Tag Archives: help children

Shelley Callahan | En Español

After many years of not being able to visit Lebanon and South Korea, where we support hundreds of children through our sponsorship program, our International Programs Director, Luis Bourdet, was finally able to visit both countries at the end of last year.

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories about Luis’ visits to our projects in Lebanon and South Korea.

“In recent years, great turmoil and many political issues have created instability in countries neighboring Lebanon and South Korea. As a result, previous plans to visit the two countries have had to be postponed,” said Luis.

“Thankfully, last year it became safe enough for me to travel to both countries to see first-hand the positive effects that our sponsors are having on impoverished children.”

Our affiliated projects

sponsor a child in lebanon

In Lebanon, Children Incorporated is affiliated with three projects.

In Lebanon, Children Incorporated is affiliated with three projects: The Armenian Evangelical Schools (AES) and the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf (FAID), both located in the country’s capital, Beirut; and the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in the small city of Anjar.

We have a large number of projects in South Korea – eighteen in total, all of which are homes for orphaned children. Our affiliated sites are located all over South Korea, including in the cities of Seoul, Busan, Iksan, Daegu, and Gwangju. Thanks to the help of our Korean Volunteer Coordinator, Ms. Soung Ok Cho, who oversees all of our projects in the country, we are able to work with so many homes.

“Since most of the homes are located in cities with large populations of more than 1.6 million people, and they are far away from one another, it would be truly difficult to coordinate and visit sites on a regular basis without the help of Ms. Cho,” Luis stated.

A Brief history of Lebanon

Located in Western Asia, Lebanon borders with Syria to the north and east, and with Israel to the south. Cyprus is west of it, across the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the country’s location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland, Lebanon has a rich history and cultural identity evincing the influence of such illustrious civilizations as the Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French.

However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history. Lebanon continues to suffer the repercussions of a history riddled with wars – both civil and international. Unemployment, underemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities there. These are, perhaps, most pronounced in Beirut. Settled over 5,000 years ago, this historic city is Lebanon’s largest and primary seaport, but it is also afflicted with dire poverty and its subsequent socioeconomic effects.

About South Korea

Comprising the lower half of a mountainous peninsula in East Asia, this populous nation, with a population density ten times higher than the global average, is today renowned for its future-oriented advancements in technology.

Although it emerged as an autonomous country in the aftermath of World War II, more than half a century after the Korean Armistice Agreement, South Korea is still haunted by the ghosts of its turbulent past. The Korean War, from 1950 to 1953, devastated South Korea, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives – both military and civilian – and leaving thousands of children orphaned. As a result, a number of orphanages were constructed – orphanages that now house children enrolled in our sponsorship program, ensuring that they have the resources they need to go to school.

More stories to come

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories about Luis’ visits to our projects in Lebanon and South Korea. Seeing these two diverse countries through his eyes, we hope you will catch a glimpse of how – thanks to our affiliated projects, volunteer coordinators, sponsors, and donors – we are able to make a huge a difference in the lives of children in need.

“Children Incorporated support is essential in these countries for the purchase of clothing, food, and shoes, so that children living in poverty can attend school,” said Luis.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON OR SOUTH KOREA?

You can sponsor a child in Lebanon or South Korea 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 Lebanon or South Korea that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | En Español

The town of Anjar, where our affiliated project the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School is located, is home to a large population of Armenian settlers. Fleeing persecution in Turkey after the Turkish-Armenian War in the 1930s, Armenians found refuge in Anjar.

In order to obtain an education that will yield them the opportunity to attend a technical school or university after graduating, students must attend private schools, such as the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School.

Later, in the 1960s, a Lebanese-Armenian businessman by the name of Stephen Philibosian supported the establishment of the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School to serve those young people in the community who continued to face adversity as children of refugee families.

Our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited the school to meet with our Volunteer Coordinator Reverend Akbasharian, who discussed with Luis the importance of our program in ensuring that Armenian children are able to attend this prestigious private school.

About Anjar

Recognized as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, Anjar is located near the Syrian border in the fertile Beqaa Valley, where much of the nation’s vegetables, grains, and wine grapes are produced.

Sponsor a child in Lebanon.

Currently, about ten percent of children in Lebanon do not attend school.

An extensive portion of Anjar’s population is comprised of Armenian agricultural laborers who earn very little money. For this reason, the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School plays a crucial role in ensuring that children from poor Armenian families are able to receive an education.

Poverty in Lebanon  

In modern-day Lebanon, considerable poverty exists, mostly due to recent conflicts in the country. Almost thirty percent of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line, which means that children often do not have basic needs or the opportunity to attend school.

Without funds for books, school supplies, or tuition, children do not have the resources they require to go to school, and therefore have no choice but to start working before they reach legal working age. Nearly seven percent of children in Lebanon are forced to work to help their families financially.

Currently, about ten percent of children in Lebanon do not attend school. For those that do, the quality of public education is poor, and the school buildings in which classes are held are in terrible condition.

The Armenian Evangelical Secondary School plays a crucial role in ensuring that children from poor Armenian families are able to receive an education.

In order to obtain an education that will yield them the opportunity to attend a technical school or university after graduating, students must attend private schools, such as the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School. There, teachers are better trained, and the school has higher-quality resources and tools. Unfortunately, however, many families, like those in Anjar, cannot afford to send their children to such schools.

Helping kids in need

During Luis’ visit, Reverend Akbasharian expressed his gratitude for Children Incorporated’s partnership with the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School, where we currently serve many children through our sponsorship program. Because of support from our caring sponsors, Armenian boys and girls of this impoverished and marginalized population are provided with tuition money, food, clothing, and school supplies on a regular basis.

Reverend Akbasharian and Luis agreed that increasing the number of sponsorships at the school would be very beneficial. They both would like to see even more children, who would otherwise have to attend inadequate public schools, get a high-quality education and have the chance to rise above poverty when they reach adulthood.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

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written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Shelley Callahan | En Español

Lebanon’s political climate has long been riddled with conflict, which is often further stirred by external factors. Thankfully, however, our affiliated projects the Armenian Evangelical Schools (AES), a group of affordable private schools, offer a well-rounded education to children living in poverty and suffering from political turmoil.

Compared to public schools in Lebanon, however, the AES offer a much higher quality education. Children are provided with more educational tools and resources than the alternative public schools.

Children Incorporated’s partnership with the AES spans decades. Over the years, we have been able to support thousands of children through our sponsorship program.

About Lebanon

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 Shiites and Sunnites; 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 over Syria and Lebanon. 23 years later, Lebanon gained its independence.

Current-day conflict

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.

Sponsor a child in Lebanon to change their life.

Most of the children supported by the AES are Armenians, but some are Arabs.

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.

The AES IN ANJAR and Beirut

The AES were established in 1964 by the late Stephen Philibosian, a successful Lebanese-American businessman. The AES run five schools in Beirut and one in the city of Anjar, near Lebanon’s border with Syria. Our donors support children in three of these schools — two in Beirut and one in Anjar. Sponsors provide children with aid to cover monthly school fees. Funds donated also go towards purchasing clothes and shoes, as well as school supplies.

Most of the children supported by the AES are Armenians, but some are Arabs. All have been affected by the political and economic turmoil of Lebanon and its neighboring countries. The children come from families that work in low-paying or minimum wage jobs.

Children Incorporated provides is truly valuable, and we would love to see more students at the AES enrolled in our program. Currently, our sponsorship program supports only ten percent of the total student body.

The AES are all private schools, so monthly fees are required for attendance. Compared to public schools in Lebanon, however, the AES offer a much higher quality education. Children are provided with more educational tools and resources than the alternative public schools. Public schools are also overcrowded; so parents in Lebanon do whatever it takes to send their children to the AES, which have a higher academic standard.

Visiting the schools

While visiting two AES schools in Beirut, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, noticed that since his last visit many years ago, the schools have improved greatly.

“The infrastructure has been updated, and new and more efficient educational programs have been established to improve opportunities for the children,” he said.

Sponsor a child in Lebanon today.

Students within the AES are required to study Armenian, Arabic, English, and French.

During Luis’ last visit there more than five years ago, the AES were divided into elementary, middle, and high schools. This meant that children were moving to different buildings as they moved up in school. Now, all of the AES offer classes up to high school level in the same building. This keeps students in the same location for a longer time, providing them with more stability, and improving their academic experience.

According to Luis, students within the AES are required to study Armenian, Arabic, English, and French, along with the core educational subjects required by the local government.

“Before, English was not a core course; but it is emphasized now, as the international importance of the language has increased in Lebanon. So students are able to communicate in the English language now,” Luis stated.

“It was great to see many of the students practicing their English skills, asking questions about the United States, and our programs in general.”

On to higher education

Luis also noticed that overall academic core courses at the AES have improved. The labs are better equipped, and teachers are better trained. These improvements prepare students more effectively for higher education, which most students aim to achieve — and they succeed. The AES have a graduation and higher education enrollment rate higher than ninety percent, which is very high for Lebanon in general.

Children Incorporated provides is truly valuable, and we would love to see more students at the AES enrolled in our program. Currently, our sponsorship program supports only ten percent of the total student body. Luis knows that many more of the children at AES could use the help of supportive sponsors.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN LEBANON?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Education, Stories of Hope, Lebanon

Read More

written by Shelley Callahan

Shelley is the Director of Development for Children Incorporated. She is also the lead social correspondent, regularly contributing insights through the Stories of Hope blog series. Sign up for Stories of Hope to receive weekly email updates about how your donations are changing the lives of children in need.

» more of Shelley's stories
Shelley Callahan | En Español

The second-largest country in Latin America, Argentina’s borders envelop a full spectrum of topography: rugged, towering mountains, tropical lowland, arid steppes, plateaus and frigid tundra.

Children often suffer from abandonment as their parents find it too difficult to care for them.

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 and home to the slum neighborhood, Villa Ballester, where our affiliated project Casa Del Niño – Maria de Nazaret is located.

Typical of many area slums, families in Villa Ballester live in hopeless poverty, forced to endure squalid conditions in tin shacks with no running water. Many are immigrants from other Latin American countries and have few family members, limited resources or limited means to gain adequate employment. Children often suffer from abandonment as their parents find it too difficult to care for them.

A blessing for children in need

The Montessori method of education has been adopted at Casa del Niño.

For residents of this overcrowded district, the Casa Del Niño – Maria de Nazaret Daycare Center is a blessing of infinite proportions. The center serves over 200 local children during the school day, providing them with a safe and nurturing environment where they are continuously monitored, offered basic necessities and provided with psychological support as needed.

On a visit to Casa Del Niño – Maria de Nazaret, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and International Projects Specialist, Kristen Walthall, met with our volunteer coordinator, Dominga, and some of the children at the center.

While they toured the Center, Luis and Kristen asked about the newly implemented Montessori method of education that Casa Del Niño had adopted for the younger children at the center since Luis’ last trip to Argentina.

What is Montessori Education?

According to the website Montessori Northeast, “Montessori is a method of education that is based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In Montessori classrooms, children make creative choices in learning, while the classroom and the highly-trained teacher offer age-appropriate activities to guide the process. Children work in groups and individually to discover and explore the knowledge of the world and to develop their maximum potential.”

Luis was pleased to hear from Dominga that the school had been re-organized to function around the Montessori education method that will eventually be used for all the children in attendance.

Luis was pleased to hear from Dominga that the school had been re-organized to function around the Montessori education method that will eventually be used for all the children in attendance.

Doing the most good for kids

“The center is managed by a committee to plan all activities for the children to maximize the support the children are receiving. With the Montessori method of learning, as well as the supplemental support that our sponsorship program is providing, the children at Casa Del Niño – Maria de Nazaret are very well cared for,” exclaimed Luis.

Although Casa Del Niño – Maria de Nazaret is receiving a great deal of support from the local government as well as Children Incorporated sponsors and donors, Dominga expressed to Luis that she wishes to enroll even more children in our program in the future. She would also like to re-establish a few skills training programs for adults in the community, such as cooking and sewing, and acquire funding to pay salaries for teacher aides in each of the classrooms.

***

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

 

Shelley Callahan | En Español

Roy G. Eversole Elementary School is located in Eastern Kentucky in the small city of Hazard. With a population of less than 5,000, Hazard is the county seat of Perry County. This region of Kentucky is known for its lumber and coal industries, which sustained the people of this beautiful part of Appalachia for generations.

Tammy knows that he is doing his absolute best as a father; but the family still requires additional assistance from a few caring sponsors.

Originally founded as a settlement in 1790, Hazard received its name in 1854 in honor of American naval hero Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. Today, despite a progressive local government that has spurred economic growth, unemployment is high and wages are low in Perry County. The coal mining industry — once a main source of income for thousands of families in the area — is rapidly waning.

In addition, a variety of social maladies such as drug abuse and alcoholism plague the families of this small community. Amidst the poverty-related stress, our affiliated project, Roy G. Eversole Elementary School, supports children so that they may receive an education, while our sponsorship program provides kids with basic needs, so that students and families have the opportunity to overcome some of the barriers they face in life.

Eager to find sponsors

Sponsor a child changes lives.

Shelley pictured with Tammy, our Volunteer Coordinator at Roy G. Eversole Elementary School

On a trip to visit Roy G. Eversole Elementary School, our U.S. Projects Specialist, Shelley Oxenham, met with our Volunteer Coordinator, Tammy, at the school’s Family Resource and Youth Services Center (FRYSC). Tammy is a former school secretary at Hazard Middle School, and she currently oversees the Children Incorporated program at both Eversole Elementary School and Hazard Middle School. In total, approximately 750 students between pre-kindergarten and the eighth grade are in attendance at the two schools. While they were meeting, Tammy explained to Shelley that she is anxious to obtain sponsors for some of the children that she has identified as very needy as soon as possible.

Tammy told Shelley about one particular family in which a single father is raising four children all on his own. He works for the Housing Alliance, and was able to acquire an apartment through his employer; but it is still difficult for him to manage day-to-day responsibilities at home while also having to work — and his job doesn’t pay enough for him to ensure that his children are receiving everything they need, like new school outfits, school supplies, and hygiene items. Tammy knows that he is doing his absolute best as a father; but the family still requires additional assistance from a few caring sponsors who she knows could really change this father’s life and his children’s lives drastically through their monthly contributions.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENTUCKY?

You can sponsor a child in Kentucky 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 | En Español

Although our affiliated project Dorton Elementary School in Pike County, Kentucky is an older school that has been around since 1929, the staff and administrators there have implemented progressive tactics to ensure that our sponsored and unsponsored children are receiving a well-rounded education that includes learning valuable ethical lessons. On a trip to Pike County to visit with our Volunteer Coordinator Alisa, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, was told about the school’s efforts to not only teach children academics, but to also incorporate character education.

“Students spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time in school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core values upon which character is formed.”

What is character education?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Character education teaches the habits of thought and deed that help people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors, communities and nations.”

“Character education is a learning process that enables students and adults in a school community to understand, care about and act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others. Upon such core values, we form the attitudes and actions that are the hallmark of safe, healthy and informed communities that serve as the foundation of our society.

“Students spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time in school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core values upon which character is formed.”

Thanks to Alisa and the Family Resource Center, Dorton Elementary School has made a commitment to implement character education while students are young, and oftentimes in need of guidance as they develop. For Alisa, who receives very little help to support children living in poverty outside of our sponsorship program, character education allows her to have an impact on students that will help them grow, because they might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about these important topics.   

Beyond academics

While they were meeting together, Alisa described to Renée exactly how she conducts her character education courses. She explained that many children at the school come from very poor homes. Their parents are often uneducated or absent from their children’s lives due to the rising drug problem in the area; so they aren’t around to teach them valuable ethical lessons.

In order to address these issues, Alisa runs small groups for her elementary students to discuss good manners, kindness, and proper study habits. For the older children in the upper grades, topics such as puberty and bullying are addressed. Alisa also works on drug awareness programs throughout the school year. She hosts a luau in the gym, with a DJ, food, the game cornhole, ping-pong, and other games so that children not only learn about good habits for everyday life, but they also have the chance to put good habits into practice in a fun and safe environment.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENTUCKY?

You can sponsor a child in Kentucky 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.