but some folks found the administration of those schools to be more difficult than they had anticipated. If students did not achieve as quickly as state officials felt they should, schools’ charters could be revoked.

At the same time, the city created an “open border” policy: parents had the choice to send their children to any city school they wished, regardless of what neighborhoods or districts they resided in. This led to competition for students, and also to some financial inefficiencies. For example, some school buses crossed the entire city in a web of transportation; a student could potentially attend a school all the way across the city, passing by two that were closer to his or her home. So costs became higher, which meant less money for other needs.

Many people are familiar with the Lower Ninth Ward, which suffered the greatest destruction during the hurricane, and is making the slowest recovery.

Over the last ten years, many former residents have returned to New Orleans. There has also been an influx of new residents arriving to work in construction and rebuilding efforts. The city, with federal grants, initiated a 1.8 billion dollar school reconstruction plan after the hurricane. This has improved the conditions in which the children learn; but it can also feel like things remain unresolved, as students are moved to accommodate renovations, or are moved to new campuses. The real estate market is tight and expensive. There is a budding technology industry and a booming restaurant scene. The recovery has left many still without the resources to rebuild their lives, though.

New Orleans is ranked as the third most unequal city in the United States based on the income gap, according to a Bloomberg analysis. The economy is adding low-wage jobs much faster than higher-paying ones that could help build a stronger middle class. The poverty rate in the city is 27 percent, which is twice the national rate. Some of the challenges related to government and organization. The city is divided into thirteen planning districts that encompass 72 distinct neighborhoods, most with their own neighborhood organizations. Previously, there were seventeen wards that had been in place since the 1800s, and many people still think of themselves as residents of a certain ward.


Many people are familiar with the Lower Ninth Ward, which suffered the greatest destruction during the hurricane, and is making the slowest recovery. Nineteen areas are registered as historic places, fourteen of them designated as Historic District Landmarks. There are also seven municipal districts and eight police districts. Understandably, many families experience confusion over where to turn for services, or to ask for help with landlord or other problems.

Two years before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ schools’ performance had become so poor that the State of Louisiana took over the city’s schools, establishing the Recovery School District (RSD). Its mission was — and still is — to turn around low-performing schools. Just before the hurricane, five failing schools became charter schools overseen by the RSD; and after the hurricane, more than 100 schools became part of the RSD — with a total number of 57 becoming charter schools.

At the same time, there is a small but significant number of private schools – and still some parochial schools. There is a belief in the city that there is an almost unbridgeable gap between the poorer students that attend the charter and public schools, and the more well-to-do students that attend the private and parochial schools.

The anniversary of our partnership

In early 2007, Ronald Carter, our President and Chief Executive Officer, who at the time was our Urban Division Director, reached out to organizations that were already in New Orleans doing good work – but who needed more financial help in order to care for the children.

Mr. Carter spoke with Sara Massey, the President of Communities In Schools (CIS) of Greater New Orleans at the time, and a partnership was established. CIS of Greater New Orleans, whose mission is to work directly in 2,300 schools in 25 states and in the District of Columbia to build relationships that empower students to stay in school and succeed in life, has goals and objectives that are complementary to ours here at Children Incorporated. This school year marks the tenth anniversary of our partnership with CIS of Greater New Orleans, where we are able to help sponsored and unsponsored children get the support they need through our sponsorship program and our Hope In Action Fund.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN New ORLEANS?

You can sponsor a child in New Orleans in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan |

We know very well here at Children Incorporated that all kids are not the same. It is one of the primary reasons for which we encourage our volunteer coordinators at each of our affiliated projects to decide what each individual sponsored child’s needs are, because we know that they vary based on differing circumstances. In one instance, for example, one of our volunteer coordinators found that the particular need of a special girl in New Orleans was educational games and activities to help her learn outside of a regular classroom setting.

Lori* lives with her father, who is a caring, involved single parent that attends all school events, according to our volunteer coordinator at Lori’s school, Brittany. Lori’s father is unemployed, and he is scarcely able to provide shelter for himself and his daughter, let alone anything else she might require, like clothes and shoes. Thanks to her sponsor, however, when Lori began the school year, she received new shirts and pants for her school uniform. Her father was so grateful for the help that Lori’s sponsorship provided.

Thanks to her sponsor, however, when Lori began the school year, she received new shirts and pants for her school uniform. Her father was so grateful for the help that Lori’s sponsorship provided.

Hours of fun

Beyond needing assistance with basic items, Brittany also found that Lori could use special help with her reading and writing. She was able to use some sponsorship funds to purchase a LeapPad tablet with educational games for Lori – and upon receiving it, Lori played and practiced diligently, and her grades began to improve across the board. Seeing Lori’s progress, Brittany then provided her with a three-month subscription for Surprise Ride boxes, which contain themed, hands-on learning activities, thanks to support from our Hope In Action Fund. These boxes provided Lori with hours of fun and educational activities, many of which she could do with her father at home after school!

When Brittany asked Lori what her favorite activity in the boxes was, Lori replied by saying, “My hands-down favorite was the penguin box, because I got to learn about Antarctica and to make snow!” We love hearing about how exciting it was for Lori to be learning, and that is not even the best part – since she received the educational activities and games, Lori’s grades have improved even more, and she exhibits greater confidence and pride while in class.

*Name changed for child’s protection.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW ORLEANS?

You can sponsor a child in New Orleans in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD