Tag Archives: poverty

Shelley Callahan | April 8, 2016En Español

Our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I flew into La Paz just before sunrise, after an overnight trip from Richmond. I was woozy from fatigue or the elevation — 13,000 feet above sea level — and grateful when a young woman woke up at 4 am to check us into our hotel.

A City in the Mountains

I woke up as the sun rose, and got my first view of an amazing vertical city. I’ve never seen anywhere else like it; skyscrapers and colonial architecture sit unevenly, side-by-side, built on the hills that once made this city so difficult to navigate. Bridges, new since Luis’ last trip here, have made connections that never existed over ravines and valleys, letting even the poorest residents make trips that were once impossible.

Not every place is accessible by bridge though, and automobile traffic is congested and slow. Many residents still walk because they can’t afford a car or to avoid congestion. The city introduced a cable car system in 2014 to address their needs. This system, Mi Teleférico, connects La Paz with its poorer neighbor, El Alto, the highest major city in the world, built another 1,500 feet up the mountains.

La Paz is impoverished, but El Alto is also a grim place, home to recently dispossessed farming families fleeing drought and famine. The families are primarily from indigenous backgrounds, and they face additional hardships seeking jobs and opportunities. Until Mi Teleférico, they were only connected to opportunities in the more prosperous city below by slow buses on long, winding roads.

The cable cars were designed to cost less than the buses, and are powered by the sun. Residents use them to get to the sprawling markets in El Alto, and tourists use them for the stunning views of the cities below.

The image of those cable cars and the bridges lingers long after I first saw them. I keep reflecting on how this infrastructure, a gift from the state government, has empowered so many people and changed their lives so dramatically.

We visit neighborhoods that Luis remembers from his last trip, before the bridge, and he remarks on the improvements. Unsteady brick shacks have been upgraded into sturdy concrete homes, safer and more stable over the soft soil and steep slopes they are built on.

I am reminded that it is often the simplest thing, like building a bridge—or sponsoring a child—that can make all the difference.

Parts of La Paz may just as well have been on the moon for those without the means to drive. Now, three bridges and these amazing cable carts in the sky connect the city. I am reminded that it is often the simplest thing, like building a bridge—or sponsoring a child—that can make all the difference.

Exploring Pedro Poveda

Of course, we didn’t visit these sites alone. Josefina, our volunteer coordinator, gave us a tour of the city, showing us some of the highlights and attractions. At a bustling market, we ran into two children sponsored through Children Incorporated, Daniel and Nicole, who rushed up to kiss and hug Josefina.

The children’s mother owns a small tienda at the market—a tin shack where she prepares breakfast 7 days a week. By day, the children’s father works as a taxi driver. Their mother works a second shift as a taxi driver after the market closes every evening.

After exchanging money at a local bank, we went to Pedro Poveda. Like everything here, the school is built on a hill, and there are many stairs that lead up to the classrooms. We first visited students in a carpentry class, who are learning the trade. We also visited students in an electronics class working on small electronics like radios, and then a cooking class, where students were learning to combine local food with their meals — pasta with local spinach, or other vegetables.

After, we visited the community center directly across from the school, where Josefina had been the principal of for 15 years. Originally a library, she helped transform the center into an after-school program for students who have parents who work long hours, or suffer from complex behavioral problems and need extra support and love.

The room was filled with children busily working on homework or teaching games. Local university students volunteer their time as after-school tutors. After homework is done, the children are invited to the playroom for crafts and games.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN BOLIVIA?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 16, 2016

Recently, the Children Incorporated staff in North Chesterfield, Virginia welcomed some visitors from Page, Arizona.

Our guests were Elouise Goatson and Evonne Yazzie, the Children Incorporated volunteer coordinators for the Page Unified School District, which includes Page High School, Page Middle School, Desert View Elementary School and Lake View Elementary School. They brought along with them a local parent representative, Stanley John.

The home of some of our sponsored children in Arizona

We were reminded in a very special way of the incredible importance of our sponsors and donors, and what their contributions mean to underprivileged children and families. We were humbled to hear the heartwarming story that Elouise so graciously shared with us that day, tears welling up in her eyes.

Not long ago, Elouise was contacted by a desperate mother of three who was struggling to provide for her kids what is often taken for granted — restful sleep. This family of five was sharing one bed in their tiny and dilapidated home, and the bed had become infested with bed bugs. Elouise contacted Children Incorporated, and our Hope In Action Fund provided new beds and mattresses to all three children.

Due to the urgency of the situation, the merchants at the mattress store provided Elouise and this mother with a huge discount, and Page school employees chipped in to purchase new comforters, blankets, and sheets for each bed. Elouise and her husband purchased new pillows for the family, and they delivered the mattresses to the home themselves.

There are so many children living in poverty, and it is difficult to begin to imagine all the hardships they face as a result. Sometimes, something as simple yet as necessary as restful sleep can get overlooked.

There are so many children living in poverty, and it is difficult to begin to imagine all the hardships they face as a result. Sometimes, something as simple yet as necessary as restful sleep can get overlooked. This is where Children Incorporated’s additional funds come in. The generosity of donors to our Hope In Action Fund has fulfilled such essential yet often forgotten needs.

The three kids are sleeping more soundly now than they have in years; they have more energy, and they are better able to concentrate in school. All of this is thanks to you. Your gifts to our Hope In Action Fund have changed the lives of countless children and have given them hope for a brighter future.

Thank you, sponsors and donors, for making stories like this one a reality, for helping us remember that it only takes one – one gift, one helping hand — to respond to a request for help. Your contributions called a community to action. What so many of us take for granted — restful sleep — is no longer a worry for these three children who have the world at their fingertips — and now, sweet dreams, too.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN Arizona?

You can sponsor a child in Arizona in one of two ways – call our office and speak with one of our sponsorship specialists at 1-800-538-5381, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | March 9, 2015En Español

Children Incorporated staff members flip through Roberto’s art portfolio – a stunning collection of photo-realistic, surrealistic, and abstract works – in awe, while the artist himself looks on with humble delight. Simple child-art drawings – his earliest masterpieces – occupy the first few pages.

Art wasn’t always a part of my life,” Roberto confesses in soft-spoken Spanish as he stands in the small office in Richmond, Virginia. He’s miles away from home, and yet among surrogate family. “In fact, I didn’t really start drawing until right around the time I got sponsored.

Roberto’s artwork on display in his home studio in Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Once a child in Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program, Roberto Carlos Andrade Jijena is now an adult – and an accomplished artist. Several pieces of his art are currently on exhibit in the Jadite Galleries in New York City. The curator there, Marta Sossi, was so impressed by the artwork she saw on Roberto’s website that she invited him to fly from Bolivia to New York to participate in a group exhibition featuring a select handful of Latin American artists. Our International Programs Director, Luis Bourdet, joined Roberto and his wife, Verónica, in New York for the exhibit’s Opening Reception this past Tuesday. During his brief stay in the United States, Roberto requested to visit Richmond. When Luis asked what Roberto wanted to see here, the artist simply replied, “Children Incorporated.”

Roberto and Verónica recently spent a day at the Children Incorporated office, meeting some staff members for the first time and reuniting with others as though with family or long-lost friends. Now, Roberto addresses the small staff as a whole. He starts by telling how it all began.

Roberto was first enrolled in Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program at our Colegio Don Bosco project in Sucre, Bolivia when he was eight years old.

“I was so excited,” he reflects. “I couldn’t wait to have a padrino [a Spanish word meaning both ‘sponsor’ and ‘godparent’]. But I waited for a sponsor for a long time – several years.”

“I will always be grateful to Children Incorporated,” Roberto concludes. “No matter how famous I may get, how valuable my artwork becomes, I will always donate some of my work to Children Incorporated, to help them continue to help children. It’s my way of giving back and saying ‘thank you’.”
– Roberto

That all changed when Dr. James Wheeler read about Children Incorporated in the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D. In 1998, Dr. Wheeler contacted Children Incorporated to begin sponsoring with us. One of the children assigned to him was Roberto.

“When I heard I had a sponsor,” Roberto recalls, “I was so happy. I feel like, when you’re younger, you don’t really appreciate the true value of things; but I had waited so long to be sponsored that I understood – I understood how wonderful and beautiful it is, knowing that someone from somewhere you’ve never been – someone you’ve never met – is helping you. That knowledge really motivated me.”

Dr. Wheeler continued to sponsor Roberto until Roberto graduated from high school and from the sponsorship program. Subsequently, Children Incorporated was able to help Roberto attend college. He graduated with a degree in architecture (after much debate about whether to major in art, architecture, or medicine). At the time, he reasoned that art and architecture go hand in hand – he could do both. Eventually, however, he returned to his first love: art.

“It beckoned me,” he explains with a whimsical smile.

His decision to solely pursue art, he adds, has opened so many doors – including today’s serendipitous meeting. But he attributes one of the most significant open doors of opportunity in his life to Children Incorporated.

More of Roberto’s work in his studio

“A lot of people think that an organization like Children Incorporated is about giving money – giving from one person’s pocket to someone else’s pocket,” Roberto explains. “But really, it’s about giving of the heart – from one heart to another. That’s what I’ve learned from my sponsor and from Children Incorporated. What he and Children Incorporated have done for me has inspired me to give of myself.”

Indeed, Roberto has already donated twenty pieces of his art over the years for Children Incorporated to sell. The proceeds have been used to assist children enrolled in our program.

“I will always be grateful to Children Incorporated,” Roberto concludes. “No matter how famous I may get, how valuable my artwork becomes, I will always donate some of my work to Children Incorporated to help them continue to help children. It’s my way of giving back and saying ‘thank you’.

“Because the happiest people in life aren’t the ones who have everything; the happiest people are those who share everything.”

To view Roberto’s art, visit his website: http://www.bolivianet.com/arte/robertoandrade

— Story by Children Incorporated staff member Suzanne Estes

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN BOLIVIA?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | March 3, 2015En Español

“Being raised by a single parent is hard nowadays,” Genevieve, the Children Incorporated coordinator at LBJ Elementary School, commiserates.

She is referring to Billy*, a student enrolled in our sponsorship program at her school, who is being raised by a single father. Genevieve tells us that Billy’s father attends all budgeting classes and parent-night functions. “He always stays after to help me and the other volunteers clean up the gym,” she adds.

But despite the tremendous emotional support Billy’s father religiously provides, he is unable to provide for all of his son’s basic, material needs.

That’s where sponsorship comes in.

Billy trying on his new shoes

“I just cannot express how much the Children Incorporated program has meant to Billy,” Genevieve exclaims. “Of all the children I have personally selected to be on this program, he is the happiest. It seemed to boost his personal confidence just knowing he had a pen-pal that wants to help him out with extra needed items.”

Recently, Billy’s sponsors helped out even more – contributing an additional gift for Billy’s general needs. Genevieve immediately contacted us to share the positive impact this act of kindness made:

“Billy needed shoes so badly,” she reports, “and the day I went to buy them, they were on sale, so I had enough money to purchase four pairs. I cannot express how thrilled the child was upon receiving the shoes, and his father kept thanking me over and over again.”

“Billy is very appreciative and loves knowing he is special to [his sponsors],” Genevieve adds. As proof, she enclosed a copy of the thank-you letter that Billy wrote to his sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Dunn:

Never in my whole life have I ever got four pairs of shoes at one time. I thank you so much for doing that for me. I cannot express how much I thank you. I needed them so bad. My shoes busted on the bottom and it was cold in the morning. This program is so good and has made a positive difference in my life. It’s like having a guardian angel watching over me that likes me no matter what.

Thank you for being my friend,

Billy

“As a resource coordinator,” Genevieve concludes, “there is only so much we can do to positively affect that child’s life, and it is so rejuvenating when the children enrolled are that pleased as Billy expressed in his letter. Children Incorporated is a great program to work with as a collaborative partner. I, too, am thankful to be a part of a school system that participates. It makes you feel good knowing it made a difference!”

*Name changed for the child’s protection.

***

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, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 25, 2015En Español

Winter can be especially difficult for children living in poverty. Fiercely cold weather, when compounded by poverty, is not just a moderate source of discomfort or inconvenience; it becomes a true obstacle, making it difficult for students to keep warm, attend school, and receive nutritious food.

Our schools in Eastern Kentucky, for example, have already seen their fair share of inclement weather and especially cold temperatures this season, resulting in widespread school closings. Even when school is in session, the cold weather impacts students’ ability to attend classes.

“The recent arctic blast makes it difficult to wait for the bus in the mornings,” Donna Sturgill, our volunteer coordinator at West Whitesburg Elementary School, reports, “so attendance can be an issue.”

