Tag Archives: poverty

Shelley Callahan | January 21, 2024En Español

After almost a week in Sucre, our International Director of Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I were winding down our visits to our affiliated sites, with only two left before we would leave Bolivia. Up until then, all the sites we had visited were schools or afterschool centers, but now, we were visiting the one site we work with that is a group home for girls in need.

Located in the city center of Sucre, the Santa Clotilde Home is unassuming from the outside, looking just like our other sites when one is standing on the street facing the building. Large doors and a high wall hid the interior buildings from view for security. But, once we walked inside, we really got to see just how vast and impressive the property is.

Upon entering the home, not only did our volunteer coordinator, Jhanneth, greet us at the door, but so did all the sponsored girls in our program, who were lined up wearing colorful outfits and holding balloons. We entered through a narrow lobby into a beautiful courtyard, surrounded by study rooms, activity rooms, dormitories, a kitchen and other administrative offices — everything the girls and the staff needed to live at Santa Clotilde full-time. Jhanneth explained to Luis and me that the girls attend local public schools, but the home was very focused on offering vocational training so the girls could learn fun and valuable skills while growing up here, such as sewing and cooking.

Vital support for vulnerable girls

Before Jhanneth gave us a tour of the home, the girls presented Luis and me with small gifts they had made themselves, showing off the amazing skills they had with arts and crafts. They then performed dances, played guitar and sang for us — all activities that were a regular part of their routine at Santa Clotilde. Jhanneth even had a music teacher come in each week to work with the girls in the afternoons after school.

Jhanneth went on to say that it was vital that the girls receive support from the home, and from Children Incorporated sponsors, to make sure they grow up in a safe and loving environment.

After their presentation, we had a chance to see where the girls lived, which were dorms that had been divided into areas based on ages and then designated by colors. Younger girls lived in the pink room while older girls lived in the green and purple rooms. Each color room had a lead girl who was in charge of helping the other, younger girls keep their beds and lockers tidy, which gave them a sense of responsibility they were very proud of.

As we walked between the dorm rooms, Jhanneth explained to Luis and me that these girls were some of the more vulnerable children in all of Sucre. Most of them had at some point been abandoned by their parents, some soon after birth, and they had no family to return to. Others were removed from their homes due to alcoholism or abuse by their caretakers. She went on to say that it was vital that they receive support from the home, and from Children Incorporated sponsors, to make sure they grow up in a safe and loving environment.

An amazing home full of love

Our tour ended in the kitchen of the home, where all the girls were waiting for us to join them for a delicious lunch, prepared by the full-time kitchen staff. Each of the girls helped set the tables, pour juice, and then clean up plates after we were done eating. The scene was lively as the girls giggled and told jokes to us through our meal.

I couldn’t help but have a huge smile on my face seeing them enjoy themselves so much in this amazing home, where they had everything they needed, including a family of peers and caring adults who looked out for them each and every day.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child 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 that is available for sponsorship.

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Ron Carter | January 1, 2024

I am a big believer in the idea of maintaining “an attitude of gratitude.” I have discovered over the years that I can weather crisis, hardships, trials, and difficulties much better when I remind myself of just how blessed I am. Even during my most trying days, I am aware that there are always others who perhaps struggle more, face greater challenges, and lack many things that I daily take for granted. I try very hard, even when I am frustrated, disappointed, or disillusioned to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, and I constantly work to hold on firmly to my “attitude of gratitude.”

I want you to know that Children Incorporated appreciates each and every one of our sponsors and donors. Thank you for allowing us to serve those in need.

As we begin yet another year – Children Incorporated’s 60^th year of assisting those living in poverty – I want to clearly express my thanks to each of you who contributes to our special funds and sponsors our beautiful children. Your generosity over the decades is what has allowed us to feed, clothe, and help educate children and youth in many varied locations around the globe.

Children Incorporated would not and could not exist without your financial support and the trust you place in us to use your gifts for good. We take this responsibility quite seriously and constantly work to make each dollar go as far as possible in meeting the huge volume of needs before us.

I am grateful – truly thankful! – for your generous support, and I want you to know that Children Incorporated appreciates each and every one of our sponsors and donors. Thank you for allowing us to serve those in need.

From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter
President and Chief Executive Officer

***

Ron Carter | December 2, 2023

Dear Friends,

December is an important month. For some, it is the end of yet another year, a time to wrap up loose ends and bring matters, personal and professional, to closure. For others, both religious and otherwise, December is the season of advent, of fresh starts, of hope, peace, joy, and love. Sprinkled throughout the month are all sorts of days of special recommendation. For example, December 4th is “Wear Brown Shoes Day,” December 6th is “Bartender Appreciation Day,” and December 13th is “Ice Cream Day.” Of course, the majority of us celebrate Christmas on December 25th.

Children Incorporated, as a business, operates on a fiscal year calendar (July 1 through June 30), so December is definitely not a month of endings for us, though the end of the calendar year is crucial for us as far as contributions go. As our financial supporters bring their annual contributions to an end, we always anticipate the generosity of those wishing to support our work with monetary gifts before the close of the calendar year.

Our Annual Fund is what drives our mission and vision and allows us to plan for the future of our organization — one in which we can help more and more children each and every year.

This year is no different. As always, we need your support and ask that you seriously consider what you may give to help us continue our life-changing work around the world. The needs of those we serve are ever-present and ever-real as children and families struggle with food insecurity and poor nutrition, the high cost of education, a lack of adequate clothing and hygiene items, and sub-par housing and shelter.

We do all that we can with the funds we receive from sponsorship and general contributions, and our honest efforts are recognized by the major charitable monitoring groups — Charity Navigator recently awarded Children Incorporated a score of 99 out of 100! — but the needs always seem to outweigh the dollars collected. This December, we ask for your help once again by considering making a donation to our Annual Fund. Our Annual Fund is what drives our mission and vision and allows us to plan for the future of our organization — one in which we can help more and more children each and every year, while keeping up with meeting the needs of the children we already support.

Yes, December is an important month. I’d like to designate it as “Children Incorporated Thanks Its Incredible Sponsors and Donors Month” and share my gratitude to each of you for allowing our small but dedicated staff and me, personally, to do the work of helping and improving the lives of children and families. You make it all possible. Thank you.

From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter

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Shelley Callahan | November 13, 2023En Español

We recently received a letter from our volunteer coordinator, James, at the Dandora Center in Nairobi, Kenya, who writes to us to express his gratitude for Hope In Action funds that have allowed him to improve and expand the school, which is all to the great benefit of the children we serve there.

“I look back and appreciate with gratitude how much we have been able to achieve at the center through your support.”

A letter from James

“Dear Children Incorporated,

Receive warm greetings from us all at the Dandora Center, and we hope that this finds you well! The children are fine and getting on well with their daily school activities in this rather short but very busy term. Soon, national examinations and assessments will be setting in, and afterwards, the children will be entering the long December holidays.”

“At this juncture, I look back and appreciate with gratitude how much we have been able to achieve at the center through your support, which has made the environment for the children so conducive to learning.”

“I am glad that the boys’ restroom that I mentioned to you during my last communication is now complete and only needs to be painted. We have now begun constructing the girls’ restroom hoping that it will be complete by the beginning of next year. Upon completion of these restroom blocks, we hope to renovate the current room being used as toilets and convert it to a more spacious computer room that will be able to accommodate all the children with ease.”

“I appreciate the support you gave us to construct the first floor of the new classroom block which is currently being used by the children in the junior secondary school. We hope that next year we can manage to do the final floor and roofing of the block to prepare for ninth grade classrooms. Your love for the children at the center gives us hope as we make this request.”

Finally, it’s my great pleasure to share with you a few photos of the children carrying out different activities together with a few structural developments. We forever remain indebted to you as well as all the Children Incorporated sponsors for all the things you do for children.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

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Shelley Callahan | October 15, 2023En Español

When our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I discussed traveling to Bolivia in March of 2023, he was most excited about getting to visit the Montero School outside of Santa Cruz.

The support they receive from Children Incorporated sponsors goes a long way to help supplement food items, school supplies and hygiene items for children in our program.

Not only had Children Incorporated donors funded the construction of seven classrooms at the school seven years ago, for which Luis and I were invited to attend the community inaugural event, but more recently, we have supported the school’s efforts to build an agricultural school that had been completed just last year.

