Tag Archives: sponsor a child

Shelley Callahan | August 5, 2023En Español

There is nothing like getting to meet with our volunteer coordinators and hear their stories directly about how they are helping children in their communities, thanks to our sponsors and donors. Today we hear from Renée Kube, our Director of U.S. Programs, as she meets with four special coordinators who run our sponsorship program at Pinon Community School in Arizona, who explain the lengths they are willing to go to to help kids in need.

“On the tour, I had the chance to see some of the great projects that Children Incorporated funded over the years!”

about Pinon

“The small town of Pinon, Arizona is about 45 miles due west of Chinle on Indian Road 4. The population is sparse and spread out in this area, giving it a more remote feeling than some of the other towns where our affiliated sites are located,” said Renée.

“The Pinon Community School itself is a mix of newer buildings, as well as some of the original 1932 structures. This school is set up in a similar manner to our affiliated site, the Hanaadli Community School/Huerfano Dorm, in New Mexico, in which some children live on-site during the week and some return home after school each day.”

“Education starts with a FACE Program, which stands for Family and Child Education. This is a federal program that focuses on Native families, providing educational services from prenatal to five years of age by providing early childhood education, parenting education, and adult education. After FACE, the child can go on to kindergarten,” said Renée.

Students learn weaving skills at Pinon Community School, which is a big part of their culture and heritage.

“There are two options for kindergarten: a regular kindergarten, and a developmental kindergarten for children with late birthdays (from September through December). Kindergarten is instructed in both English and Navajo. After kindergarten, the children are educated at the local Pinon Unified School District. The dorm students either live at a greater distance than daily transportation allows, or their parents or guardians work out of town for extended periods of time. Pinon Community School also offers the 21st Century Learning Center for afterschool care. The dorm serves 1st through 12th grades.”

“When I arrived to the school, I checked in at the main office, and soon was taken to the conference room. I was greeted by our primary coordinator, Carol, who then introduced me to the other three staff members who serve on the ‘Children Incorporated Committee’: Cassandra, Chyanne, and Rainey,” said Renée.

Readjusting after the pandemic

“While we met, the four ladies shared how challenging things were for them during the pandemic. While the children were participating in fully virtual instruction, the sponsorship funds were being used mostly for food. They are grateful there is a grocery store in the community, although Bashas is small and has limited selection. The ladies explained that the nearest Walmarts are located in Winslow, Arizona (94 miles south) or Gallup, New Mexico (120 miles southeast). It is very humbling to realize how far they travel – using their own vehicles – to shop for the children in our sponsorship program.”

“The school did not re-open for in-person instruction until March 2022. Before the pandemic, 86 children were enrolled. In March, just 30 students returned. Now the number has risen, slowly but steadily, to 70,” said Renée.

“The dorm has not yet re-opened. The old HVAC system was on its last legs, and a new system [with the goal of improving ventilation and preventing respiratory infections] will cost $4 million dollars. This is partly due to the age of some of the buildings; the oldest were built in the 1930s.”

There is nothing like getting to meet with our volunteer coordinators and hear their stories directly about how they are helping children in their communities, thanks to our sponsors and donors.

“We then began our tour of the buildings and grounds. Our coordinators explain that it’s considered bad form and manners to walk directly across the courtyard; instead, one is supposed to walk around, unless one is specifically using the middle structure. They’re always having to remind the children.”

seeing our projects in person

“On the tour, I had the chance to see some of the great projects that Children Incorporated funded over the years! The Reading Pavilion Project in the courtyard was an area with benches where the children really enjoy sitting with their books. An annual vine is trained over the top each spring to provide shade. I also got to see the School Garden Project. We provided funds to purchase materials for the raised beds and fencing, and supplies including soil, fertilizer, seeds, and hand tools. Crops have been planted every spring, and it is used by the science teacher as well as the dormitory staff for instruction and enrichment activities for the children,” said Renée.

“Then we went inside. We went to a classroom and were shown samples from the Weaving Project, whose materials and supplies were provided thanks to our Hope In Action Program. Beginners learn on simple cardboard looms with inexpensive yarns. The small, medium, and large wooden looms are used as the children gain experience and proficiency. They’ll move over time from loom to loom. They use fewer yarn colors on the smaller looms, and add more yarn colors as they progress.

The advanced learners are using the largest looms, the highest quality yarns, and the most colors,” said Renée.

***

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 | July 26, 2023En Español

As she continues with her first visits to our affiliated sites in Navajo Nation since the pandemic, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, tells us about her trip to Kayenta Community School, where she met with our former volunteer coordinator, Lora, and a special student who took the time to show her and our U.S. Programs Specialist, Kris, around the school.

“Kendrick had done a wonderful job in putting a smile on my face,” said Renée.

Visiting Kayenta

“Kayenta Community School is located in the town of Kayenta, which is about 43 miles northeast of Shonto, Arizona, and serves approximately 258 children in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. Its student population declined during the pandemic due to family migrations, but its count is now rising faster than other schools in the region. It was one of the first schools to return to in-person instruction after the pandemic, and parents appreciated that,” said Renée.

“Kayenta Community School is renowned for its athletic department. The children like all of the sports offerings – and all of the winning seasons. When we visited our other affiliated site in the area, Shonto Preparatory School, our volunteer coordinators said that the school bus for Kayenta drives right up to the Shonto school grounds, and children who live in the Shonto community climb on and are taken to Kayenta to participate in their well-known sports program.”

Our former volunteer coordinator, Lora, (left) poses for a photo with Kendrick and Kris.

“As I entered the front door, I was stopped by a woman named Lora who told me that she was the Children Incorporated coordinator before our current coordinator, Mae. I remembered working with Lora, and I greeted her warmly, happy to see a familiar face,” said Renée.

“Lora explained that, unfortunately, Mae was out for the day — there had been an outbreak of COVID-19 in the Kayenta dormitory where Mae worked, and as Lora was speaking with us, the dorm was in the process of closing in an effort to halt the spread of the infection. Parents, guardians, and relatives in distant areas were being instructed to come to the dorm and take their students home. Lora was not sure how long things would be closed.”

Meeting Kendrick

“Additionally, the school was in disruption due to renovations that had begun during summer break, but were still not finished. The desks for those in the main office (the principal, secretary, etc.) had been temporarily moved to the library. Nonetheless, Lora invited me to come inside to have a tour of the building and grounds. For my arrival, Lora and Mae had previously chosen a student to be our tour guide, and I was very excited to meet him,” said Renée.

“Kendrick was one of the most well-spoken children I’ve ever met. He was not fazed in the least at meeting and escorting two strangers around the school, and he was unintentionally hilarious because he took his job so seriously. At each area, he would calmly pause and say, “Yes, as you see…”

“After the tour, we thanked Kendrick for being such an excellent guide, and we said goodbye to Lora — although I didn’t have the opportunity to meet with the other students at the school, Kendrick had done a wonderful job in putting a smile on my face,” said Renée.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | July 9, 2023En Español

In this edition of our Stories of Hope blog series, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube continues her visits to our affiliated sites in Arizona, where she meets with administrators at Greyhills Academy to talk about how the school is helping children prepare for the future and how our sponsorship goes a long way in supporting those efforts.

“If parents choose Greyhills, then their children could maintain their sponsors’ support and encouragement through high school graduation.”

Getting to know Greyhills

“Greyhills Academy High School is located in Tuba City, a busy and bustling place on the Navajo reservation. When I first contacted our volunteer coordinator, Roger, about the proposed site visit in late 2022, he said the school’s pandemic policy does not allow visitors on school grounds at this time. I proposed that Roger and I have an off-site meeting at a local restaurant, and he readily agreed.”

“Despite the different surroundings and my disappointment at not seeing any of the students, we had an excellent meeting. Roger explained that their Governing Board had voted to go on lockdown back in March 2020 and had not lifted that order until this 2022-2023 school year. Greyhills was not only fully virtual during the rest of the 2019-2020 school year, but remained virtual through the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years as well. There was no hybrid option.”

Adjusting after the pandemic

Students at Greyhills Academy are benefiting thanks to theirs sponsors.

“Roger said in-person instruction returned on August 9, 2022. The school has daily temperature checks, maintains social distancing, and does vigorous contact tracing. So far there have been no outbreaks of COVID-19, although they were concerned at the time about rising influenza and RSV.”

“Roger says two other staff help him with our sponsorship program: Lee, the school’s Special Education teacher and Zelda, the Homeliving Manager. He’s grateful for their support to run our program smoothly.”

“The school’s enrollment is currently 197 students in grades 9th through 12th. The student to teacher ratio is 10:1. Roger was very proud to share that the graduation rate is over 90%, and he attributes this to the high level of attention and instruction. Yet, Roger still expressed his concern about the impact of the pandemic on their students and families – enrollment has declined 23% over the past five years.”

A wonderful partnership

“One of the developments Roger was happy to share was a partnership between the high school and Arizona State University. Juniors and seniors can take engineering classes through a portal called ASU Prep Digital. The students get a taste of how a college course feels while earning college credits. Roger said the students are hungry to learn and are so appreciative of the opportunity.”

“Native American students are underrepresented on college campuses. Demographic data shows that only 3.5% of people who live on Arizona’s reservations have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher. Programs like ASU’s can make high school students more confident and ready.”

“Roger also shared that this year the school is beginning an initiative to recruit more students in an organized and purposeful way. In the past, the administration would usually sit back and let parents come to them, and they had plenty of students. But with the pandemic and sharply declining enrollment, they must work to spread the word of the benefits that Greyhills Academy High School has to offer. In addition to the personal attention from faculty and staff, the school offers student learning opportunities, STEM programs, and the Miss Greyhills Pageant.”

“Roger and I both agreed that Children Incorporated’s sponsorship program is one of those benefits and advantages that the school has to offer. Several of the elementary schools that feed into Greyhills are also affiliated with our organization. Thus, if parents choose Greyhills, then their children could maintain their sponsors’ support and encouragement through high school graduation.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | July 4, 2023En Español

In late 2022, when our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, was getting the chance to visit our affiliated sites again after two years, she found that many of them, especially in the Navajo Nation region of the country, were still adjusting since the pandemic. Although for Renée it meant restrictions on seeing children in the schools, it didn’t deter her from having much-anticipated meetings with our volunteer coordinators, and getting to see the schools in person after a few years of not traveling.

Today, we hear from Renée about her trip to Tuba Boarding School in Arizona, where she got a better idea of how administrators and students are adjusting to new rules and regulations regarding the handling of COVID-19.

Today, we hear from Renée about her trip to Tuba Boarding School in Arizona, where she got a better idea of how administrators and students are adjusting to new rules and regulations regarding the handling of COVID-19.

Hearing from Renée

“Tuba City Boarding School is named after the city in which it is located, which is a hub for business and connections across the reservation. As I approached the main office, I could see colorful Halloween decorations, which I’m sure the children enjoyed. A banner hung on the fence announced Red Ribbon Week. This is the largest drug and alcohol awareness and prevention program in the country, sponsored by the National Family Partnership. The children wear red ribbons and distribute them to family members, and also participate in activities ranging from essay and poster contests, to decorating school doors, to fun runs and more,” said Renée.

“After I signed in, the receptionist ushered me into a meeting room. I was shortly joined by our volunteer coordinator, Valli; her assistant, Elvira, and the principal, Mr. Coffland.”

Tuba Boarding School exterior view

“Tuba City Boarding School has a very old and established affiliation with Children Incorporated. The boarding school was established in 1898. It was moved twice before finding its permanent site in 1901. From its beginnings through the 1940s, the boarding school was operated by the U.S. Army. After that, it came under the direction of the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Some of the old buildings are still in use. There is a growing awareness of the abuses and injustices that many Native American children experienced in the BIA boarding school system, but this is not addressed on the school’s web site. The community may recognize that the boarding schools did harm in the past, but at present, they also serve a purpose that many parents need and value for their children’s education and welfare,” explained Renée.

Home of the Thunderbirds

“This is also one of the largest schools we serve in the United States. The enrollment is about 1,135 children in grades DK (developmental kindergarten for ‘young five year olds,’ with birthdays from June through December) through 8th grade. The DK offers structured learning opportunities, but at a slower pace that includes more play and rest times than regular kindergarten. The school’s demographics are 100% Native American from 100% low income families. The school is divided into ‘educational thirds’: Little Thunderbird Academy for pre-kindergarten to 2nd grade; Rising Thunderbird Academy for 3rd to 5th grades; and Thunderbird Academy for 6th through 8th graders.”

“At present, the majority of the children are day students. In part due to the pandemic and worries about spreading the virus in close proximity, the residential hall’s enrollment has declined to just 20 children. Mr. Coffland was able to use some of the federal pandemic grants to implement some badly needed improvements in the dorms, primarily to the HVAC and the bathrooms. There is also a new playground. And the athletic fields were improved with new sod and a sprinkler system. He feels these improvements will make the residential hall a more attractive option for parents who are deciding where to enroll their children who need a residential facility during the week as well as schooling,” said Renée.

