Tag Archives: sponsor a child

Shelley Callahan | December 10, 2023En Español

Bolivia is a country known for its tumultuous history, dating back decades, in which a series of coups and countercoups have made the country unsafe for residents and tourists alike. And although in more recent times, with a democratic ruling party, Bolivia has seen less civil unrest than previously, the country is still facing problems with violence due to modern-day political interference.

For now, our sponsors help them with school fees, such as funds for books and meals, as even public-school education in Bolivia isn’t always free.

Being smaller in size than the larger Bolivian cities of La Paz and Santa Cruz, Sucre has a feeling of being sheltered from many dangers of the outside world. With its small cobblestone streets, colonial buildings and quaint atmosphere, Sucre is the polar opposite of a major metropolitan city.

Giving families peace of mind

Having been to La Paz and Santa Cruz before on a previous trip with Children Incorporated to Bolivia, Sucre felt manageable and easy to navigate comparably. The city was bustling with families, tourists and students walking around at all times of day and night with an obvious feeling of security that might not be present in a more major city.

And — for families living in poverty, where employment might not offer parents the opportunity to be available to escort their children to school, or be at home when the school day is over — this sense of security is so valuable in giving them peace of mind when they already have to worry about providing for their children on limited incomes.

On our third day in Sucre, Luis and I were scheduled to visit our affiliated site, Colegio Don Bosco, a short walk from our hotel in the city center, where boys and girls from impoverished backgrounds attended school in a large, two-story building with forty classrooms, a dining hall, kitchen, and laboratories for physics, chemistry and computer classes. After taking a tour of the school, we met with our sponsored children as our volunteer coordinator explained to us that the school was very prestigious, and many of the students go to study in universities after graduation.

A well-rounded way to help children in need

For now, our sponsors help them with school fees, such as funds for books and meals, as even public-school education in Bolivia isn’t always free. This support helps to reinforce the feeling of security that these students need to grow up healthy and happy — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

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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.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | December 2, 2023En Español

After spending the day visiting the Santa Rosa School outside of Sucre, Bolivia, it was time for our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and me to visit the Gattorno School — also known as the Santa Ana School — in the center of the city. As one of eight schools we are affiliated within with in the small area that makes up downtown Sucre, I would quickly find out just how important education is to the government and the community here.

The Gattorno School itself is a private school, but not in the same sense as it would be in the United States. The government chooses which students attend the school through a lottery process, but they do not fund the school, which makes private and public school in Bolivia one in the same in most regards. Even with 18 other schools in the surrounding area, the Gattorno School still has a massive enrollment — 900 students are in attendance which serve boys and girls from first grade through twelfth grade.

Challenges for families in Sucre

When we arrived, we were greeted by the school secretary, Isabel, who assists our volunteer coordinator, Marizabel, with the Children Incorporated sponsorship program. While taking a tour of the school, in which classrooms are structured around a large courtyard, Isabel explained to us that even though there are technically a lot of educated professionals in Sucre, there are not enough jobs to satisfy the demand, and that has gotten exponentially worse since the pandemic.

Isabel explained that even though there are technically a lot of educated professionals in Sucre, there are not enough jobs to satisfy the demand.

Many parents of children at the school would like to look for work in other bigger cities like Santa Cruz or Cochabamba, but relocating is often difficult and expensive, so many families remain close to home and family, where employment options remain limited.

After we had a chance to see the school, Luis and I were escorted to a classroom where all of our sponsored children were waiting to greet us. Marizabel was also there, having coordinated the event, and the students took turns reading letters to their sponsors, reciting poetry, and playing music for us. It was very apparent that this talented group of students was enjoying the educational experience at Gattorno, as well as being very appreciative of the support they receive from their sponsors as they go through the educational journey.

For Luis and I, we were pleased with how well our sponsorship program was being run at the school, knowing that these children were greatly benefiting from having a special connection with their sponsors, and such as safe and comfortable place to receive an education.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Children Incorporated | 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

DONATE

Shelley Callahan | November 19, 2023En Español

For many families of children in our program, holidays can be a time of stress instead of celebration because money for food or gifts just isn’t available to make Thanksgiving or Christmas special.

Today we hear from our volunteer coordinator, Anne Marie, at Alleghany High School in North Carolina, about how our sponsors are helping to ensure that families have a reason to celebrate Thanksgiving together, all thanks to donations to our Feeding Programs Fund.

“Thank you so much for all that your organization does to feed familes during Thanksgiving!”

A letter from Anne Marie

“Dear Children Incorporated,

I have always been amazed at how much the Children Incorporated sponsors help and support our students. Alleghany County is located in the northwest corner of North Carolina and is very rural. Christmas trees are grown here and shipped all over the world. Alleghany High School has approximately 19.5% of the student body enrolled in the Children Incorporated sponsorship program – over 70 students in total!”

Thanks to our donors, families are receiving full Thanksgiving dinners this holiday season!

“All of our sponsored children have their instructional fees paid and school pictures and yearbooks purchased for them to help out their families. Each year, a few weeks after school starts, each student is allowed to pick out and purchase $100 worth of school gear such as shirts, sweatshirts, pants and hats, and all of our seniors have their cap and gowns paid for with Children Incorporated funds.”

Countless thanks from families in need

“Several years ago, our school noticed a need for the holidays for our families. The last day of school before Thanksgiving break, each staff member signed up to personally deliver meals to our Children Incorporated families. The school also partnered with Food Lion and Lowe’s Hardware. Lowe’s donated cooler bags and Food Lion prepared the bags for us to pick up and deliver. The meals consisted of turkey, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, rolls and an apple pie. Over the years, we have received countless thank-yous and even tears from our families when they receive the meals. Some families have told us that they did not know what they would have to eat over the holidays otherwise.”

“Thank you so much for all that your organization does to feed families during Thanksgiving!”

Sincerely,
Anne Marie

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | October 30, 2023En Español

Our visit to the Montero School came to an end by late morning, around 11 a.m., when our sponsored children slowly started to trickle out of the school’s compound, heading home to enjoy the rest of their Saturday with their families.

After a quick lunch of traditional Bolivian foods, including the amazing Pique a lo Macho, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I made our way to the driveway where a pick-up truck was waiting to take us a few miles down the road to the newly completed agricultural school.

Visiting the new school

I opted to sit in the bed of the truck with a few of the teachers who were accompanying us, along with our volunteer coordinator. Another truck followed behind us, which brought some of the students who were currently enrolled in the agricultural program. For all of them, it was a big event that Luis and I were there to finally see the completed school, which had been under construction for the last two years.

When we turned off the dusty main road to enter the school’s property, all I could see was open land – land that the Montero School administrators had purchased to use for the agricultural school years back, with the promise that Children Incorporated would provide funds for the classrooms, greenhouses, stables, barns and silos.

We parked in front of the entrance to the school, and walked onto the property, which was expansive. Buildings lined the right side and the fields for farming were on the left, probably covering the distance of two football fields. Our volunteer coordinator, Sister Reina, explained that students who attend the school are enrolled in a five-year program – some start while they are still in high school at the Montero School, and some start after graduation. They grow corn, fruit and other local produce, while raising pigs and chickens, and learn how to compost and operate and maintain heavy machinery.

This new addition to the Montero School has potential to help thousands of students and their families in this community.

Another Hope in Action Success

As we walked the grounds and chatted about the school, visiting the new classrooms and getting to see the progress that has been made with working so much land, I could see why Luis was so enthusiastic for me to see the school for myself. With few opportunities for families living in poverty in Bolivia to send their children on to higher education to learn a trade, it was apparent that this school was an absolute blessing for so many students, who would gain the skills they need to generate an income for themselves, and provide a better future for their own children someday. Thanks to our Hope In Action Fund — and more specifically, the generosity of our amazing donors — this new addition to the Montero School has potential to help thousands of students and their families in this community, which is something to be very proud of.

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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