As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our April 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.
Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.
YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD
Thanks to you, we were able to provide funds for emergency basic needs for three children at Cardinal Elementary School in Virginia after a house fire this month.
Just in this past month, our donors have:
– Provided Higher Education Funds for three students pursuing university degrees in Nicaragua who attend the Casa Betania Welfare Center
– Provided funds to purchase menstrual hygiene items for one month for 25 students at Santa Isabel Ana Seton in Guatemala
– Provided funds to purchase food and school supplies for a Kinder Camp for newly enrolled students in our sponsorship program at Bevins Elementary School in Kentucky
Donors in Virginia provided new clothes and hygiene items to our sponsored children at Huguenot High School in April.
– Provided funds to purchase cleaning supplies and hygiene items for families of students in our program at Phelps High School in Kentucky
– Provided funds to purchase food for a month for 25 students at the Dandora Center in Kenya
– Provided funds to stock a new library with books at the Dzilth Community School in New Mexico
– Provided funds to purchase clothes and shoes and to replace items lost in a house fire for a student in our program at Greyhills Academy in Arizona
– Provided funds to purchase a full-size refrigerator for the resource centers’ feeding program at May Valley Elementary School in Kentucky
– Provided funds for emergency basic needs for three children at Cardinal Elementary School in Virginia after a house fire
… all in addition to the support you already provide to children through our sponsorship program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!
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HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?
You can donate to 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 hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you with making a donation; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and choose a particular fund in which to make a donation.
Before I left the Children Incorporated office for the Philippines in mid-January, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, made sure to mention to me that I should visit the housing project in Marikina that was built thanks to Children Incorporated donors while I was in Manila.
I loved seeing all the individual touches that the families had added to their homes over the years — bright colored patterns on window curtains and tablecloths, and family photos hanging on the walls.
In 2009, when our former volunteer coordinator, Polly Joson, had yet to retire from her position running our affiliated site, the Fortune’s Children Center, she proposed to Luis the idea of constructing homes for families of our sponsored children in the area. Luis liked the idea, having himself seen the conditions that the families lived in — small shacks along hillsides with no running water or electricity was standard housing for those living in poverty in the Philippines, as in many places around the world.
Building Houses from Across the World
Although he knew it would be a difficult task to accomplish from the United States, Luis trusted Polly’s ability to secure the land and hire a team of builders who could see the project through to completion. The plan was to build three buildings – two identical buildings with 5 apartments each facing one another, and a third building with 3 apartments just behind those.
From start to finish, it took two years to complete the houses, and in 2011, thirteen families moved into their new homes, where they traded dirt floors and sheet metal roofs for solid concrete walls and ceilings that would protect them from harsh rains or dangerous storms. Luis himself had visited the apartments in both 2015 and 2018, and was excited for me to see them, knowing that the same families who originally moved into the homes still resided there, happy to have a permanent place to raise their children.
A mother and sponsored children stand in the doorway of their home in Mt. Goshen, built by Children Incorporated donor funds.
After meeting with our sponsored children and their parents at the Fortune’s Center, and getting to hear their stories of gratitude for their sponsors, we all enjoyed a traditional Filipino lunch at the center. Then it was time for our current volunteer coordinator, Joy, and former sponsored child, Genesis, along with some other volunteers from the center, to take me to see the community where the houses had been built.
We all packed into a cargo van, along with the children and families who lived in the apartments, who were happy to accept a ride up into the hills where the neighborhood is located.
The Mt. Goshen Neighborhood
We arrived less than 10 minutes later, the van pulling over to the side of a small road, after we had climbed steadily and slowly continuously since we had left the center. At first, it was hard to tell where the apartments were — I saw small houses and storefronts, but nothing that seemed to be newer construction. Before I even finished my thought, Joy pointed up a dirt path and let me know we would have to walk the rest of the way, as we had driven as close to the neighborhood as the road would take us.
The dirt and mud path careened further up, and the storefronts quickly disappeared behind us as our surroundings turned more jungle-like, with large plants and trees covering the mid-afternoon sky above us. The walk took no longer than a few minutes, but was on tough terrain, and I started to realize just how incredibly difficult it must have been to get material and equipment to the housing site during construction.
