What Matters Most

Posted on behalf of Gretchen Dellett, writer for Children International.

The day was uncomfortably hot and my eyeballs felt like they were coated in dust. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and wondered, “What have I gotten myself into?”

It was 1993. Employed at Children International for barely two months, I was trekking down a smelly, trash-strewn path in Cartagena, Colombia, on my way to conduct my very first interview on behalf of the organization. I was terrified. Suddenly my former job as an insurance copywriter didn’t sound so bad.

I was ushered into a tiny shack with a dirt floor. The air was thick with humidity. Bugs crawled on the makeshift walls. I perched on a cracked plastic chair as I got to know Marlene, a mother of three who had learned to read and write with the help of the program. She had also learned to make handicrafts, which she sold to supplement the family’s income. The more I learned, the more I was humbled by Marlene’s gentle spirit and the way, despite her horrible circumstances, she still had hope for her children’s future.

As I turned to leave, she took one of her handicraft pictures off the wall and thrust it toward me, an eager smile on her face. “Oh no, I couldn’t,” I told her through the translator, knowing she could sell the item.

“I want you to have it,” Marlene replied. “Today is my 29th birthday, and because you were here, it was the best day of my entire life.”

Wow. I didn’t understand how I could make such an impact on someone’s life by my mere presence. But upon reflection, I realized that by simply being there and listening to her story, I made Marlene feel – perhaps for the first time in her life – like she mattered.

That’s exactly what sponsorship is all about. One person…making an impact…letting someone know that they matter. What more can we ask for as human beings?

Now here I am, 15 years later, and still dedicated to my work at Children International. I’ve been many places and met many memorable people since that first trip to Colombia – but I’ve never forgotten Marlene. To me, she’ll always represent the spirit of the sponsorship program. And yes, I still have that picture she took off her wall to give to me.

Building Bridges

When Belkis tripped and fell while she was playing, it should have been a case of getting up, brushing off the dirt and going on with the fun. But when she began to scream in agony, onlookers knew something was very wrong.

That was four years ago, when she was only four years old. A trip to the hospital revealed that she had broken her leg…but it also revealed the reason why. A benign cyst had weakened the bone so it snapped under pressure.


I met this brave little girl as she lay in the hospital awaiting surgery. Then, we didn’t know what the outlook was for her recovery. But when I visited Colombia a few weeks ago, I met a smiling young lady who now runs and plays like any other child.

It was gratitude for the help her daughter received from Children International and her sponsor in this crisis that inspired her mother, Ada María, to become a CI volunteer. Life isn’t easy for this single mom, who was abandoned by her husband shortly after Belkis had her surgery. In fact, her makeshift wooden home collapsed last winter, and they’ve been living in a single room while they wait to rebuild it.

Belkis is not finished with her ordeal. She’s already had surgery for another bone cyst, and she’s scheduled for yet another. Her condition is genetic.

But Ada María is not complaining. She is excited about the sponsorship program and about Belkis’ future. Because of all the help she received in the hospital, Belkis dreams of going to college and becoming a doctor…and Ada María dreams that her daughter will get her wish.

“Education is the bridge between our current reality and my daughter’s future,” asserts Ada María.

And here at Children International, with the help of our family of sponsors – we’re in the business of building bridges.

Defying the Swamp

"I keep thinking, 'I get to leave...but these people live here.'"

Lisa (the sponsor who traveled to Cartagena, Colombia, last week to join us on the filming trip) looked pretty sober when she said that. Not one of us in the group felt any differently, either.

Cartagena's La Ciénaga de la Virgen ("The Swamp of the Virgin") has got to be one of the grimmest places I've ever visited -- and I've been to some pretty grim places. It's amazing that even plants -- much less animals and people -- are able to survive in its fetid wastelands. That's why I couldn't help but grin when I read a travel brochure's glowing description of the ecological wonders of the swamp. That's one travel writer that's obviously never been to the parts of the swamp I'm familiar with.

People too desperately poor to locate elsewhere buy "plots" in the back recesses of the swamp. The problem is, more often than not, when they buy these plots they are still under water. So before they can even begin to raise up the stark shacks of plastic sheeting or lumber scraps that become their homes, they must first pay for truckloads of dirt to be brought in and then transferred by wheelbarrow so they can have a semi-firm footing on which to build.


And every year the rains come...the water rises...and their flimsy houses are destroyed. They evacuate to schools or other temporary shelters until the water recedes, and then they come back and build again, knowing that in a few months they'll be repeating the process.


Stinking piles of trash...thick, green, bubbling water...and dogs. Everywhere you look are dogs. The trails are literally covered in feces. Watching the children run and play barefoot through all of this makes it crystal clear why our antiparasite campaign is so vital to communities like this one.

Crime is rampant. Differences here in the swamp are settled with guns, knives and machetes. The evil tentacles of the drug trade have crept all the way back here.

Luznery is a lovely 5-year-old girl whose mother is fighting hard to get her three children out of the swamp. Her mom walks over 14 kilometers each morning (varicose veins make each step agony) selling coffee so she can try to feed her children, but has so little left over after she buys tomorrow's coffee that she sometimes doesn't get to eat at all. At this rate, leaving the swamp is just a distant dream...but she's desperate. Tragedy has touched her children once, and she's determined it won't happen again.

Please keep Luznery and her family in your thoughts and prayers. Sponsorship just came to them last week. I watched as her mom repeated over and over, "I feel like I'm dreaming." And when she was told that Mark, from our film crew, was Luznery's new sponsor, she stood there dazed and said, "I think I'm going to faint."

It was a great ending to a great trip.

Click below to visit the Swamp of the Virgin:

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.

In The News...

Recently, contestants participating in the Miss Colombia pageant visited one of the Children International community centers in Cartagena. The contestants spent their time playing games with the children and working on various craft projects.






Photos by Shirley Arèvalo Garcìa.

Democracy in Action

It’s hard to change the channel these days without stumbling across the latest polls, commercials or the latest “he said, she said” banter of politics. While it’s easy to take for granted the power of democracy, it’s still a goal that many world citizens still fight and die for today. And for the youth of Children International, it all begins with casting their first ballot.

At Children International, we feel our youth are the rising stars of tomorrow. That's why we concentrate on developing them as leaders and instilling in them the skills they will need to make a difference in their communities. One way we do this is by teaching the power of democracy.

In November, Youth Council elections were held in Cartegena, Colombia. Each of our 18 agencies has a youth council that is comprised of sponsored youth. The council is responsible for determining the direction of youth programs in each of their sponsorship areas. Council members are also nominated and two delegates are democratically elected to attend the International Youth Conference.

By engaging in the democratic process to elect their leaders, and then deciding the direction of their efforts as a team, they learn a great deal about leadership, a commitment to ideals and shared effort. In this way, youth council members become an inspiration. They provide positive role models for younger children and they strive to educate and help others.

To us, these enthusiastic youth are the world best and brightest hope for tomorrow.

Photos by Marelvis Campo, Children International Communication Coordinator in Cartegena, Colombia.

As Seen On TV...

Posted on behalf of Gretchen Dellett

You’ve probably seen a Children International television commercial before. It may even have been what persuaded you to become a sponsor in the first place. But have you ever wondered how these ads are created?

I recently returned from Cartagena, Colombia, where I participated in the filming of two new Children International TV ads. I’ve worked as a writer for Children International for 14 years; I’ve been working on our TV advertising for 8. From the Philippines to Honduras to Colombia, I’ve stood in raw sewage, trekked through garbage dumps and dodged trains just inches from my nose – all in the service of getting the “right shot:” The shot that just might catch the attention of someone out there and convince them to sponsor a child.

Each trip has its own particular challenges; this time it was the heat. The unbearable, suffocating, sloppy heat. But even we hardy Midwesterners and seasoned travelers were not prepared for how very hot it was.


We were filming in a community called La Ciénega de la Virgen, which means “Swamp of the Virgin.” True, the community is situated on the edge of a swamp, but there was nothing pure about it. Tiny shacks stumbled over each other, with pools of stinking sewage running down the middle of many streets.

We spent an entire day filming behind a shack where a rotting chicken lay splayed near a pool of water that was covered in something that looked like tar (but smelled much worse). We tried to cover the deceased with old newspaper so we wouldn’t have to look at it, but every so often the pigs would wander through and snuffle it off with their noses. I always tell people that you haven’t seen poverty until you’ve smelled it, and this little corner of the planet in Colombia was certainly no exception.


Two different children were chosen to be used in our ads – a little boy named Danilo and a little girl named Veronica. Danilo had a blast with the whole thing – he was so pleased to have been chosen that we couldn’t get him to wipe the grin off his face when we needed him to be serious.

While we were filming him in a local market, some of the passersby whispered amongst themselves: “Is he some kind of movie star? He must be rich!” If only they knew he lived in a swamp and owned so little clothing that we had a hard time putting an outfit together for him to wear while we filmed him.


Veronica, the little girl, was much more quiet and contemplative (Kelly mentioned her in his blog a few weeks ago). But she shone with such a sweet radiance that we all fell in love with her. In fact, Sarah, with Outpost Broadcast Communications, the production company we typically use, began sponsoring her on the spot. Sarah has been on many trips with us and has at least a dozen sponsored kids by now! We’ve also worked with the same director, Mike Wunsch, since the 1980s, and he and his crew are pretty much part of the CI family, after all the miles they’ve logged on our behalf.

While we’re talking about the kids we use in our ads, you may wonder how they’re chosen. On this trip, we spent the first two days scouting for children and locations. We met dozens of children; every one of them was a sweetheart.

However, we’re looking for just the right combination to help us film a successful spot. They can’t be too shy or scared of the camera. They can’t be too young or they’ll tire easily and won’t understand the simple direction we give them. They have to be unafraid of our spokesperson – no easy task when he’s a “gringo” who doesn’t speak Spanish! Fortunately, we were working a great guy who jumped right in and made it very difficult for the children not to like him.

The important thing for you to know is that the children featured in our ads are really, truly children who are waiting for help.

But not for long! Once filming is completed, each “featured child” is immediately entered into the sponsorship program and begins receiving benefits. The family also receives compensation that our field staff uses to purchase food, clothing, household items and something special for the child as a “thank you” for their generous assistance. It’s a good feeling to know these children’s lives begin getting better the moment we turn a camera on them.


It sometimes feels intrusive to step into these people’s lives and in essence, record their misery for the world to see. But we’re always welcomed with open arms and warm hospitality. They know us and respect what we’re doing in their community. If I’ve learned anything from my travels, it’s that poverty doesn’t change the fundamental goodness and humanity in people. Some of the best people I’ve ever met live in the worst conditions.

My favorite part of creating a new commercial is seeing its end result. A successful ad can mean thousands of new sponsors – which translates into thousands more children who now have the chance to seek a future they once thought was beyond their grasp. I can’t imagine doing any other job that would reward me so much.

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?

Journeys to Your Mailbox

Three times a year, Children International’s Journeys magazine is delivered to the doorsteps of our sponsors and donors. We are very proud of this summer’s edition. We believe it demonstrates how sponsorship is like the summer sun that encourages the tomato plants, grape vines and corn stalks to reach their full potential. In fact, we believe the overall theme for this edition could be “the fruits of sponsorship.”

Here’s a peek into some of this edition’s featured stories.

Three of a Kind
The cover story by Scott Cotter introduces us to Adolfo, Dalis, and Remberto… three young adults from Cartagena who are following their dreams.
“…But more and more, with a little help and guidance, the sounds of change are ringing out loud and clear, and children who once would have been lost are learning the potential that lives within them.”

For the Greater Good
Damon Guinn tells the story of Dr. Mariela Castillo Pires of El Progreso, Honduras. She is one of Children International’s 152 staff doctors.
“…Suddenly, a woman burst through the front doors of the clinic, clutching the limp body of a young girl and crying out for help. Dr. Castillo sprang into action.”

A Lesson From Lucas
Children International’s communications coordinator in Chile, Leopoldo Montecinos, receives a gift from an unlikely source.
“If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that you never stop learning…”

Journeys is a great way for us to share with you the cause and effects of sponsorship. If you enjoyed this edition of Journeys, make sure to pass your copy on to someone else who has yet to sponsor a child. They may find it a journey worth joining.

Driver Puts Poor Children in Victory Lane

NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya gets the checkered flag for winning his first Nextel Cup race and giving impoverished children hope through Children International. The NASCAR road race in Sonoma, California, last Sunday was the first win for Montoya in 17 Nextel Cup starts.

The Colombian-born stock car champion donated $6,300 in 2006 to provide medical attention and therapy for children suffering from orthopedic health conditions. Montoya also funds a soccer school that provides 34 sponsored teens with training to help them improve their athletic skills.


“We have worked with Children International through our foundation in Colombia, and I have to say I am really grateful with all their help and support because thanks to them we have been able to create a foundation. I think it’s an amazing organization that has done so much for my country, and I am very grateful for that,” Montoya said in a 2006 interview.

Jim Cook, president and CEO of Children International, says, “Juan has always been a champion in our eyes. He has allowed us to give so many children in Colombia hope for the future. ”

Congratulations on your victory JP!

World Refugee Day

June 20 is the United Nations Day to bring attention to the plight of refugees around the world. We wanted to share with you the reality of one uprooted family that we met in Colombia.
* Names and Places have been changed to guarantee the safety of the individuals.

She Kept Saying
“It’s very, very, hard here.”
Rural parts of Colombia can be violent, lawless places where armed guerrillas exact their will on a helpless, voiceless and often impoverished population. In the San Andreas region local thugs demand all residents pay a protection tax. If the fee is not honored beatings follow as punishment. For these marauding gangs, death is the inevitable compensation for failure to pay their fabricated debts.

Theresa feared for her safety and that of her four children, which she raises on her own. At 33 she had already seen and experienced many lifetimes of horror. Short on cash, but with a wealth of fear she left San Andreas and took her family into the night. With nothing but their beating hearts, the family left their ancestral home. Knowing no one, and having nothing they found a barrio (neighborhood) outside of Cartagena to call home.

Strangers have proven crucial in the rebuilding of their life. Starting from nothing, they have been able to cobble together a claustrophobic shack with a dirt floor and plank walls. Their neighbors have given them clothes and food. Two of her children have found sponsors and now have access to medical care and educational aid. Opportunities lack in this community, but she been able to find a little work washing clothes for people.


Life is a struggle for Theresa*. Even with the assistance she has received her children still go to bed hungry sometimes. She kept saying over and over in a sad refrain, “It’s very, very hard here.”

Her eyes have been drained of all joy…Theresa is a refugee. She has begun the arduous task of building life anew. She is safe now and because of her bravery her children will be able to live outside of the shadow of fear.

Best Friends

Something light-hearted to start your weekend...

Who is your best friend?

Yorgelis, age 8, from Cartagena answers:

Malory. We play together and pretend we are having tea.

To Colombia…And Beyond

Well, the Children International team is back from Colombia after 10 action-packed days on the ground. I hope you enjoyed tagging along with them as they visited sponsored children and reported on the difference your support is making in Barranquilla and Cartagena.

If this is your first time visiting our blog, please check out the posts below and in the archive to read about what the team saw and experienced in Colombia.

Our Children International team for Colombia included Jennifer, Scott, Andrea, Erin and David. They’ll be sharing more photos and experiences from their trip in the near future. For now, though, I asked each of them to summarize the trip in a few words…

Erin: “What stood out the most during our trip to Colombia is the dedication of the local agency staff. When we visited sponsored communities, smiles, handshakes and hugs were frequently exchanged between the families in our program and Children International employees. It was obvious to me that working for Children International is much more than just a job for our local colleagues - just as it is for me.”

Jennifer: “My Spanish is sketchy at best. Simple phrases and lots of gestures generally convey my message. However with Maria, language was no barrier with us becoming fast friends. I’ll always remember her sweet smile and kind eyes as she plopped herself down next to me on a step and stuck by my side for the afternoon. With only her grandmother to watch over her as she grows, I’m excited for the opportunities sponsorship will offer her and all that she will achieve in the future. Children like Maria are why I work for Children International.”

David: “I saw that Children International really does bring out the very best in the volunteer mothers and the youth…the workshops give them a sense of self-worth and give them the power to help their own communities.”

Scott: "In Chubal, a dusty, isolated slum outside of Barranquilla, I was overwhelmed with the reaction our agency van elicited from the children. As we pulled off the highway and into the powder-fine dirt, a large group charged toward us, screaming and leaping into the air, their smiles an irresistible welcome mat. Our driver, Victor, said this is a common reaction because families think of our staff as their friends.”

Andrea: “I am always struck by the inner strength mothers have in dire and uncertain circumstances. They bear a heavy load, yet put on a brave face for their children and do the very best they can with practically nothing. They often lean on their faith and the hope that their children will have better lives. Sponsorship gives them hope.

And of course I still love the fact that no matter where I go, children are children and can find delight in the smallest of things…like looking at a tiny digital image of themselves on the back of my camera.”

What’s next?
We really hope you have enjoyed the posts and photos from our team’s Colombia trip. In just a couple of weeks we’ll have another team on the ground, this time in Honduras. We’d like to hear from you – what types of things would you like us to update you on while we’re there? Please drop us a comment or an email and let us know!