The small landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises the rugged Andes Mountains and vast high-altitude plateaus to the west, including a portion of Lake Titicaca – the largest high-altitude lake in the world. To the east are the lush lowland plains of the Amazon Jungle. Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors, and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups. Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty there, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime, and disease.
Yotala, an agricultural suburb of Sucre, is no exception to these hardships. The area is prone to drought, which not only diminishes crop yield, but it also forces families to purchase water for drinking and bathing. Many people in this community are very poor; they rarely manage to grow enough food to feed their families, much less to sell at the market. The Santa Rosa School was founded to assist the children of Yotala’s subsistence farming families. The school teaches core academic subjects, and it has received recognition in Bolivia with high honors for its biology and geography classes.
Children need to attend school to succeed; but more critically, they must attend schools where they are being taught by trained professionals – which is just the case at the Santa Rosa School.
A great institution
Children need to attend school to succeed; but more critically, they must attend schools where they are being taught by trained professionals – which is just the case at the Santa Rosa School. There are sixteen professors at the school – a large number compared to many schools – which means that the children there are attending a great institution where they learn daily and are prepared for moving on to receive a higher education.
Not only is the Santa Rosa School acclaimed for its academics, but it also offers skills training in such areas as weaving, agronomy, dressmaking, carpentry, computer literacy, and hairdressing. The school encourages parental involvement. Since many parents of students there are illiterate or only speak Quechua, the school offers them educational courses, along with general courses on parenting skills and nutrition – all of which afford them the opportunity to obtain better jobs and earn a greater income, which is helpful for their entire families.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN BOLIVIA?
You can sponsor a child in Bolivia one of three ways – call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; e-mail 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.
In Kenya, children need mosquito nets to protect them from mosquito-borne illnesses so that they’ll be healthy enough to attend school. Each year, we purchase thousands of nets, thanks to donations to our Mosquito Net Fund, which we distribute to our sponsored children and their families.
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos and the diseases they may carry. Examples of mosquito-borne illnesses include malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, Zika virus, and various forms of encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), including the West Nile virus (WNV). For the net to be effective, the mesh must be fine enough to exclude these insects without reducing visibility or airflow. It is also possible to further increase the effectiveness of a mosquito net greatly by treating it with an appropriate insecticide or mosquito repellant. Research has shown mosquito nets to be an extremely effective method of malaria prevention, having averted approximately 451 million cases of malaria between the years 2000 and 2015.
In Kenya, children need mosquito nets to protect them from mosquito-borne illnesses so that they’ll be healthy enough to attend school. Each year, we purchase thousands of nets, thanks to donations to our Mosquito Net Fund, which we distribute to our sponsored children and their families.
About mosquito-borne illnesses
– Malaria infects around 250 million people worldwide each year
-In 2015, malaria caused 438,000 deaths
– Worldwide incidents of dengue have risen 30-fold in the past 30 years – and more and more countries are reporting their first outbreaks of the disease
– The Zika virus, dengue fever, chikungunya, and yellow fever are all transmitted to humans by mosquitos
– More than half of the world’s population lives in areas where disease-carrying mosquitos are present
– The most effective means of preventing malaria is by sleeping under a mosquito net
About Kenya
Located in the African Great Lakes region of eastern Africa, Kenya is perhaps best known for its fertile highlands and grassy savannahs, teeming with an abundance of wildlife – and, of course, for its namesake peak, the glacier-laden Mount Kenya. Its economy relies heavily on agriculture and tourism. Kenya is also a cradle of civilization, rich in cultural heritage and diversity. The nation’s wealth of natural beauty, resources, and culture, however, belie the poverty in which most of its residents live. Tragically, destitution and weak government institutions allow for frequent human rights violations. Moreover, Kenya is plagued by a severe shortage of healthcare workers, which contributes to lower life expectancies, high infant mortality rates, and widespread preventable diseases.
Introducing St. John’s Community Center
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos and the diseases they may carry.
These maladies are, perhaps, most pronounced in Nairobi’s poorest and most dangerous neighborhood, Pumwani. Plagued by extreme poverty, disease, and crime, this area is home to thousands of needy children in desperate need of assistance. Many of these children live in slum conditions and suffer from malnutrition, abuse, and neglect. For these reasons, St. John’s Community Center serves as a safe place for our sponsored and unsponsored children to receive an education.
The center was established in the late 1950s following a violent period known as the Mau Mau Uprising. Its mission is to provide long-term social services to the needy – regardless of age, tribal affiliation, or faith. By providing for children’s immediate needs as well as investing in their future through education, St. John’s Community Center offers children the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. Through sponsorship, we are able to support these children with basic needs, and with the additional support from our Mosquito Net Fund, we are able to provide them with mosquito nets to keep them healthy so that they can attend school.
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HOW DO I CONTRIBUTE TO THE MOSQUITO NET FUND?
You can contribute to our Mosquito Net Fund in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and donate to our Mosquito Net Fund.
In New Orleans’ historic Tremé neighborhood, the Phyllis Wheatley Community School building was decimated during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, the spirit of the school and surrounding community has proven resilient. The new and improved Phyllis Wheatley Community School opened its doors to students in 2013 with a two-fold mission: first, to provide individualized support for each student’s academic and social and emotional learning; second, it strives to serve the surrounding low-income community, fostering the involvement of students’ families in school activities, as well as reaching out to their neighbors.
The Phyllis Wheatley Community School maintains an Edible Schoolyard garden, which students can help to tend, and which provides fresh produce for the school cafeteria.
One way in which the Phyllis Wheatley Community School does this is by maintaining an Edible Schoolyard garden, which students can help to tend, and which provides fresh produce for the school cafeteria. Moreover, the school makes the fruits and vegetables available for students, their families, and community members monthly to take home.
Our newest project in New Orleans
The Phyllis Wheatley Community School is our newest affiliated project in New Orleans. Children Incorporated began our affiliation with the school at the end of the 2017 school year. As a pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school, the number of children in attendance is rapidly growing, and is almost up to 900.
While visiting the school last year, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, met with our Volunteer Coordinator, Max, who described the school as a “high-need school,” meaning many children in attendance are lacking basic needs such as adequate food and clothing. Max said that Children Incorporated is very helpful in that many students at his school come from low-income families in its surrounding neighborhoods. He told Renée that our sponsorship program provides uniforms, books, shoes, and other essential items to kids.
Our Volunteer Coordinator, Max, with a sponsored child at the Wheatley School
At the beginning of the school year, each student received a backpack full of supplies as well. Max also participates in the Lollipop Book Club, a children’s book of the month club. In addition, he is planning to use sponsorship funds to help provide Thanksgiving meals to our sponsored children’s families in the fall.
More children in need
After visiting with Max, Renée met with Amanda, the new President of Communities In Schools (CIS) of New Orleans, our affiliate and school dropout prevention organization. As they discussed the Children Incorporated sponsorship program, Amanda and Renée both agreed that there are plenty of children in New Orleans who could benefit greatly from having sponsors, and that they would really appreciate the personal involvement that comes with sponsorship.
Renée also discussed the possibility of providing Hope In Action funding for schools in New Orleans. Past assistance to our affiliated projects there went to amazing programs such as the before and after school program Champ Camp. Renée expressed that future assistance could go towards addressing food insecurity by assisting with the implementation of more school gardens. Amanda agreed that was a good idea, because, as she explained to Renée, many of the schools in the city have made health and wellness as much of a priority as academics, because children respond so well to programs such as school gardens.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW ORLEANS?
You can sponsor a child in New Orleans 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.
The small landlocked nation of Bolivia comprises the rugged Andes Mountains and vast high-altitude plateaus to the west, including a portion of Lake Titicaca – the largest high-altitude lake in the world. The lush lowland plains of the Amazon Jungle are found to the east. Despite its wealth of natural beauty and resources, Bolivia bears the scars of centuries of conflict, beginning with the Spanish conquistadors and followed by almost 200 years of wars and internal military coups.
Political and economic instability have brought about considerable poverty there, resulting in widespread malnutrition, crime, and disease. For these reasons, Children Incorporated supports hundreds of children in Bolivia each year, providing them with basic necessities so that they have the opportunity to go to school and succeed.
Facts about Bolivia
– Population: 10.1 million (UN, 2011)
– Capital: Sucre (official), La Paz (administrative)
– Largest city: Santa Cruz
– Area: 1.1 million square kilometers, or 424,164 square miles
Nearly 60% of Bolivians live below the poverty line. In rural areas, the numbers are even more dramatic. Three out of every four people living in these areas suffer from poverty.
– Major languages: Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani
– Major religion: Christianity
– Life expectancy: 65 years for men, 69 years for women (UN)
– It is estimated that 2.5 million children live in conditions of poverty. The causes of mortality in children under the age of 5, according to the Ministry of Health, are directly associated with poverty. An estimated 36% of these deaths occur as a result of diarrheal diseases, and an estimated 28%, as a result of malnutrition.
– According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the poverty in Bolivia is among the worst in South America. Economic growth and opportunities to make a living are most commonly found in urban areas, making it difficult for indigenous farmers, inhabitants of more remote areas with fewer people, to market their products and provide for their families.
– Nearly 60% of Bolivians live below the poverty line. In rural areas, the numbers are even more dramatic. Three out of every four people living in these areas suffer from poverty.
– One reason for the extreme poverty lies in Bolivia’s geography: many of the country’s roads are undeveloped, so farmers have difficulty transporting their products to sell them in markets outside of town – which, in turn, negatively impacts their families and the communities in which they live.
– It is estimated that 70% of the rural population and 30% of the urban population are illiterate.
– The incomes of nearly two-thirds of households are too low to afford the minimum amount of food necessary for healthy living.
-Around 12% of school-age children in Bolivia are not attending school.
Where we work
In Bolivia, we affiliate with fourteen projects in three major cities and their surrounding areas: Santa Cruz, La Paz, and Sucre. Santa Cruz is Bolivia’s largest city. Sucre, Bolivia’s constitutional capital, retains much of the flavor of Spanish colonialism, including many buildings erected by the conquistadors, and the second-oldest university in Latin America. At 12,000 feet above sea level, La Paz is the highest capital city in the world.
How you can help in Bolivia
You can help a child living in poverty to receive an education in a few different ways. One way is through our child sponsorship program. Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments. This vital support allows impoverished, vulnerable children to develop to their full potential – physically, emotionally, and socially. Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the simple knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.
Sponsorship provides an underprivileged child with basic and education-related necessities such as food, clothing, healthcare, school supplies, and school tuition payments.
Our policy has always been to consider the needs of each sponsored child on an individual basis. We work closely with our volunteer coordinators at our project sites, who are familiar with each individual circumstance and the needs of every child in their care. Sponsorship donations are sent to our projects – orphanages, homes, community centers, and schools – at the beginning of each month in the form of subsidy stipends. Our on-site volunteer coordinators use those funds to purchase items for children in our program, to ensure that they have what they need to do their very best and succeed in school.
You can also help children in Bolivia by donating to one of our special funds. Our special funds offer a variety of giving options for sponsors who wish to further their support, as well as for donors who wish to make a difference without making a commitment. In the past, thanks to donations to our Hope In Action Fund, we have been able to build classrooms, as well as homes for people living in poverty in Bolivia, greatly changing their lives for the better, and giving them the opportunity to become financially stable.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN BOLIVIA?
You can sponsor a child in Bolivia in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our donation portal, create an account, and search for a child in Bolivia that is available for sponsorship.
Revolutionizing the traditional public education paradigm, the Morris Jeff Community School emphasizes language and the arts — not just test scores — fostering its students’ development into well-rounded, productive members of society. Not only that, but according to Donneisha, our volunteer coordinator at the school, Morris Jeff is also special in that the parents of students who attend have a say in how inclusive and diverse the school is.
The Morris Jeff Community School is a charter school. While students from all around the city are in attendance, the majority of them live in the surrounding neighborhoods. Opened in 2009, the school serves preschool through eighth-grade students. As Donneisha told our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, on her recent trip to visit the school, Morris Jeff has a high number of very actively-involved parents, as well a great deal of community support — which make it unique. It is also one of the most racially-diverse charter schools in the city. The students of Morris Jeff come from a variety of socio-economic classes. Enrollment numbers are high for both special needs and high-performing academic achievers, and the ethnic breakdown of the student body is quite diverse.
Every child deserves support
Morris Jeff has a high number of very actively-involved parents, as well a great deal of community support — which make it unique.
The parents of students at the Morris Jeff Community School believe that the school should meet as many of the kids’ needs as possible. The faculty spends a great deal of time with at-risk students as well as with those with learning disabilities. They also provide a challenging education for the higher-performing students. Donneisha added that social and emotional development are crucial, so there is much programming in place for that as well. The Justice Center at the school focuses on fostering healthy relationships. There is a reading program there, too, and a Children’s Advocacy Center that teaches sex education. The school celebrates a Kindness Week, with bullying prevention as the focal point.
Donneisha loves that Children Incorporated helps to directly provide for our sponsored and unsponsored children’s basic needs. She is grateful to have the autonomy to choose what each child needs — whereas other organizations may have limits as to what may be provided to the kids in their programs. Donneisha told Renée that the greatest need that she encounters is for basic items like clothes and food. The required school uniforms are expensive, too, and parents struggle to afford them.
Kids adore having sponsors
It’s not just Donneisha who loves the school and our sponsorship program; the students love their school, too. While there, Renée met with one of our sponsored children, Lori*, who is in the sixth grade. She told Renée, “This school supports you. Even if someone isn’t your teacher, they want to help you. They really care about you. We have students from all over the world. One student is from Uganda, and he didn’t speak any English when he started — and everyone helped him learn.”
Renée knew that Lori’s sponsor had visited her a few years ago, and she wanted to know what Lori thought about having a sponsor. Lori replied, “It helps me, and they tell me nice things. They had lunch with me one time, and they brought me a pink bag of stuff, like coloring books and gummies. I loved it.”
*Name changed for child’s protection.
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HOW DO I SPONSOR A CHILD IN NEW ORLEANS?
You can sponsor a child in New Orleans 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.
Seniors in high school have a lot to think about: leaving their school and friends behind following graduation, what their next step in life will be, and how they will make it on their own once they leave the comfort of their parents’ homes. For one small independent school in Virginia, giving back is also a part of senior class activities.
Each year, Brunswick Academy in Lawrenceville, Virginia celebrates their last year of high school by taking a trip to a destination of their choice. This year, they decided to go to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. As each senior class there does, these young adults raised funds for their trip. They held six fundraisers this year, and were able to collect $1,500. This was more than they needed, so they decided to give one-third of their earnings to charity, true to the academy’s founding principle: “We believe it is our responsibility to provide students with an environment where they can become good citizens who can make positive contributions to society.” The Brunswick Academy Class of 2018 chose to donate to Children Incorporated.
This generous gift from the Brunswick Academy was used for the purchase of food, bedding, clothing, and toiletries for a family in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as to assist four families in Inez, Kentucky that had lost their homes and belongings to fire.
The Value of our work
Ben, the Senior Class President at Brunswick Academy, called our office back in March to let us know about his class’ decision to contribute to our organization. He invited our President and Chief Executive Officer, Ron Carter, to attend the last assembly of the school year in May to speak to the student body of kindergarteners through twelfth-graders about the work of Children Incorporated. At that assembly, Mr. Carter gratefully accepted a check for our organization in the amount of $500.
Mr. Carter had the pleasure of meeting with Ben, and asked him how and why his class had chosen Children Incorporated to be the beneficiary of their hard work. Ben explained that the senior class advisor, Ms. Roberts, had suggested Children Incorporated. She was well-acquainted with our organization due to the fact that one of her close friends once served on our Board of Directors. It was through that connection that Ms. Roberts learned of our life-changing work; and as a result, she told Ben about it.
Ms. Roberts saw the value in recommending an organization whose mission the students could really get behind: Children Incorporated provides resources to children in need in the United States and abroad because we passionately believe that children everywhere deserve education, hope, and opportunity. Ben was moved when he heard about us, for he has a personal connection to children. Throughout his high school years, he worked as a childcare counselor after school and on weekends. Ben recognized that our work is important, for we, just like him, strive to improve children’s lives.
Kids in Kentucky and New Orleans are receiving support, thanks to a donation from students at Brunswick Academy.
The Brunswick Academy Senior Class contribution was used in support of our Hope In Action Fund, which addresses the pressing needs of children enrolled in our program and their families in times of emergencies and natural disasters. Donations to our Hope In Action Fund allow us to offer assistance beyond sponsorship support when it is needed.
Taking part in giving
This generous gift from the Brunswick Academy was used for the purchase of food, bedding, clothing, and toiletries for a family in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as to assist four families in Inez, Kentucky that had lost their homes and belongings to a fire. As a result of Ms. Roberts having shared our work with her students, ordinary high school seniors made an extraordinary difference in the lives of five families in need. Those five families’ well-being was improved as a result, and they were given hope in the wake of devastation.
When adolescents take part in giving, they start to understand early in life the impact that they can potentially have on the lives of others. Involving children and youth in the giving process – and supporting causes that speak to them – can teach them about the importance of helping others, as well as give them a sense of meaning and purpose.
Not only do contributions create change, but so does telling our story – and our story is one that everyone can understand. All children deserve the chance to have a bright future; they deserve the chance to break the cycle of poverty. Young people helping young people is a beautiful testament to the fact that anyone can be part of someone else’s story through giving – and from giving comes gratitude that thrives and makes us want to give even more.
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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?
You can sponsor a child with Children Incorporated at one of our affiliated projects 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 who is available for sponsorship.
