On the Seventh Day of Christmas My Sponsor Gave to Me...

Seven Doctor Visits

Well, maybe not exactly seven, but sponsored children are fortunate to be able to see the doctor every time they get sick and for their yearly check-ups. From treatment for a sore throat or skin rash to a more serious illness or injuries, medical care is something that all sponsored children can rely on. Mothers of sponsored children count this as among one of the most valuable benefits we offer. An appointment at a private clinic and medicines can cost well over half of their monthly incomes, but at Children International’s clinics, health and peace of mind are free of charge.

“It felt as if we won the jackpot prize in a lottery,” remarked Glena Hular after her sponsored daughter, Gellian, received the heart surgery she needed.

Children enjoy going to our clinics and recognize the value of healthcare as well. Nine-year-old Cazel, from Manila, Philippines tells us about a time when she needed Children International’s help: "Last year, I was not feeling well. My mother brought me to a doctor. He said I was just fine. But when I came to see the doctor at CI she said I had dengue. I was very weak, feeling dizzy and my body ached. I was rushed to the hospital. We always remember that help. I do not know what would have happened to me if the CI doctor was not there."



And Children International will continue to be there for needy children. Medical care is a gift that sponsored children can enjoy year round. So here’s to a joyful and healthy holiday season, to you and your sponsored child.

Meet Brenda from Chile...

What do you like about visiting the community center?

"I get to play with many kids while waiting for the doctor." – Brenda, age 8, from Valparaíso, Chile.

The Joy of Going Barefoot

Summer has officially arrived! A season of endless daylight that inspires most children to play hard, usually barefoot, and catch cool sips of water from a garden hose when they can. Ordinarily, we don’t think twice about letting our children play without shoes or even walking around ourselves barefoot. But for children who live in unsanitary conditions year-round, walking barefoot is an invitation to become hosts to parasites.

They could be hiding in standing water, waiting to latch onto a child’s bare foot. Or they could be lurking undetected on a dirty hand, eager to make their way into a child’s mouth. Parasites are just waiting for a chance to strike.

Worms live inside many impoverished children. Poor living conditions, inadequate sanitation and contaminated water serve as prime breeding grounds. Once inside, parasites consume up to half of the nutrients that a child eats.



That’s why for more than 10 years, Children International has promoted its anti-parasite campaign in impoverished communities around the world. We help provide anti-parasite medicine to children and families who live in areas with a high risk of infection. We also take a proactive approach, providing health and hygiene education to teach families how to keep parasites from returning. Our efforts are working, and we’re having a positive impact on the health of our sponsored children.

And with a deep appreciation to our sponsors, who donate so generously each year, we can continue to distribute regular doses of anti-parasite medication to infected children and families. And maybe one day, all of our sponsored children will know the joy of playing barefoot without the worry of illness.

Health in Colombia

Posted on Behalf of Marelvis Campo

HEALTH CAMPAIGN BENEFITS 240 CHILDREN IN SANTA ROSA DE LIMA
Medical and dental appointments and preventive talks were given to the community of Santa Rosa de Lima to help minimize the health problems.

Children International–Colombia initiated a medical mission that was held in collaboration with TCC Colombia. TCC’s state-of-the-art mobile medical station came with four doctors and two dentists from the Universidad of Cartagena and Rafael Nuñez. They gave free care to 240 children over a two-day period.


The medical mission took place at the area where Children International’s Service Center #5 is being built. Children attended with their parents. Patients were seen in an organized way. If medications were prescribed they received them on the spot.


This activity was very important for the municipality of Santa Rosa de Lima, as this community lacks medical services. The closest medical and dental care is located in other towns that are half an hour away from Santa Rosa de Lima.

Parents of sponsored children expressed their gratitude. "This service was excellent; we are happy that our children are part of Children International because we know that every time they get sick we can take them to the doctor," says Mrs. Grisela Altamar Barrios, mother of sponsored child Edy.


There were also preventive talks to minimize the presence of common illnesses for the children of Santa Rosa de Lima. Information was distributed about the flu, respiratory illnesses, malnutrition and nutritional anemia, which are especially prevalent in the rainy season.

Marelvis Campo is Children International's communications coordinator in Cartagena, Colombia.

Immortal Words

Posted on behalf of Damon Guinn

Call it a eulogy if you like. Or a final chapter. At the very least, call it a testimony to the inescapable way we become connected to one another.

When Kelly and I met Marta,* neither of us was aware of the bittersweet legacy that had already been set in motion.

Only 26, Marta had the weary demeanor of someone 60 years older. She was a frail woman, “tiny and sullen” as writer Scott Cotter remembered from meeting her in 2003.

Scott first met Marta, her three sons and her husband when they lived in a tiny mud shack, or baharaque. He didn’t know it then, but inside that stagnant, musty shack, a fatal disease was incubating, preparing to spread through Marta’s body.

When Kelly and I visited her four years later, her family was living in a sturdy cinder-block home provided by our organization. Her children were in good spirits, giggling as they ran in and out of the house, but their mother, weighed down by fatigue, could only manage a smirk for a smile.

Repeating the recent events of her life, Marta’s face played out a range of emotions. It brightened when she said, “Children International has helped us a lot with school supplies, with the house they’ve given us, and everything I’ve needed.” It dimmed when she remarked, “With my sickness, they’ve helped me with that as well.

“I’ve been fighting this disease for four years,” she later pointed out, careful not to name the illness for fear of yielding even more power to its presence. “I suffer. My children suffer.”

We all sat in silence. We knew that Marta was suffering from AIDS. We tried to encourage her, but our sentiments fell flat. Our words were simply too little, too late.

Marta, brave and humble, admitted that all she really needed was a fence around her home so her children could safely play when she was no longer there to look after them. Kelly and I exchanged glances, a reminder to do what we could when we returned to Kansas City.

A week later, Marta died.

She had gone to the hospital for medicine but was turned away, dismissed as a lost cause. Defeated, she returned home and lay down in bed.

Sensing her time was near, Marta called for José Luis, the sponsorship area supervisor who had been her friend, confidante and caregiver ever since she contracted the disease. When José arrived, Marta made one final request...“Please,” she gasped, “take care of my children until they grow up and keep them in every CI program. Never let them down.”

Back in Kansas City, we made arrangements to transfer the money needed to build a fence for her family. News of her passing arrived the following day.

It’s hard for me to believe that Marta was only 26 when she died. Her life to that point had not been easy, and I am humbled by her final words. They are a lasting testament to a mother who struggled to care for her children at all costs. And they will live as a permanent reminder that like her, there are many deserving people, noble in their own right, who desperately need our help.

Listen as Marta shares her final thoughts about living with AIDS and the impact it had on her children.

*Her name was changed to protect the privacy of her family.

The Doctor is In

Healthcare is front and center in the minds of Americans these days…but we’re not alone in this crisis.

Families around the world face health challenges on a daily basis. Some of these stem from the lack of hygiene that inevitably results from living in poverty-racked communities where basic sanitation services such as running water, sewer and garbage disposal are unknown.

But other serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and congenital defects strike poor families with the same random impartiality as they do families here in America.

One of the most important benefits Children International offers to more than 324,000 children around the world is free health care. From routine checkups to treatment for life-threatening diseases, our generous sponsors have given children from poor families a place to turn when health crises arise – and a means to proactively improve their health and prevent the onset of diseases.

Free health care is one of the many benefits sponsored children enjoy thanks to the generosity of Children International’s sponsors.

Children International’s sponsorship program provides compulsory annual medical checkups for all sponsored children through the age of 12. Older children continue to have access to medical care until they graduate from the program at age 19.

Did you know…?
Last year, Children International provided 571,527 medical exams and follow-ups and conducted 237,816 dental exams for sponsored children!