Tag Archives: sponsor children

Shelley Callahan | March 13, 2022En Español

Sometimes it seems that what we provide for our sponsored children around the world is so simple that it couldn’t possibly make a huge difference in their lives — but in reality, the simple things do often make a lasting change.

In reality, the simple things do often make a lasting change.

Our volunteer coordinator at the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in Anjar, Lebanon wrote us a letter of appreciation after we recently provided vulnerable children in our program with school supplies that he insists are allowing them to continue to pursue their dreams of getting an education:

A note from Reverend Hagop

“We appreciate your generous donation that was used to purchase stationary, paper, books, pens, pencils, and rulers for the children who are in the Children Incorporated program.

The stationary items were purchased, and the students received them with great joy and appreciation. The children were in great need of them, since their parents were unable to afford buying them due to the economic depression and degeneration of the Lebanese currency against the foreign currencies. But now, due to your generous contribution, the children are able to follow their education with greater ease and joy.

Thanks to their sponsors, children in Lebanon have brand new school supplies.

Our school administration along with the school parents and teachers appreciate the thoughtfulness and consideration of our sponsors and the great work achieved by the Children Incorporated program.

We hope and pray that your program continues its blessed work in aiding children in need around the world.”

About Lebanon

Renowned for its towering cedar trees, Lebanon boasts fertile valleys, snow-capped, ore-rich mountains, and – in a region where water is scarce – sixteen rivers that flow into the glistening Mediterranean Sea along Lebanon’s western coast. This small Middle Eastern country has an incredibly rich culture, evincing the influence of Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman Turk, and French culture. However, Lebanon’s wealth of diversity has also contributed to its turbulent history. Lebanon continues to suffer repercussions of a history riddled with wars – both civil and international. Poverty, unemployment, and the ever-present threat of war are tragic realities here.

About our affiliated site

Recognized as a World Heritage Site, Anjar is located near the Syrian border in the fertile Beqaa Valley, where much of the nation’s vegetables, grains, and wine grapes are produced. In the 1930’s, an influx of Armenians (a minority ethnic group in Lebanon) fleeing Turkey settled here.

“We hope and pray that your program continues its blessed work in aiding children in need around the world.”

To this day, Armenian agricultural laborers who earn very little comprise an extensive portion of Anjar’s population. For this reason, the Armenian Secondary School serves as a beacon of hope. Serving both boys and girls of this impoverished and marginalized population, the school contains an attached boarding home for students whose parents cannot afford to send them to school. In conjunction with Children Incorporated sponsorship, the Armenian Secondary School provides these deserving children with the opportunity, through a well-rounded education, to rise above the difficult socioeconomic circumstances that they face.

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How do I sponsor a child in Lebanon?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 20, 2022En Español

Not too long ago, we reported on how our partner, Altar’d State, was able to help our international affiliated sites during the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to their generous contributions to our many special funds. Today, we have multiple updates to share with you about how Altar’d State also supported our U.S. sites — from Kentucky across the country to New Mexico.

A letter from Renée

In response to the donations made to our affiliated sites in the United States, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, wrote the following letter to thank Altar’d State:

Today, we have multiple updates to share with you about how Altar’d State also supported our U.S. sites — from Kentucky across the country to New Mexico.

“Dear Friends,

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks for your generous gift supporting our programs and the health and education of vulnerable children. I had the pleasure and privilege of disbursing the U.S. funds during the year based on appeals and proposals from our volunteer site coordinators from the Appalachian mountains of the rural southeast to the Navajo Nation of the rural southwest. Our volunteer site coordinators were so grateful for the extra support for our special projects, including our feeding programs, Back to School Fund, Warm Clothing Fund, COVID-19 Response Fund, and Hope In Action Fund.

I have included letters from our coordinators expressing just how much your donations have helped them and the children in our sponsorship program.”

A Note from Anita

Across the U.S., Altar’d State has helped us provide for students in our program.

Our volunteer coordinator at Betsy Layne High School in Kentucky writes:

“I absolutely cannot thank you enough for the generous gift. My center does a weekend backpack program for several of our students. Many of the students don’t have the resources for extra food and snack, so the program makes it possible to help them. Each Friday, they receive a backpack with milk, cereal, bread, sandwich meat, mac and cheese, and spaghetti to help supplement their meals during the weekend. Your donation is greatly appreciated!”

A message from Delores

At Tohaaili Community School in New Mexico, Delores, our volunteer coordinator, sent this message:

“We send greetings and thanks to you for approving our proposal and making it possible. We wished to provide a traditional Navajo weaving revitalization program to our students and community members, and with the grant funding, we were able to purchase weaving tools that were handmade by a local vendor as well as buy commercial yarn. These efforts on your part are helping us preserve the traditions of our historical home and teach our students new skills that will help them later in life.”

Thanks from Steven

At the Hanaa’Dli Community School and Dormitory in New Mexico, our volunteer coordinator, Steven, says:

“We have a high poverty rate and a lack of infrastructure in the children’s homes here, especially when it comes to access to water. Thankfully, the children are able to live in the dorms on the weekdays and transfer to regional schools — but with COVID-19, we faced some unique challenges.

“Our volunteer site coordinators were so grateful for the extra support for our special projects.”

With your generous gift, we purchased cleansers, disinfectants, and supplies including face masks. It is important for us to be able to provide and maintain well sanitized living spaces as we continue to work to keep our students and their families safe, especially since the Navajo Nation has been hit so hard by the pandemic. We are deeply appreciative.”

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How do I sponsor a child in the United States?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 6, 2022En Español

We recently received an update from our volunteer coordinator at the Touch a Life with Hope Center in Sri Lanka, who took the time to share with us the history of the organization, as well discuss some of the ways they have been able to help some of the most vulnerable girls in Colombo — in large part thanks to our sponsors.

“It is with great pride and hope that I present this report of the Touch a Life with Hope Center, as this year marks the 35th year of the home since its inception.

From the entire staff of the Touch a Life with Hope Center, thank you to all the Children Incorporated sponsors for their support.

Touch a Life with Hope Center is managed by the Shilpa Children’s Trust. Empowering the lives of the girls that walk through our doors via a sound education remains a priority at the Center. Nurturing and uplifting girls through love, care, proper nutrition and guidance is our main goal. We strive to inculcate the values and the skills essential to live as a contributing member of society, and it is our fervent wish that when it is time for our girls to leave the Center that they join the community as mature independent young women.

Past to Present

“It is with pride that we remember the path travelled so far. The Touch a Life with Hope Center was established in 1987. It was the brainchild of a group, mostly of educationists led by Mrs. Sujatha Gunasekera, who took on the challenge to give protection to a group of children affected by the atrocities of the civil war.

Girls at the Touch a Life with Hope Center receive a well-rounded education, in large part thanks to their sponsors.

With minimal resources, they were able to temporarily house around hundred children who were brought in from the war-torn areas, providing shelter, nourishment, clothing and a safe environment. In addition, building up their educational needs and skills, always a high priority, was cherished and served as the backbone of its mission statement.

In 1988, we were allocated land in Narahenpita, on a 30-year lease, and a basic shelter was built to accommodate 25 of the girls who had greatest need for a home. Since then, the Touch a Life with Hope Center has made great strides in its progress. Alongside the focus on education, individual talent and skills were recognized and development of these given importance for the overall well-being of a child. Space was created into the overall design of the Center to provide an area for the girls to be able to practice dance, music, drama and art. In 2002, we were fortunate in securing a three-year grant from international donor agencies, such as European-Commission and ICT (International Childcare Trust, UK) to build a comfortable and spacious home for fifty girls as well as a vocational center.”

Continuing their work into the future

“With the 2004 Tsunami affecting a greater part of the South coast, and thousands of children being orphaned, the Touch a Life with Hope Center, while adhering to the government regulation of keeping the children in their home environment, proposed and implemented a sustainable program to support 350 children for a period of four years. This was yet another milestone in the history of the Center.

Alongside the focus on education, individual talent and skills were recognized and development of these given importance for the overall well-being of a child.

Along with this ambitious project, between 2004 to 2009, many other proposals were written, and funds received to help communities within and around the community where the Center is located. Within these were micro financing, agriculture and home gardening, silting and cleaning of canals and supporting a school for children with Down Syndrome in the area — in total, over 10,000 lives were impacted through this project over the four years.

Through all of our development, Children Incorporated has been a crucial part in supporting our efforts and ensuring that the girls who are in attendance at the Center are receiving clothes, food, school supplies and hygiene items — all which contribute to their overall health and ability to do well in school. From the entire staff of the Touch a Life with Hope Center, thank you to all the Children Incorporated sponsors for their support.”

About Sri Lanka

Sponsored children pose outside of the Touch a Life with Hope Center.

The island nation of Sri Lanka is located just east of India’s southern tip. It has been known by many names over the centuries, but it fittingly derives its current name from the Sinhalese words meaning “resplendent island.” Amidst its tropical rainforests, coastal plains and south-central highlands, Sri Lanka boasts the highest biodiversity density in Asia, with roughly a quarter of its thousands of species of plant life and mammals existing nowhere else on the planet. Prehistoric settlements suggest that humans have also called this land home for thousands of years. Its strategic location and deep ports made it an important part of the ancient Silk Road and even tactical grounds in World War II.

Today, in the wake of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonization, Sri Lanka maintains its rich and ancient cultural heritage, comprising diverse ethnic groups, languages and religions. Despite its many advances, internal ethnic tensions remain active in Sri Lanka. In 1983, these culminated in 26 years of insurgencies and civil war, which, along with reports of corruption and widespread abuses of civil rights — not to mention the devastating tsunami of 2004 — left the nation reeling. Despite a recovering economy, Sri Lanka is still plagued by widespread poverty and its devastating effects.

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How do I sponsor a child in Sri Lanka?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Ron Carter | February 3, 2022

Dear Friends,

I often share personal stories about the positive effects of our work on children and families. Our Hope In Action Fund is one of the most meaningful ways we improve lives, and our volunteer coordinators, both in the United States and abroad, can testify to that fact on a regular basis, as they witness first-hand the changes among the children in our program that they serve.

Our Hope In Action Fund is one of the most meaningful ways we improve lives.

At Sparta Elementary School, in the scenic foothills of the North Carolina mountains, our volunteer coordinator, Mandy, has these words to share:

“All of our sponsored students received a Holiday Meal Bag before the Thanksgiving Weekend in 2021. Each bag included a country ham, a 10-lb bag of dried pinto beans, biscuit mix, cobbler mix, jam or jelly, fresh fruit – and a little bit of candy. While
picking up the food items, our parents and guardians repeatedly expressed their gratitude to Children Incorporated for providing these meals during the holiday season!”

Maria, from the Visayans Community Center at Bliss in the Philippines says:

Donations to our Hope In Action Fund continuously change the lives of children in our program.

“Thanks to contributions from Children Incorporated’s Hope In Action Fund, I was able to purchase homemade peanut butter from the mother of one of our sponsored children. Instead of buying from one of the big grocery stores, we opted to buy twenty jars of her homemade peanut butter to help augment the family’s income. The pandemic has had a huge impact on this and many other families’ ability to generate money. Parents struggle to find ways to earn and secure food. We are so happy that through the funds received from Children Incorporated,we are able to help them make ends meet.”

Josephina, our volunteer coordinator at the Laboure School in El Salvador, writes:

“Last year, we enrolled a little boy named Ricardo in the Children Incorporated program. In the comment section of his forms, we indicated that Ricardo is deaf in his left ear, is partially deaf in his right ear, and that he needed hearing aids. I made Children Incorporated aware of this, and within days, I heard from the director of their International Division, stating that they could help. Soon after, Hope In Action Funds were sent to us for Ricardo so we could purchase the hearing aids he needed. They were life-changing for him.”

At the St. Mary’s Girls’ Hostel in India, our coordinator, Rao, says:

“Thank you very much for providing funds so that we could purchase 103 packages of sanitary napkins. Thanks to funding from the Hope In Action Fund, we will have enough of this product to last for up to six months. Many of our girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene, so we really appreciate your contribution to help and support them during these hard times. Our children convey their highest regards to the donors for their kindness, generosity, and caring.”

Please consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today.

These are just a few of the hundreds of comments that we have received about how our Hope In Action Fund regularly impacts the lives of children and their families. Unfortunately, our funds are limited, and there are needs that sometimes go unmet. Our goal is to meet more and more of those needs in 2022, to improve many more lives, and to alleviate suffering in as many situations as possible.

With your help, we can continue to make a difference and, as I like to say, “change the world, one child at a time.” Please consider making a donation to our Hope In Action Fund today.

From the heart,
Ron Carter

DONATE TODAY

Shelley Callahan | January 24, 2022En Español

One reason Children Incorporated is so special is because of our ability to help children around the world with their particular needs – largely due to the closeness that our volunteer coordinators have with children in our program.

One reason Children Incorporated is so special is because of our ability to help children around the world with their particular needs.

Last year, we received sponsorship enrollment information for a little boy named Ricardo at the Laboure School in El Salvador. In the comment section of his forms, our volunteer coordinator at the school indicated that Ricardo is deaf in his left ear, is partially deaf in his right ear, and that he needed hearing aids.

Our international programs department contacted our volunteer coordinator at Ricardo’s school immediately upon finding out about Ricardo’s situation to see if Children Incorporated could help. Soon after, we sent Hope In Action Funds to get Ricardo the hearing aids he needed — and shortly after that, Ricardo was matched with sponsor!

About El Salvador

Ricardo is pictured with his new hearing aids.

Abundant in rivers, lakes, and fertile, tropical farmland, El Salvador’s wealth of natural beauty traverses a vast central plateau bordered by Pacific coastal plains to the south and rugged mountains to the north. For centuries, several Mesoamerican nations called this land home, including the Lenca, Olmec, Maya, and Pipil/Cutcatlec. However, this smallest and most densely populated Central American nation is particularly susceptible to natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and it has been plagued by chronic political and economic instability for more than a century. High unemployment rates, rising inflation, organized crime, and a soaring birthrate leave many Salvadorans to live in abject poverty. The nation’s capital, San Salvador, is no exception to these maladies.

About the Laboure School

The Laboure School serves as a beacon of hope to this impoverished community. Although originally founded in 1934 as an orphanage for girls, today it operates solely as a school, providing a well-rounded education and moral support to both boys and girls of the city of San Salvador. The school offers children here an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and to rise above the difficult socioeconomic circumstances from which they come.

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How do I sponsor a child in El Salvador?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | January 17, 2022En Español

When we consider the needs of our sponsored children, we especially need to consider the particular needs of young girls who might not have access to feminine hygiene products while living in poverty — most likely because their families can’t afford them. When young ladies don’t have access to sanitary napkins, they often skip school to stay home which can be detrimental to their education.

“As we know, girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene. We really appreciate your contribution to help and support our children during these hard times.”

Throughout the 2021 year, we focused on providing supplies of sanitary napkins to girls at our affiliated projects in Kenya and India on a continuous basis — in large part thanks to our long-time partner, Altar’d State — so that they may remain in attendance at school throughout the year.

According to their website, “Altar’d State is a rapidly growing women’s fashion brand with more than 100 boutiques in 30 states. They offer a place of respite and a distinctive shopping experience with the latest fashion finds, the most sought-after accessories, charming home decor and gifts.”

Additionally, the company seeks to “inspire through action and supports a mission of standing out for good in the world” — which they have done by donating to Children Incorporated with a focus on providing feminine hygiene items to hundreds of girls around the world.

A letter from India

Upon receiving funding from Altar’d State to purchase hygiene items for sponsored children at the St. Mary’s School for Girls in India, our volunteer coordinator writes:

Girls at the Dandora Centre in Kenya pose with their feminine hygiene kits

“Thank you very much for allowing us to be able to purchase 103 sanitary napkin packets which can be used for up to six months. As we know, girls face a great number of difficulties when it comes to sanitation and hygiene. We really appreciate your contribution to help and support our children during these hard times. Also, all our children have conveyed their highest regards to the concerned donors and once again thank you so much for your kindness.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Rao”

Stats about Girls and Feminine Hygiene

Why is it so important to support girls and their healthy menstrual hygiene? According to the Days for Girls website, “period poverty is a term used to describe the lack of access to adequate menstrual health management supplies and education for women and girls. Many families are unable to afford feminine hygiene products because of how expensive they are. This lack of resources and supplies for menstrual health can have negative consequences on girls.”

Additionally, poor menstrual hygiene can cause physical health risks and has been linked to reproductive and urinary tract infections (UNICEF). It also inhibits girls from reaching their full potential — young girls who do not receive an education are more likely to enter child marriages and experience an early pregnancy, malnourishment, domestic violence, and pregnancy complications as a result.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

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 sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD