Tag Archives: mexico

Shelley Callahan | June 21, 2022En Español

Only four days into our trip to Mexico, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and myself are already in our third city, Guadalajara.

After visiting our affiliated sites in both Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende, I am excited to also return to the La Luz Home in Guadalajara after six years. I have fond memories of meeting the children and getting to hear about this truly incredible site and the abundance of programs that it has for children in the community, including our sponsorship program.

I have fond memories of meeting the children and getting to hear about this truly incredible site.

Difficulty Through the Pandemic

Our volunteer coordinator, Sister Elizabeth, picks us up early in the morning along with La Luz’s driver, who spends most of his day taking the children back and forth between the Home and the local public schools that they attend. When Luis and I get in the van, there is a young boy sitting next to Sister Elizabeth that at first, I don’t recognize with his mask on.

As we drive to La Luz through the early morning traffic of Guadalajara, Luis and I catch up with Sister Elizabeth about how things have been for her during the pandemic. She admits that, like many other of our affiliated sites, it was difficult for them not knowing when the children would be able to go back to school and knowing that all the families that they support were in need of more resources than ever before.

Remember Fernando

About 20 minutes later, the driver pulls over in a residential neighborhood, and we all exit the car — including the young boy, who removes his mask and takes off running down the sidewalk to a big metal door about 30 feet away. I suddenly realize — I have been here before! We are at the home of Fernando whose family we met on our last trip to Mexico. I hadn’t recognized him, but without his mask, I can see clearly that it is the same Fernando, only taller.

We enter his home, which is occupied only by his older sister at the time — his mother is at work and his other siblings are at school. Fernando is the only child in the family young enough to still be attending La Luz — he is still too small at 10 years old to not have more supervision since his mother works long hours at a local school.

Because of his mother’s demanding work schedule, I know it’s best that Fernando is still at the La Luz Home — as long as he is there, he will be under the loving care of the Sisters and his sponsor — and it’s obvious that it has helped him a lot. He looks healthy and happy, and excitedly gives us a short tour of his small house, even though not much has changed since our last visit.

Big Help From Sponsors

Fernando is pictured in his school uniform standing on the patio of the home he shares with his mother, siblings, grandfather and aunt.

Once we have finished seeing Fernando’s home again, we say goodbye to his sister and head to the La Luz Home, only a short five-minute drive away. The children are still in school, so Sister Elizabeth gives us a tour, and we have a meeting in her office with the Home’s full-time social worker. They tell us that all twenty children at the Home are currently sponsored through the Children Incorporated program, and it’s a big help for them to have the support.

Every child at the La Luz Home, including Fernando, is there because one or both of their parents are incarcerated, so having a sponsor doesn’t just mean they are getting resources they need each month, like food and school supplies, but it means they have someone that they know cares about their well-being.

Like Fernando, some of these children have the same sponsor that they did six years ago when I first came to La Luz, and that can be life-changing for these children, who might not always feel special growing up in poverty with parents who struggle in really desperate situations.

Around the time that we wrap up our meeting, La Luz’s driver is bringing the second group of children to the Home in the van, and both the girls and boys excitedly run from the entrance through the courtyard and into their separate dorms to change out of their school uniforms and get ready for lunch. Sister Elizabeth invites us to chat with the children while they eat, and I have the chance to take some photos of them enjoying their soup and tuna salad, giddy knowing that the guests for the day came to visit with them.

I love knowing that, like Fernando, these other children who I am only just meeting for the first time are getting the chance to live long-term at La Luz as well.

Saying Goodbye for Now

I love knowing that, like Fernando, these other children who I am only just meeting for the first time are getting the chance to live long-term at La Luz as well. It’s a great relief to know that they have some consistency here that doesn’t always exist in their home lives.

As we depart for the day and say our goodbyes, I give one last wave to Fernando and the other children, myself just as giddy as the children knowing how much our sponsors are doing to help ensure that they all get to grow up at La Luz.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Mexico?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | June 19, 2022En Español

After our visit to Casa Hogar Santa Inés in Mexico City, Children Incorporated Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet and I were off to San Miguel de Allende to meet with Sister Isabel, our volunteer coordinator at Hogar Santa Julia.

Remembering Santa Julia

I had fond memories of Santa Julia from my visit six years prior – the beautiful grounds of the home, with its well-maintained gardens and bright colorful murals, stood out to me as such as a wonderful place for destitute young girls to grow up in, away from the harsh conditions that they lived in before.

Even through all the challenges of the pandemic, the staff at Santa Julia always maintained and focused on their goals for the children there.

At Santa Julia, each girl is at the home because social services in Mexico has deemed their home life to be unfit — and in fact, once the children are enrolled at the home, they are there until they are 18 years old and can determine for themselves as adults if they want to have contact with their families again. When they are removed from their homes, the situation is often so horrific that the parents don’t know where their children are being taken for their children’s protection.

Getting to know the home again

When we arrive at Santa Julia, we are greeted by Lily, who is the Director of Development at the home, and Sister Isabel. It was great to meet Lily for the first time; she is energetic and enthusiastic about the Children Incorporated program. It was equally wonderful to see Sister Isabel again who had grown into her role as the head of the home since the last time we saw her, busily running around with many daily tasks to take care of.

We start the morning with a tour of the facilities, and Lily tells us about how the last few years have been for them. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the children stayed at Santa Julia and were out of school and learning virtually for nearly two years. During that time, the staff worked hard to creatively engage the girls in activities including art and online English classes. The girls took swimming lessons over the summer of 2021 and showed off artwork that they created at a local restaurant. They also participated in a Christmas Bizarre where they sold small crafts that they made by hand.

Including family in the present and future

The dorms at the Santa Julia Home are spacious and well-kept so the girls living there truly do feel at home.

Lily continued to explain that even through all the challenges of the pandemic, the staff at Santa Julia always stayed focused on their goals for the children — to learn good habits and values, especially respect for one another, to achieve consistency with their education, and to achieve comprehensive development through physical activity and proper nutrition.

Beyond all this, the girls also receive medical services, dental services, psychological services and ophthalmological services throughout the year. Additionally, Santa Julia managed to expand its programs in 2021 and began including brothers of the young girls during their intake process. Lily expressed that over the years, the staff of Santa Julia noticed that they had several cases in which girls who were separated from their home were not only having a difficult time adjusting, but were distressed over no longer being with their siblings and feeling alone and abandoned.

To mitigate this issue, Santa Julia started offering temporary housing for siblings during the adjustment period, during which the brothers and sisters can stay together until the boys can be relocated and can continue to have regular contact with one another.

A truly incredible place

Before leaving the home for the day, we had a chance to meet with some of the girls, some of whom I remember from six years ago. They all looked so healthy and happy, sitting closely together on the couches in Sister Isabel’s office, obviously bonded together from their time at the home. I showed them old photos of themselves on my phone but refrained from taking any new pictures at Lily’s request. Because of the sensitivity of their situations, she preferred that we help to keep the girls’ anonymous, and I understood completely after hearing more about how hard Santa Julia is working to give these girls, and their brothers, a safe place to grow up in.

For now, I have the memories of the children in my mind from our visit and a comfort in my heart knowing that they are safe and sound among truly incredible people in a truly incredible home.

***

How do I sponsor a child in Mexico?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Ron Carter | May 31, 2018

Dear Friends,

At any given time, we have over 1,000 children on our waiting list for sponsorship. Currently, there are more than 600 unsponsored children in our United States Division alone. One of our organization’s most difficult challenges is finding enough sponsors to support all the children referred to us by our network of volunteer coordinators. After being enrolled in our sponsorship program, some children wait many months — even years — before they are matched with individual sponsors.

One of our organization’s most difficult challenges is finding enough sponsors to support all the children referred to us by our network of volunteer coordinators.

