Tag Archives: help children

Shelley Callahan | February 13, 2022En Español

We are grateful that despite many of the issues that India has faced during the pandemic, many of our affiliated sites in the country have been able to resume classes in person in 2022.

“Together, we can continue to ensure that children living in poverty will receive the educational support they need.”

A note from our volunteer coordinator the Chandrakal Boarding Home informed us about these important updates:

“Our state government has given permission to re-open all the educational institutions for physical classes. We are happy to let you know that we have welcomed all the children back to hostels, schools and colleges. All the children are excited and so happy to meet all their friends, classmates and teachers. We are taking care of them with all the needed safety measures.

As we continue to navigate our work through the pandemic, we are grateful, and all of our sponsored children remain grateful for all the support of their sponsors. Together, we can continue to ensure that children living in poverty will receive the educational support they need.”

Thanks to our volunteer coordinators having daily and direct access to children in schools in India, it is now much easier for them to distribute educational and well-being resources to children in our program — which is all thanks to their amazing sponsors who provide the monthly subsides!

About India

From the snowcapped Himalayans to tropical beaches, India is truly a nation of contrasts. It boasts a rich history spanning tens of thousands of years. In fact, the earliest known civilization in South Asia once called India’s fertile Indus Valley home. Today, with the world’s second-largest population, India includes a staggering variety of ethnicities, languages, religions and cultures. Its wealth of natural resources and vibrant cultures, however, belie the abject poverty in which so many of India’s citizens live. For this reason, our sponsorship program is incredibly important to children and families at our affiliated sites in India who otherwise would go without much-needed resources.

***

How do I sponsor a child in India?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Ron Carter | February 3, 2022

Dear Friends,

I often share personal stories about the positive effects of our work on children and families. Our Hope In Action Fund is one of the most meaningful ways we improve lives, and our volunteer coordinators, both in the United States and abroad, can testify to that fact on a regular basis, as they witness first-hand the changes among the children in our program that they serve.

Our Hope In Action Fund is one of the most meaningful ways we improve lives.

At Sparta Elementary School, in the scenic foothills of the North Carolina mountains, our volunteer coordinator, Mandy, has these words to share:

“All of our sponsored students received a Holiday Meal Bag before the Thanksgiving Weekend in 2021. Each bag included a country ham, a 10-lb bag of dried pinto beans, biscuit mix, cobbler mix, jam or jelly, fresh fruit – and a little bit of candy. While
picking up the food items, our parents and guardians repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Children Incorporated for providing these meals during the holiday season!”

Maria, from the Visayans Community Center at Bliss in the Philippines says:

Donations to our Hope In Action Fund continuously change the lives of children in our program.

“Thanks to contributions from Children Incorporated’s Hope In Action Fund, I was able to purchase homemade peanut butter from the mother of one of our sponsored children. Instead of buying from one of the big grocery stores, we opted to buy twenty jars of her homemade peanut butter to help augment the family’s income. The pandemic has had a huge impact on this and many other families’ ability to generate money. Parents struggle to find ways to earn and secure food. We are so happy that through the funds received from Children Incorporated,we are able to help them make ends meet.”

Josephina, our volunteer coordinator at the Laboure School in El Salvador, writes:

“Last year, we enrolled a little boy named Ricardo in the Children Incorporated program. In the comment section of his forms, we indicated that Ricardo is deaf in his left ear, is partially deaf in his right ear, and that he needed hearing aids. I made Children Incorporated aware of this, and within days, I heard from the director of their International Division, stating that they could help. Soon after, Hope In Action Funds were sent to us for Ricardo so we could purchase the hearing aids he needed. They were life-changing for him.”

At the St. Mary’s Girls’ Hostel in India, our coordinator, Rao, says:

“Thank you very much for providing funds so that we could purchase 103 packages of sanitary napkins. Thanks to funding from the Hope In Action Fund, we will have enough of this product to last for up to six months. Many of our girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene, so we really appreciate your contribution to help and support them during these hard times. Our children convey their highest regards to the donors for their kindness, generosity, and caring.”

Please consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today.

These are just a few of the hundreds of comments that we have received about how our Hope In Action Fund regularly impacts the lives of children and their families. Unfortunately, our funds are limited, and there are needs that sometimes go unmet. Our goal is to meet more and more of those needs in 2022, to improve many more lives, and to alleviate suffering in as many situations as possible.

With your help, we can continue to make a difference and, as I like to say, “change the world, one child at a time.” Please consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today.

From the heart,
Ron Carter

DONATE TODAY

Shelley Callahan | January 17, 2022En Español

When we consider the needs of our sponsored children, we especially need to consider the particular needs of young girls who might not have access to feminine hygiene products while living in poverty — most likely because their families can’t afford them. When young ladies don’t have access to sanitary napkins, they often skip school to stay home which can be detrimental to their education.

“As we know, girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene. We really appreciate your contribution to help and support our children during these hard times.”

Throughout the 2021 year, we focused on providing supplies of sanitary napkins to girls at our affiliated projects in Kenya and India on a continuous basis — in large part thanks to our long-time partner, Altar’d State — so that they may remain in attendance at school throughout the year.

According to their website, “Altar’d State is a rapidly growing women’s fashion brand with more than 100 boutiques in 30 states. They offer a place of respite and a distinctive shopping experience with the latest fashion finds, the most sought-after accessories, charming home decor and gifts.”

Additionally, the company seeks to “inspire through action and supports a mission of standing out for good in the world” — which they have done by donating to Children Incorporated with a focus on providing feminine hygiene items to hundreds of girls around the world.

A letter from India

Upon receiving funding from Altar’d State to purchase hygiene items for sponsored children at the St. Mary’s School for Girls in India, our volunteer coordinator writes:

Girls at the Dandora Centre in Kenya pose with their feminine hygiene kits

“Thank you very much for allowing us to be able to purchase 103 sanitary napkin packets which can be used for up to six months. As we know, girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene. We really appreciate your contribution to help and support our children during these hard times. Also, all our children have conveyed their highest regards to the concerned donors and once again thank you so much for your kindness.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Rao”

Stats about Girls and Feminine Hygiene

Why is it so important to support girls and their healthy menstrual hygiene? According to the Days for Girls website, “period poverty is a term used to describe the lack of access to adequate menstrual health management supplies and education for women and girls. Many families are unable to afford feminine hygiene products because of how expensive they are. This lack of resources and supplies for menstrual health can have negative consequences on girls.”

Additionally, poor menstrual hygiene can cause physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections (UNICEF). It also inhibits girls from reaching their full potential — young girls who do not receive an education are more likely to enter child marriages and experience an early pregnancy, malnourishment, domestic violence, and pregnancy complications as a result.

***

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | January 10, 2022En Español

In early 2021, we were fortunate to partner with the Jeunesse Foundation to support children in our projects around the world. A year later, we look back at what we have been able to accomplish thanks to their support.

Our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, writes about the projects we have supported abroad:

It has been a great success to have tablets for the children, and a blessing to be able to access virtual education in a better and more suitable way.

“Tablets were distributed to children at affiliated programs in Colombia, Brazil, and Peru over the past year, thanks to the Jeunesse Fund. Due to COIVD-19, most children in Latin America were forced to receive virtual education with no digital platform and no personal computers. The idea to provide tablets came through a conversation about the difficulties children were having accessing education with little to no resources. Children were using their parents’ smart phones, when available, to complete their lessons using radio, television, and digital apps that required costly internet access. With tablets, the children would have the tools to access these apps through public internet channels, without having to share their parents’ phones. It has been a great success to have tablets for the children, and a blessing to be able to access virtual education in a better and more suitable way.

A new school in Bolivia

A child in Peru poses with a tablet that was given to him thanks to our partnership with the Jeunesse Foundation.

Jeunesse has also agreed to contribute to the building of an agricultural technical training center in Bolivia. It was built in a a rural area, about a two-hour car drive away from the city of Santa Cruz, and provides agricultural training to local children and adults so that they will not have to leave the town and go to the big city, which is just too far from their home. The center sits on enough land for agricultural training, and has a school building, a barn, mostly for bovine production, a chicken house, a pig pen, a fishery, a bee farm, and a duck farm, so that the training program will be inclusive and comprehensive.

In this area of Bolivia, families are totally dependent on agricultural production, so the center provides training in the areas that will generate the most business for the locals. The funds from Jeunesse were directed for the construction of two of the school’s classrooms, along with a set of toilets.

The Montero School also submitted a proposal to expand their educational facility to implement an agricultural training program. The proposal included a request for funds to purchase land to use for practical training, since the current facility only had a building for theoretical and academic education. The construction of classrooms for practical training was the priority, followed by the construction of a barn for bovine training, a pig pen for porcine training, a chicken coop for training in poultry production, and the reconditioning of existing fishponds for fish production.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of the Jeunesse Kids Foundation. They have helped make big changes for so many children and families in our program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Children Incorporated has allocated funding from other sources to purchase land and facilities for the other areas of production, such as the barn, the pig pen etc., as well as finding a source of water and electricity for the program’s use. It has also allocated funding to purchase animals and basic equipment and tools for educational purposes. The construction has been completed, and the Montero School is now in the subsequent phase of reconditioning the land and planting vegetables, fruit trees, and permanent forestry, while awaiting some additional funding support for administration and maintenance costs, food for the animals, and fencing the facility.”

We are incredibly grateful for the support of the Jeunesse Kids Foundation. They have helped make big changes for so many children and families in our program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you again for all you have done!

***

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

Ron Carter | December 28, 2021

Dear Friends,

The years 2020 and 2021 have been among the strangest and perhaps most difficult years in recent history.

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, our world was severely shaken. Most of what we considered normal behaviors and activities were suddenly stopped, and we found ourselves isolated and dealing with issues totally new to us. The changes that came about as the result of the pandemic were especially hard on those who were already living paycheck-to-paycheck.

People working in low-paying retail jobs and in food service were suddenly unemployed and unable to put food on the table. As factories shut down, others were unable to pay their rent and provide even the most basic necessities for their children and families.

So I ask you — please consider what you can do to help us improve lives. Together, we are strong, and together, we can and do make a difference.

The children that we serve — from those in Eastern Kentucky to Bogota, Colombia — have had their lives turned upside down by Covid-19, and the effects of months of struggle still plague them and their families today. Parents from Washington
D.C. to Dornakal, India have watched as their incomes have dried up, and they’ve had to search for ways to provide for their families. Teachers and site workers in Dennehotso, Arizona, as well as in Guatemala City have witnessed hunger, sickness, and death among the children they serve, and their families and their hearts have been broken many times over.

A reputable news report states that as many as 120,000 school-age children in the United States lost at least one parent or caregiver as a result of Covid-19, and another report, issued just a couple of months back, speaks of unprecedented levels of child hunger due to the lingering effects of the pandemic in the U.S. and abroad.

Things are gradually improving, but our help is still badly needed.

As 2021 comes to a close, I am asking for your help once again. Our goal is to raise at least $25,000 to meet the varied and assorted needs of the children and families enrolled in our programs.

As special requests for assistance arrive in our office, as they do on a daily basis, we want to be able to meet them and provide relief for those who are suffering. Your final gift for 2021 can make that possible.

So I ask you — please consider what you can do to help us improve lives. Together, we are strong, and together, we can and do make a difference.

Please consider making a donation to our 2021 Year End Giving Fund today.

DONATE TODAY

Shelley Callahan | December 11, 2021En Español

In today’s edition of On the Road, our volunteer coordinator, Lindsay, at Westover Hills Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia, shares her story of the impact that sponsorship has on the children at her school over the last year:

Experiencing the impact

“Dear Children Incorporated Staff and Sponsors,

I have only been at Westover Hills (and with Communities in Schools) for two months, but I have already experienced the impact that Children Incorporated has on our community and families.

Thank you for allowing us to provide immediate support to a family who was experiencing lots of uncertainty, change, and loss.

My first week in Richmond, we had a family at our school who was displaced due to a rat infestation at their house. Children Incorporated was able to provide immediate support to allow me to purchase new clothes, socks, underwear, shoes and hygiene items for the children in this family who were now living in a motel. Most of their belongings and clothes had been ruined by the rats. Thank you for allowing us to provide immediate support to a family who was experiencing lots of uncertainty, change, and loss.

Special items for Jessica

One of the students in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program, Jessica*, at my school has had perfect attendance all year! This is quite an achievement, especially during a virtual school year. Jessica lives in a motel but did not let wi-fi issues keep her from logging on and trying her best every single day this school year!

I was able to provide Jessica with some special items to keep her entertained this summer at the motel. These included a swimsuit, flips flops, goggles and towel to use at the pool, as well as several other games and craft kits.

Helping Jonathan and his family

Jonathan is a 5th grader who loves to draw. I was able to provide a special summer kit for Jonathan that included Telestrations (a fun drawing game for his whole family) as well as swim gear. His mom is eager to teach him and his siblings how to swim this summer!

Westover Hills Elementary School teachers in front of the school in Richmond, Virginia (photo courtesy of Twitter)

As we finished out the school year this past spring, Children Incorporated provided funding to put together summer kits for 25 kids at Westover Hills Elementary. These kits include things to help make their summer fun, educational, and a little more normal. They also have a personalized drawstring bag for each child filled with sunglasses, bubbles, books, a water bottle, Mad Libs, educational games, and outside summer toys. I can’t wait to see their faces when I deliver the summer kits next week.

Thanks to Children Incorporated, I was also able to provide cleaning supplies and a gift card to Wal-Mart for groceries for all the families on my Children Incorporated caseload. These families were so grateful for the products that we sometimes take for granted. One mom was in tears of appreciation as she unloaded the cleaning supplies, hygiene items, and toilet paper. A small gift can make a huge difference for these families!

Thank you for all that you do to support our students and families.

We appreciate you!
Lindsay”

*Names changed to protect the children.

***

How do I sponsor a child with children incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD