Tag Archives: help children

Shelley Callahan | June 6, 2018

The small landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises the 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. The lush lowland plains of the Amazon Jungle are found 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.

Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty there, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime, and disease. For these reasons, Children Incorporated supports hundreds of children in Bolivia each year, providing them with basic necessities so that they have the opportunity to go to school and succeed.

Facts about Bolivia

– Population: 10.1 million (UN, 2011)

– Capital: Sucre (official), La Paz (administrative)

– Largest city: Santa Cruz

– Area: 1.1 million square kilometers, or 424,164 square miles

Nearly 60% of Bolivians live below the poverty line. In rural areas, the numbers are even more dramatic. Three out of every four people living in these areas suffer from poverty.

– Major languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani

– Major religion: Christianity

– Life expectancy: 65 years for men, 69 years for women (UN)

– Monetary unit: the boliviano

– Main exports: soybeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, silver, lead, tin, antimony, wood, sugar

Facts about child poverty in Bolivia

– It is estimated that 2.5 million children live in conditions of poverty. The causes of mortality in children under the age of 5, according to the Ministry of Health, are directly associated with poverty. An estimated 36% of these deaths occur as a result of diarrheal diseases, and an estimated 28%, as a result of malnutrition.

– According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the poverty in Bolivia is among the worst in South America. Economic growth and opportunities to make a living are most commonly found in urban areas, making it difficult for indigenous farmers, inhabitants of more remote areas with fewer people, to market their products and provide for their families.

– Nearly 60% of Bolivians live below the poverty line. In rural areas, the numbers are even more dramatic. Three out of every four people living in these areas suffer from poverty.

– One reason for the extreme poverty lies in Bolivia’s geography: many of the country’s roads are undeveloped, so farmers have difficulty transporting their products to sell them in markets outside of town – which, in turn, negatively impacts their families and the communities in which they live.

– It is estimated that 70% of the rural population and 30% of the urban population are illiterate.

– The incomes of nearly two-thirds of households are too low to afford the minimum amount of food necessary for healthy living.

-Around 12% of school-age children in Bolivia are not attending school.

Where we work

In Bolivia, we affiliate with fourteen projects in three major cities and their surrounding areas: Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Sucre. Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s largest city. Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, retains much of the flavor of Spanish colonialism, including many buildings erected by the conquistadors, and the second-oldest university in Latin America. At 12,000 feet above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.

How you can help in Bolivia

You can help a child living in poverty to receive an education in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments. This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential – physically, emotionally, and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the simple knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites, who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects – orphanages, homes, community centers, and schools – at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

You can also help children in Bolivia by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund, we have been able to build classrooms, as well as homes for people living in poverty in Bolivia, greatly changing their lives for the better, and giving them the opportunity to become financially stable.

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

References:

https://www.unicef.org/bolivia/children_1540.htm

https://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-bolivia/

https://www.unicef.org/bolivia/children_1538.htm

Shelley Callahan | May 23, 2018En Español

Located twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans, the city’s eastern 9^thWard is a tight-knit community of over 65,000 residents. “The East,” as most locals call it, started off in the 1960s as a suburban-style area within the city limits. Beginning in the mid-1980s, this region began to decline into a state of poverty. The city’s public schools system, notorious for being one of the worst in the country, only perpetuated the problem into the next generation. Then came the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In the storm’s wake, countless businesses – and even hospitals – opted not to re-open, leaving the residents of an already-troubled community severely underserviced. Recovery has been slow. In an area prone to crime and littered with abandoned buildings and homes, kids face significant barriers to their ability to succeed in school.

In addition to having difficulty concentrating in school, some of the children lost their homes for a second time in their young lives.

At the ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School, staff work hard to help children overcome these obstacles. Founded in 1965, the school was originally part of the New Orleans public schools system. It became a ReNEW charter school in 2013; and today, it is the largest school in the city, with 875 children in grades kindergarten through eight. The dedicated faculty strives to innovatively prepare students for college and beyond, providing personalized attention to each student’s educational and non-academic needs. The ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School also offers an advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) lab and a world-class library.

When disaster strikes

In February of 2017, a tornado severely damaged the ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School building and the surrounding New Orleans East community. School was in session and children were in the building when the tornado struck. The administration, faculty, and staff earned acclaim from city officials for keeping the children safe and maintaining order during the tornado, and no one was injured.

Renée with Erin and one of our sponsored children

After the storm was over, the school was vacated for repairs. As kids were shifted to a temporary facility, they found themselves in overcrowded classrooms that were cramped and uncomfortable. Some of the children suffered emotional trauma due to having experienced the tornado and the transition to a new school. Their test scores dropped as a result of these factors.

In addition to having difficulty concentrating in school, some of the children lost their homes for a second time in their young lives. Students who were in grades six and above had lived through Hurricane Katrina, and now they faced yet another natural disaster in their short lifetimes. Twenty-five homes were damaged, and most of the families did not have renter’s insurance. As families worked to rebuild their lives, they lived with other families, often sleeping on couches in tight quarters.

Excited to read

Erin is our volunteer coordinator at ReNEW Schaumburg Elementary School. On a recent trip to visit the school, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, met with Erin. Erin told Renée that she loves our sponsorship program. While Erin focuses on providing basic needs such as clothing and shoes to our sponsored and unsponsored children, she is also a big believer in supporting literacy and a true love of reading. She participates in the Lollipop Book Club, through which she orders books for kids, and they receive a wrapped book and lollipop. Erin can shop for books by reader age or search by theme, such as John Newbery Medal winners. She said that the kids get really excited about their books.

Erin also expressed to Renée that she appreciates when sponsors send additional gifts to their sponsored children, because they allow her to take time to really be thoughtful and personal about the items she chooses for sponsored children. She often spends the extra funds on hygiene and grooming items – something that she feels the children need very often, especially while living in transitional environments.

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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 | May 23, 2018En Español

When Danielle* was a sponsored child with Children Incorporated, she dreamed of going to college — but her family couldn’t afford it. So before she graduated from high school, with the help of our volunteer coordinator at her school in Kentucky, Danielle applied for assistance from our Higher Education Fund.

Thankfully, because of our wonderful donors and supporters, we had the funds available to grant Danielle’s request for support; and she went on to pursue a degree in education at Morehead State University. At that time, Danielle said, “The Children Incorporated sponsorship program has really changed my life and my perception of giving. I want to share that with absolutely everyone that I can. Thank you all so much for everything that you do. I am grateful that the Children Incorporated program is giving me the opportunity to reach my dreams.”

“I am so grateful that someone saw the ability in me to spend day in and day out with ‘those kids’ – because I love them as my own.”
– Danielle

Helping troubled youth

After graduating from college in 2011, Danielle accepted a position teaching middle school students in Western Kentucky. Then, in 2016, ready for a new challenge, Danielle accepted a position teaching troubled youth in Tennessee. She wrote to our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, about her experience working with these special kids after her first year on the job.

Danielle stated, “Around this time a year ago, I interviewed for a position as a teacher at an alternative school in Knoxville. I never imagined what a wonderful fit the position would be for me — perhaps not until today, as my first school year comes to an end. Educators often look at the troubled children in school and want someone else to ‘deal with them.’ Until working with these kids daily, I had also felt that way.”

A caring educator

Danielle continued, “But now, only two days into summer break, my mind is racing with questions: Are the kids hungry? Are they staying off the streets? Are they emotionally okay today? Has someone told them good morning and made them realize their value today? My strongest and weakest personality trait as an educator is that I care so very deeply. I tell my kids I love them daily, even when they seem unlovable. Creating a classroom that allows students to open up and share their stories is part of who I am as an educator — and do they ever share their stories!

Danielle is an advocate for her students.

“If I am not going to be there one day, I see the importance of letting them know that I will be absent, because for some of them, their teachers are their only stability. This time last year, I had no idea that I would be the teacher I am now. I am the one who cries for weeks after a student is arrested, because they possess so much value. I am the one who believes in the kids that no one ever believes in; the one who will stop class to help a student who is all out of sorts; and the one who makes it a priority to know every bit of a child’s life, and to help them work through difficulties. My students and co-workers have been my source of learning and growing this year. I am so grateful that someone saw the ability in me to spend day in and day out with ‘those kids’ — because I love them as my own.”

It is obvious that Danielle is a caring and outstanding educator, and that she is an advocate for her students. A lot of the questions that she asks about her troubled students are the exact same questions that our volunteer coordinators ask about the children enrolled in our sponsorship program. Here at Children Incorporated, we are so proud of Danielle. She is an amazing, self-supporting person who beautifully showcases the importance of both our sponsorship program and our Higher Education Fund.

*Name changed for individual’s protection.

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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 | May 21, 2018

As an incredibly diverse continent, it is difficult to sum up Africa as a whole. Each of the 54 countries that Africa comprises is unique and distinctive in its own way, offering beautiful landscapes, rich histories, and varied cultures and customs. Spanning over 5,000 miles north to south and 4,800 miles east to west, Africa contains a wide array of religions and ethnic groups. Within each country, stark contrasts exist between rural areas and bustling cities. Known for its amazing natural wonders and safari adventures, which attract tourists from all over the world, Africa also faces a great deal of adversity, as many people there are plagued by extreme poverty, famine, and war.

Our work in Africa helps thousands of children in need every year.

Facts about Africa

– African has the second-largest population in the world with about 1.2 billion people inhabiting the continent

– Over 1,000 languages are spoken by the people of Africa

– The most-practiced religion in Africa is Islam, followed by Christianity

– The oldest human remains ever discovered, thought to be approximately 200,000 years old, were found in Ethiopia

– The longest river in the world, the Nile (4,132 miles long), is located in Africa

– The world’s largest desert, the Sahara, which is almost the size of the United States, is in Africa

– Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in Africa, at 355 feet high and one mile wide

– Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, at over 19,300 feet

– Madagascar is the largest island in Africa, and it is the fourth-largest island in the world

– Africa is the second-largest continent on earth after Asia, at approximately 11.7 million square miles

– Africa is the hottest continent on earth

In Africa, we provide children and their families with mosquito nets to protect them against mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and dengue through our Mosquito Net Fund, and we support feeding programs through our International Feeding Programs Fund.

Understanding poverty in Africa

To understand our work in Africa, it is important to comprehend the struggles that the families of our sponsored and unsponsored children are facing on a daily basis as a result of poverty. Although Africa’s economy is improving, the continent is the poorest in the world, and many children and adults there are afflicted by hunger, disease, and a lack of basic necessities.

Facts about poverty in Africa

– 75% of the world’s poorest countries are located in Africa, including Zimbabwe, Liberia, and Ethiopia

– Diseases like HIV/AIDS are leaving kids orphaned at a very young age; an estimated 50 million orphans live in Africa

– Of all of the people in the world without access to clean water, almost 40% of them live in Africa

– Every day, almost 2,000 children die from diseases linked to unsafe water and a lack of basic sanitation

Facts about hunger in Africa

– Half of the continent’s population is children; an ever-increasing number is experiencing stunted growth due to the challenges of malnutrition

– More than 300 million children are chronically hungry, and more than 90% of those children suffer from long-term malnourishment and nutrient deficiency

– The average plot of land that a family living in poverty owns is too small for a garden that could help feed a family

Facts about child education in Africa

– Primary school enrollment in African countries is among the lowest in the world

– 33 million primary school-aged children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not go to school; 18 million of those children are girls

– Although literacy rates in Africa have greatly improved over the last few decades, approximately 40% of Africans over the age of 15, and 50% of women above the age of 25, are illiterate

– Children from the poorest households are 3 times more likely to be out of school than children from the richest households

Facts about child health in Africa

– Malaria kills 3,000 African children per day

– More than 90% of the estimated 300–500 million clinical cases of malaria that occur across the globe every year are documented in Africa – primarily in children under the age of 5

– Measles, malaria, and diarrhea are 3 of the biggest killers of children — yet all are preventable or treatable

– 270 million children have no access to healthcare

– 1 in 5 children in Africa lacks safe drinking water

How you can help

You can help a child living in poverty in Africa to receive basic needs and an education so that they may have the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty – and you can do so in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments. This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential – physically, emotionally, and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the simple knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.

Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the simple knowledge that someone cares about their well-being.

Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored and unsponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites, who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use these funds to purchase basic and education-related items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.

You can also help children in need by donating to one of our special funds. In Africa, we provide children and their families with mosquito nets to protect them against mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and dengue through our Mosquito Net Fund, and we support feeding programs through our International Feeding Programs Fund. Our special funds offer options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN AFRICA?

You can sponsor a child in Africa at one of our affiliated projects 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 Kenya or Ethiopia who is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

References:

http://www.interesting-africa-facts.com
http://www.aho.afro.who.int
http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/publication/poverty-rising-africa-poverty-report
https://www.children.org/global-poverty/global-poverty-facts/Africa
http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a02d7fd6.html
https://thewaterproject.org/water-scarcity/water_stats#stats
https://www.gfmag.com/global-data/economic-data/the-poorest-countries-in-the-world
https://borgenproject.org/10-quick-facts-about-poverty-in-africa/
http://www.afro.who.int/health-topics/child-health
http://www.allcountries.org/health/facts_about_health_in_the_african_region_of_who.html

Shelley Callahan | May 18, 2018En Español

A vital port on the renowned Mississippi River, the city of New Orleans is steeped in culture and history. Even so, areas of this historic city have long struggled with poverty and its socioeconomic effects. The neighborhoods surrounding the Success Preparatory Academy are no exception. Located in a very old and run-down section of New Orleans, abandoned and boarded-up homes line the streets, most dating back to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005, serving as an outward sign of the daily struggles that residents face.

As a result of these circumstances, the Success Preparatory Academy serves as a beacon of hope and a safe haven for children living in New Orleans. Its friendly and professional staff creates a warm, welcoming environment where children feel secure – a sentiment that they may not experience in their difficult home lives – and receive a well-rounded education.

