Tag Archives: hope

Shelley Callahan | September 13, 2016En Español

In El Salvador, children have two choices: try as hard as they can to stay in school or submit to the constant pressure to join neighborhood gangs. Organized crime is rife in El Salvador, and recruitment starts at an early age, when kids are at their most vulnerable. Often, their parents are working and the children are home alone—that’s when gang culture starts to come knocking, angling for loyalty and increasing their numbers.

Luis is pictured with our volunteer coordinator and some of our sponsored children.

When parents are involved in their children’s day-to-day lives, they’ll have some control over their child’s activities. But that can’t always be the case, and that’s why programs like the Marillac secondary school are often the only force helping children resist an easier, but much more dangerous, way to make a living.

Opening doors to a better life

The Sisters who run Marillac focus on expanding their reach and increasing their offerings for the poor families that surround them. They recognize that children not only need education, a safe space to learn, and psychological support, but also activities that foster motivation, independence, and a sense of community. To further these goals, the sisters have put their heads together and dreamed up new facilities that sponsors have helped them become reality. A new gymnasium, a computer lab, and even a robotics program. Children Incorporated has been proud to help with the security for the lab, and even prouder to watch as the children find joy in something that will help them stay focused on a better life for both them and their families.

They recognize that children need education, a safe space to learn, and psychological support, but also the activities that foster motivation, independence, and a sense of community.

One Children Incorporated-sponsored student, in particular, has embodied this spirit of using her gifts to help her community. Sofia’s adventure began as “just a student of ours who likes to sing,” as Luis describes it. After losing her father a year prior, Sofia was having trouble coping.

“She was so sad,” remembers Luis. “You could see how sad this poor little girl was. And she would sing this famous Spanish sad song, and it was powerful. Her voice was incredible.”

Members of the community began to promote Sofia in the area, and she was invited to participate on a local television program. The producers noticed her skill at singing, dancing, and leading other children, and asked her if she would like her own show, now a popular children’s musical hour.

The local radio station followed suit, and Sofia now also hosts a talk show for children. “She’s so motivated to do well,” says Luis. “She comes back and coordinates these dances at the school, and shows everyone how to do the dances—she’s always involved in this, that, and the other.”

Because of donations to Children Incorporated, Sofia has been able to afford Marillac’s school fees, and it’s opened up opportunities for her in ways she may never have experienced. Now, she’s on track to become an El Salvador success story, and she’s inspiring other children to express themselves while carrying on cultural traditions. To Luis, that’s a testament to the belief of Children Incorporated’s donors, who know that helping out one child can affect the lives of many.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN EL SALVADOR?

You can sponsor a child in El Salvador in one of three ways – call our office and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381, email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org, or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in El Salvador that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | September 13, 2016En Español

In 1964, Jeanne Clarke Wood traveled to Guatemala and met 95 impoverished children, all struggling bravely through the harshest of circumstances. She founded Children Incorporated so that she could make an impact on those who need help the most — poor, often abandoned or orphaned children in countries without government services to provide even the basic necessities of life.

The organization now supports eight separate programs in Guatemala, which Children Incorporated’s Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visits often. The rampant poverty in his native country is difficult to witness. While Guatemala attempts to clean up corruption within the government, many organizations have to go without funding, which means the citizens have to go without the services that the organizations provide.

Luis watches as a student practices her cosmetology skills on another student.

This year, a massive drought will deprive 1.5 million of basic staples, further slowing the government’s efforts to turn their economy around.

Songs in the key of hope

Luis finds his hope in the schools and programs he visits, where volunteers and donations from global organizations like Children Incorporated have, over the years, transformed the lives of hundreds of children. One school in particular, Juan Apostol School in Guatemala City, brings hope, strength, and inspiration to children in a very specific way. Though its students come from the heart of the Guatemala City slums, they make up one of the country’s best and brightest school bands.

Our Volunteer Coordinator, Tita, had to convince Luis that supporting the band was in line with Children Incorporated’s mission. As she spoke, it became clearer to him that the band was a unique academic motivator for Juan Apostol’s children. To participate in the band, you have to be an A student. And this isn’t some side project — the 85-student band and its two smaller bands of 45 and 30 are the school’s pride and joy. It’s by design — the coordinators understood that the band had to be something truly special to get these kids’ attention.

One school in particular, Juan Apostol School in Guatemala City, brings hope, strength, and inspiration to children in a very specific way.

Not only do the band members learn creative expression through music, but they also learn how to function as part of a very close-knit team, both musically and practically. The students and their parents have to raise funds for every trumpet, every drum, and every trip they take. The result is a group of families that are truly invested. “Every student wants to be in the band,” says Luis. “It’s just incredible.”

“They’re taught responsibility, coordination, administration, and they have to be good academically,” he continues. “So I thought we needed to support that.”

This year, Children Incorporated delivered enough brand-new instruments to replace a large percentage of Juan Apostol’s. Luis was able to attend a student performance as they blew their new trumpets and beat their new drums. He remembers feeling the children’s excitement as it grew and grew. “This is not a school that has a lot of money, and seeing those 85 kids playing felt like 20,000, all so proud of what they’re doing and showing that.”

Hands-on training now for a better tomorrow

Along with helping with the school’s band, which travels all over the region, Children Incorporated assisted in implementing a skills training program at Juan Apostol. Participating children train for more than a year in computers, graphic design, or even cosmetology, and when they’re finished, they receive a certificate from the government. So not only are Juan Apostol graduates earning a step up because of academic training, but they’re also going out into the world with skills they can use to do meaningful work. The program’s effectiveness has grown with its popularity, and now almost every child gets to participate.

It’s innovative programs like these that help children distance themselves from the challenges they face at home. Guatemalan children are often pressured into the drug trade or have to find legitimate work to help their families. Making sure that both students and parents understand the value of learning the skills taught in band or the skills training program, and keeping the process engaging for all shows these children, and their families, a glimpse of a better life.

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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 and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381, 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

Shelley Callahan | September 1, 2016En Español

Eastern Kentucky is a hotbed of hand-me-downs. We do a lot of work in the region, and this time, we’re here to drop off school supplies and check on the children as they begin the new school year. The thing I’ve noticed most is that children here have nothing new – unless it’s something we just handed them.

When you’re handing out school supplies to children whose parents couldn’t provide them, there are a lot of difficult moments, as well as poignant ones. As they come to the resource centers to collect their things, it’s the children’s clothing that jumps out from a distance. Pants are too short, shoes are too tight, hems are frayed and holes are apparent – they’re wearing clothes they’ve outgrown that have clearly been handed down one too many times already.

Finding style on a budget of $0

But they’re trying hard. Children with too-short jeans and missing buttons have obviously spent time and effort styling their hair just right, and they’ve got all the mannerisms and body language of their peers on TV. They’re doing their best to be normal, cool and style-conscious even when there’s no one at home to help them do it.

But all of that cool falls apart in the face of a new backpack.

The three sisters

At one of our affiliate elementary schools, volunteer coordinator, Kim, introduced us to three sisters who live with their father. Becky and Amber are 10-year-old twins, and Jordan is 8 years old. Their father hadn’t provided any school supplies, so Kim showed them to her supply closet, which she’s stocked with items from Children Incorporated and a few local donors.

Becky trying to decide which bookbag she wants to take

Inside the closet, the girls were overwhelmed. It’s not that there was so much — it’s that there was anything at all. The sisters had clearly never been given the chance to pick out something for themselves — ever.

Amber and Jordan managed it fairly well — they viewed the selection and honed in on the backpacks they wanted.

Becky, however, was a different matter. She kept staring, picking up one and then another, paralyzed by having any options at all. Eventually, we had to encourage her to choose so she could get back to class, and she finally walked out with her favorite.

For days, I’ve been picturing her face, staring in stupefaction and trying to comprehend the message: “You have a choice. You can pick the one you want. And it’s new – not someone else’s reject. You can pick out the brand-new backpack that you like the best.”

What an amazing and terrifying thought for a 10-year-old who’s never been told anything of the sort before. And what a heartbreaking and yet touching moment to witness – at the age of 10, she’s offered the chance to pick something and it’s a brand-new something. It’s taken 10 years for that to happen.

Something old, something new

That’s a moment we ended up witnessing over and over again on this trip, watching the faces of children being presented with new shoes, new backpacks, new magic markers – and often even a choice in which ones they wanted.

In many towns where we work, Children Incorporated isn’t the only major benefactor. But in eastern Kentucky, we are. Children Incorporated has donated $125,000 to 150,000 in supplies to each school here since we started, and for most of these children, the only new items they’ll ever see come from our sponsors.

“You have a choice. You can pick the one you want. And it’s new – not someone else’s reject. You can pick out the brand-new backpack that you like the best.”

And that doesn’t cover all of them. Our volunteer coordinators estimate that 80 to 90 percent of students at each school could qualify for help. But there isn’t enough help to go around, so every year we have children like Amber, Becky and Jordan who are getting support for the very first time.

We’ve seen a lot of moments when children first realized they were being gifted something brand new. But it’s Becky who stands out in my mind. She’s had that backpack for more than a week, and I have no doubt it’s the best thing she’s ever been given — not just the backpack, but also the freedom of choice.

What’s in your backpack?

It’s not the backpack – it’s the ownership, the agency and the knowledge that you’re good enough for something of your own and not just what no one else wants.

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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 and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at
1-800-538-5381, email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

Shelley Callahan | August 16, 2016En Español

The glamour of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio is a day’s drive away from Uberaba. But, to the children who live in this small neighborhood on the outskirts of Curitiba in dilapidated shacks on unpaved roads, the Olympics might as well be on another planet.

Children Incorporated sponsors five separate projects in Brazil, helping 170 kids gain access to necessities and opportunity. While each program has a place in Andreia Beraldo’s heart, it’s Recanto Esperanca in Uberaba that has left the most lasting impression.

Andreia is Children Incorporated’s Project Specialist for International Programs, and the first time she saw the center, which now serves 64 children, the building barely had a second floor. Two years later, she could barely recognize the place. With three floors, which includes a gymnasium, Recanto Esperanca is by far the nicest and most solid structure in the neighborhood, Beraldo says.

“Both times I went there,” says Beraldo. “You can see the children are so happy. Even the volunteers shared that they didn’t like going back home because they were so happy to be there. Some of them even wished they could come back for the weekend, because it’s so nice and safe and clean.”

Far from home, one couple shares a vision

But of course, the building is only the gathering place — the real Recanto Esperanca is the people behind it, namely Erika and Thomas Bleiker. The two relocated to Brazil from Switzerland on a mission to do what they could to help impoverished children.

Like many poor areas in Brazil, Uberaba presents challenges to its residents. The drug trade thrives here, and children, most of whom are left alone while parents try to earn a living, are especially vulnerable to negative influences. Abuse and violence are an ever-present danger, as are contagious diseases like dengue and zika, and children struggle to stay healthy.

In 2004, the Bleikers built their center around the idea that the neighborhood could be changed by fostering a sense of pride and self-worth in its children. Recanto Esperanca provides a safe space, where kids can sharpen their minds, participate in recreational activities, build ties with their neighbors, and just play. Before or after school, children busy themselves with computer skills training, sports, art, religious classes, or drama classes.

This summer, the theme is all about the Olympics — practicing new sports and learning more about the countries that are taking part.

The legacy of support

“Both times I went there,” says Beraldo. “You can see the children are so happy. Even the volunteers shared that they didn’t like going back home because they were so happy to be there. Some of them even wished they could come back for the weekend, because it’s so nice and safe and clean.”

Though children are the focus, the Bleikers want Recanto Esperanca to engage parents as well, to support the entire family. The neighborhood mothers also find themselves at the center, learning new skills, like art, jewelry-making, and more. With this beautiful handmade jewelry as a testament to the impact of Recanto, Thomas and Erika Bleiker have been successful in raising funds from all over the world.

Children Incorporated was struck by the dedication of Recanto Esperanca’s founders and the impact it was all clearly making on the children. It decided to sponsor children in the program, donating shoes, clothes, school supplies, cleaning products, and even food. These basic resources are not easily accessible for many of Uberaba’s children and teenagers, but Children Incorporated was able to work with Recanto to improve the lives of 59 of them.

Beraldo imagines a near future for Recanto that involves a trained teacher to help with tutoring in the way that a similar hire kicked another center, Caritas, into high gear. She’s already seen that Recanto’s children, who range from six-year-olds to older teenagers, flourish as part of a supportive community, and she knows that more opportunities for academic study will only motivate these kids more.

And something Uberaba greatly needs is educated adults forming a community that looks out for each other. As these children grow up practicing the Swiss sport of floorball, putting on a play with their peers, or learning that someone cares enough to give them some help with their homework, they’re collecting the tools they need to rise out of poverty, perhaps bringing their community along with them.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN BRAZIL?

You can sponsor a child in Brazil in one of three ways – call our office and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381, email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org, or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Brazil that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | July 28, 2016En Español

The average American doesn’t have to think much about how he will provide an education to his children. Our public school system provides many of our children with an education courtesy of tax dollars, and we’ve grown to take it for granted. In Kenya, however, school is a privilege, not a right. If you can pay to send your children to school, they go. If not, then they’re almost certainly looking at a bleak future of poverty.

Msamaria is a community center for street children in the Karen and Kibera area of Nairobi, Kenya. Its primary school, St. Nicholas School, educates both boarding and day students, and Children Incorporated supports 21 of those students.

Msamaria is a community center for street children in the Karen and Kibera area of Nairobi, Kenya. Its primary school, St. Nicholas School, educates both boarding and day students, and Children Incorporated supports 21 of those students.

On our first day in Nairobi, we plan to visit Msamaria, and St. Nicholas’s director, Naomi, picks us up at our hotel. Msamaria is only about five kilometers away, but the ever-present Nairobi gridlock makes it seem much farther. When we arrive, I’m immediately struck by how beautiful and well-kept the property is. I learn that it was bought by the Anglican church in 1986 from an American who had built her home on the grounds— a home that’s still used for board meetings and other events. Each building on the compound is graceful, with nice tile floors and surrounded by lush greenery. It’s very clear from the first that Naomi and her staff make every possible effort to keep their program running smoothly. Considering the slums that we’ve already toured, this is a 180-degree turn for Nairobi street kids.

We meet our social worker, Caroline, who works closely with sponsored children, along with the headteacher, Phantes. They talk to us about St. Nicholas’s formal education (kindergarten through eighth grade) — admission is application-based, giving concerned community members an opportunity to recommend children from the Kibera slum. Caroline reviews the applications and makes home visits to get to know the children better. Some are orphaned, some are abandoned and all are struggling to survive. These are absolutely the most desperate children I’ve encountered on our trip.

For that reason, St. Nicholas School has found a way to eliminate fees and break down barriers for Nairobi’s poorest and loneliest children.

With a self-sustainability program unlike any I’ve seen in Kenya thus far, St. Nicholas supports its students by selling bottled water. Naomi, who is one of the sweetest, toughest, and most hard-working people I’ve ever met in my life, took out a loan to start a bottled water factory. They pump water directly from the property, using a borehole and a motorized water pump, and the $2,000 they make per month goes towards paying the staff, supporting the programs, and feeding the children.

If that weren’t impressive enough, Naomi tells us about the school’s agricultural program, which grows maize, carrots, and tomatoes. Selling some of those vegetables along with milk from cows on the property (and consuming the rest), the school is able to supplement its income and stay the course on its commitment to a no-fee structure.

Our favorite part of each visit is, of course, getting to meet the children themselves. Two Children Incorporated sponsored children speak to us excitedly about soccer and school. Both are orphans, both have grown up at Msamaria, and both were very interested in sending greetings and thanks to their sponsors.

