The Comfort of a Hug

September 17 is a special day at Children International. It’s the day we celebrate each year as “Special Hug Day”…and chances are you’ve received something in the mail about it.

Special Hug Day is probably one of the Children International initiatives people know the least about. But for the families of our sponsored children, it’s a big deal. Our sponsorship program unites a single sponsor with a single child, so most of what we do is necessarily child-centered; however, on Special Hug Day we do something special for the whole family. Because the children are so poor, they rarely if ever are able to give gifts to their parents and siblings, so this is the one day each year they can feel like they are directly responsible for something good coming to their families.

The gifts we give for Special Hug Day are practical items – so practical, in fact, that some might wonder why they’re so special. We might not find chairs, shelves, pans, dishes or other household supplies very exciting, but just last week I saw some things that put it all in perspective.

I just returned from Cartagena, Colombia, where we spent several days working in La Ciénaga de la Virgen (the Swamp of the Virgin), one of the poorest and most desolate areas of Cartagena. This is an area that routinely floods to depths of 3 or 4 feet during the rainy season…and the flimsy shacks the families of our sponsored children live in are demolished by the floods, leaving the families to start over from scratch each year.

Children swarmed around us, practically fighting over our empty plastic water bottles. I asked one little girl who very politely asked if she could have mine what she wanted it for. She told me she wanted it so she could take a drink to school.

In another community we met a sweet little girl named Veronica. Veronica’s dad was murdered a couple of years ago, and her mom was in the hospital when we met her. Her family has a single bed to sleep in and only one chair.

That’s why Special Hug Day is such a big deal.

By giving families items that provide a basic level of comfort, we increase their dignity and make their incredibly difficult lives just a little bit easier. So why not swing by Children International’s website and learn more about Special Hug Day and how you can send someone needy the comfort of a hug?

In The Tondo

If you are a reader of Journeys, Children International’s magazine about sponsorship and the changes it is making around the world, no doubt you’re familiar with Scott Cotter. Scott is a long-time writer for Children International and has traveled around the world covering the work we do and the children and families we serve. One of Scott’s most notable pieces in recent issues dealt with the plight of families living in the Bagbag cemetery in Manila, Philippines.

On that same trip, Scott visited a neighborhood called The Tondo. The impact it made on him will forever remain etched in his mind…and heart. In a slideshow he put together shortly after his return, Scott narrates what it felt like to stand in this community where overcrowding, disease and poverty compete with hope…a hope that, in some cases, only sponsorship provides.

Cramped quarters: Scott sits on the floor of a tiny home in The Tondo as he conducts an interview.

Click here to visit Children International’s video and slideshow archive, where you may select “Life on the Line” and experience The Tondo with Scott as he shares his thoughts in a compelling slideshow.

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.

Hope Through Housing: Part 1 of 3

Posted on behalf of Tom Owens

“¡Gracias! ¡Que Dios les bendiga! Jamás pudiéramos tener una casa digna sin la ayuda de ustedes.”

“Thank you and God bless you! We never could have had a decent house without your help.”

These are the words of appreciation that I heard over and over at the inauguration of Children International’s housing project at Villa Esperanza (Village of Hope), just outside Barranquilla, Colombia.

It was hotter than blazes that day last October when I was on hand to officially turn over the keys to houses that Children International helped 250 families build in Villa Esperanza. I wondered why there was so much sweat rolling down my back while all of the local people appeared so cool and comfortable under the shade of the canopy.

A really good deed: Tom Owens hands over the title to a new home

As we handed over the titles to the houses to each family representative I also had a chance to reflect on what Children International’s work means to so many thousands of people around the world. I first visited Villa Esperanza in 1997 when it was a new squatter settlement. Forced from their rural homes by political violence, hundreds of families arrived in Villa Esperanza in the late 90’s. Eventually the government granted them title to their land, but their houses were of decrepit materials, makeshift construction and mostly dirt floors. Children International brought sponsorship to Villa Esperanza and began to create a community volunteer network to help run the programs.

Building houses – and community – in Villa Esperanza

A few years ago we were able to access funding to begin house construction. Our network of volunteers was key here in mobilizing the community. We used a self-help approach were each beneficiary contributed the unskilled labor, the “sweat equity”, for the construction. We also organized the community into groups of 4-5 families each, sort of a solidarity approach, where everyone in the group helps build other group members’ houses on a rotating basis. It turned out to be a cost-effective way to build houses, and also had the positive effect of creating mutual respect and civic pride within the community.

Safety, shelter and hope: New homes and brighter futures in Villa Esperanza

I can’t say enough about the staff of our local agency in this project. They applied all their years of knowledge and experience to many long hours of organizing and implementing this program. It took away from their evenings and weekends, but they did it happily out of dedication and a deep sense of commitment to the people of the community.

Tom Owens is the Director of Grants for Children International. Check back tomorrow for part 2 of this 3-part post on Children International’s efforts to improve housing for sponsored children around the world.

Typhoon Durian Update

I had a chance the other day to chat with Vicki Medrano, our regional director for Asia, regarding our ongoing efforts in the Philippines to help the survivors of Typhoon Durian. As you may recall, this was the natural disaster that brought incredible death and destruction to an area where many of our sponsored children live.

It’s hard to convey with mere words or even photos the suffering that people living in the area around Tabaco and Legazpi, in Albay province, endured as the typhoon raged through the countryside. But the outpouring of support from our sponsors left no doubt about how much you care.

The situation remains grim for many displaced families, thousands of whom remain sheltered in schoolhouses – which they must vacate early each morning so children can attend classes. They wait in the sweltering heat under the meager shelter of thin plastic tents until they can re-occupy the only slightly more comfortable classrooms at the end of the day.

This typhoon survivor was photographed by Anthony Lorcha, a Children International staff member who lost his own home to Typhoon Durian.

Children International is working closely with local government officials and our donors to provide sturdy, typhoon-resistant homes for many of these survivors. Thanks to your contributions and other funds released by the Board of Directors of Children International, much can and will be done to help.

If you’d like to know more about the tragedy in the Philippines and how our sponsors are helping, go to http://www.children.org/ and click on the “Typhoon Durian Relief” button under “Latest News and Features.”

I think you’ll be impressed by what you learn!