Higher education is the focus

Rachel pictured with one of our sponsored children.

Located on Bienville Street in the Lower Mid-City/Treme neighborhood, not far from the historic French Quarter, the Success Preparatory Academy offers children a curriculum that prepares them for college; and it is complemented by a variety of after-school activities, because the administration believes that even before children reach high school, it is important to emphasize the importance of higher education to them, so that they will have more opportunities to succeed in the future.

Eighty-seven percent of the children that attend the Success Preparatory Academy come from low-income families. Children are required to wear uniforms there – khaki pants or skirts. The uniforms consist of polo shirts with the school logo, and they are color-coded by grades: kindergarten through grade five wear maroon, sixth and seventh grades wear navy, and eighth-graders wear gray. Students are allowed to wear college sweatshirts of any color over their uniform shirts. Children Incorporated provides our sponsored and unsponsored kids with these sweatshirts.

Since the Success Preparatory Academy embraces a focus on college preparation, university banners from across the country decorate the halls. Teachers adorn their classrooms with items and colors from the universities that they attended. On certain days, the students may wear college tee shirts if they’ve been receiving good grades and have been behaving well.

A need for fresh fruits and vegetables

Our volunteer coordinator at the school is Rachel. On a recent visit to the Success Preparatory Academy, Rachel told our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, that her greatest need at the school is help with basic necessities – especially with offering fresh produce to the children. She said that the sponsored and unsponsored kids there love fresh fruit, but that most don’t ever have any in their homes; and the corner stores in their neighborhoods don’t sell them. There is a “food desert” in the middle of a bustling city.

Since the Success Preparatory Academy embraces a focus on college preparation, university banners from across the country decorate the halls.

A food desert is an area where fresh fruits and vegetables are not available. Large parts of New Orleans – specifically the poorer sections – don’t have grocery stores. Instead, they have corner markets where one can purchase snacks and some canned goods, but not nutritious whole foods.

“If families have transportation barriers or illnesses, or mobility problems or other obstacles to getting out of their neighborhoods, what they’re limited to are these little corner stores,” said Renée. “For thousands of families, fresh fruits and vegetables just can’t be found.”

Helping to keep the water running

While visiting the school, Renée also had the chance to meet with one of our sponsored children, Ricky*, who has a special sponsor that supports him well beyond sponsorship. With the additional money that his sponsor sends, Rachel has had the opportunity to purchase an entire winter wardrobe and a laptop computer for Ricky. The money has also helped Ricky’s mom to pay their water bill down so that their water would not be turned off, which was a huge help to his family. Last holiday season, Ricky’s sponsor purchased a Thanksgiving meal – from the paper products to the pecan pie – for his entire family.

Ricky’s mom is so thankful for the assistance that he receives. As a single mother raising her kids and grandkids, she tries hard to make ends meet – but it is really difficult for her to generate enough income to support everyone. According to Rachel, Ricky’s mom says that the Children Incorporated program has changed the lives of her entire family.

*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

Shelley Callahan | April 27, 2018En Español

Every year, Children Incorporated provides thousands of coats, gloves, boots, hats, and mittens to children in need in Kentucky, Arizona, New Mexico, and Michigan during the winter months, thanks to our Warm Clothing Fund. Without this special fund, many children would go without the warm clothes that they need in order to attend school properly dressed when the weather is very cold. This is essential in keeping them healthy, and from missing class and falling behind.

Our donors are helping keep kids warm during the winter months!

This past winter, Children Incorporated was able to go above and beyond just providing warm clothes to our sponsored and unsponsored children at the Hanaadli Community School/Huerfano Dormitory in New Mexico – we were also able to allocate funds for extra warm blankets for the children there. Homes in the Huerfano community are very small, but the zone serves a population that is spread out across a very wide area. The distance is so great that some families who enroll their children in the Hanaadli Community School also enroll them at the Huerfano Dormitory on the school’s campus. These children go home on weekends and on holiday breaks from school.

Cozy all winter long

Every year, Children Incorporated provides thousands of coats, gloves, boots, hats, and mittens to children in need.

In October, during a visit to the school by our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube , our Volunteer Coordinator Elsie asked Renée if we would provide the children in her care with warm blankets so that they could be comfortable sleeping in the dorms at night. Since Huerfano is at an elevation of 6,194 feet above sea level, and is located in the high desert country, the winter temperatures there plummet much below freezing. Renée gladly sent funds to Elsie, thanks to our sponsors and donors who have contributed to our Warm Clothing Fund – and now the children stay warm and cozy all winter long!

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HOW DO I DONATE TO THE WARM CLOTHING FUND?

You can contribute to our Warm Clothing 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 donate to our Warm Clothing Fund.

DONATE