Sponsored students in our program receive cold-weather gear such as warm clothing, gloves, scarves, and coats to help them combat frigid temperatures and to minimize the weather’s negative impact upon their education and nutrition.

Missing school, whether due to school closings or weather-related student absences, causes children in our program to miss out on more than just a day of classwork and assignments.

The problem of missing school

“Our school district was one of the few in the state of Kentucky that didn’t cancel classes due to the frigid temperatures last week,” Marsha Walker, assistant coordinator at Hazard Independent Schools, reports.

“If a student missed school due to the temperatures or safety concerns, not only was instructional time missed, but so were two free hot cooked meals. Granted, that may not seem like much, and I’m sure many adults have skipped breakfast or lunch and it doesn’t seem like an issue. However, when you consider that some of our students only receive hot meals at school, and that lunch is served hours before dismissal, many of the students who were absent may have gone hungry. Not the ‘I need a snack’ hungry, but the type of hungry that causes your stomach to grumble and your head to ache.”

Our Warm clothing fund in action

Children lacking sufficient winter clothing, however, may not be much warmer staying home from school. Ms. Sturgill reports that the local electric company has announced another imminent increase in energy costs.

“Families have already had to go back to coal and wood for heat, myself included,” she confesses.

Sponsored students in our program receive cold-weather gear such as warm clothing, gloves, scarves, and coats to help them combat frigid temperatures and to minimize the weather’s negative impact upon their education and nutrition.

Several students at our affiliated schools in Kentucky are still awaiting sponsorship – and struggling to get by.

***

HOW DO I Donate to the Warm Clothing Fund?

You can donate 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 donate to the Warm Clothing Fund.

DONATE TO OUR WARM CLOTHING FUND

Shelley Callahan | June 7, 2014En Español

In 2011, Children Incorporated was gifted $10,000 by Deep Run High School in Richmond, Virginia as a beneficiary of the school’s Deep Run Marathon Dance. In an effort to help children in Richmond with vision issues, the contribution was used for a large-scale vision clinic held in October 2011 at the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Athletic Center in partnership with OneSight, Richmond City Public Schools, the Rudi Johnson Foundation, the James Farrior Foundation, and Art on Wheels.

“She had often complained of headaches. With her new glasses, however, she is able to concentrate for longer periods of time, and she no longer gets headaches.”

It was announced in early 2018 that after many years, Deep Run High School is retiring the Marathon Dance fundraiser; but the memory of what our organization was able to do, thanks to that donation, will last a lifetime for us and for the children who benefited from it.

Eye chart art

During the vision clinic, funds donated to Children Incorporated helped not only with the cost of providing eye exams for kids, but also with costs associated with a therapeutic, hands-on “eye chart art” project with partnering organization Art on Wheels. As the children rotated through the eye exam stations, they were asked how they “saw” themselves in the past, present, and future. Then, during the wait for their glasses, the children made ‘eye chart collages,’ which were all digitally photographed.

When the clinic was over, the children took their original collages home. The digital photos were judged by Art on Wheels staff members; 25 pieces were awarded special mentions, and they were printed and mounted. At the end of the month, the 25 pieces were installed at a local art gallery, where a screen displayed rotating images of all participant’s art.

Improvements in academic performance

At the vision clinic, 654 Richmond children received comprehensive eye exams. For many, this was the first time their eyes had ever been thoroughly examined by an eye doctor. Of these kids, 463 needed eyeglasses. Additionally, six children received referrals to pediatric ophthalmologists due to the discovery of serious eye conditions.

After the clinic, a survey was sent to each of the children’s teachers. Their feedback included comments such as, “Because she is seeing the board so much better, she no longer has to sit extremely close to it. There has been an improvement in her academic performance.”

“His writing scores on his bi-weekly tests have improved.”

“She had often complained of headaches. With her new glasses, however, she is able to concentrate for longer periods of time, and she no longer gets headaches.”

We can’t thank amazing students and administrators like those at Deep Run High School enough for making it possible for us to help so many children who were in need of eye exams, glasses, and referrals. These incredible people helped to offer better vision and a better future for so many of our sponsored and unsponsored children.

***

HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN RICHMOND, VIRGINIA?

You can sponsor a child in Richmond, Virginia in one of two ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members, or email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org.

SPONSOR A CHILD