Ideally, every enrolled child would have a sponsor — but the reality is that there aren’t as many individual sponsors as there are children in need in our program. That is why our Shared Hope Fund is incredibly important. Established to assist children who are not yet linked with sponsors, the fund provides food, clothing, educational assistance, and much more as these children wait to be sponsored.

We have heard many heartwarming stories of young people who have benefitted greatly as a direct result of our Shared Hope Fund. Avi*, a young man from India, is one such person. He did not have a sponsor, yet assistance from our Shared Hope Fund supported him throughout his high school years. After graduating, Avi desperately wanted to continue attending classes and receive vocational training, so he applied for assistance from our Higher Education Fund, which gave him the opportunity to go on to college.

Avi is now a Doctor of Pharmacy and has been working in this field for about a year now. Like Avi, there are other young men and women who have graduated from high school and who are now attending college under these same circumstances — and we are very proud that we are able to help them through our Higher Education Fund.

Your donations provide for the immediate needs of children in our program.

Both of these special funds are very important, and we need your support in order to keep meeting needs as they arise! Our Shared Hope Fund made it possible for Luisa*, a young girl in Guatemala, to receive school supplies while she waited to become sponsored. Marlene, a precious child from Kentucky, received a brand new pair of glasses when hers broke — and she didn’t have to wait until she had a sponsor to receive this assistance. Through our Higher Education Fund, Summer, also from Kentucky, is now a junior in college with the goal of working in the field of business administration after she graduates. Chelsea, another young woman who was enrolled in our child sponsorship program, is now a college senior and straight-A student who will soon begin her career as a systems analyst.

Our Shared Hope Fund and our Higher Education Fund are but two of the many ways in which Children Incorporated continues to meet needs around the world. Please consider making a contribution to one or both of these special funds today.

From the heart,

Ronald H. Carter
President and Chief Executive Officer
Children Incorporated

*All names changed for individuals’ protection.

***

HOW DO I DONATE TO THE SHARED HOPE FUND AND THE HIGHER EDUCATION FUND?

You can donate to our Shared Hope Fund and Higher Education 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 and select the fund you would like to donate to.

DONATE

Shelley Callahan | March 2, 2017En Español

International Women’s Day is coming up next week, on March 8. It’s a time for us to reflect on the contributions women make to society, despite the massive challenges they face here and around the globe.

Anyone can see that women and girls are still less valued than men and boys in many cultures. Women – even educated women – still earn significantly less than men in the job market. And in some cultures, young girls are not even given opportunities for learning or growth so that they may support themselves and their families in the future.

At Children Incorporated, we work to break that cycle, helping to give children the opportunity to get an education so that they can, as adults, rise above poverty.

We’d like to think of this as a problem found only in impoverished countries, but the discrepancy is easy to track in America as well.

A recent story in the Dallas Morning News stated that seventeen percent of women and girls in Texas live in poverty. Sadly, that’s not out of line with the national average: 14.7 percent of American women are living in poverty — a significantly higher rate than that of men — according to the 2010 Census.

A lot of that has to do with the wage gap: women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men make. But it also has to do with a systematic lack of opportunities for girls, and that’s where Children Incorporated has been directing its efforts.

Education is the key

We already know that education is critical in reducing poverty rates. Many children live in situations where one or both parents are either uneducated, or at the very least, are undereducated. As such, these parents often have very low-wage jobs, with few or no benefits. Due to a lack of financial resources in the family, they have an incredibly difficult time moving up and improving their station in life. If only the parents were better educated and more qualified to hold higher-paying jobs with benefits and perks, perhaps the family could escape the trappings of poverty.

At Children Incorporated, we work to break that cycle, helping to give children the opportunity to get an education so that they can, as adults, rise above poverty.

Raising role models

One shining example can be found in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Last spring, Children Incorporated Director of Development, Shelley Callahan, and Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited Villa Emilia, a small compound just outside of the city that helps women and children who have been living on the streets turn their lives around.

When we educate girls, we give them a chance to have a better future.

The alleys of Santa Cruz are home to countless women who work the streets to keep their children fed. It’s hard and dangerous, and often illegal. The children grow up uneducated and homeless themselves. As they grow into adulthood, the boys can become laborers or field hands. The girls, however, often have no options but to take to the streets too — thus continuing the cycle.

Sister Pilar and the nuns at Villa Emilia find these families in the alleys and bring them to the community to live. The women are trained in garment making, the children are educated, and everyone is taught work ethic and life skills that they can pass down.

The Sisters also help families to build permanence and stability. When families move to Villa Emilia, they live in homes that are owned by the Sisters. However, with the wages they earn in the villa’s garment factory, the women purchase homes of their own, giving their children a fresh start living in a new home and getting an education.

Focusing on women has been paying off — the children wear clothes their mothers have sewn themselves, they live in houses purchased by their mothers, and they go to schools that are available to them because of their mothers’ efforts. These mothers have become role models for the girls — and the boys — of the next generation.

Focusing on women has been paying off – the children wear clothes their mothers have sewn themselves, they live in houses purchased by their mothers, and they go to schools that are available to them because of their mothers’ efforts.

Skills for life

In Lages, Brazil, Children Incorporated began supporting women of Grupo Art’Mulher, a community bakery that sells cookies, loaves of bread, pasta, and cakes. The group’s purpose is to teach business skills and a trade to mothers, who also earn an income for their work.

In its first year, twenty women received instruction on how to bake and how to sell baked goods. Grupo Art’Mulher began making a name for itself at the local market, and many members of the first class ended up getting jobs in the food industry.

That was five years ago, and since then, the program has only grown. The mothers of Grupo Art’Mulher have learned to support their families, and have learned cooking and business skills to pass down to their own children. They’ve also earned enough to give back – a percentage of the bakery income will be donated to start music and theater courses in a building across the street from it this year.

In some areas, like in Santa Cruz and Lages, we sponsor programs aimed toward women and girls specifically. But at all of our projects, we value girls and include them in our programs just as we do boys. We do not support work where intolerance or gender prejudice is known to exist.

In areas for which we fundraise to create special facilities, such as the computer lab we helped get up-and-running in Mexico, or the school we built in Bolivia, female students are afforded the same access to services as the male ones. In Guatemala, we support a wonderful school where children are given vocational training of all kinds – and the girls are just as involved, if not even more so, than the boys.

Changing communities is a slow, but steady process, and all evidence points to the fact that more and more girls are receiving a good education. That will allow them to do better in life financially than their parents did, and to slowly change the outlook of the entire community in which they live.

Self-Sufficiency

The Pumwani slum of Nairobi is considered one of the worst communities in the world. Between 70,000 and 100,000 people live crowded together in shacks about the size of an American bathroom, with no water or electricity, and along streets of mud.

One of our projects there is St. John’s Community Center, where 200 children are taught academic subjects, as well as trades like woodworking, metalwork, sewing, and cooking so that they can get jobs and get out of the slums.

And sometimes success is easy to see in someone’s face. Callahan and Bourdet met a graduate of the program, Mwanaharusi, who learned to sew at St. John’s. She saved enough money to buy a foot-powered sewing machine and now has her own business making clothes and mending garments.

It’s a modest success by some standards; but in the darkest corners of the world, it’s a major victory. A girl born into poverty — in a country where girls are often not educated at all — finishes school, starts her own business and is able to support herself and her family.

Moving Forward

With every success like Mwanaharusi’s, we move one step closer to equality. But we don’t do it alone. With funding from our sponsors, and with continued attention to childhood poverty and income inequality – both at home and abroad – we will keep moving forward together, one step at a time.

***

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 | January 11, 2017En Español

On our site visit to Guadalajara last year, we met young Renaldo*. The five-year-old is the youngest of three children in his family, and he attends the La Luz (in English, “The Light”) Children’s Home, a home for children who have one or both parents serving time in prison.

When we met Renaldo, he was making a special picture for his sponsor, Stephen Suelzle, a printer who lives 2,469 miles away from him in Portland, Oregon. Thanks to Suelzle’s sponsorship and the extra monetary gifts he provides, Renaldo regularly receives clothes, shoes, and toys, which are all purchased by our volunteer coordinator at La Luz, Sister Nellie.

I send extra money each month, besides the sponsorship amount, so he can get extra things he might need, and then I also send extra for his birthday and Christmas.

Suelzle has been a sponsor through Children Incorporated for more than a decade, helping kids in Brazil and Mexico. Our Director of Development, Shelley Callahan, contacted him to find out more about how he discovered Children Incorporated, his relationship with Renaldo, and what sponsorship means to him.

SC: How did you get involved with Children Incorporated?

SS: Around twenty years ago, I met a young man, through mutual friends, who was from Brazil. He was only here a short time, and without proper permissions. He just really wanted to see America. We spent a lot of good time together. But eventually, immigration made him go back. I have always wanted to sponsor children. So initially, I started sponsoring boys in Curitiba, Brazil to sort of remember him.

SC: Had you previously sponsored a child?

SS: No. This was the first time.

SC: Is Renaldo your first sponsored child with Children Incorporated?

SS: No, there were at least three others. They were all boys who were a wide range of ages. The first were from Brazil, and then later, Mexico. I originally asked for boys from Brazil, and let Children Incorporated decide beyond that, because I knew they would know best who needed help. Children Incorporated suggested someone from Mexico, and that’s how I started sponsoring boys at La Luz.

Ranaldo with his family

The more I heard about the La Luz Home, the more I liked it. I especially liked that it sounded much more like an extended family situation (because of the adults who work there, and other children who are there), as opposed to someplace to just stick kids who had nowhere to go.

SC: What do you know about Renaldo?

SS: I know he’s five years old, and in his third year of pre-school. He always sends me drawings and colorings. I seem to remember soccer being mentioned, too.

SC: What do you know about his living situation?

SS: Only the basics. He stays at La Luz during the week, and goes home to his mother on the weekends. I think his siblings stay there, too. I don’t know the names or ages of the rest of his family.

SC: Do you know where his father is, or what happened to him?

SS: Because of the nature of La Luz, I assume he is in prison, or in a similar situation. But I don’t know anything else.

SC: Do you communicate with Renaldo directly?

SS: I haven’t so far, because he was so young. But he is old enough now that I think it would be a good idea – and to send him my picture as well.

SC: Does he send you letters?

SS: All the time. They always include a wonderful drawing, or something he has colored. I look forward to them, and keep them all in a photo album.

SC: What does he say?

SS: He always thanks me for helping him. In February, a social worker sent me a letter where they told me he had said, “I am very hard-working. I liked my gift very much.” In at least one picture, he addressed me as “Mr. Stephen.” I liked that. Mostly, he just says, “Thank you.”

If you decide you want to sponsor a child, then commit to doing it – making sure that the sponsorship money is there every month – because it is just as important as taking care of your own children.

SC: Are his letters in English or another language?

SS: The letters are always in Spanish, and translated into English [at the Children Incorporated office]. The writing that I assume to be his is pretty good for a five-year-old!

SC: Do you send him gifts?

SS: I send extra money each month, besides the sponsorship amount, so he can get extra things he might need; and then I also send extra for his birthday and Christmas. The coordinator at La Luz takes care of purchasing the gifts for him. In a way, it makes me feel like I won’t let him down.

SC: Does Renaldo ask for specific things, or does the volunteer coordinator pick things out for him?

SS: I always designate the extra money for something he might want or need. In other words, my hope is that the child would have some say in how the money is used. It’s important to have the things you need. But if possible, it can be huge to have something you really want every once in awhile at least, especially for a child.

SC: What do you know about Mexico?

SS: I couldn’t pass a history test about Mexico. I only know that when I visited there a long time ago, I felt so at home. I would have stayed if I could have. I have always enjoyed the company of Mexican people in my life, and have a good friend now who is from Mexico.

SC: What do you know about Guadalajara?

SS: Not very much, I’m afraid. I wondered what the neighborhood was like, and at one point, I used Google Maps/Street View to find out. It was so amazing to see the La Luz building and surrounding area. To be honest, it looked just like neighborhoods here in the U.S. Having that connection, even if only online, meant a lot to me.

SC: What do you know about the home he attends?

SS: I only know that it is for children who have one or both parents who are in jail. I don’t know anything about its funding or founding, or anything like that.

SC: What has surprised you most about La Luz?

SS: Everyone there – the children and social workers – seem to be so happy, and to be doing a good job. This isn’t really surprising, but rather something that makes me very happy.

SC: What advice would you have for someone considering sponsorship?

SS: If you decide you want to sponsor a child, then commit to doing it – making sure that the sponsorship money is there every month – because it is just as important as taking care of your own children. While I’m sure there are procedures in place to take care of the loss of a sponsor, I would never want to be the one to tell a child I wasn’t going to sponsor them anymore.

* Name changed for child’s protection.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN MEXICO?

You can sponsor a child in Mexico 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@childrenincorporated.org, or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Mexico that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | November 22, 2016En Español

In the eight months since we first launched our On the Road series, Luis and I have traveled some 20,000 miles around the globe visiting the families and communities your contributions support.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we thought we’d share some of our favorite food samplings from around the world.

We are so grateful for the opportunity to report on the impact sponsorship has on the children we serve. We’ve met some pretty amazing people along the way, many of whom have welcomed us into their homes to break bread.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we thought we’d share some of our favorite food samplings from around the world.

Salteñas (Bolivia)

If you travel to Bolivia, save room for lunch! Luis and I ate so well with the Sisters while we were there that most days we skipped dinner altogether.

We got to try some of the children’s favorites: majadito (rice cooked with onions, tomatoes, and spices, and served with fried eggs and yucca or plantains), mondongo (marinated pork, served with boiled corn and potatoes), and pique macho (cubed beef, sliced hot dogs, and stir-fried vegetables cooked in local spices and served over French-fried potatoes).

And of course, Salteñas!

A Salteña is the Bolivian version of an empanada. Filled with meat, potatoes, peas and more, this delicious pastry is a great mid-morning snack. Deliciosa!

Injera (Ethiopia)

Ethiopian food means injera, a spongy pancake-like flatbread made from teff, wheat, barley, corn, and/or rice flour. A fundamental part of every Ethiopian meal, it is often eaten with meat stews and cooked greens. Luis and I make a habit of trying out the traditional cuisine on each of our trips — and, in Ethiopia, that included visiting a restaurant that offered traditional dancing as well as dinner.

Dishes come served on large platters to share, brimming with lentils, kale, and spicy tomato stew. The flavors are delicious, and better yet, Ethiopians use the injera to scoop up the food — no utensils required!

Tortillas (Mexico)

Luis and I mainly ate tacos while in Mexico. The variety of fresh and flavorful ingredients is astounding. My favorite part of Mexican dishes: they all seem to come with fresh limes for extra flavor, although dishes are usually already full of flavor. Rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa are served with every meal, and tortillas are plentiful, brought to you in a round tortilla warmer that looks like an oven mitt to keep your tortillas warm as you eat your meal.

Sorghum (Kentucky)

Driving through Kentucky, it’s easy to find mainstays like pizza, fried chicken, spaghetti, biscuits and gravy, and chicken and dumplings. Last summer, we had the opportunity to stop by a local farm with one of our volunteer coordinators and meet a farmer who makes sorghum, a sweet syrup akin to molasses. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried sorghum on your biscuits. Yum!

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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD THROUGH CHILDREN INCORPORATED?

SPONSOR A CHILD