It feels good to see sponsor support at work here at Msamaria. We’ve provided mosquito nets, items for personal hygiene, school supplies, and food. When students age out of St. Nicholas and begin attending a local high school, they will need funding to continue their studies. The more children we are able to get into schools like St. Nicholas, the more opportunity they have for an education and a chance at rising above poverty.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENYA?

You can sponsor a child in Kenya in one of three ways – call our office and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381, email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org, or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Kenya that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | July 20, 2016En Español

It’s Sunday, and the students of the Materi School for Girls are still in uniform, singing songs in the shade or studying in the grass. Everyone seems to be resting, even the cows and pigs that the school raises for milk and meat, and even the large soccer field nearby.

When Brother John Konzka founded the Materi School in a village called Taraka, he envisioned a place where young Kenyan girls could access the world outside their household spheres.

These young women are often far from home, only seeing their families on breaks (or, for the very lucky, on weekends). When Brother John Konzka founded the Materi School in a village called Taraka, he envisioned a place where young Kenyan girls could access the world outside their household spheres. As an American missionary and teacher in Kenya, he’d seen firsthand the leadership roles women were taking within their families and knew that with more opportunities for female education would come more opportunities for Kenyan families.

Carrying on Brother John’s Vision

Luis worked with Brother John until the latter’s passing in 2014, but I can only rely on his legacy to get to know him. Since his death, there have been a number of changes, and this is our first visit since those changes have taken place. The Materi School has closed its middle school, since a good high school is highly valued in Kenya and can sustain itself on school fees. Brother John had been an excellent fundraiser and organizer, and due to his tireless efforts, the campus is enormous with a spacious landscape and many buildings. But now, the situation is less solid, and we’re here to see how we can help.

We meet Sebastian, the school’s director and principal, who fills us in. There are 1,000 young women living on the property full-time. They see their families about three times a year at the end of each term. Nursery-age girls also come to Materi, but they return to their nearby homes each day. Children Incorporated supports the smaller students, as well as students who attend the local primary schools, and we help with the fees for high school students.

Meet the Families

One of those students, Vero, lets us come with her on a trip to visit her mother. We pile into a truck with Vero, the driver Jambo, and Harriet and Anne, Materi employees and our tour guides for the day. It’s a bumpy ride to Vero’s house, which is only a few kilometers away. Recent flooding has caused huge ditches on either side of the road, making driving tough, and we’re relieved to arrive. Even though Vero lives much closer than many of her classmates, the conditions of the roads and the availability of transportation makes her visits home few and far between. Her mother embraces her tightly, and Luis and I are very touched.

The house has packed dirt floors, which Vero’s mother is having trouble keeping from turning into mud, which could seriously affect the house’s structure. She lives there with Vero’s sister and an aunt. There’s more family nearby, with small cousins roaming the property.

But as always, I’m struck by the kindness and hospitality of everyone we meet.

Our next stop is the house of Skeeter and Salome, two girls who are close in age but not sisters (Salome is Skeeter’s aunt). They live with Skeeter’s grandmother, who is Salome’s mother, and the two girls walk the 40 minutes to school together each day. Anne shows me evidence of other ways that Children Incorporated students benefit—their houses tend to have more necessities like mosquito nets and bedding. Because at school they’ve learned how to take care of themselves and their houses, they tend to bring that sense of order back home, keeping their houses neater and more organized than some of their neighbors’.

Before we finish our voyage, we walk down a narrow path through a cornfield to the home of a primary school student and her family. Her mother has a large goiter on her neck that’s giving her trouble with eating and talking, and the family doesn’t have enough money for even the simple surgery it would take to remove it.

In many ways, this trip has been more difficult for me because of the deteriorated circumstances of so many of these children. But as always, I’m struck by the kindness and hospitality of everyone we meet. While we struggle to make sense of what feels like a hopeless battle against poverty, the students, families, and staff at Materi School for Girls continue to keep their heads up and their minds active.

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN KENYA?

SPONSOR A CHILD