Tag Archives: stories of hope

Shelley Callahan | October 16, 2024

When I was told that I would accompany the President and CEO of Children Incorporated, Ron Carter, on his first visit to Mexico with our organization, I was beyond excited. It would be my third time seeing our affiliated sites in this magnificent country, but I knew that seeing it with Ron would be a whole new experience and one that I looked forward to immensely.

More specifically, the sites in Mexico are unique because these children otherwise don’t have stable homes for various reasons, and that is why the help they offer to children and families is so crucial.

In preparation for our trip, Ron and I spoke at length about what we might expect based on my last visit. As our departure date grew closer, so did my excitement for what Ron was going to see for the first time.

The uniqueness of mexico

Although I have a fondness for so many of our affiliated sites that I have had the privilege of visiting, our Mexico sites stand out in a very special way. Each of them is run by representatives of the Catholic Church, which is common in Central and South America, as well as in India. Each site is also a home where children board during the week or year-round so they can receive the support they need. More specifically, the sites in Mexico are unique because these children otherwise don’t have stable homes for various reasons, and that is why the help they offer to children and families is so crucial, and it really pulls at my heartstrings.

After a long day of traveling from our office in Virginia to Mexico City, Ron and I, along with our International Programs Specialist, Yefiny Mena, met bright and early with our volunteer coordinator, Beatrice, and her assistant, Monica from Casa Santa Ines in the lobby of our hotel. Monica was newer to the home, and Beatrice had been there for a few years. They both cheerfully expressed how much they enjoyed their time at Santa Ines caring for the girls who lived there during the week.

Visiting Santa Ines

We made our way outside to a taxi, and just a short ten-minute drive later, we arrived at the neighborhood of Coyoacán, known in Mexico City as the home of the Frieda Kahlo Museum and our affiliated.

The taxi stopped a few blocks short of the home, and we made our way down the cobblestone streets to the grand entrance of Santa Ines, a large wooden door with a smaller door inside of it, directly across the street from a lively church. Beatrice unlocked the small door, and we entered to find a few of the children and their mothers waiting for us already! As it was Sunday, it was typically the day the children return to the home after being home on the weekends, but they aren’t usually scheduled to arrive until 5 pm – but today they came early to get a chance to meet us.

After greeting the children, we took a tour of the facility, first seeing the kitchen and dining room. Monica told us that the breakfast starts at 6:30 for the girls, and then the sisters walk them to the local public schools by 8 am when classes begin.

Learning more about the home

The schools are only 5 minutes away, so, as Monica explained, the girls also come back to the home for lunch and then go back to school in the afternoons for sports and gardening lessons before their day ends at 6 pm, and they once again return to Santa Ines for dinner at 6:30. Then, the girls work on their homework and bedtime is at 8:30 sharp. Monica told us that even for the smaller girls, as young as 6 years old, the tight schedule was important to their development, and they all really enjoyed being busy, especially since it meant the girls all got to be together all day and through the night.

The girls seemed overjoyed to be back together after a weekend away with their mothers, and it was apparent they felt that the other girls at the home were like sisters to them.

Next we visited the dorms where the girls sleep and store their belongings. Monica told us that the older girls, ages 10 to 12, have a separate dorm from the younger girls, and they were all expected to keep their rooms tidy as part of their daily chores. With a capacity to host 30 girls at a time, the home only had 18 girls at the moment, which Monica explained as being due to the fact that the Mexican government determines how many girls are in attendance at any given time.

The single mothers whose children stay at the home go through an interview process, and there are rules for qualification – the mothers need to be employed even though they are not expected to pay for the children to stay at Santa Ines – the government pays the fees – but it is required that the mothers prove they really need to help based on their incomes as well as need for childcare during the work week.

As we exited the dorms, we saw that many more of the children had started to arrive, and we had a chance to interact with them in the courtyard as they played games, rode bikes, and swung on the playset. The girls seemed overjoyed to be back together after a weekend away with their mothers, and it was apparent they felt that the other girls at the home were like sisters to them.

Getting to know the girls

As Monica, Yefiny, and Ron made their way to the administrative offices to have a meeting, I stayed behind to visit with the girls, and we quickly invented a game that I deemed “Como Se Dice?” which involved the girls pointing to objects around the courtyard and asking me how to say them in English. It was endless fun and made me feel quite smart that I could answer all of their questions and, therefore, win the game!

I already knew from my previous visits just how important our sponsorship program was to the girls at Santa Ines — with only limited support from the government, it was crucial that Monica and Beatrice received funds from our sponsors to purchase food, school supplies, clothing and hygiene items for the girls at the home. And for the girls, who might not otherwise receive these items from their mothers who are working hard to make ends meet, knowing Children Incorporated could fill in this gap for them was so incredibly important to their overall well-being. And in the end, it gives their mothers peace of mind that their children are being taken care of even when life is difficult for them.

Saying our goodbyes

When Yefiny and Ron stepped out of their meeting and once again joined me in the courtyard, I could tell Ron was overwhelmed with gratitude for what Santa Ines was doing for these young ladies. He thanked Monica and Beatrice profusely for their kindness towards us and their dedication to helping the children they serve. Before we left, the girls sang a song to thank us for visiting with them, and we also thanked the girls for being such a special part of the lives of our sponsors as well.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

You can sponsor a child in one of three ways: call our office at 1-800-538-5381 and speak with one of our staff members; email us at sponsorship@children-inc.org; or go online to our sponsorship portal, create an account, and search for a child that is available for sponsorship.

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | October 30, 2023En Español

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

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

Visiting the new school

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

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

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

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

Another Hope in Action Success

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

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | October 15, 2023En Español

When our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I discussed traveling to Bolivia in March of 2023, he was most excited about getting to visit the Montero School outside of Santa Cruz.

The support they receive from Children Incorporated sponsors goes a long way to help supplement food items, school supplies and hygiene items for children in our program.

Not only had Children Incorporated donors funded the construction of seven classrooms at the school seven years ago, for which Luis and I were invited to attend the community inaugural event, but more recently, we have supported the school’s efforts to build an agricultural school that had been completed just last year.

Luis is passionate about agriculture. As a young university student in Guatemala, he majored in agriculture before moving to the United States and becoming a teacher, and eventually working with Children Incorporated. He understands the importance of learning a trade and more specifically, a trade that generates an income while really helping the local economy.

Visiting the Montero School

When we arrived in Santa Cruz in early March, we visited our affiliated site, Villa Emilia, before making the trip to Montero, which was about two hours away from the city. Our volunteer coordinators picked us up early in the morning of our scheduled visit, and we headed almost directly north for roughly 60 kilometers, arriving to the school with a warm welcome from our sponsored children and their parents, who had prepared a full morning of presentations for us that included speeches, poem readings and traditional dances.

The Montero School itself is located on a beautiful, large piece of property, where school-aged children attend throughout the day, and classes for older children and adults are held in the evenings. The support they receive from Children Incorporated sponsors goes a long way to help supplement food items, school supplies and hygiene items for children in our program — things they need to make sure they can attend school fully prepared and ready to learn.

A site that continues to grow

After the presentations were over, the children enjoyed a snack from the school’s kitchen and then headed home for the day. Luis and I enjoyed a nice lunch with our volunteer coordinators, and took a quick tour of the school, revisiting the additional classrooms Children Incorporated had built, which now showed signs of many wonderful days of use, as teachers had decorated with lessons, written on the chalkboards, and arranged desks to best fit their students’ learning styles and needs.

In next week’s edition of Stories of Hope, we will visit the agricultural school along with some of the students and teachers who are involved with this new program on a daily basis — another great reminder of just how much our donors help children around the world receive an education.

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How do I sponsor a child with Children Incorporated?

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | March 13, 2023En Español

Children living in poverty are enrolled in our sponsorship program for many different reasons directly related to their situations at home — or in some instances, their lack of a home.

With no home to return to after they are finished with school, these girls would become homeless or destitute if not able to remain at Maria Reyna until they found employment and adequate housing.

At the Maria Reyna Home in Honduras, girls from the local community who have been abandoned or are orphaned live full-time at the home, attend public and private schools, and thanks to their caring sponsors, are supported up until graduation from high school. But, with no home to return to after they are finished with school, these girls would become homeless or destitute if not able to remain at Maria Reyna until they found employment and adequate housing.

Today, we hear from Luis Bourdet, our Director of International Programs, about his visit to Maria Reyna in the fall of 2022, as he sheds some light on the dire situations of these young women and how Maria Reyna is a beacon of hope for them.

About the Maria Reyna Home

“Maria Reyna is located in San Pedro Sula, which is not only the capital of the country, but perhaps the largest and most industrial city in Honduras,” explains Luis.

With help from their sponsors, girls at the Maria Reyna Home receive long-term care and support.

“The city also has a large amount of social problems – including gang violence, poverty, and unemployment – which create an overall difficult situation for its citizens. Although the local government has implemented upgrades to the transportation system, more cars and an influx of migration has made the urban center a difficult and overcrowded place to live.”

“The Maria Reyna Home, which serves abandoned, abused, neglected and orphaned children, is beautiful. The infrastructure is large and wel-l cared-for, which creates a safe and comfortable environment for all the girls in attendance,” says Luis.

Rebuilding after COVID-19

“About 80 children used to live at the home before COVID-19 under the care of the congregation’s Sisters. Now the number is lower, but each year, it is increasing, and the Sisters think that this coming year they will have the possibility to enroll a similar number. Upon my visit, 45 children were enrolled in our sponsorship program.”

“All the girls attend local schools, and some are in a private school that provides scholarships for them. Children Incorporated sponsors support the girls at Maria Reyna by covering costs for food, school supplies, hygiene items, and other basic items as the needs arise,” explains Luis.

A place to call home

“A few years ago, Children Incorporated provided funds for the renovation and implementation of a housing unit at the home. This is basically an apartment within the home that can house about 8 to 10 girls, either because they have graduated from high school and want to attend university, or because they have graduated, have reached the age for dismissal, and the Sisters are giving them the opportunity to find housing and employment before they leave the home.”

“This is a very necessary part of the program, because otherwise, the girls have nowhere to go; staying at the home gives them the opportunity to change their circumstances for the better,” says Luis.

“Currently, there is a young girl attending a local private university on a scholarship provided by our Higher Education Fund, and she will be graduating from our program in a couple of years, which is very rewarding for both her and for our organization.”

“Before my visit ended, the sponsored girls shared some of their cooking and in-house baking with me, and we enjoyed delicious cheese bread baked that day. I truly enjoy visiting the home and seeing what the Children Incorporated program has done for the children!” says Luis.

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How do I sponsor a child in Honduras?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | February 1, 2023En Español

In the fall of 2022, our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, visited our affiliated sites in Costa Rica for the first time since before the pandemic. Today, we hear from Luis about his visit to La Milagrosa, where he met with our volunteer coordinator, as well as with parents and students in our sponsorship program.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

About La Milagrosa

“La Milagrosa Center is located in an area of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, with very few opportunities for employment, and therefore has many low-income families,” said Luis.

“Like our affiliated site, The Santa Luisa Center in Bambu, La Milagrosa is operated by the Sisters of Charity, and offers educational support to children living in the surrounding neighborhoods, as well as to children in the periphery of the city.”

“The children who attend the Center meet weekly, and the Sisters follow-up with them regarding their lessons in school, as well as provide support and information on how to resolve problems they may be having, whether in the classroom, with other students, or even at home,” explained Luis.

Offering help when it is needed the most

During his visit, Luis had the chance to meet with children and their parents, who told him how valuable our sponsorship program is to them.

“Our sponsors provide food, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and any basic resources and emergency support that the children need that their families cannot cover.”

“The majority of the children attend local public schools and live in dwellings that lack some basic services, such as electricity, running water or indoor plumbing. The schools are supported by the government, but they also lack many resources, which is why our program is so important for the children,” said Luis.

“When the children meet with our volunteer coordinator, she determines what their most immediate needs are, whether it be food items, mattresses, new shoes, or hygiene items. At the beginning of each school year, they receive new uniforms purchased thanks to their sponsors’ generous donations.”

Hope for the future

“I met with most of the parents and children participants in our sponsorship program, and they all expressed their gratitude for the support. They also hope for support to continue until their children graduate because many of the parents feel that without the help from sponsors, their children will fall behind in school and be forced to drop out at an early age,” said Luis.

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How do I sponsor a child in Costa Rica?

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

SPONSOR A CHILD

Shelley Callahan | November 28, 2022

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 help families and communities as well, often in times of crisis.

YOUR IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD

In just this past month your support has:

– Provided tutoring support for children at Crum PK-8 School in West Virginia

– Provided funds for an academic trip for students at James D. Adams Middle School in Kentucky

– Provided funds to purchase meals for one full month at the Dandora Center in Kenya

Thanks to you, we have been able to provided funds to purchase bedding and bedroom supplies for a family with children at East Valley Elementary School in Kentucky — and so much more.

– Provided funds to purchase bedding and bedroom supplies for a family with children at East Valley Elementary School in Kentucky

– Provided funds for meals for children for an entire month at Fortune’s Children at Parang in the Philippines

– Provided food for 25 children for a month at St. John’s Community Center in Kenya

– Provided funds for clothing for newly enrolled children at Morgan County Middle School in Kentucky

– Provided funds for hygiene and food items for children at Sagrada Familia in Guatemala

– Provided funds for basic needs for children at the Lourdes School in Bolivia

– Provided funds for meals for children at Kids Hope Ethiopia in Ethiopia

– Provided funds to purchase books for children to take home at Catlettsburg Elementary School in Kentucky

… all in addition to the support you already provide through sponsorship to children in our program. Thank you for everything you do for children in need!

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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.

DONATE