*Note: This blog was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although much has changed regarding our sponsored children’s learning experience in the past months, our On the Road stories remain relevant in regards to our volunteer coordinator’s work and the impact of sponsorship on children in our program thanks to our sponsors. We are pleased to continue to share stories with you about our work.
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The town of Page is located amid the stark mesas, wild terrain, and incredible desert beauty of north-central Arizona, only a few miles from the Utah border.
One of the youngest communities in the United States, Page began in 1957 as a housing camp for workers building the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River.
The community of Page today
Today, the majority of Page’s residents are Navajo; the town lies just off the western fringes of the Navajo reservation, which comprises more than 27,000 square miles, extending into both Utah and New Mexico.
Despite an ancient history and revered culture, Page’s economy is weak, and high unemployment and social problems fuel a cycle of poverty that has persisted for many years.
Our volunteer coordinator Eloise and the school’s principal, Ms. Covington.
Because of these circumstances, our affiliated project, Page Middle School, is incredibly valuable to the community as not only a means for children to receive an education but as a support system that families otherwise might not have — especially when sensitive issues arise.
Learning about the needs of Page Middle School students
While visiting Page Middle School, our President and CEO Ronald Carter, met with the school’s principal, Ms. Covington.
“Ms. Covington really appreciates and values the support that Children Incorporated can give her students,” said Mr. Carter
During her visit, Ms. Covington shared with Mr. Carter that, as with many schools in America, bedbugs and lice were a big issue.
Although bedbugs and lice are never related to a family’s cleanliness or socioeconomic status, Ms. Covington and Mr. Carter were aware that the stigma of bedbugs and lice causes embarrassment for children. The stress of infestations in the home can lead to them being anxious or tired during the school day.
Helping kids cope
Additionally, bedbugs or lice means that children need new clothing and bedding — items that impoverished families do not have money to replace.
Thankfully, our Bed and Linens Fund is able to help with the replacement of bedding for children in need.
“Last year, Page schools experienced a few cases of head lice, and the special kits that are needed for treatment are expensive for families who are struggling to make ends meet,” said Mr. Carter.
Thankfully, our Bed and Linens Fund is able to help with the replacement of bedding for children in need. For sponsored children, volunteer coordinators purchase new clothing to help children during these sensitive situations.
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Due to the generosity of our sponsors, all of our enrolled Native American children are currently matched. However, we have many other U.S. children who are in need of a sponsor’s encouragement and support. You may also wish to consider a donation to our Covid-19 Response Fund or one of our other special funds at this time. Please feel free to contact us for further information.
HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD?
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.
Situated in the northwestern corner of South America, Colombia is rich in natural beauty, comprising rugged Andean mountains, lowland plains, sprawling Amazon rainforest and coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
Its modern history begins at the end of the fifteenth century, when Christopher Columbus and the first Spanish explorers arrived in the region, subsequently establishing the area’s first successful Spanish settlement in 1508. Spanish colonization continued for over 400 years until the mid-nineteenth century when Colombia gained its independence and established itself as South America’s first constitutional government.
However, political instability in the mid-to-late twentieth century led to the uprising of guerilla groups, sparking violence throughout the country. Tragically, children were often the victims of terrible inhumanities and social injustices. Kidnappings, human trafficking, recruitment as soldiers into paramilitary groups and forcible participation in drug-trafficking rings became common realities for vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
With civil unrest a part of Colombia’s past since 2016, the country is safer than it once was, yet many families struggle living in poverty. Thankfully, our affiliated project, the Rondon Center in Bogotá, offers mothers of our sponsored children an opportunity to earn money at the Center’s garment factory, Creaciones Miquelina, while also providing basic needs to the children, thanks to our sponsorship program.
Seeing Bogotá for the first time
Sponsored children receive bags of food to take home regularly.
Our trip to visit the Rondon Center was my first to the city of Bogotá, Colombia’s capital. Traveling with Children Incorporated’s Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, our plan was to meet our volunteer coordinator, Sister Diana, at the Rondon Center, and then visit a few homes before taking a tour of Creaciones Miquelina.
We arrived in Colombia on a Sunday, and traffic was light as we drove through the city making our way to the Center. I found the outskirts of Bogotá to be surprisingly modern, with shopping malls, high-rise apartment buildings and large green spaces for locals to exercise and walk their dogs.
Once we got further into the city, Bogotá began to feel familiar to other South American cities I have visited — with one big exception. Colonial-era architecture and spacious plazas were abundant, yet they had been covered with either graffiti or large, colorful murals. The lines between vandalism and artistic expression were blurred, as it seemed as though every building was painted in some manner. I couldn’t determine in many instances which paintings were planned and which were done illegally, but I felt that they added to Bogotá’s charm as a visually striking city.
Getting to know the Rondon Center
Named after the Rondon neighborhood in which it resides, the Rondon Center is home to a group of Sisters who run Creaciones Miquelina.
When we pulled through the Center’s front gates, I first noticed how nice the grounds were kept. Flower gardens with benches and fountains were found both outside and inside the Center, connected by paths that made for a serene setting.
As we got out of the car, Sister Diana greeted us warmly and quickly motioned for us to come upstairs with her. Our sponsored children and their mothers were waiting for us — they had planned a presentation to welcome us to Colombia.
When we entered a large recreation room on the second floor, the children were sitting quietly in plastic chairs next to their mothers, patiently awaiting our arrival.
Luis and I sat down, and then the children took turns performing skits. The stories the children told through their acting were ones of danger — drugs, kidnapping and prostitution. The subject matter seemed rather mature considering how young some of the children were, but I quickly realized that in Colombia, they were lessons that needed to be taught at the youngest of ages.
The realities that children face living in impoverished neighborhoods are harsh, and the Sisters at the Rondon Center want to make sure children understand their self-worth so they don’t end up down a dark path later in life — a dark path that many of their mothers had to work hard to get away from.
After the presentations, the Sisters handed out bags of food for the children to take home thanks to donations from their sponsors. They excitedly looked through the bags, holding up boxes of cereal and dry spaghetti, olive oil and flour. Luis and I chatted with some of the mothers for a few brief moments before the group eagerly departed so they could return to their Sunday afternoon family activities.
Working from home
After the children and their mothers left, Sister Diana took Luis and me to visit a few homes of our sponsored children. Like in many places in Latin America, poor families tend to live up in the hills, away from the city and the services that are offered to wealthier residents. Often times, it is the only place they can afford to have a little piece of land for themselves, even if it means their children are miles away from schools or community centers.
One of the homes we visited was of a little boy in our program who lives with his single mother and two sisters. Their small living room was occupied by a sofa, chair, two sewing machines and a tall shelf full of spools of thread and folded fabric.
As we stood talking, the boy’s mother explained that she started working in the garment factory at the Rondon Center and saved enough money to buy her own machines. Now, the company she works for delivers the fabric to her and comes to pick up the finished pieces each week when she has completed them.
The realities that children face living in impoverished neighborhoods are harsh, and the Sisters at the Rondon Center want to make sure children understand their self-worth so they don’t end up down a dark path later in life — a dark path that many of their mothers had to work hard to get away from.
She told us that over the years she has earned enough money to add an extension to her house while also getting to be home with her children in the afternoon and evenings. She proudly showed us some of the shirts she created and beamed when she told us that her son was one of the top students in his class.
Creaciones Miquelina
The next morning, Luis and I returned to the Rondon Center where Sister Diana offered Luis and me a tour of the Creaciones Miquelina. Established in 1977 by a Colombian nun named Esther Castaño Mejia, Creaciones Miquelina started with just a few sewing machines to offer help to women rescued from the streets. The workshop began by providing training so women could apply for jobs in other factories. Today, Creaciones Miquelina has grown to employ and train hundreds of women each year to work in their factory while providing daily meals to their children.
As we toured the factory, Sister Diana showed us where the garments were cut, where the designs for clothes were created and where the administration offices were located. Windows from the second floor overlooked the factory where roughly a hundred women were busy at work.
The entire operation was impressive, and knowing these women otherwise would have had no chance at learning skills they needed to take care of their families made our visit to the Miquelina that much more special.
HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN COLOMBIA?
You can sponsor a child in Colombia 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 Colombia that is available for sponsorship.
We are pleased to share with you our 2020 Spring Newsletter. Thank you for support children in need around the world!
Our Beds and Linens Fund is More Important Than Ever
Children living in poverty go without so much in life — including a comfortable place to sleep in their own homes.
“Our Bed and Linen Fund allows us to purchase new mattresses, bed frames, sheets, blankets and pillows for children so they can get a good night’s sleep and be ready for the school day.”
– Renée Kube
“During my travels to visit our affiliated projects, especially this past year, I have heard more and more stories from our volunteer coordinators who conduct home visits in which they have discovered children who have either no beds at all or too few beds. As a result, two to four or more siblings are sleeping together on one, old, worn mattress,” said Children Incorporated Director of Development, Renée Kube.
“Our Bed and Linen Fund allows us to purchase new mattresses, bed frames, sheets, blankets and pillows for children so they can get a good night’s sleep and be ready for the school day. We are endlessly grateful for any contributions to this invaluable fund that helps us better support children in our program.”
If you would like to find out more about our Beds and Linens Fund, or make a contribution, please contact us today!
New Shoes for a Special Child in Arizona
Joseph*, like many of our sponsored children, is being raised by his grandmother.
Joseph with his new shoes
Joseph and his siblings live in Arizona and were abandoned by their mother after their father died.
Suddenly, Joseph’s paternal grandmother found herself raising children again with no income and no means to support them. She can scarcely provide food and shelter for her grandkids, and she has virtually no money to keep them clothed properly. Thankfully, Joseph has a caring sponsor who provides him with the items he needs as he rapidly grows into a young man.
Recently, our volunteer coordinator at Joseph’s school called him into her office to present him with brand new shoes, along with other items he needed. Joseph is young and plays hard, and his old shoes were badly worn. Joseph was ecstatic, and proudly stood for a photo of him with his new shoes.
We are able to provide new shoes for children thanks to our sponsors and donors to our Shoes and Socks Fund. If you would like to make a donation to our Shoes and Socks Fund, contact Children Incorporated today.
*Name changed to protect the child.
Apartments for Graduates in Honduras
The living area of new apartments for students in Honduras
Once sponsored children graduate from high school and move onto higher education, they often continue to live with their families until they can complete university or vocational training.
Unfortunately, for some students, like those at our affiliated project, the Maria Reyna Home in Honduras, this is not an option. Coming from very poor families, and facing issues such as abuse, gangs, and drugs in the neighborhoods where they lived, these children cannot return home because it isn’t safe.
Thankfully, because of contributions to our Hope in Action Fund, Children Incorporated was able to support the construction of apartments at the Maria Reyna Home so that those students attending college or university will have safe housing until they can find steady employment that will allow them to live on their own.
Thank You for Giving So Many Children a Reason to Celebrate Christmas!
This past holiday season, we received hundreds of pictures from our affiliated projects of children around the world enjoying Christmas parties and receiving gifts, thanks to their sponsors. Thank you so much for everything you do for children in need during the holidays and all year long!
Brand New Items for Children in Paraguay
For many children living in poverty, having a sponsor is their only means of receiving basic necessities such as food, clothing and educational assistance. Some may never receive brand new items such as blankets and shoes without the support of a caring sponsor.
Thanks to you, children, such as the girls from Hogar Medalla Milagrosa in Paraguay, and others around the world are being provided for in ways in which their parents cannot. We are incredibly grateful for your support to make sure children experience the joy of receiving items that are new and just for them.
In Bolivia, Students are Learning Skills for the Future
One of the ways in which we support children beyond our sponsorship program is through our Skills Training Programs, which are implemented at many of our projects around the world. Thanks to these programs, students are given the opportunity to learn skills to help them obtain employment after they graduate, so that they can help support their families right out of high school and eventually become financially independent.
We received pictures of students at our affiliated project, the Santa Rosa School in Bolivia, participating in a Gastronomy Skills Training Course, thanks to support from Children Incorporated. These students are learning skills they can use at home or use to gain employment upon graduation.
Protecting Children from Harsh Weather in El Salvador
Thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund, Children Incorporated was able to provide funding for a roof cover over the playground at our affiliated project, Escuela Santa Luisa in El Salvador. The cover will protect children from rain and heat as well as offer a place for activities and assemblies for parents and students.
I want to tell you a story about a special young lady named Anna.* Anna lives in Kentucky and is a senior in high school. She is an ambitious girl who has always dreamed of a better life for herself — better than the life she had become so accustomed to as she was growing up.
Years ago, Teresa, our volunteer coordinator at the school Anna attends, saw Anna’s potential to rise above poverty.
As one in a family with seven children, Anna’s home was chaotic. She had no personal space, no privacy, and it was next to impossible for her to find a quiet place to study. This was a problem for Anna who wanted to make good grades and excel in her schoolwork. Her parents worked hard to provide for their family, but there was just not enough room for all of them. Additionally, there was never enough food, and Anna and her siblings were often forced to wear worn and tattered shoes and clothing. They often attended school with insufficient school supplies.
Dreams for the future
Since Anna started high school, she has participated in the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps. She now wants to join the Army as soon as she graduates from high school in the spring. She then hopes to get a college degree and continue to serve our country as a military nurse.
Years ago, Teresa, our volunteer coordinator at the school Anna attends, saw Anna’s potential to rise above poverty.
She saw Anna’s drive and determination to do something more with her life, and enrolled Anna in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. Thanks to the hard work of our U.S. Sponsorship Division, Anna was matched with a sponsor very quickly, and Teresa was able to use the funds she received to buy Anna new clothes, hygiene items and other items she desperately needed.
When Anna turned eighteen in December, she moved out of her family home and in with a friend’s mother, where she hoped to find a peaceful place to accomplish her studies. For a while, things went well, but then quite suddenly, her circumstances changed and she was forced to find another place to stay. Anna packed her meager possessions into a trash bag and set off to find a new home or someone that would give her lodging. She missed quite a bit of school while she was looking for a place to stay, until finally a friend offered to let Anna move in with her family and sleep on their sofa.
Helping Anna in a time of need
Teresa found out that Anna had missed quite a few days of school and immediately recognized that Anna was in danger of becoming a drop-out; something Teresa definitely did not want to happen. Teresa reached out to Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs, and asked for help for Anna so that she could survive through winter break and into the new year. Children Incorporated, through our Hope In Action Fund, was able to provide Anna with food and other necessities, as well as financial assistance to cover her various living expenses. As a bonus, Children Incorporated helped her share a nice Christmas dinner with her host family. Teresa, our wonderful volunteer coordinator, helped her find part-time work at local café, the same one where Teresa’s daughter is employed. Anna is now making some money of her own and can contribute to her friend’s household, where she plans to stay until graduation from high school in the spring. After that, she intends to join the Army.
Will you consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today? With your help, we will continue to be ready to help children in need at any time – for any reason.
None of this could have happened without the support of our Hope In Action Fund — as well as that of Anna’s sponsor. This very special fund is intended to help in wide-ranging and diverse situations, including ones just like Anna’s. When emergencies arise and families and sponsored children need assistance, sometimes beyond what sponsorship alone can provide, Hope In Action is there to help fill in the gaps. For Anna, the assistance she received from Hope In Action dollars made an incredible difference.
Will you consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today? With your help, we will continue to be ready to help children in need at any time – for any reason.
From the heart,
Ronald H. Carter
President and CEO
Children Incorporated
In 1895, the Santiago Day School in Chile was founded as a school for girls who came from impoverished — and often neglectful and abusive — families.
Today, this Children Incorporated affiliated project continues to serve both girls and boys and their families who reside in downtown Santiago — 30% of whom are living below the poverty line.
Thanks to their sponsors, sponsored students receive food, school supplies and school uniforms. For those children whose families cannot afford to pay the school’s tuition fee, sponsorship funds cover those costs as well.
Managed by the Catholic order of nuns the Daughters of Saint Joseph, the school’s caring staff, which includes our volunteer coordinator Sister Claudia, works diligently to provide for some of the poorest children in Chile. Thanks to their sponsors, sponsored students receive food, school supplies and school uniforms. For those children whose families cannot afford to pay the school’s tuition fee, sponsorship funds cover those costs as well.
Additionally, both sponsored and unsponsored children benefit from the Santiago Day School’s sound academic program and its arts, music and recreational activities. Core academic subjects, including English, are offered for kindergarten through twelfth grades. In the afternoons, girls are taught sewing, crafts, flower arranging, and plant care and have time to play games and participate in sports.
Meeting Judit
While visiting the Santiago Day School, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet and International Projects Specialist, Kristen Walthall, met with Sister Claudia and had a chance to tour the school and attend an awards ceremony.
“During our visit, we had the pleasure of witnessing students receive awards presented by the administration for following the school’s moral standards as well as supporting other students in their efforts for better achievement,” said Luis.
After the ceremony, Sister Claudia took Luis and Kristen to visit the beautiful home of Judit*, the mother of two formerly sponsored children, Juana and Carmen.
The Santiago Day School serves children living in poverty in Chile.
While meeting with Judit, Luis and Kristen learned that her home had been purchased for her by Juana, her eldest daughter, who is now 25 years old. The house was immaculately kept, and it was apparent that Judit was very proud of her home and happy to have Luis and Kristen as her guests.
Judit explained that Juana was sponsored by the same Children Incorporated sponsor through primary and secondary school. Both Judit and Juana felt that Juana’s sponsor made a significant impact in her life — which allowed her to study mine engineering at the University of Santiago in Chile once she graduated.
Much to be proud of
Today, Juana holds the title of Mining Engineer, and she is currently residing in Seattle, Washington, where she is studying English at a local university.
Judit told Luis and Kristen stories about how the entire family would gather to read letters from Juana’s and Carmen’s sponsors.
Yet, as Judit explained, it wasn’t just Juana who was benefiting from her years of having a Children Incorporated sponsor. Beaming with pride, Judit also spoke with Luis and Kristen about her youngest daughter, Carmen, who is now nineteen years old.
Carmen was sponsored through the Children Incorporated program from 2005 to 2018. Like her older sister, Carmen had the same sponsor all through her childhood until she completed high school. Carmen is currently studying information engineering, also at the University of Santiago in Chile. Judit felt that without her sponsor, Carmen might have never finished high school, much less have gone on to college.
Connecting with their sponsors
As she continued to reminisce about her daughters’ experiences in our sponsorship program, Judit told Luis and Kristen stories about how the entire family would gather to read letters from Juana’s and Carmen’s sponsors. They felt so close and connected to their sponsors through letter writing that the names of their sponsors’ pets became household names in their home.
For fun, they talked as a family about what their sponsors’ pets might be doing, and over the years, they enjoyed waiting with anxious anticipation for letters in the mail for more stories about those pets, and their sponsors, and how they were doing in their lives.
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How do I sponsor a child in Chile?
You can sponsor a child in Chile 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 Chile that is available for sponsorship.
Our affiliated project, the Maipu Center, is located on the outskirts of Chile’s capital city, Santiago. Santiago lies nestled between the towering Andes Mountains to the east and a smaller, coastal range to the west. Nearly five million people — more than a third of the country’s population — reside here, many of which are underprivileged Chilean families.
Concentrated in the city’s southern and northwestern regions, the slums of Santiago are home to impoverished children who are forced to live in makeshift dwellings or deficient public housing. Many of their parents work in the service industry or for small businesses, making low-wages with very little chance for upward mobility.
Helping families in need
The Maipu Center supports children from impoverished families in Chile.
The Maipu Center was founded over 80 years ago by a Roman Catholic congregation of women, the Daughters of St. Joseph. Today, 70% of students at the Center are from families living below the Chilean poverty line. Without the support of the Maipu Center, or their Children Incorporated sponsors, these children would not have the chance to receive a quality education, which is the key to helping them break the cycle of poverty in which they live.
Functioning as a private school and community center, the Maipu Center is a spacious, well-kept complex of buildings comprised of classrooms, a kitchen, a dining hall, a church and a community room for activities. Students receive two nutritious meals a day. In addition to standard academic courses, children also take dance and aerobics classes.
Improved academics and new energy
During a visit to the Maipu Center, Children Incorporated Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and International Projects Specialist, Kristen Walthall, were excited to find that the school academics have improved over the years — thanks to the support of a recently hired energetic principal and new, young teachers who are bringing more knowledge of technology and modern methods of education to the school.
“The school’s new principal has renovated all practices and academics in the school, implementing a new information technology department, as well as music and arts departments,” explained Luis.
Thanks to their sponsors, children are not only receiving help while in school but outside of school as well. With the children’s basic needs met, their parents don’t have to worry as much about affording these necessary items.
“Sponsored children are benefiting greatly from these changes, and according to the principal, they are doing better academically because of the school’s new programs and the enthusiasm of the staff.”
On top of receiving a great deal of support from the Maipu Center administration, children enrolled in our program also benefit from their sponsors. Sponsorship funds are used to help cover school fees; to provide school supplies, book bags and daily snacks; as well as to purchase clothing.
Thanks to their sponsors, children are not only receiving help while in school but outside of school as well. With the children’s basic needs met, their parents don’t have to worry as much about affording these necessary items.
Still more To accomplish in the future
Although an academically progressive school, the principal expressed to Luis that he still struggles to find local funding for operating costs. Still, he wasn’t going to let it get in the way of him giving children every opportunity they deserved to succeed.
Before Luis left, the principal talked about his desire to remodel some of the classrooms, as well as cover the playground area with a roof so it can be used during the hot summer and cold winter months for outdoor activities.
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How do I sponsor a child in Chile?
You can sponsor a child in Chile 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 Chile that is available for sponsorship.
in December, she moved out of her family home and in with a friend’s mother, where she hoped to find a peaceful place to accomplish her studies. For a while, things went well, but then quite suddenly, her circumstances changed and she was forced to find another place to stay. Anna packed her meager possessions into a trash bag and set off to find a new home or someone that would give her lodging. She missed quite a bit of school while she was looking for a place to stay, until finally a friend offered to let Anna move in with her family and sleep on their sofa.
