Stories You Don't Want to Miss!

Be on the lookout for your monthly eNews from Children International! Our staff here in Kansas City and around the world have been working hard to bring you some great stories about the lives of our sponsored children and their families...stories that are sure to warm your heart.

Inside this issue:

• A great slideshow featuring the children and families in Ecuador. Did you know that nearly half of all Ecuadorians earn $2 a day or less?
• Relief and recovery as the first anniversary of Typhoon Durian approaches. Read a first hand account of how lives were forever changed by the storm.
• These stories and more in this issue of eNews.

Do you like these stories? Is there something you want to know more about? Drop us a line or leave a comment here on the blog. And if you’re not a current subscriber to eNews, you can become one by clicking here then selecting the button on the right-hand side of the screen that says, “Sign Up for eNews.”

Fallout from Felix

Reports from Children International agencies in Guatemala and Honduras indicate they have experienced serious flooding from Hurricane Felix. Our staff in San Pedro Sula (Honduras) report that the government evacuated residents from low-lying parts of El Milagro, including families of sponsored children. In Guatemala, evacuations as a result of Felix have not been necessary.

Agency personnel in Honduras and Guatemala are on the ground gathering information and checking on the wellbeing of sponsored children and their families. Our experienced staff stands ready to provide immediate relief for affected sponsored families as needed.

Felix crashed ashore early Tuesday morning near the Honduras-Nicaragua borders as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds. It was the second Category 5 storm to hit Central America this year. Hurricane Dean slammed into the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico just two weeks ago, marking the first recorded instance of two such storms making landfall in a single hurricane season since record keeping began in 1886.


It is Children International’s policy to contact sponsors when we can verify their sponsored child has been directly affected by a disaster.

For updates on the region, visit our website at www.children.org, or check back here on the blog.

In the News...

Fire Ravages Sponsorship Community in the Philippines

Fire swept through a shantytown in Quezon City, Philippines, the afternoon of April 26, destroying homes and property as residents fled for their lives. There have been no reports of serious injuries or casualties.

The ravaged community consists of approximately 150 homes. Our staff in Manila rushed to the scene to check on the welfare of the families in the area. They informed us that 39 families of sponsored children – as well as two former sponsored children – have been affected by this disaster.

Sponsored families have been provided with temporary shelters within the Bagbag community by local government agencies.

Since most sponsored families were not able to salvage any personal belongings, Children International immediately provided emergency items such as blankets, pillows and toothbrushes. Additionally, government agencies distributed food to the victims.

We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Photos and information provided by Arlene De Vera, of our Manila agency.
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Power returning to Colombia after nationwide blackout

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) -- Colombia's electrical grid collapsed Thursday, causing a nationwide blackout that briefly halted stock trading, trapped people in elevators and left authorities struggling to determine the cause.

President Alvaro Uribe told journalists in the southern city of Cali that the blackout, which began at midmorning, "appears to have affected the entire country."

Luis Alarcon, manager of state-controlled electricity distributor ISA, issued a statement that the power outage apparently began with an undetermined technical glitch at a substation in Bogota and quickly spread to the rest of the country.

He said work crews had re-established power to about 20 percent of the country and hoped to reconnect the rest in a few hours.

Bogota's stock exchange resumed trading around noon as power returned. It said trading would be extended for an hour to make up for the suspension.

RCN television reported that power had returned to central Bogota, and to parts of the city's northern districts, where many companies have their headquarters.

Rosa Ortiz, who runs a cigarette stand at a busy intersection in Bogota, said that with traffic lights knocked out, "we've seen a few near accidents, but so far the drivers seem to be adapting to the situation."

There was no indication of a terrorist attack, though leftist rebels routinely sabotage electric transmission lines as part of their four-decade old campaign to overthrow the government.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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.

Children International and Fresh Produce Honored in Washington, D. C.

Many of you will remember the devastation wrought late last year in the Philippines by Typhoon Durian. We are still amazed at the overwhelming response from our sponsors as you rallied around Children International’s efforts to provide emergency aid to stricken families in the province of Albay, where thousands of children from our Legazpi and Tabaco projects reside.

Recently, the ambassador of the Philippines to the United States invited Children International to Washington, D.C., along with one of our generous donors, Fresh Produce Sportswear of Colorado. The occasion was a celebration honoring Children International and Fresh Produce for the $4.1 million in aid we donated jointly.

Jim Cook, president of Children International, congratulates Kathe Freund of Fresh Produce Sportswear at the event hosted by the Philippine embassy in Washington, D.C.

Kathe Freund, Outreach Ambassador to Children for Fresh Produce, reflected in her speech, “Fresh Produce knows that life is always richer when you give back, and we have made it an important part of our company’s culture. We believe it is good corporate citizenship to give back to others in need, so we spread comfort and cheer through our fun, bright, colorful clothing.

“We focus our giving to women, families and children in need, as well as education. We give through volunteer work, monetary gifts and product donations locally, nationally and internationally,” explained Freund.

And that’s not just idle talk. Fresh Produce has indeed made significant contributions during the partnership it has maintained with Children International since 2000. In fact, in the past two years alone it has donated 175,000 pieces of clothing through Children International for disaster and humanitarian relief efforts in third world countries.

Most recently, Fresh Produce donated 36,000 items of clothing to help the children and families who were hardest hit by Typhoon Durian, working together with Children International to provide a meaningful response to the enormous tragedy and destruction of the storm.

“Fresh Produce is proud to be a part of the largest non-governmental contribution and the first clothing donation allowed into the country,” continued Freund. “We would like to recognize the Philippine government for their help in absorbing the cost of the shipment and delivery of these garments….

“In the future, Fresh Produce will continue to make the world a brighter place by giving back to non-profits around the world. We look forward to expanding programs that benefit women, families, children and education because it is not only gratifying and worthwhile, but also the right thing to do!

“On behalf of the many employees and associates of Fresh Produce Sportswear, I would like to personally thank you for this honor – and we will be continuing our involvement with Children International in the future.”

Children International values the contributions of Fresh Produce Sportswear and all of our partners to our struggle to fight poverty around the world. To read the full text of Kathe Freund’s speech, click here.