You asked for it...

Posted on behalf of Sarah Trapp

We love hearing from our sponsors and donors; and when we do, many times they tell us that they wished they could see more pictures from their child’s country. So today we’ve decided to give the people what they want: more photos!

Every month we ask our Communication Coordinators in eleven different countries to send us some of their favorite photos they’ve taken. With so many submissions, it’s impossible for us to use all of these fab photos…but we certainly appreciate their hard work and love to put some of their best efforts in the spotlight.

This time we’ll be sharing some of the latest and greatest from the Philippines. Enjoy!

Man, the teacher assigned a lot of homework this time! Heavy backpacks are no match for clever kids in Tabaco. (Photo by Sarah Velasco)

Thirteen year old Raymond helps to support his family by selling bananas and other foods on the street after school. With the help of sponsorship, Raymond is in high school and hopes to one day support his family with a professional career. (Photo by Joel Abelinde)

Yummy! These sponsored boys and girls in Quezon City enjoy their Saturday meal provided by one of Children International’s feeding programs for malnourished children.
(Photo by CJ Tarroja)

King of the...tricycle? One man’s junk makes a perfect playground for these children in Legaspi. (Photo by Anthony Lorcha)

Rochelle stands in front of her home in Manila. (Photo by Joel Abelinde)

Behind the Scenes: Painting Poverty

Posted on behalf of Scott Cotter.

I admit it. I don’t have a stitch of artistic talent. None.

I’ve tried my hand at water colors, oils, pottery, sculpting, sketching and anything else you can think of. I guess it’s just not happening for me.

That’s why talented painters like Lynyrd Paras have always amazed me. They take something they see in their heads and will their hands to create it. Whereas I see images in my head but when my brain sends the signal to my hands, they interpret it much differently than how I imagined it.

And consider this. Lynyrd grew up in what he professes to be very painful circumstances. Hunger, stress, scarce resources, despair. These were the calling cards of his childhood. For many, whatever inspiration they had, whatever dreams flickered to life in a situation like that, soon dies along with hopes for anything better.


Not so for Lynyrd. He found the storyline for his paintings in the poverty he witnessed as a child. And he credits sponsorship with helping him tell that story.

Now, amazingly, he paints incredible, deeply personal images that speak to people everywhere, and he has become quite popular among Philippines celebrities. In fact, he held a public showing in Manila recently and walked away empty handed. That is, he had no paintings left to carry back to his Manila studio after selling every single piece.

Now he has been booked for another show and is busily trying to create new images to share with others.

It’s quite a leap from poor kid growing up in a rural part of the Philippines, relying on sponsorship to fill in the gaps, to becoming a well-known artist with a growing international reputation.

But Lynyrd is definitely up to the task.

Starting Tuesday afternoon, April 1, please visit our home page, take a few minutes to look through the pictures taken during his recent showing and let us know what you think of his skill with the brush.


Scott Cotter has been a writer with Children International since 2001. To read more articles by Scott, please visit www.children.org and browse our archives.