Luis is passionate about agriculture. As a young university student in Guatemala, he majored in agriculture before moving to the United States and becoming a teacher, and eventually working with Children Incorporated. He understands the importance of learning a trade and more specifically, a trade that generates an income while really helping the local economy.

Visiting the Montero School

When we arrived in Santa Cruz in early March, we visited our affiliated site, Villa Emilia, before making the trip to Montero, which was about two hours away from the city. Our volunteer coordinators picked us up early in the morning of our scheduled visit, and we headed almost directly north for roughly 60 kilometers, arriving to the school with a warm welcome from our sponsored children and their parents, who had prepared a full morning of presentations for us that included speeches, poem readings and traditional dances.

The Montero School itself is located on a beautiful, large piece of property, where school-aged children attend throughout the day, and classes for older children and adults are held in the evenings. The support they receive from Children Incorporated sponsors goes a long way to help supplement food items, school supplies and hygiene items for children in our program — things they need to make sure they can attend school fully prepared and ready to learn.

A site that continues to grow

After the presentations were over, the children enjoyed a snack from the school’s kitchen and then headed home for the day. Luis and I enjoyed a nice lunch with our volunteer coordinators, and took a quick tour of the school, revisiting the additional classrooms Children Incorporated had built, which now showed signs of many wonderful days of use, as teachers had decorated with lessons, written on the chalkboards, and arranged desks to best fit their students’ learning styles and needs.

In next week’s edition of Stories of Hope, we will visit the agricultural school along with some of the students and teachers who are involved with this new program on a daily basis — another great reminder of just how much our donors help children around the world receive an education.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | October 8, 2023En Español

One of my very first site visits with Children Incorporated is something I will never forget. After a brief few days in La Paz, Bolivia, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I flew to Santa Cruz, in anticipation of meeting with our volunteer coordinator, Sister Pilar, at our affiliated site, Villa Emilia.

The same families still live in the homes, and the sense of community among the children and mothers was endearing.

When I initially met her back in 2016, Sister Pilar really stood out to me. A small, gregarious woman who has dedicated her life to working within underprivileged communities, she walked briskly in front of us as she showed us around Villa Emilia, an expansive compound where women and their children are given a safe place to learn trades and interact with other children away from the dangers of impoverished neighborhoods in the city.

The facility itself impressed me from the first moment I saw it, and made me very aware of just how much work was going into supporting these families. Their main goal is to help get women steady jobs so they can send their children to school and provide a consistent life for them that will help them get out of poverty as they grow into adults themselves. Because the housing on the Villa Emilia campus was limited, the amount of time that women could stay there with the children was also limited, and that was something that Sister Pilar really wanted to change.

looking to children incorporated for support

And change it did. Before we finished our visit with Sister Pilar 7 years ago, she drove us out to a plot of land 20 minutes outside of the city to show us her vision for the future — an empty field where houses would eventually be built that would offer permanent housing for families in need, so they would never have to worry about where they would live ever again.

Sister Pilar explained that Villa Emilia had already purchased the land and gotten permission from the government to build — all they needed now was help with funding the construction of the homes. Luis picked up on her not-so-subtle request for support, and ask Sister Pilar on the spot to send in a Hope In Action request to Children Incorporated for the cost of building the houses.

Three years later, Luis returned to Santa Cruz, where Sister Pilar had been hard at work overseeing plans for eight single family homes to be built. The celebration was joyous for everyone, especially for the mothers who were getting to move themselves and their children into their brand-new houses — all thanks to our donors. Four years after that, I once again traveled to Bolivia to see the homes that Sister Pilar was just as excited to show off as she was when she initially showed them to Luis a few years back.

The same families still live in the homes, and the sense of community among the children and mothers was endearing. As we toured the houses, each similar yet with their own special decorating touches, the children ran from yard to yard and into each other’s homes. I loved seeing how welcoming everyone was with one another — so comfortable and secure in their own neighborhood, where they had little to worry about, which was a drastic change from the lives they had before receiving such amazing support from Villa Emilia, Sister Pilar and Children Incorporated sponsors and donors.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD