On the 11th Day of Christmas My Sponsor Gave to Me...

Eleven Scholars Hoping

My nephew and his wife had a baby about 2 months ago. This means that for the first time in 25 years, we will have a new little human in the family at Christmastime.

One effect Christmas has on me is introspection…not just on holidays past, but on my life in general. So, seeing the new addition of the Denton clan gathered around the sparkling tree and bundled up close (but not too close!) to the crackling fireplace this weekend, I started thinking back 25 years ago.

In 1983, I was still in high school and was earnestly contemplating what I wanted to do with my life…college was looming in another 2 years and there wasn’t much doubt in my (or my parents’) mind that I would be continuing my education after high school.

The reason everyone assumed this was because my parents had worked hard and saved – and they planned to help supplement my cost of attending college. My father had begun working right out of high school, pumping gas. He worked his way from there into a management position with a large, global company.

My mother postponed her educational goals to raise three boys. Shortly after I was born, she began earning a Master’s degree in education. Her thesis involved developing learning strategies…and I was her guinea pig. As a result, I learned to read at a precociously young age. I credit her with instilling a love of reading and a love of language that has remained with me ever since.

Without the opportunity to go to college, I have no idea where I’d be today…I’m certain I’d not be sitting here writing for Children International.

Looking at my great-nephew this weekend, I pondered the huge responsibility his parents have shouldered. And, knowing I needed to post an entry on the blog about our HOPE fund, my thoughts turned to college.

Like the cost of healthcare in America, the cost of education beyond high school has skyrocketed in the last 25 years. But in most of the places we work, it is still quite affordable, at least by OUR standards. That’s why our HOPE fund (Helping Overcome Poverty through Education) is one of my favorite “ancillary” benefits that Children International makes available.

For very little cost, we can send deserving sponsored youth to college or vocational school, where they learn skills that often helps boost them above and beyond the dire poverty they grew up in. Time and again, we hear about former sponsored children who now have steady, good-paying jobs thanks to a combination of their own hard work and being the recipients of HOPE scholarships.

Most of the time, there is virtually no chance that their parents – unlike mine – will be able to help send them to college.

I hope my great-nephew gets that opportunity.

I also wish that every sponsored child who wants to continue their education had the opportunity to do so. Thankfully, the number of HOPE scholarship recipients has continued expanding over the years.

So, if I get the chance to ask the old, bearded, red-suited saint for one thing next year, this is my wish: a HOPE scholarship for every child who wants one in each of the 11 countries where we serve them.

I already know he makes deliveries there…because all of you are already making so many wishes come true.

Thank you…and have a great holiday!

Posted on behalf of Deron Denton.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, My Sponsor Gave to Me…

Eight Teachers Teaching

Growing up in Arkansas, where summers were hot and humid and mosquitoes swarmed the streets like a plague, I longed for the cold snap that accompanied Christmas. It was the ’70s, and we could always count on downy seasonal snowfalls.

Every year, my friends and I would pray for snow days, when we could forget about school and go sledding, build igloos and launch all-out snowball wars. We lived to suit up in our overstuffed coats, bib pants and moon boots and wander the snow-packed streets like a roving band of misguided Eskimos. Who needs school, we scoffed, when we could make our homes in snowdrifts and live off snow ice cream?

Even now, as fresh powder blankets Kansas City, I long for those carefree days when school was cancelled. But then, I grew up in middle-class America. I had the luxury of blowing off school to pretend I was an arctic explorer trudging through a desolate landscape.

Now I realize how shortsighted I was. Each day I’m reminded that sponsored children don’t have the “privilege” of brushing off school to indulge in make-believe. Many are truly trapped in inhospitable environments, where they’re lucky to attend school rather than skip it. And education is often their only means of escape.

Even in my home state of Arkansas, where Children International has a sponsorship program in Little Rock, simply getting to – and staying in – school can be an arduous journey for boys and girls from impoverished households. But, thankfully, our education program stands out like a shining star that guides children in the direction of academic progress.

Little Rock is a particularly bright spot because we work in partnership with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and six public schools. That unique relationship connects sponsored children with college students and certified teachers who provide tutoring and other constructive activities during our after-school program, or Kids’ Club. Sponsored kids who would probably be home alone or out on the streets have the opportunity to participate in literacy workshops, computer classes, a chess club, art and dance activities.

“Everybody wants to be in it,” Renee Herd, one of our site coordinators, told me when I had a chance to see the Kids’ Club in action at Little Rock’s Bale Elementary School last year. That was great news considering that I had once heard the chancellor of UALR, Joel Anderson, say that 73 percent of the students in the after-school program showed improved performance in their schoolwork.

There are other highlights, too, like the college prep course we offer to graduating youth, the year-round GED, nutrition and computer classes for the parents of sponsored children, and educational summer camps to name a few.

Sponsorship really does provide so much more than school uniforms, supplies, access to scholarships and library resources…it gives underprivileged kids the perseverance to forge ahead, no matter what obstacles may come, and the power to believe that something more promising, maybe even dreamlike, lies just over the horizon.

Getting an education is the greatest adventure of their lives, and you’re the ones who are making it possible.

Posted on behalf of Damon Guinn.

Just added: Children International hosts a Christmas coat drive for underprivileged families in Little Rock.

Adding to a Youth’s Potential

Posted on behalf of Sarah Jane Velasco, Communications Coordinator in Tabaco, Philippines.

Julie Panganiban may have come from a poor family in Tabaco, but she doesn’t let poverty get in the way of her dreams.

At the age of 13, Julie is already in her third year of high school. As a child she skipped pre-school and was accelerated to first grade. An all-around whiz kid, she excels both in the arts and sciences, but she is particularly gifted in mathematics. She is proudest of being part of the Mathematics Trainers Guild where selected students across the country undergo advanced math clinics and take qualifying exams for international math competitions. She also represents her school during division science meets and press conferences.

Julie (in red) with her sponsored friends during a youth workshop.
But even though she is excelling academically, Julie admits that she is quite shy when it comes to dealing with her peers. “It was difficult for me to adjust especially during my first year in high school. I was really very shy then,” she shares. But through the exposure she gets from Children International’s different activities, she was able to overcome her shyness. “The leadership trainings helped me to become more confident in sharing my ideas with others. Mingling with other sponsored kids in various activities helped me develop my social skills more,” she adds.

But all of that progress almost came to an end when her family suffered a serious financial crisis during her first year of high school. Julie almost had to quit school. But instead of giving in to the problem, she took it as a challenge and even got the highest grades in her class that academic year. According to Julie, “More opportunities are open to those who are educated. That’s why I’m fortunate to have a sponsor who helps me to continue with my studies.”

With the support of her sponsor, this bright young lady is well on her way to breaking through the barriers of poverty.

Multiplying Efforts to Subtract from Poverty

One of the most powerful things the sponsorship program does to combat poverty is help children have the supplies they need so they can go to or stay in school.

Now one of our great sponsors, Heather, would like to go the extra mile. She is organizing a drive to help gather large quantities of school supplies for sponsored children…and she’d like your help.

“I need people that are willing to organize a drive (or maybe willing to donate a lot by themselves). They can contact me regarding what they can collect and by what time (and where I need to meet them to get the stuff),” says Heather.

The items Heather is looking for are school supplies, pencils, pens, notebooks, coloring books, crayons, children’s books and backpacks. So if you’re up to the challenge, contact her at heatherlecount@yahoo.com.

Thanks, Heather!

Question of the Month

Please take a second to share your thoughts about a disturbing trend in the world’s health.

Why are diseases like TB, malaria and typhoid making a comeback?

A) Antibiotic Resistance
B) Corrupt Political Regimes
C) Lack of Health Education
D) Low Priority for the Developed World

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Here are the results from last month’s question:

What is the best way to end poverty?


By a large margin, “educating children” was the most popular answer chosen by the blog’s inaugural, question of the month participants.

Most people would agree that the approach to end poverty must be creative and utilize many pathways and education is a very important pathway.

Through sponsorship you give a child an opportunity to learn. Our sponsors provide school supplies, uniforms and fee assistance. These are huge benefits for a poor family and help keep a hungry mind in school for as long as possible.

Oxfam estimated that for every year a child stays in school, 10% is added to their future, annual earning potential. Education can change the world and sponsors are helping to do just that.

A Very Dear Friend

Posted on behalf of Patricia Huerta.

Receiving a special donation is a rare and special treat for most sponsored children. Even rarer and more special is when they receive visits from their sponsors.

That’s why Katherine, from Guayaquil, Ecuador, is such a lucky girl.


Besides receiving an abundance of special donations such as groceries, clothing, household supplies, furniture, mattresses, construction materials to improve her house and even cakes for her birthday parties and her graduation, she has received help with special training in computers and also with her college education. But most importantly, her sponsor visits her at least once a year.

Katherine dearly appreciates the gifts she has received, but there is something else she values even more: the privilege of having a friend who cares about her, who visits her and writes her affectionately. In fact, her sponsor, Gary, is like a grandfather to her.

“I feel so happy and grateful that my sponsor chose me,” states Katherine.

Gary’s help has made a tangible difference in Katherine’s life. For most of her life, she avoided smiling. “I didn’t like to smile; I started smiling when I was 17,” says Katherine, who is now 19. But her sponsor helped her obtain orthodontic treatment, and now she shares her beautiful smile with everyone.

To add to her reason for smiling, Katherine, who recently finished high school, is now studying Foreign Trade – with help from her sponsor – at Vicente Rocafuerte Secular University.

It means a lot to Katherine when Gary writes. “He’s the only person who writes to me….He’s very affectionate – he’s like a grandfather to me….He speaks only English and I need a translator to talk to him, but now at the university I’ll take English classes. I really want to learn to speak with my sponsor”.

Katherine’s mother, Eufemia, braved a bout with the dengue fever to meet with us and let us know how much she appreciates Children International and her daughter’s sponsor – and what they have done for Katherine.


“The help Children International gives is fabulous,” declares Eufemia. “People like my daughter’s sponsor get involved to help our Ecuadorian children. The affection they show the children is so great…we feel blessed.”

In Katherine’s words, “My sponsor is one of the greatest people in the world! I want to let people know that other children would feel as fortunate as I do if they could have a sponsor to be their friend, to show them that there are people out there who care about them.”

Patricia Huerta is the communications coordinator for Children International's agency in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

On the Ground in Colombia

By the time you read this, I'll be on an airplane traveling back to the United States. But right now the wind is howling around my hotel in Cartagena, Colombia, as the night sea breeze assaults this ancient city of pirates, castles and the Spanish Inquisition.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Last week we landed in Barranquilla, about 80 miles from here, where we spent several days before moving on to Cartagena over the weekend. Despite the possibility of rain (which never materialized) in the forecast, the weather was beautiful as we ventured out into the impoverished communities interwoven around and throughout these bustling cities that represent a fascinating mix of colonial grace and industrial progress.

My role in this trip is translator, and I'm one of three Children International employees (the other two being Gretchen and Brian) from the home office in Kansas City who are here to accompany a film crew from Toronto, Canada, as they visit our sponsored families and our facilities in Colombia. Kim, Michel, Alain and Mark are pros who have traveled the globe doing this kind of work, and traveling with them is a blast. (Don't be fooled by the names -- Kim, Michel and I are all guys!) We're also accompanied by Lisa, a great sponsor from Seattle.

We've seen some pretty gut-wrenching stuff...families so poor they live in shacks made of nothing but tarps and sticks; a family who was displaced from their home in the middle of the night by paramilitary forces and had to flee -- some of the children naked, the mother hobbling along on a recently snakebitten leg, and the father clutching a towel to his abdomen to sop up the blood that rushed from the bullet wound inflicted by the paramilitaries; a single mom who struggles to raise her two-year-old daughter who suffers from sickle cell anemia; a mom who walks 14 kilometers each day selling coffee for a living while her three young children stay alone in her tiny wooden shack in the backwaters of a filthy swamp, where the worst kinds of criminals roam and men and women settle their disputes with guns, knives and machetes; and a dying mother whose head is grossly disfigured by a massive cancerous tumor, and whose leg holds a festering wound where a rat crept into her house and attacked her a few days ago.

But we've also seen hope, reflected in the face of confident graduates of Children International's sponsorship program and in the smiling faces of happy schoolchildren for whom sponsorship has provided the uniforms and school supplies they need in order to attend school. And this same hope shines from the eyes of moms and dads who see in sponsorship the opportunity for the children to have a better life and a better future.

I had the chance to visit today with 8-year-old Belkis and her mother, Ada Maria. I first met Belkis four years ago, when a team of CI employees visited her in the hospital as she awaited surgery for a broken leg, the result of a cyst that weakened the bone. Children International was able to help provide the surgery she needed, and today she runs, jumps and plays like any other child.

Belkis' mom has hopes that her daughter will someday fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor. In Ada's words, "Education is the bridge between today's reality and my daughter's future."

Like most moms, I think Ada Maria is right. And it's very satisfying to know that we'll be able to help build that bridge.

P.S. I'll try to share some pictures with you when I get back.

Big News

I’ll admit it…sometimes I find myself sneaking around my own house.

Whenever a certain sound breaks into the consciousness of any member of my family, a mad rush ensues for the front door. If you happen to be in front of the mailbox, you could get hurt.

Ever so rarely, I just might get to be the first one to open the mail. But with a wife, four speedy kids and a ferocious Westie to compete with, that doesn’t happen very often. I guess I’m not as young as I used to be.

If you look forward to getting your mail like I do, I’ve got good news for you. We’ve made it easier for you. Any time now, you should receive this month’s edition of the Children International eNews in your email inbox! Unless your Westie is computer literate, you should win this one.


This month, we’ve got a great story (hey, I wrote it myself!) about two rising stars in the Dominican Republic who have learned the true value of education. You’ll also read about the terrible struggle Zambian children and families face as they fight to survive in a country where diseases are powerful and health care is scarce. Then you’ll learn about how you can enlist the help of your friends and family as you battle poverty through the Lift One Project.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but you might also learn about a very important birthday that’s just around the corner. Hint: look in the lower left-hand corner of the front page of eNews for more information. You can also check out our website, www.children.org, where you’ll find another story (yes, I wrote that one, too!) right on the home page that talks about the same big event.

And you don’t even have to run for the mailbox.

Photo by Jennifer Spaw.

A Drive to Succeed

Posted on behalf of Deron Denton

Receiving a formal education simply isn’t feasible for many Ecuadorian youth living in desperate poverty. Their families either can’t afford supplies, uniforms and tuition costs, or the children must lend a hand in providing for the basic needs of the family.

That’s why a graduation ceremony held at the Simon Bolivar Technical Institute in Guayaquil, Ecuador, was celebrated with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. Amid an emotionally charged atmosphere, 132 sponsored youth received hard-earned vocational certifications.

One of the stars of the evening was 17-year-old Alexandra Baque, a youth sponsored since the age of 9.

Getting in Gear

Despite being the only girl in a class of 56, Alexandra graduated at the top of her Auto Mechanics course. In addition to completing her coursework, Alexandra had to handle another obstacle: her male classmates’ bias against having a girl in the class. Their attitudes became so bad that Alexandra had to take the matter into her own hands.

Soon after the course began, Alexandra reported, one of the students “told me something rude because I was the only woman, and then I reacted.” It was good for the bully that he relented when he did: Alexandra, at just 4’ 10”, has trained in self-defense nearly her whole life.

“I have practiced karate since I was 4,” said Alexandra, grinning. Although it took two months (and a ninja-style warning) to earn her classmates’ respect, she did earn it. Shortly after that incident, she says, “I earned a lot of respect and became the leader of my group.”

Shifting

If her classmates knew Alexandra better, they would have known she would not be easily sidetracked from her dream. Ever since she was little, Alexandra preferred playing with her younger brother Luis’ toy cars rather than with her own dolls. Much to Luis’ dismay, Alexandra took the cars apart and reassembled them, designing her own small vehicles from the dismantled parts.

She also credits her father with having inspired her interest in machinery. “When I was 13,” she said, “I helped my dad disassemble a piece of industrial machinery, and that really sparked my interest.”

With her own high school graduation approaching, Alexandra began taking a serious look at what she wanted to do for a living. Initially, she looked into taking vocational classes offered by Ecuador’s largest cement manufacturer – Cemento Nacional. One benefit would have been an increased opportunity to work for the company upon graduation.

Alexandra’s mother strongly discouraged this, fearing her daughter’s mistreatment in such a male-dominated atmosphere. Despite fulfilling the requirements and submitting all the necessary paperwork, Alexandra had to forego that opportunity. A determined young lady, she wasn’t terribly disappointed by this setback…she insists it strengthened her resolve to find another way to enroll in a vocational education program.

The Final Stretch

It wasn’t long before Alexandra discovered Children International’s scholarship program, now called the HOPE Fund. She was delighted at the possibility of attaining a degree that would allow her to work with cars. She again submitted the paperwork and met all the requirements. This time, Alexandra seized the chance to pursue her dream and wouldn’t let go. No amount of dissuasion from her mother was enough.

Having earned top honors in the Auto Mechanics program, Alexandra’s next goal is to open an auto shop with some of her classmates. She eventually hopes to design her own cars. Luis is likely to forget about the toy cars his older sister “redesigned” if he actually gets to drive an Alexandra Baque automobile.

It’s a pretty awesome goal for a child who, without a little help, would probably be limited to dreaming about far more mundane things. Thanks to sponsorship and programs like the HOPE Fund – and the perseverance of a young lady – it’s a dream no one doubts is possible…at least, no one who knows Alexandra.

For more information about how you can give HOPE to children like Alexandra, click here.

Turning A Humble Dream into a Reality

Posted on behalf of Tony Lorcha, Children International – Legazpi

A week before graduating from his local public high school in Legazpi City, Philippines, 16-year-old Loreto Apuyan started to get very excited about going to college. Then, one day when he returned home from school to tell his mother about his plan to enroll in the local university and pursue a degree in computer science, he was struck with a deafening silence. Loreto’s mother told him he wouldn’t be able to go.

“I felt hopeless when I learned that my mother didn’t want me to enroll in college,” Loreto sighed. “But what could I do? My parents don’t have the resources to support higher education,” he acknowledged.

“One thing that revived my strength was the scholarship application I submitted to our youth coordinator for a HOPE scholarship,” Loreto said. “I didn’t lose hope that I would be called for an interview...and it happened.”

During his interview, Loreto shared his shelved plan to study computer science at the university level. He explained how his mother launders clothes for just $2 a day, while his father earns only a dollar more as a construction worker.

“Living in poverty is really hard,” Loreto told the agency’s interview committee, “but it gives me so much motivation to move on and reach for my dreams....”

When Loreto was selected as one of the 50 HOPE scholarship recipients in Legazpi City, he was determined to finish his studies and help his parents provide for the family’s basic needs. That’s why he decided to enroll in vocational education rather than the university.

“I’m a sophmore now at the San Francisco Institute of Science and Technology in the Philippines,” he said about the three-year Network Technician degree he’s pursuing. “With the HOPE scholarship, I have the assurance to finish my studies as long as I am able to comply with the requirements and maintain my high grades in school. The scholarship has provided for my daily meals, transportation, school project expenses, uniform and tuition,” Loreto attested.

Loreto is one of 734 HOPE recipients around the world who was awarded a scholarship worth as much as $350.

“I believe that HOPE scholarships uplift the spirit of youth to acquire college education in spite of poverty,” Loreto added, grateful that he can now see his dreams becoming a reality.

Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise

Keep the Promise, is the theme for this years World AIDS Day, which is observed on December 1st. This struggle became personal for us this year when Marta, a young Honduran mother whom we met many years ago, passed away just days after we checked in with her.

“I’ve been fighting this disease for four years,” she later pointed out, careful not to name the illness for fear of yielding even more power to its presence. “I suffer. My children suffer.”

We all sat in silence. We knew that Marta was suffering from AIDS. We tried to encourage her, but our sentiments fell flat. Our words were simply too little, too late.

Marta, brave and humble, admitted that all she really needed was a fence around her home so her children could safely play when she was no longer there to look after them. We exchanged glances, a reminder to do what we could when we returned to Kansas City.

A week later, Marta died. (Hear Marta tell her story here.)

According to UNAIDS estimates, 33.2 million people are living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.

Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on every continent around the world.

Started on December 1st, 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there is still much to be done.

International Teachers' Day

In my mind, their is no more noble pursuit than being a teacher. Many in the profession look at it more as a calling, than a job. I come from a family of teachers. My grandma was a teacher, I have five aunts that are educators, my mother and father are teachers and my older brother just left this morning for a year of teaching English in rural Korea. With this said, I apologize if my grammar and punctuation are not precise. It's a blog, Mom.

Teachers around the world rise with the sun, standing in front of hungry minds and imparting knowledge. What a gift! Right this minute...imagine the children smiling as they are introduced to new worlds.

One generation, passing the flame of knowledge to the next. May the flame grow ever brighter.

The encouragement and supplies that your sponsored child receives from your support are instrumental in keeping them in the classroom. And education really is the best way to break the cycle of poverty. It's been said that for every year of school that a child completes, his or her earning potential increases 10%.

Today is a great day to think about and thank some of the educators that enrich our lives, and enrich our world.

Meet María from Barranquilla...

What is your favorite thing about coming to your community center?

"What I like most about the community center is that I get
to play and read in the library."
– Maria, age 8 from Barranquilla, Colombia

Creating Independence

Today, all across the United States, flags are flying, bands are playing and fireworks are noisily celebrating the day our country declared itself free and independent. Thanks to the sacrifices – sometimes even of their own blood – our forefathers made, we enjoy the freedom to live, work and worship according to our own consciences.

But millions around the world still live under the iron fist of a pervasive, cruel tyrant…known as poverty. Each day is another test of endurance…another struggle to just stay alive.

But thanks to the kindness and generosity of people like you – our Children International sponsors – progress is being made. Destinies are being changed and the victims of poverty are being shown a more hopeful future…one life at a time.

Sponsorship is far more than simply handing out material goods. An integral part of sponsorship is teaching children and families to become self-sufficient. Through basic benefits like health and dental care, educational assistance, nutritional support, vocational training and micro-enterprise loans to deserving children and their families, the Children International sponsorship program is bringing change to individual families and, in some cases, entire communities.

Watch the video below to see how the power of sponsorship helped one family get the upper hand in their own private battle against poverty.

The Joy of Going Barefoot

Summer has officially arrived! A season of endless daylight that inspires most children to play hard, usually barefoot, and catch cool sips of water from a garden hose when they can. Ordinarily, we don’t think twice about letting our children play without shoes or even walking around ourselves barefoot. But for children who live in unsanitary conditions year-round, walking barefoot is an invitation to become hosts to parasites.

They could be hiding in standing water, waiting to latch onto a child’s bare foot. Or they could be lurking undetected on a dirty hand, eager to make their way into a child’s mouth. Parasites are just waiting for a chance to strike.

Worms live inside many impoverished children. Poor living conditions, inadequate sanitation and contaminated water serve as prime breeding grounds. Once inside, parasites consume up to half of the nutrients that a child eats.



That’s why for more than 10 years, Children International has promoted its anti-parasite campaign in impoverished communities around the world. We help provide anti-parasite medicine to children and families who live in areas with a high risk of infection. We also take a proactive approach, providing health and hygiene education to teach families how to keep parasites from returning. Our efforts are working, and we’re having a positive impact on the health of our sponsored children.

And with a deep appreciation to our sponsors, who donate so generously each year, we can continue to distribute regular doses of anti-parasite medication to infected children and families. And maybe one day, all of our sponsored children will know the joy of playing barefoot without the worry of illness.

A New Perspective on Life

Posted on behalf of Dayanara Reyes

Last Friday I was on my way home from work – in the rain – thinking about all I had experienced during the week. I was reflecting on the people here in the Dominican Republic who have jobs that are hard but pay little. I thought about the sicknesses, malnutrition, lack of basic and personal necessities…and how, in spite of all this, these people remain optimistic, with a desire to better themselves and a hope for change.

All of this came to mind after my bosses asked me to talk about my childhood and how my life has changed since I began my duties, as part of a possible feature for Children International, the organization I work for. Hmmmm…that question demanded an answer, but it was not a simple answer. It was a deep reflection…. God has given me the opportunity to have and experience great things; I’m fortunate to have food, clothing, a good education, a good salary for the work I do and – even better – the ability to help and create in others a consciousness of those who have not been as fortunate as I have.

I’ve often received emails with pictures of people doing special types of work and children who live in extreme poverty; these are intended to cause people to appreciate the things they have in life. Allow me to show you a few pictures that I took myself, and let me share with you the experiences I had the privilege of having last week – experiences that cause you to ask yourself some tough questions.

You’ve probably heard on a number of occasions (as I had) about the “divers” (people who work in garbage dumps); they have no other way to make a living…no other choice. They work without gloves, under terrible conditions and exposed to diseases. I show you these pictures as just a few examples of the many people I saw when we visited the city dump last week. These people scrounge around in the trash for materials they can sell to recyclers – and sometimes they search for food for their families.






I’ve learned a lot since coming to work for Children International. I’ve visited areas of my own city that I never even knew existed. I’ve seen the raw ugliness of poverty, walked down parasite-infested streets where little children run barefoot, listened to crippled children talk about their dreams…and this has created in me a determination to do everything within my power to bring about change.

Dayanara is the communications coordinator for our agency in Santiago. She accompanied the Children International team that was in the Dominican Republic last week. These pictures were taken on the visit to the dump that Sarah wrote about in her post last Wednesday, Down in the Dump.

India: A Rich Tapestry

Posted on behalf of Deron Denton...

Among the many images I recall from our staff trip to India last year, one remains with me the most: a trash heap by the side of the road. It stood 2 or 3 feet high and must have been 8 or 10 feet long. The first thing I distinguished was a cow: it had found something to eat in the pile and was chewing lazily. Then I noticed a person was also rummaging through the same mound of refuse. As we passed by in the van, I was startled to see a large crow as well as a mangy-looking dog…all of them sorting through the trash for something they could eat or use.

It was a sad scene, to be sure - it left me feeling like the wind had been knocked out of me. It was also symbolic of the India I experienced: an amazing kaleidoscope of cultures and religions and eras…seemingly chaotic and random yet amazingly harmonious and…well, functional. Over a billion people living (mostly) peaceably in the world’s largest democracy. A truly ancient culture quickly adapting to globalization and a world economy.

What touched me most deeply, of course, were the people we met. The people – on your behalf – we were there to help. Particularly, I was moved by the strength, courage and perseverance of the girls and women we met in India…

…women like Sahida, mother of 5-year-old Rukhsar. Rukhsar had entered our sponsorship program the year before our visit. The girl’s father died when she was just a year old, leaving the household without a definitive breadwinner. Sahida had been forced into an arranged marriage at the age of 12. Now, because of Rukhsar’s sponsorship, Sahida had been given the courage of hope…hope for her daughter’s future. Despite her own numerous hardships, Sahida expressed confidence that her daughter would now be able to stay in school, receive a good education and live a happy life. These were opportunities Sahida didn’t have.

The problem of early, arranged marriages arose often in India. And it is a challenge that youth leaders and our staff are successfully confronting. Rukmini, who is now 21, was a sponsored child for 16 years. She became active in our youth program, eventually becoming a youth council leader. She now works as co-facilitator of our Youth Health Corps.

As a sponsored youth, Rukmini told me she received a great deal of training on leadership, reproductive and sexual health, and nutrition. “I then began giving that training and the knowledge I acquired to others in the community,” she said. Rukmini led seminars and workshops for youth and mothers, helping to empower them. “Now the girls have started coming out as a visible force in the community,” she added.

Rukmini, and others like her, are shaping the future of India. By helping prevent early marriages, empowering women, and educating those who will listen, they are elevating our India sponsorship program in ways that were probably unimaginable 10 or 15 years ago.

I am so grateful to have witnessed all the wonderful changes taking place in India. And it genuinely touches my heart to be a small thread in the colorful tapestry that we – our sponsored children, their families, our sponsors and our staff – are weaving…enriching the lives of everyone involved.

Land of Sun…and Sadness

Last Saturday evening, Greg, Damon and I returned from Honduras. We were bone-weary from traveling, but each of us carried in our hearts special memories of our trip.

The weather couldn’t have been nicer during our visit. Warm, spring-like days filled with bright sunshine provided the perfect atmosphere for us to interview sponsored children, their families and our agency staff about the challenges of poverty in Honduras – and believe me, these challenges are nearly overwhelming.

Several heart-rending cases cast dark shadows upon the beauty of the landscape. Perhaps the most difficult of these involved children infected with AIDS. To know these innocent young children face unimaginable suffering in the years ahead – through no fault of their own – was a reality almost too hard to handle.

But not all was grim. We were also surrounded by the evidences of the success of Children International’s sponsorship program in Honduras. Medical cases previously thought to be hopeless are now filed away in the “Cured” stack; children from impossibly poor families are going to school with their program-issued supplies and uniforms, chipping away at the glass ceiling that used to bar the less fortunate from any chance at success in life. And there were lots of smiling children.

Thanks for traveling to Honduras with us through this blog. It meant a lot to us to read your comments and hear your input. There’s lots of good stuff coming in the next few days, so please keep checking back.