Tag Archives: help children

Shelley Callahan |

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.

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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 | En 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 | En 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

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

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.