Thanks to their sponsors, children at Tuba Boarding School are receiving much-needed support throughout the year.

“Our meeting opened with the principal stating the school’s pandemic policy included no visitors beyond the reception area. In their ongoing efforts to stop transmission of the virus, visitors could not have contact with students, nor could they go into the classrooms or dorms. Mr. Coffland explained he is being extremely cautious and is trying to keep the children in school and healthy, as well as protect their families.”

“During our meeting, Valli also shared that Elvira, who had formerly helped only with shopping trips, is now doing more. Mr. Coffland then said that Elvira will be a big help to Valli in the upcoming school year, and that the two of them should be able to begin enrolling more children. All three expressed their appreciation for our organization and all of our sponsors,” explained Renée.

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | June 19, 2023

Last fall, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, and our U.S. Sponsorship Specialist, Kristen Walthall, had the chance to return to Arizona for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic to visit our affiliated sites and meet with our volunteer coordinators. Today, as a part of our Stories of Hope series, we hear from Renée about the history of Navajo Nation and the effects of the pandemic on this already vulnerable population.

“The families are trying to hold on to their way of life while developing their capacity to earn their livelihoods and facing the challenges of poverty.”

About Navajo Nation

“The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous territory that includes portions of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, and shares a border with Colorado. The community of Teec Nos Pos is close to the Four Corners National Monument and Navajo Tribal Park. It contains the quadripoint where those four states come together, the only place in the U.S. where that occurs. The Hopi Reservation is completely enclosed by the Navajo Reservation,” explains Renée.

“The largest towns and small cities within Navajo Nation (in order of size and population) are Tuba City, Arizona; Shiprock, New Mexico; Chinle, Arizona; Kayenta, Arizona; Fort Defiance, Arizona; Window Rock, Arizona (the capital); and its bordering community, St. Michaels, Arizona. Children Incorporated has affiliated sites in Tuba City, Kayenta, and St. Michaels, as well as in many of the smaller communities.”

“There are larger cities just outside the border of Navajo Nation, and these are important places for shopping for groceries and supplies; for medical care that falls beyond the scope of the Indian Health Service Clinics; and for job opportunities for those who choose to live outside the reservation. Two of these cities are in Arizona: Flagstaff to the south and Page to the north. Children Incorporated has affiliations in Page,” said Renée.

“However, many Navajo people choose not to live in either the larger cities or the towns. Instead, they prefer hozho naasha, which means ‘to walk in beauty,’ expressed by being in balance with and closely interconnected with the natural world, living in very small communities, and finding happiness and joy in daily life skills, ceremonies, and events. For traditional Navajos, such things might include living in a hogan (or having one nearby for ceremonial use), growing traditional crops (especially corn for its food and sacred pollen), herding sheep (for its meat and wool), and attending ceremonial events like a kinaalda (puberty ceremony), nidaa (enemy way), ye’ii bicheii (a healing ceremony), and more. It is considered important to understand hozho so that one can use it to guide choices and decisions throughout one’s life.”

Renée is pictured in one of the many amazing national parks in Arizona.

“Traditional Navajos believe that at birth one starts the Corn Pollen Path of Life. One aspires to reach 102 years of age, the culmination of a long, happy, and fruitful life, and to be in good condition and in balance with everything. Within the path of life, they wish to have and maintain beauty and balance within family, home, livelihood, kinship, community, Navajo Nation, and the world outside. Wherever one goes, one is to live by the teachings, to find good things out there, and to bring them home,” explains Renée.

Understand the people

“The Navajo tribe call themselves Diné, which literally means ‘The People.’ Traditional Navajo believe it is imperative to go back to the true essence of hozho and to instill it back into the lives of Diné children and youth. They believe that their youth feel a yearning for more knowledge of Navajo language and culture, which will help them to feel pride and to help them make moral decisions.”

“The reservation’s landscape is full of beauty and variety; it is ever changing. The families are trying to hold on to their way of life while developing their capacity to earn their livelihoods and facing the challenges of poverty. The pandemic has dealt a terrible blow to these efforts,” said Renée.

The detrimental effects of the pandemic

“Covid-19 was and still is contracted at disproportionate rates on Navajo Nation as compared to the rest of the country. This is due to the historic marginalization of its people. There has been long standing neglect by government entities when it comes to basic infrastructure to support Native populations. The conditions in which people are born, live, learn, and work are known as the social determinants of health. When those are inadequate, then there are negative effects on people’s physical and mental health. It has been documented extensively that low quality jobs, limited income, poverty, and low education are fundamentally connected to poor health outcomes.”

“Within Navajo Nation, 35.8% of households are below the federal poverty threshold, and most hover at or barely above it. (This is compared to 12% at the national level.) Federal funding for health care has been inadequate and has not kept pace with rising costs of prescription drugs, specialized healthcare, and competitive salaries to attract health professionals. Life expectancy is lower for Navajo Nation as compared to the rest of the country. There are higher rates of heart disease, substance abuse, diabetes, and obesity,” said Renée.

“With the return of not only students, but the entire administration, faculty, and staff, assessments can now be better made on the negative impacts of the pandemic on student population and enrollment.”

“These pre-existing conditions made people more vulnerable to contracting the coronavirus, and to experiencing serious illness and death. Access to basic health services presents challenges for most of Navajo Nation, due to the remoteness of rural areas where families live. Lack of family transportation and/or cost of fuel are often factors that impede access to health care.”

“Navajo Nation enforced some of the most extreme social distancing measures in the country. It enacted 57-hour weekend lockdowns during the height of the pandemic and closed even essential businesses such as gas stations,” said Renée.

“When schools across the U.S. closed abruptly in March 2020 in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, there were immediate challenges for continuing the children’s education. Many districts across the country already had technology infrastructure, and students had school-issued electronic devices. That was not the case on Navajo Nation.”

“The remainder of the 2019-2020 school year was a scramble to make paper packets for the littlest students and to try and get electronic devices into the hands of the older students. This resulted in sibling groups walking for distances to find hills that might have a cellular signal; families driving to towns where they could go to parking lots and surf off merchants’ Wi-Fi signals; and even school buses becoming Wi-Fi hotspots where families would drive to predetermined places so they could take their children to the buses to upload their work and download their new assignments,” said Renée.

“Navajo Nation President, Jonathan Nez, said the reservation is a telecommunications desert, but it is a desert that is ready to bloom. There has been a big push to build and expand the network, but there’s a long way to go.”

“The 2020-2021 school year began as more of the same. Some Navajo Nation school districts were able to implement hybrid instruction with increased school-based health measures. In these, children were divided, with half going to the schools for in-person instruction for two days, then the other half going for two days, with one day reserved for deep-cleaning, parent conferences, and/or food preparation and distribution. But many remote districts were not able to implement hybrid instruction. Instead, they remained on fully-virtual instruction, which has many deficits for students. The children missed the face-to-face encounters with caring administration, faculty, and staff. They missed opportunities for in-person classroom discussions and hands-on learning in small groups. They missed athletics, clubs, and other activities. Furthermore, in many communities, schools are also the hub for needed supports such as school meals, counseling, and before-and-after-school childcare,” said Renée.

“Thankfully, the development of a vaccine and its trial in December 2020, followed by a rollout to the public over the spring of 2021, was a huge help. As the school year ended in May 2021, more families were getting the vaccine. Infection rates began to drop.”

New hope in a new school year

“The 2021-2022 school year saw the development of boosters and a big push to return to fully in-person instruction. All public health measures were followed, and Navajo Nation displayed an online Covid Dashboard to show the rise, drop, and autumn/winter surges of infection rates. Just like everywhere else, people developed ‘Covid fatigue.’ People found it increasingly difficult and depressing to stay at home for so long,” said Renée.

“The 2022-2023 school year is seeing a further return to normal. In most places, schools have fully reopened to in-person learning, and athletics, clubs, and activities have resumed. The Navajo Nation Fairs returned. However, on the reservation, caution is still the byword. Masking and social distancing are still observed. With the return of not only students, but the entire administration, faculty, and staff, assessments can now be better made on the negative impacts of the pandemic on student population and enrollment. The smaller and more rural schools have lost a large percentage of children, as their families migrated to other towns in search of work, health clinics, and schools that could offer more opportunities for their children. The viability of some of these schools is in question, and a few of these are affiliated with our organization.”

***

How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child 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 | June 11, 2023En Español

I spent the last three days of my trip to the Philippines with our volunteer coordinators, WimWim and Ester, visiting our affiliated sites in Tacloban, all operated under the Volunteer for the Visayans organization, or VFV.

After visiting the Visayans Center at Bliss and the Santo Nino Center in previous days, it was time to visit our final site, the Cancumbang Center, located in the Cancumbang neighborhood about an hour outside of the city center.

Making the trek to Cancumbang

On my last day, I met WimWim and Ester at the VFV office early in the morning, the cargo truck that was taking supplies to the Cancumbung Center for distribution was already fully loaded. Cartons of eggs, large bags of rice, and boxes of canned goods and hygiene items were stacked high on the floor and benches, with enough room in the back for the three of us to sit comfortably. As WimWim, Ester and I loaded ourselves in, other VFV staff members hopped on small motorbikes to make the trek, heading out in front of us, knowing our vehicle would have to drive slowly to not disturb the dry goods.

I could only imagine what it was like for the families to have to endure potential flooding whenever it rained.

We made our way out of the city, and the drive was noticeably different than the route the day before to the Santo Nino Center — although located in a rural community, we still remained in what felt like city limits yesterday. Today, once we turned off the main road to head towards Cancumbang, rice fields surrounded the truck on both sides of the road, and houses were barely noticeable in the distance.

As she saw me ponder our surroundings, WimWim commented that for the sponsored children and their families here, the biggest issue they faced was transportation costs. Even to get to some of the schools, families needed to hire a motorbike, and those expenses cut into purchasing food and other basic necessities they required. But for these residents, living where the work was among the rice fields was their only option for employment, and relocating to the city to look for work was not a guarantee for a better or easier life.

Arriving to our destination

After some time, we stopped in front of a small store on a dirt road, and WimWim and Ester jumped out of the truck, gesturing for me to follow them. Between two houses that stood along the road was a small concrete walkway with a bamboo gate that was swung open. I walked down the path, and as soon as I got beyond the first row of houses, I could see the Cancumbang Center, standing on stilts, two stories above ground.

WimWim explained that this center was built to handle the flooding that occurred in the area on a regular basis, and like the Santo Nino Center, acts as an evacuation center in emergencies as well. The center was built in 2013 and had been completed only a few weeks before Typhoon Yolanda. Although the center sustained a lot of damage during the typhoon, it did not collapse, and VFV was able to repair it and reopen within a few months.

We walked up the stairs to reach the front doors of the center, and as I entered, there was already a lot of activity in the large gathering area. WimWim introduced me to John, the local staff member who lived in the neighborhood and took care of day-to-day operations at Cancumbang, like seeing that the children who wanted to use the computer lab and printer had access, and that the feeding program was running a few days a week. This made things much easier for WimWim, who otherwise only needed to make the drive out to the center a few times a month, so she could focus her efforts on operating the Visayans Center at Bliss. She told me another staff member also lives near the Santo Nino Center, and serves the same purpose of helping on a more daily basis.

At least these families, who were receiving support thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors, could rely on the Cancumbang Center and the VFV staff to help ensure they had what they needed.

Providing the care the community needs

The staff worked quickly to unpack the truck and to bring all the supplies up the stairs, unpacking boxes and unloading egg crates onto tables. Each group of items had their own place to make sure the children each got exactly the same items and everything was accounted for precisely, just like the distributions at the other two VFV centers.

Before long, the children had arrived with their parents and made their way into the center, where they sat in folding chairs facing the front of the room. Each child’s name was called, and without instruction, they filed in line to fill their reusable bags with rice, soap, canned meats, and toothpaste, among other items. I could only imagine what it was like for the families to have to endure potential flooding whenever it rained, which would sometimes keep them from leaving the neighborhood for days at a time. At least these families, who were receiving support thanks to Children Incorporated sponsors, could rely on the Cancumbang Center and the VFV staff to help ensure they had what they needed, which gave them less to worry about in a place where their livelihood, whether in a storm or not, was already fragile.

As all the other sites had, the Cancumbang Center impressed me a lot, and I felt that I was able to leave the Philippines feeling confident that Children Incorporated, and especially our sponsors, were making a huge and lasting difference for these families. And thanks to our amazing partners, just like the VFV, we can continue to offer sustainable support to kids well into the future.

***

How do I sponsor a child in the Philippines?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD