Mother Nature Pays A Visit

Being from the midwest, I'm no stranger to the forces of Mother Nature.

Thankfully, we weren't physically shaken by the devastating earthquake in neighboring Peru, however our communications coordinator, Andres, frantically tried to reach his father via cell phone in Lima. Several hours later we learned that his father was safe and the weight of not knowing was lifted for Andres.

Mother Nature, however, paid another call today. Just shortly after returning from the rural hillsides of Quito, we arrived for a break at a local community center. Clouds shielded us from the intense, but cool, rays of the sun for most of the morning. Suddenly, the skies opened up and rain began to fall. Not in a gentle, picturesque way, but in a deafening roar as the raindrops and then hail pounded the metal roof over our heads.

The center was full of parents and children who were lined up outside waiting to receive school supplies. As the rain went from a trickle to a torrent, our staff quickly moved them under a small tent. Conversations soon stopped because you could no longer hear the person sitting next to you. Looking out the window, the dirt road we just drove down suddenly became a muddy river. We noticed a steady stream of water entering the third floor where we were. Thinking we were dry from the storm so far up, I quickly discovered that there was a road at third floor level on the opposite side of the center. As water poured in from the road, we scrambled to get our cameras off the floor before they got wet, then realized that along another wall sat dozens of boxes of school supplies. We immediately moved them so they wouldn't be ruined and the children wouldn't have to go without them.

As the storm pounded down on us, all I could think about were the familes on the hillside we just visited. They had little or no protection from the cold wind, rain and hail. How does a mother keep her children dry under a rusty tin roof and walls made of loosely fastened scrap wood? I could only picture them huddled together in a corner, trying to stay dry and wait the storm out.

Twenty minutes later the storm passed and daily activites resumed as if nothing ever happened. Hopefully, the families on the hillside braved the storm without troubles. If they did, luck was definitely on their side. This time.

The Pervasiveness of Poverty

Posted on behalf of Erin Fitzgerald

Poverty transcends borders. It’s not bound by language, culture or race. And it’s merciless.

As we drove through neighborhoods in Santiago, Dominican Republic, this week, we could have been driving in any number of communities Children International serves in Latin America.

We walked along dirt roads with typical tiny shacks cobbled together with scrap wood and pieces of corrugated metal. As usual, we spotted children wandering barefoot over trash-strewn streets where animals like dogs, cats and chickens ran freely.

When we entered the homes of our sponsored families, we found what we usually do – a couple beds, a table, a few chairs and not much else. The more fortunate families have a decent bathroom, a stove to cook on and access to clean water. Others go without.

The struggles poor people in Santiago face aren’t unique. They’re the same challenges that families in our agencies across the globe face. They long for decent work so they can adequately feed their children. They struggle with common health conditions like parasites and respiratory infections that unhygienic living conditions breed. And they wish they had money for the little extras that bring so much joy – like a simple gift to celebrate a birthday.

Despite the overwhelming obstacles these families face, they make the most of what they are given and are overwhelmed with gratitude at the support sponsorship provides – medical care, gifts for special occasions and educational programs. I’ve heard more words of thanks on this trip than I can count. These families don’t long for money or success but simply for the tools to achieve a decent way of life and ultimately help others like them.

As Leidy, a sponsored youth served by our Santiago agency explained to me, “It’s not about getting a job where I can have a big house, get rich and have lots of cars. It’s more about helping other people and being able to give back.”

There’s no doubt that poverty is pervasive and indiscriminate. Let’s hope that when we finally put a stop to it, the cure will be too.

Narrow Escape: A CI Staff Member Recalls Typhoon’s Wrath

The devastation of Typhoon Durian is apparent in one neighborhood.

Time may heal wounds, but the scars of Typhoon Durian may last a lifetime…

When news that Typhoon Durian was about to come ashore in the Philippines, Tony Lorcha, communications coordinator for our Legazpi, Philippines, agency, and his family did the only thing they could...they faced the storm.

This is his account of that fateful event just a few months ago.

News about Durian had been spreading and it made my family fretful. First, we live in a village located in the typhoon belt and near a volcano, which places us in the path of flooding and threats from volcanic eruption. Second, our house is near the waterway and in case water rises, our place would certainly be flooded. And third, we were anxious on the stability of our house, since the wall is made only of plywood and the roof is made of corrugated metal.

When Durian made a landfall, it caused severe damage to infrastructure, houses, crops, and other properties. The storm battered our village for seven hours. It left our house completely destroyed, including the small vending store that served as my parent’s source of livelihood. We were lucky to get out before it collapsed.

Left with no other option, my family faced the wrath of the roaring winds and heavy rains outside. We crossed the already flooded area in our village and we managed to move to our new but only small concrete house, which is still under construction. We felt a little relief when we got there.

At one point, we heard cries from outside as people were screaming about the flood. The big volume of water triggered a loosening of the volcanic ash and it came tumbling down toward us along with water, sand and boulders, causing people to panic.

I went outside to have a look. I was shocked at what I saw. And I felt fear. A number of people were running fast along the streets, terrified. My parents, siblings, and the rest of our neighbors were deeply frightened by what was happening too. From our house, I could see the raging floodwater heavily flowing down from the rice fields and riverbanks.

One of my relatives, who went along with the crowd, returned and told us that the bridge that connects our village with another was destroyed. We were trapped.
……………………

Luckily, the waters and debris moved in a different direction and we were saved. But for two days we were isolated in our village. We had no food but several fathers salvaged pigs that had been carried away by the floods and that saved us from hunger.

Some of my colleagues were worried about us because they had heard the bad news. One friend told me I was listed as missing on the radio. For two days, I could not confirm that my family and I were safe because all communications were down. As soon as I could, I sent a text message to several people to let them know that we were safe…that we were alive!

Their worries for my family and me were finally over. After that, I joined other staff to begin helping sponsored families and gathering data about the destruction of our communities.

I thank God that my family is safe and nobody was hurt. We’re now starting to cope with what has happened, and trying to leave behind whatever scars this disaster has brought to us.

Losing one’s house, especially a source of livelihood, is depressing. But we won’t lose hope. Amidst these things, I strengthened my resolve to be stronger for my family and for the other families who suffered the loss of loved ones and property.

With the help of many generous donors from around the world, the affected people, including my family, are now starting to rebuild.

Tony Lorcha, upper right corner, with his family.

A Bittersweet Return to the Dominican Republic

Posted on behalf of Brian Anderson of Children International...

Getting to the Dominican Republic is not an easy hop from Kansas City. To make connections in Atlanta, I had a very early 3 am wake up call. Leaving a very frosty Kansas City for Santo Domingo but the eventual warmth of the sun more than made up for it.

I admit this trip will have some bittersweet memories for me. My wife Nicole and I have been to the Dominican Republic three times: the first on a vacation, the second with 60 teenagers who helped construct an addition to our community center in Mao. And the last time was just two years ago with board members and staff.

The trip to Mao however, holds a special place for me. This fall my wife passed very suddenly from cancer and her favorite picture was the one from our adventure in Mao.

There are several goals for this particular trip: meetings with Franklin (a CI Gift Officer) and our local staff, talking to several major foundations as well as an official with USAID, assessing a community center in need of renovation, and opening center that just recently underwent a significant renovation and addition.

The meetings thus far in Santo Domingo have been interesting and productive but it is too early to tell what the future holds.

Then we were off to Santiago - a trip only a few hours by car on a very good road through a beautiful valley. There are mountains on both sides of the valley and good crops between.


In Santiago we will assess the needs of the Cien Fuegos community center we have used for years. This center is scheduled for reconstruction and three friends groups in the US are helping to raise the resources necessary for the project. Our goal is to break ground in June when the children are out of school.

Later this week we will return to Santo Domingo where we will participate in the opening of the recently completed Mendoza Center. The center required significant reconstruction – in fact we gutted the first floor and added a second floor.

It's wonderful to see the progress we're making in the Dominican Republic. But it's still evident there is much work to be done, and I know that all of us, together, will continue to bring change to the children here who need it most.

At lunch time we stopped beside the road and had some roast pork. The place was full of people because of the National Holiday of Independence. This man served us from a pig that he had roasted the night before. It was a tasty and very Dominican lunch.

The People We Meet

After a long and tumultuous trip Greg, Kelly and Damon arrived safely back in Kansas City late on Saturday night. For all of them, it was an emotional trip that they won't soon forget. We'll be providing you with more details and stories from Honduras in the days to come.

Today we wanted to travel back to Colombia as our writer Scott Cotter shares memories of that recent trip. Enjoy!

It has been nearly three weeks since we returned…the heat and humidity of Colombia have been traded for rain and snow. The sharp smell of cooking fires has been washed from our clothes and, as life has gotten back to normal in Kansas City, we were left with only our memories, notebooks scrawled with notes and discs jammed full of photos.

We met single mothers struggling every minute of every day. We talked to young teens filled with so much talent that I can’t imagine them not succeeding. And everywhere we went, eager sponsored children surrounded us with laughter and grabbed at our hands, pulling us toward their tiny homes.

Some of the people we met left me saddened and stunned. Most, though, were brimming with hope, helping me to see once again that action – and a bit of compassion – transforms lives in a lasting way.

Take Eneida. We met her and her two children, Marleidis and Anibal, at an anti-parasite campaign. When I asked for someone who wanted to talk about sponsorship, laughter erupted among the assembled mothers…they pushed Eneida toward me.

Gathered with mothers in a shelter of sorts, Eneida was singled out by the other mothers as the talkative one. Although shyness overcame her when she sat down with Jennifer and me, she managed to tell us how much she enjoyed being a part of the program and that it brought her children joy to receive letters and gifts from their sponsors.

We talked for less than five minutes, but with a smile, she said her children are thriving and that “we all benefit from a program like this.”

There was also Yesenia, who waited patiently at our community center in Barranquilla. It was late in the day and exhaustion had set in for all of us, but we knew we needed to hear what she had to say, not just because she and her mother had waited so long, but because Yesenia’s smile lights up a room.

In the community center library, as the sun’s last rays settled through the windows, her conversation with Patricia, our communication coordinator in Barranquilla, reminded me how much impact one person can have on another.

“I don’t live as bad as I did before,” she said with a smile. “I want to tell my sponsor that I love him like my own father and thanks for making our life better.”

Certainly, it’s good to be home. And though I may never meet my newfound friends again, I’ll never forget them. And I’m comforted with the fact that they will always have our staff in Colombia to turn to in times of need.

Yesenia used to live in a squat little shack that was so short her family entered bent at the waist so they wouldn’t hit their heads. Inside it wasn’t much better, the ceiling so low that Yesenia said it felt like suffocating. Rains often brought flooding and illness into the house. With help from her sponsor, Yesenia has a new house and the family has started a cold drink business that has elevated their standard of living.

Yesenia likes to talk about the time her sponsor visited. More than anything, she wants him to return. She says, “I’d also like to help other children, just like my sponsor has helped me.”

In the Field with the CI Team

I'm happy to report I've survived whatever it was that got me last night!

Despite the grueling pace (13 hours in the field Wednesday and equally long days on Thursday and Friday), spirits are high as we continue to meet sponsored children and their families and witness firsthand how their lives are improving with the help of their sponsors and our agency staff. Let me share with you a brief photo tour of some of our activities in the field:

Since the age of 9, Digna has worked selling sand dredged from the river. Now she is partially disabled from a stroke, but she still supervises as her sons carry on the work. They dive to the river bed and scoop up sand in 5-gallon buckets, loading it into a skiff until the gunwales are barely above water. Bailing furiously, they pole down the river and use shovels to unload the boat, creating a pile on the bank. They repeat this process until they have enough sand to make a truckload, which they then hope to be able to sell.

The work is grueling, but Digna is thankful she can work with her children every day. She worries about the influences they would face if she had to leave them on their own in order to earn a living.

Two of Digna's sons carry a boatload of sand down the river.

Digna and her sons pose by the river with Damon (second from right) and Kelly (far right).

Chips, anyone? Frying and selling banana chips is just one of many creative ways poor families work to survive.

When her home was completely buried in mud by Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Delmis and her neighbors dug down and salvaged the front and back doors. Shortly thereafter, Children International built her a new home. In this picture with her grandchildren, Delmis stands next to one of the doors that was recovered and now guards the entrance to her house.

You may recall reading in Journeys about a young man named Darwin (see photo in our post from Wednesday) who received a life-changing surgery thanks to the concern of our sponsors. Dr. Mariela, our agency physician, was deeply concerned about the long-term emotional effects of his condition. Now, though, Darwin's surgery and subsequent complete recovery have turned him into a confident young man with a hopeful future.

"Please tell my sponsor thanks!" That's the message Christian, Darwin's little brother, wanted Greg to be sure to give his sponsor - Children International employee David.

Not exactly cutting-edge technology.but this earth stove is all one family - and thousands like them - has for cooking.

Radioing the control tower. Children International is all about broadening the horizons of desperately poor children. Who knows? After a few more years of encouragement and support with education and other essential benefits, one of these young men just might be your pilot when you fly down to visit your sponsored child in Honduras!

Posted on behalf of Kelly, Greg and Damon who are hopefully experiencing less delays as they travel back to Kansas City today. My deepest thanks for all their hard work this week in Honduras!

Hope Rising from the Ruins

Copán Ruinas was no disappointment. Because of its remote location, accessible over rugged – and often dangerous – washboard roads, we have not visited this beautiful town in the heart of the ancient Maya empire as frequently as we have other areas served by Children International in Honduras. Nonetheless, sponsorship is alive and well here.

We thought we’d share with you some photos we shot on location today. Although nothing can compare with actually being here, perhaps these will help you feel a little closer to the sights our sponsored children see every day.

For all of us, it was exciting to see families waiting in line to enroll their children in the sponsorship program (did you know that, with around 4,760 sponsored children, Copán Ruinas is our largest service area in Honduras?). You’ll see a picture of a mother waiting patiently as her son’s paperwork is completed, which promises to bring positive changes to his life for years to come. And we’ve included a picture of newly sponsored child, Ronal, as he and his mom write his very first letter ever to his sponsor! Hopefully this will be the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Certainly, what we saw today affirms for us the work we do and the considerable contribution sponsors make toward the lives of the children of Copán Ruinas. And we expect to see the same positive signs as we continue our travels through Honduras.

We’ll be here two more days, talking to families, seeing how sponsorship impacts lives and telling the stories we uncover…so make sure you check back for more updates from the field.

The Children International community center in Copán Ruinas is not hard to spot.

Starting a new phase in life: Enrollment in Children International’s sponsorship program promises steady support for children’s mental, emotional and physical development.

Ronal, who just found out that his waiting is over, works on a masterpiece to share with his new sponsor.

Say, “Queso!” Sponsored children have their photos snapped so their sponsors can stay up to date with how big they’ve grown…

This dusty road stands in stark contrast to the lush semi-tropical growth in the beautiful background.

Children International cameraman Javier climbs on top of a sponsored child’s house to record a home improvement project.

Desperate Lives Bind Us

A few of you have asked, "Why did I receive an email about Honduras?"...because you generously sponsor at least one child in the region of Central America. The region is comprised of Mexico, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Honduras. And even though you may not have a child in Honduras, we hope you enjoy learning about living conditions and issues that are similar to your own sponsored child.

And we encourage you to post any questions you might have. I'm positive that someone else probably has the same question! We'll do our best to answer your question and share what we know about the children and their communities.

And about today's posting...it's written and posted on behalf of Children International writer Damon Guinn, who is experiencing his first trip to Honduras. On to today's post...

I never knew what it felt like to be truly powerless until I looked deep into the eyes of a dying child.

There are many children who are close to death here in Honduras. They may not die today or tomorrow, but there is little doubt that their fates are sealed if help doesn’t arrive in time. This week, my colleagues and I will visit a number of children struggling to survive on the fringe of San Pedro Sula.

We’ll meet two sponsored children in the El Milagro (The Miracle) community who were recently hit by drunk drivers and suffered massive trauma and brain damage as a result. Their stories are not at all uncommon here. Angy, 7, and Milton, 14, are among several sponsored children whose lives are in jeopardy.

Then we’ll go to Las Minas (The Mines), where we’ll come face to face with an 11-year-old named Franklin. Chronic malnutrition and a necrotic ear infection have forced Franklin to abandon school.

You may ask what can sponsorship do for children so close to the edge? All I can say is, if you could be here and see what I’m seeing, the answer would be obvious.

In every one of the six sponsorship areas we visit over the next three days, we’ll encounter compassionate field workers who help create a vital connection between children desperate for help and a concerned community of supporters like you.

One such field worker is Dr. Mariela Castillo Pires, the Children International doctor in Las Minas, who first informed us about a little boy named Darwin when a group from Children International visited Honduras in 2005.

Darwin (right), you may recall, was living a wretched life because he was born with a rare rectal malformation. His exposed intestine and crude homemade colostomy bag caused him endless agony and dejection. When Dr. Castillo Pires intervened, he received corrective surgery and psychological support. He now lives like any other young boy his age, prompting one of our staff members to say, “It’s unbelievable…you can’t even tell he had a problem!”

Today we’re on the road to Copán Ruinas to see the difference special donations are making in the children’s lives. Be sure and check back tomorrow morning for more photos and an update.

Headed for Honduras

I’ve never been to Belize…but my luggage has. Unfortunately, while my bags were enjoying a few days of vacation in paradise, I – along with my fellow Children International team members – was in the sweltering tropical heat of Honduras, making do with a single change of clothes.

But if you’ve done much international travel, you know lost baggage is just part of life. The sobering part was that while I considered myself to be hopelessly short on clothing, the two sets of clothes I had (one to wear and one to wash!) represented a more complete wardrobe than many of the children I had come to visit had ever owned all at one time.

That was a couple of years ago. Today, Greg, Damon and I are on our way to Honduras once again. Greg and I have been several times, but this will be Damon’s first visit. With a 6 a.m. departure from Kansas City and a training session scheduled from 3 to 10 p.m. in San Pedro Sula, it promises to be a long day.

We’ll spend the next three days visiting our community centers throughout the San Pedro Sula area and interviewing sponsored children and their families. Each child has a special story to tell, and we wish we could visit with each one; but because we sponsor thousands of children in the area, we’ll only be able to squeeze in a few.

This trip will be particularly exciting because we’ll be touching base with several children who have been featured in our various publications, such as Journeys, eNews, etc. In fact, for some of you, the very first letter you ever received from Children International featured a little Honduran girl named Damaris, whose family couldn’t even afford to buy her a good pair of shoes. You may also recall Sonia, whose sad green eyes conveyed the pain of being shunned by other children because of the horrible burns that covered her face and body.

Sponsorship has been life-changing for these children. There are others too…Darwin, who also was shunned because of his raw, exposed colostomy; Jennifer, who had barely eaten in months when Children International found her, her rail-thin body a mute testimony to the terrible malnutrition that was slowly destroying her.

I’m a little sad that we won’t get to see Cinthia…she’s now moved to the capital city, Tegucigalpa. Cinthia was the little girl whose growth was so stunted by malnutrition that at 8 years old she could have passed for a toddler – and who would eat dirt in a desperate attempt to provide the nutrients her body craved. Our caring staff in Honduras helped her get into a nutritional rehab center, and she’s now enjoying a much better life.

Please check back often, as we’ll be updating the blog every day this week when we get back to the hotel after our field visits. We look forward to helping you catch up with our old friends and telling you about the new ones we’ll make as we visit one of the loveliest – and neediest – nations in the world.

Posted on behalf of Kelly and crew who at the moment are sitting in the airport waiting on their very delayed flight...

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!