Our group stopped short of a small blue tent that read “Mt. Goshen Neighborhood Association.” To my left, a few local residents sat on benches, greeting us warmly, speaking in Tagalog to Joy and their neighbors who had been walking with us. To my right, a set of five or six stairs led down to a courtyard lined with trees and shrubs which served as the yard for the apartments. The children quickly ran to their apartments, opening the doors, as their mothers followed closely behind. Before I knew it, I was walking in and out of each one, seeing how they were similarly designed, but decorated differently based on the separate styles of each family.
With each doorway I stepped through, I could feel the sense of pride that these families had and how much they cherished being able to raise their families in such a wonderful and safe environment.
A personal touch to each home
All of the homes had a small kitchen, living area, and bedroom downstairs, with a steep staircase leading to a small second floor that was used either as a second bedroom or for storage. All the homes had a small backyard as well, where dogs or chickens were wandering around and laundry was hanging out to dry.
I loved seeing all the individual touches that the families had added to their homes over the years — bright colored patterns on window curtains and tablecloths, and family photos hanging on the walls. With each doorway I stepped through, I could feel the sense of pride that these families had and how much they cherished being able to raise their families in such a wonderful and safe environment.
After we finished visiting with each family, we said our goodbyes to the Mt. Goshen community, and as Joy and Genesis and I headed back down the mountain to return to the Fortune’s Center, I thought about how I couldn’t wait to call Luis to tell him how wonderful I found the the homes to be. I knew he would be thrilled to hear that just as he did, I now knew how life-changing this project had been for so many people.
You can sponsor a child in the Philippines 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 the Philippines that is available for sponsorship.
As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our March 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.
Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.
YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD
Just in this past month, our donors have:
– Provided funds to build a protective fence around the Lourdes School in Bolivia after it was damaged by a fire
– Provided funds to purchase menstrual hygiene items for 25 girls at the Juan Apostol School in Guatemala
Along with so much more, your donations this month have allowed us to purchase water filters for the Santo Nino Center in the Philippines.
– Provided funds to purchase water filters for the Santo Nino Center in the Philippines
– Provided funds to purchase warm clothing for children at Mullins Elementary School in Kentucky
– Provide funds to purchase a month’s supply of food for 25 children at the Dandora Center in Kenya
– Provided emergency funds to purchase clothes and supplies for a child at Tuba City Boarding School in Arizona who was placed in a foster care home
– Provided funds to purchase water filters for families at the Pingapala Center in the Philippines
– Provided daily meals for 25 children at the Fortune Center in the Philippines
– Provided funds to purchase meals for 200 children living in poverty who attend the St. John’s Community Center in Kenya
– Provided funds for basic needs for children living in an economic crisis who attend the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School – Anjar in Lebanon
… all in addition to the support you already provide through sponsorship to children in our program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!
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HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?
You can donate to 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 hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you with making a donation; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and choose a particular fund in which to make a donation.
My nineteen-year-old daughter, a sophomore in college, moved into a shared apartment back in the fall. Deciding which of her belongings to bringfrom home was a challenge because of the limited space in her closet and dresser at the apartment.
New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing and Shoes Fund.
My family is currently in the process of downsizing to a smaller house, so we wanted my daughter to take as many of her personal belongings with her as possible. She was actually forced to get rid of quite a few quality items as she moved into her new residence because there simply was no room for them.
You see, my daughter loves clothes and shoes, and she has a lot of them. She likes nothing better than to scour the racks at thrift, bargain, and vintage clothing stores in search of discounted name-brands and stylish jeans, tops, outerwear and sneakers. This problem – having too many clothes and shoes – is definitely not one that the children enrolled in Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program ever encounter. In fact, many of them face just the opposite issue. Over the years, wehave heard numerous stories of children with only one outfit suitable to wear to school, or of children whose clothes are threadbare and ill-fitting. We have even witnessed siblings who shared one coat between them, forcing them to alternate the days they attended school during the heart of winter.
Our Clothing and Shoes Fund provides for children in the United States and across the world.
It is a common theme, even today, in many of our U.S. site locations for children to attend school during the coldest months of the year without socks, wearing flimsy footwear such as flip-flops, and without jackets, coats, gloves, or hats.
Our Clothing Fund is one of the most important resources we have for helping children to dress appropriately, neatly, and warmly. This fund has provided pants, shirts, shoes and socks to thousands upon thousands of children in need. It was one of the first special funds that we created back in the 1960s and was originally called simply our Warm Clothing Fund. Over the decades we, through the incredible and continuing generosity of our sponsors and donors, have supplied children with coats and jackets, hats and gloves, and in some situations, sandals, shorts and t-shirts, to equip them for the weather where they live.
We come to you again, asking for your support of our Clothing Fund. New needs arise each day, and Children Incorporated is there to meet as many of those needs as possible, often through this special outreach effort – our Clothing Fund.
Our organization has repeatedly been recognized as an exemplary nonprofit by the major charitable monitoring groups, such as Charity Navigator and Charity Watch, because we take helping children seriously. Our mission is and always has been to improve lives and to offer hope and opportunity. We can only do these things with your help.
From the heart,
Ron Carter, President and CEO
Children Incorporated
As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our February 2023 Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.
This past month, your donations have provided funds for an educational field trip to Washington, D.C. for students who attend Martin County Middle School in Kentucky, among so much more.
Beyond what our donors already provide to children through our sponsorship program, additional donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.
YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD
Just in this past month, you have:
– Provided funds to purchase food for an entire month for children at Santa Isabel Seton in Guatemala
– Provided funds for an educational field trip to Washington, D.C. for students who attend Martin County Middle School in Kentucky
– Provided funds to purchase food for children at the Armenian Secondary School in Anjar, Lebanon
– Provided funds to purchase food for a month for children at the Dandora Community Center in Kenya
– Provided food for the month of February for 200 children at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya
– Provided funds to purchase food for a month for 25 children at the Fortune’s Children Center in the Philippines
– Provided winter boots and socks for students at the Dennehotso Boarding School in Arizona
– Provided funds to buy warm blankets for students at the Hanaa Dli Community School/Huerfano Dormitory in New Mexico
– Provided emergency funding for food for a newly enrolled sponsored child and her family at Morgan County Middle School
– Provided space heaters for a family in need at Baca Dlo’ay azhi Community School in New Mexico
HOW do I MAKE A DONATION TO CHILDREN INCORPORATED?
You can donate to 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 hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you with making a donation; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and choose a particular fund in which to make a donation.
In this edition of Stories of Hope, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, concludes his trip to our Costa Rica affiliated sites with a visit to the Costa Rica Center in San Jose.
“The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school.”
“Marta used to work at what was the Costa Rica Children’s Orphanage, located in the downtown area of the city, which supported abandoned children or children from low-income families that could not raise their children on their own.”
“Our sponsorship program was initiated at the orphanage to provide additional educational support to the children, until the local government decided to part with the orphanage and converted it into an afterschool program and then a community center. When this happened, Marta was no longer employed, and the Children Incorporated program was dissolved,” explained Luis.
“But Marta was persistent and didn’t want her community to lose the support from sponsors or Children Incorporated. She decided to look for support through a local church, and she started her own version of a center where children could meet and receive food, school supplies and other essential items. And so started the Costa Rica Center!”
Teaching a community new skills
“Marta still gets help from the church today and still uses a portion of the church to meet with the children and families on a regular basis. While I was visiting in September of 2022, I met with children and their parents, and they all expressed how helpful the sponsorship program is, and how grateful they were for the much-needed support that Marta provides,” said Luis.
“Marta finds ways to stretch the funds to provide what is most needed for the children’s education. After our meeting, the children and their families showed us some crafts they had made, all thanks to Marta, who is teaching crafting skills so families can earn extra money.”
“We then went to a couple of houses of our sponsored children. One particular house was made with scrap and metal sheets and had dirt floors and partial wooden sections. The mother told us that she was so grateful for Marta and the program because without it, she would have a hard time sending all her children to school, just as many of the other parents,” said Luis.
Looking to expand and grow
“Before we finished for the day, Marta expressed to me that she is working with a local community center so that they will have more space to do handcrafts and workshops. She hopes to expand on the skills training, so that parents and children can have a way to make life easier.”
You can sponsor a child in Costa Rica 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 Costa Rica that is available for sponsorship.
