As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our monthly Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible. Beyond what you already provide to children through our sponsorship program, your donations to our Special Funds and Special Projects allow us to have a help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.
Your Impact Around the world
Thanks to you, just in this past month, we have been able to:
– Provided funds to purchase food for 25 children for a month at the Dandora Center in Kenya
– Provided funds to purchase school uniforms for students at Oak Grove/Bellemeade Elementary School in Virginia
– Provided funds to purchase menstrual hygiene items for girls at Santa Isabel Seton in Guatemala
As a part of our ongoing Stories of Hope blog series, we want to share with you our monthly Impact Report as a way to say “thank you” to all our supporters who make our work possible.
– Provided funds for meals for 25 children for a month at Kids Hope in Ethiopia
– Provided funding for meals for children at the Fortune’s Children at Parang in the Philippines
– Purchased food for children for a full month at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya
– Provided funding for food and water for students at Valley Elementary School after flooding in Eastern Kentucky
– Provided funding for cleaning supplies and hygiene items after flooding for students at Knott County High School in Kentucky
From all of us at Children Incorporated, thank you all that you have done this month to help children and families living in poverty!
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How to I make a donation to Children Incorporated?
You can donate to 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 hello@children-inc.org and a staff member can assist you as to how to make a donation, or online to our donation portal, create an account, and chose a particular fund in which you would like to donate.
Lebanon is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bordering Israel to the south and Syria to the east and north. This country of six million people acknowledges eighteen religious groups, the largest being the Shiite and Sunnite Muslims; there is also a large Christian population in the country.
Up to the end of World War I, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire. In 1920, the League of Nations issued France a mandate allowing it to govern Syria and Lebanon. Twenty-three years later, Lebanon gained its independence.
Since 2006, Lebanon has been politically divided into two almost equally-strong camps, whose conflict has prevented the political institutions in the country from functioning. The internal struggle between the two groups is mostly based on social and economic clashes of interest, linked with religious differences.
Other factors also play a huge role in the strife that exists in Lebanon. Internal disagreements over the conflict in neighboring Syria play a part, as well as foreign countries’ involvement and interests in the Syrian War. Both internal and external arguments on how to handle the crisis in Syria only worsen the current situation in Lebanon. Today, more than a million Syrian refugees have been registered in the country.
Although Lebanon has been rebuilding itself steadily, the well-being of children has largely been undermined by these geopolitical circumstances. The country still has a long way to go before reaching an ideal situation, where the protection of children’s rights is taken into full consideration.
Facts about child poverty in Lebanon
Almost 30% of the Lebanese population lives below the poverty line
About 10% of children in Lebanon do not attend school
Roughly 7% of children are still forced to work to support their families
Some children in remote villages are still not guaranteed drinkable water
More than 10% of young Lebanese women said have been married before the age of 18
Children from Iraqi, Syrian, and Palestinian refugee families in Lebanon especially face difficulties living in poverty as their rights are not protected
Read more about our affiliated projects
Our sponsored children in Lebanon receive basic needs thanks to their sponsors.
In Lebanon, we are affiliated with several projects: The Armenian Evangelical Schools in Beirut, the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in Anjar, and the Father Andeweg Institute for the Deaf.
You can help a child living in poverty in Lebanon 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.
Sponsors positively impact the lives of the children they sponsor through the knowledge that someone cares about their well-being.
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 knowledge that someone cares about their well-being. This gives children in need hope, which is powerful.
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 in Lebanon 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 Lebanon 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 and our International Feeding Program, we have been able to further support our projects in Lebanon beyond sponsorship.
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Children at FAID use sign language to greet our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet.
As our Floyd County, Kentucky virtual visit series comes to a close, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, tells us about our newest affiliated site in the area, Betsy Lane High School, and how valuable so many of our programs are to its Family Resource Center coordinator, Anita.
As our Floyd County, Kentucky virtual visit series comes to a close, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, tells us about our newest affiliated site in the area, Betsy Lane High School.
“Betsy Lane High School officially began partnering with Children Incorporated in October 2020, with a few kids transferring in from other affiliated schools. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Anita, added more enrolled students in November of the same year. Around this time, we also sent some start-up funds from the Warm Clothing Fund so the teens could have warm coats while they were waiting to be matched with sponsors.”
“The school is one of three public high schools in the county. It is located between the communities of Betsy Lane and Stanville, and is south-southeast from the county seat, Prestonsburg. The school serves about 372 students in grades 9-12. School officials are rightfully proud of its 98% graduation rate. However, this achievement is hard won, as most of the students fall below the state average on test scores. About 77% of the students come from low-income families.”
Anita pictured with one of our sponsored children.
“During our “virtual visit” via FaceTime, Anita shared she was a former Family Resource Youth Services Center coordinator who retired early to help care for her grandchildren. When they got older, she decided to come back to work and was thrilled when there was an opening at Betsy Lane.”
“Anita is very enthusiastic about working with Children Incorporated. In March 2021, there was a severe flood in the county and surrounding areas. Our organization was able to send funds for flood relief to our affiliated schools that were impacted, including Betsy Lane High School. Anita bought and delivered supplies ranging from bleach to mops and buckets to laundry detergent. The families were so appreciative.”
“This school year, Anita asked for help to establish a weekend backpack feeding program. Thanks to our U.S. Feeding Fund, we were able to respond to this need.”
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How do I sponsor a child in Kentucky?
You can sponsor a child in Kentucky 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 Kentucky that is available for sponsorship.
Whether through our sponsorship program or through our special funds or special projects, we help tens of thousands of children around the world each year — thanks entirely to the support of our sponsors and donors.
Children Incorporated supports children in many different ways, all of which fall under four areas of impact — education, health and well-being, emergency relief and community support. Our focus on these four key areas allows us to expand our reach beyond the children in our program, helping their families and entire communities break the cycle of poverty.
Children Incorporated helps children living in poverty in many ways, all of which fall under four areas of impact — education, health and well-being, emergency relief and community support.
Read more about each of our areas of impact and follow our Stories of Hope blog to find out how you are directly changing the lives of individuals around the world by donating to Children Incorporated.
Education
Families living in poverty work hard to make ends meet living on low wages. To ensure that children have the resources they need to attend school, we provide children with educational items throughout the year such as school supplies, book bags and tablets for virtual learning. We also purchase desks and school uniforms, as well as pay tuition so children living in poverty have all their basic needs met so they can go to school ready to learn.
One of our highest priorities is making sure children are healthy so they don’t miss school. We provide children around the world with the proper shoes, clothes, hygiene items, and vitamins on a regular basis. We also have feeding programs in the United States and internationally that provide regular and consistent meals to students as well as food to take home on the weekends.
There are many instances when families living in poverty are not financially prepared for emergency situations. We provide emergency relief after housefires, earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding and when families find themselves in need of immediate medical support. Our ability to quickly respond to emergencies means that families can worry less when disaster strikes, and can start to rebuild as soon as they can.
We believe strongly in supporting children, families and communities to help generations of people break the cycle of poverty in which they live. We support construction projects, playground and greenhouse projects, renovation projects and skills training projects at our affiliated sites to lift up multiple groups of people at a time and better whole communities.
When children are living in poverty, they have fewer resources than children who come from more affluent households. Resources missing from impoverished homes include nutritious food, adequate clothes, and hygiene items — but also educational resources such as school supplies, computers, books, homework activities and learning games — which help equip young children for success in school.
Poverty has a determinate effect on childhood education and a child’s chances at success in school.
Additionally, families that live in poverty also often have parents that work long hours at multiple jobs, leaving them without the time or energy to help their children with homework. Without the proper resources and support to keep up with their studies, children living in poverty fall behind, feel inadequate about themselves, and no longer have a desire to stay in school and get an education, which is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty in which they live.
How Poverty Effects Children’s Education
Poverty has a determinate effect on childhood education and a child’s chances at success in school. Statistically, children from families with lower incomes have less developed vocabulary and communication skills than other students and have a harder time concentrating in school.
-1 in 7 children in the United States is growing up in poverty
-40% of children living in poverty aren’t prepared for primary schooling
– Children from low-income families are seven times more likely to drop out of high school than children from affluent families
– Children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism because they are more likely to have to work or care for family members
How Children Incorporated is Helping
Children living all over the world need our help to receive an education and have the chance to rise out of the poverty. Children Incorporated works in 20 countries, including the United States, to provide children living in poverty with school supplies, tuition, and other educational resources so they can go to school prepared and ready to learn.
Thanks to our caring donors, Children Incorporated has helped thousands of children in the United States since 1964.
Your support makes all our work to help children receive an education possible.
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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.
As a part of our “Virtual Tour” of our Floyd County, Kentucky affiliated sites, our Director of U.S. Programs, Renée Kube, tells us about her “visit” to John Stumbo Elementary School.
“This is a small school in the community of Grethel, which is in a very rural area about 20 miles south-southeast of the county seat, Prestonsburg. The community is on Kentucky Route 979, and besides the school, there is a small post office and a Dollar General store.”
Angie told me that the parents our sponsored children are incredibly grateful for the help given by the sponsors.
“John Stumbo serves 344 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 8th. About 84% of the children come from low-income families. The children struggle academically too. Test scores are below the state average, with science at 22% and social studies at 39%.”
Working hard to help kids and families in need
“Our Volunteer Coordinator is Angie. She works tirelessly at the Family Resource Youth Services Center to help the children and their families. When the pandemic started, Angie was very worried about how she would be able to shop properly for the students. In the early days, there were limits on the number of items she could buy per shopping trip. Many stores had low inventories, and so things ranging from hand sanitizer to Lysol wipes were limited.”
“She was also concerned about getting correspondence from their children for their sponsors since the children were at home instead of in the school, and many didn’t have internet or phones for her to check in on them. She was gradually able to work out the kinks, and she began feeling some confidence. She was able to make a big shopping trip at the end of April 2020, and she made home deliveries to every single Children Incorporated sponsored child. Once the 2020-2021 school year began, the shortages eased up, and Angie was able to make plans and to shop without any difficulties.”
“But, unfortunately, she had other challenges. Floyd County had a couple of surges of the COVID-19 virus, driven by variants. She talked with many worried parents and grandparents, especially those who are medically vulnerable. One of her students lost her custodial grandmother due to COVID-19, which was heartbreaking.”
Yearning to get back to normal
“Angie commented that when the current 2021-2022 school year began, she detected a high level of ‘COVID fatigue’ among students and their caretakers. The kids especially yearned to get back to normal, and she empathized with them – she wanted them to be able to have less to worry about and just focus on learning and getting to see their friends and feel a little closer to normal.”
“At the end of our virtual meeting, Angie told me that the parents our sponsored children are incredibly grateful for the help given by the sponsors. With inflation hitting the gas stations and grocery stores, parents’ very limited budgets are being squeezed almost to the breaking point. Our sponsors’ support with the children’s school clothes, classroom supplies, and hygiene items is deeply appreciated.”
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How do I sponsor a child in Kentucky?
You can sponsor a child in Kentucky 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 Kentucky that is available for sponsorship.
