On the Ninth Day of Christmas, My Sponsor Gave to Me…

Nine Sponsor Letters

“Dear Santa…”

How many millions of letters are written with those opening words each year? From Barbies to Xboxes to “I wish my parents were back together,” letters to Santa reveal the deepest longings in the hearts of our children.

I used to adore writing letters to Santa; in fact, they were a tradition in my household. As a budding writer, I’d spend Christmas Eve penning my masterpieces, which were left on the hearth of our big stone fireplace. And Santa always wrote back, with a funny quip or cute rhyme. Here’s one from 1978: “I’m hungry and sleepy and weary and tired, but if I don’t hurry back to Mrs. Claus, I’ll likely be fired!”

Even after I knew the truth about Santa, the letter writing didn’t stop. Each year it became a contest between my father and me to top each other’s letters. I’d try to come up with some clever premise – sort of like a game of “Stump the Santa.” One year I’d write in the voice of a jaded socialite waiting for a manicure and a facial, the next as an immigrant who didn’t understand who this “Scanty Claws” person was.

On Christmas morning, before I even looked in my stocking, I’d hunt for “Santa’s” reply. There it would be, in my father’s neat, all-caps penmanship. That special communication between my father and me remains one of my most treasured Christmas memories.

Sponsored children are just as excited about receiving letters from their sponsors. I can’t tell you how many sponsored families I’ve visited where a child would pull out a stack of carefully preserved letters to proudly show me.

The children yearn to know their sponsors and truly want to enjoy a personal relationship with them. They’ll crowd around me and ask, “Do you know my sponsor? Can you tell him I said hello?” If you’ve ever worried that the children don’t understand the connection between the benefits they receive and the sponsor who is providing them, have no fear. They know…and they care.

So if you’re wanting to do something special for your child without spending any money, the answer is simple: write him or her a letter. You’ll find more information and writing tips here. I guess it will make your child's day (or month...or year!) to hear from you.

Posted on behalf of Gretchen Dellett.

Question of the Month

Please take a second to share your thoughts about a disturbing trend in the world’s health.

Why are diseases like TB, malaria and typhoid making a comeback?

A) Antibiotic Resistance
B) Corrupt Political Regimes
C) Lack of Health Education
D) Low Priority for the Developed World

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Here are the results from last month’s question:

What is the best way to end poverty?


By a large margin, “educating children” was the most popular answer chosen by the blog’s inaugural, question of the month participants.

Most people would agree that the approach to end poverty must be creative and utilize many pathways and education is a very important pathway.

Through sponsorship you give a child an opportunity to learn. Our sponsors provide school supplies, uniforms and fee assistance. These are huge benefits for a poor family and help keep a hungry mind in school for as long as possible.

Oxfam estimated that for every year a child stays in school, 10% is added to their future, annual earning potential. Education can change the world and sponsors are helping to do just that.

A Shot at Health

Posted on behalf of Sarah Trapp

Let me just say it: I really don’t like shots. My very first memory of getting a shot was of a gravelly-voiced older woman looking at me scornfully and saying “If you cry, it only hurts worse!” Luckily for our sponsored children, getting vaccinated is a much more pleasant experience.

Coming out of a very nasty flu season in the United States, I’m sure you can relate to the need for flu shots. In February of this year over 18,700 children in Guayaquil, Ecuador lined up for and received their free flu shots at one of our community centers.

Join us as we follow Karina Alcivar through the process.



Karina and other sponsored children waited anxiously for their vaccinations.



Just a little stick, and then it’s all over.



A balloon and a piece of candy make everything better.



A little sore, but still smiling. Now Karina won’t have to worry about getting the flu and missing valuable days at school.

Photos and reporting assistance by Patricia Huerta, Communications Coordinator in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

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)

From Student to Teacher: Spreading a Little Hope

Posted on behalf of Sarah Trapp.

For many college students, getting up at 7:30 on Sunday morning can be a difficult task, but sponsored youth Jherlyn Cadimas rolled herself out of bed for a good cause. Along with around ninety other youth, most of them Hope Scholars, Jherlyn participated in a youth initiative to tutor more than one thousand elementary school children in Manila. Jherlyn taught math, science and English to struggling fourth grade students.

Although a student herself, teaching was definitely a challenge for Jherlyn. With the help of a Hope Scholarship, she is studying Business Administration, a far cry from fourth grade materials. She had to prepare, review lessons and read elementary school textbooks in order to make a connection with the children and help them succeed.

When Jherlyn asks the questions, students like this little boy are eager to answer.

In the end, it was all worthwhile for both Jherlyn and her students. Little by little the children participated more, and they started improving their scores. Parents noted their children’s increased enthusiasm for reading and learning. Even Jherlyn gained more self-confidence through the experience saying, “I felt the children trusted me. I feel happy that I have been able to help them in my little way.”

Jherlyn explains a lesson to this happy young pupil.

Like many sponsored youth who volunteer, for Jherlyn, helping these children was her way of giving back for all of the support she has received though the sponsorship program. “As I have received, so I want to share,” she says. And what better way to give back, than to share the gift of knowledge with children who might otherwise be left behind?

Reporting assistance and photos by Joel Abelinde, Communications Coordinator in Manila.

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.

An Easter Reminder

Posted on behalf of Damon Guinn, Senior Staff Writer for Children International.

Somewhere deep within my kitchen cabinets, wedged behind a salad spinner and a Bundt cake pan from my Great Aunt Pearl, is an unopened Easter egg coloring kit. It’s been there for years collecting dust and weevils.

My wife and I bought the kit on a whim – perhaps as a last grab at our lost childhood. It’s been little more than a passing thought ever since.
But this year will be different. We now have a 9-month-old daughter with whom to celebrate the season, and her mother and I are excited about introducing some of the fun traditions we ourselves enjoyed as children. No doubt it will be a nice surprise to watch her eyes light up when she discovers brightly colored Easter eggs for the first time.

Easter, then, seems like the perfect occasion to rediscover the spirit of childhood – not only for new fathers like me, but for anyone who wants to add some excitement to a child’s life. Maybe that’s why the holiday is such a popular part of the sponsorship program.

Easter excitement gleamed in the eyes of Aylin (left) and her sister, Marilin, during last year’s holiday celebration in Guatemala City.

Boys and girls who normally wouldn’t receive an Easter surprise get to celebrate the season with a new gift thanks to sponsorship. Regardless of their religious affiliation or family circumstances, they can look forward to the holiday knowing that a surprise awaits them.

You can see for yourself the excitement that took place last Easter by watching “Easter Gifts Near and Far,” that will be featured as of Tuesday, March 4, on our homepage. It tells the stories of children’s Easter experiences from eight different countries. Watch one or all of the slideshows to see the gifts children received and learn more about how we carry out the special holiday event.

Without the presence of so many bright-eyed children in our lives, it might be easy to overlook the joy and frivolity that accompanies Easter. Fortunately, through sponsorship, each of us has the chance to see the spirit of the season from a child’s perspective once again.

Photo by Miriam Lemus, the Communications Coordinator for our agency in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

New Kindergarten in Honduras: More Pictures

Here are a few more photos of the inauguration of the new kindergarten facility in Vida Nueva, San Pedro Sula, Honduras, that was built by Children International thanks to a generous donation from Griswold Industries. This project was a great example of collaboration: the community donated the property, Children International and its donor built the facility and the government of Honduras provided the teacher.

Congratulations to all who worked hard to make this happen!

Children and parents gathered to kick off the grand event.

Agency director Blanca Estela Rodríguez (right) cuts the ribbon at the inauguration.

Children and staff pose inside the new center. Jackie (left rear, in yellow) is the Children International volunteer who taught until the new teacher arrived. Jackie continues to help in the center.

Blanca Estela Rodriguez lends a hand to a young patron.

With over 130 students, Pamela, our new teacher, is going to have her hands full!

Photos by Jesús Almendárez, Children International's communications coordinator in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

A Graduation to Remember

Last Friday was a special day for Vida Nueva, a poor community in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Dozens of children celebrated the grand opening of a brand new kindergarten built by Children International – something the community had been anticipating for months. Concerned for their children’s education, community leaders donated the property with the understanding that Children International would build the facility and the government of Honduras would provide a qualified teacher.

But the community didn’t wait until the building was complete to start working with the children! Although no actual teacher was available, a Children International volunteer named Jackeline Lourdes Valdez began to work with the children, meeting in improvised facilities.

Last November, more than 50 children graduated from the kindergarten program. Their moms and dads had decided that this was a very important milestone in their lives, and in spite of their poverty they decided to make it an event to remember.

Moms began to do fund raisers so they could provide special outfits for their children. Those who could sew made the outfits themselves; others found inexpensive seamstresses to help. Dresses, ruffles, shirts, ties…there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that these children were the apples of their parents’ eyes!

Jesús Almendárez, our communications coordinator in San Pedro Sula, shared some photos of the event.




Now the new building is operational, complete with a teacher provided by the state – although Jackeline (above, right, with the new teacher) is still donating her time and efforts to help out. Over 130 children are enrolled.

I just chatted with Jesús a few moments ago. He’s sending me some pictures of last week’s grand opening. I’ll be posting them later this week, so keep checking back!

Photos by Jesús Almendárez. Reporting assistance by Jesús Almendárez and Leticia López.

Easter? In January?

Tomorrow we’re supposed to get 1-4” of snow here in Kansas City…although the less optimistic have it at 4-7”. Either way, it’s cold!

This is not exactly the type of weather that brings to mind balmy spring days, sunny picnics and bright Easter dresses. So you might be a bit surprised when you receive a letter in a few days from Jim Cook, our CEO, asking you to help us provide Easter presents for our sponsored children. But the fact is, an effort as massive as providing gifts for over 320,000 children takes a lot of time, so we start really early.

We won’t be handing out chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks. Instead, we’ve had our field personnel work with the children’s parents to determine the things they need most. In most cases, those turn out to be shoes, uniforms or school supplies. Not exactly something you’d find in most Easter baskets, but these are things that can make the difference between a child being able to stay in school or having to stay home because he or she doesn’t have the required materials or clothing.

In the next few weeks you’ll hear us talk a lot more about Easter on our website. In fact, right now it’s featured front and center on our homepage. Please take a minute to check it out…and if you can help us out with a contribution toward the expense of providing these gifts, of course we’ll appreciate it. But more than that, you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you made a real difference in some of the world’s most promising young lives.

Photo: Noreimis, from Barranquilla, Colombia, is all smiles over her new Easter shoes!

Photo by Patricia Calderón

An Unforgettable Experience – Part 2

A sponsor of seven children, Steve Krumholz recently traveled to the Philippines as a volunteer on a surgical mission trip sponsored by the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America. While in the Philippines, he had the opportunity to visit not only his sponsored children, but also the children and their families that he has helped support with generous contributions since becoming a friend to Children International in 2006.

Part 2

After completing the surgical mission, I returned to Manila where I was to meet my sponsored child Eduardo Garcia, an 11 year old boy, and the Beltran sisters Lovely Sophia, age 7 and Richelle Joy, age 9. I first came to learn about the Garcia family when they were featured in the sponsorship magazine, Journeys. I was stricken with concern about how these families could live among the dead in Bagbag Cemetery. At the time, I sponsored two children in Colombia and Ecuador and was looking to add two more. However, time passed and the Garcia family slipped my mind until the March 15th blog post. There were Remy Garcia’s hollow eyes staring at me once again. I knew I couldn’t wait for others to do something. I contacted Children International to sponsor one of the Garcia children and to also explore finding a new home for the family, somewhere out of the cemetery.

"Real help, real hope for the New Year. Mr. Steve Krumholz, a sponsor of Children International – Manila, visited recently his sponsored child Eduardo Garcia. Together with Mr. Ron Neal, he literally dug out Eduardo and his family from the grave and from poverty of living in Bagbag Cemetery and given them a new house and a new life."

When a house was found, the cost was a bit beyond my reach. However, Vickie Wiedenmann at CI headquarters in Kansas City, continued to search for other sponsors who might help with funding. She found sponsor Ron Neal. Together, we were able to purchase a home for the Garcias, and Children International CEO Jim Cook had the enviable job of delivering the good news to the family upon his visit to June 2007. To Ron Neal, whom I’ve never met, I want to extend my sincere thanks for helping make a dream come true for the Garcia family.

I was able to meet Eduardo Garcia and his family in the house he refers to as a “palace.” Eduardo’s “palace” is small, but offers two bedrooms, a bathroom and a combined kitchen and living room. An adjacent apartment consisting of two rooms is rented out and helps bring the family much needed income. Compared to the small tarpaulin covered shanty the family called home for almost 20 years, the Garcias’ new home is a treasure.

Lovely Sophia and Richelle Joy Beltran were two girls I became acquainted with in the “Easter Shoes” blog post. These two young girls were still coping with the death of their mother four years earlier, as their father, Rio, struggled to provide for his family.

Although I am not their sponsor, I wanted to help them because it saddened me that at the ages of 7 and 8 they were receiving their first pair of new shoes. These two little girls treasure this one pair of new shoes provided by their generous sponsor. I wanted to do something more to help the family out. Over the course of a few months, I was able to help their father, Rio, make improvements to their home, including adding two new walls, a new bed to replace the rickety one where the girls used to sleep, and installing electricity. Rio was also able to start a small business selling frozen meats to neighbors.

I was greeted by a large banner welcoming me to their community when I entered the Beltran home. Amid many tears, Rio hugged me and I felt as though he was a long lost brother. I was encouraged that I had made the right decision to help this family by the happy smiles of Lovely Sophia and Richelle Joy.

We collected both the Garcia and the Beltran families and went to one of the largest shopping malls in the Philippines. The mall has partnered with Children International to provide an extra 10% to each sponsored child’s visit. Eduardo Garcia and the Beltran girls were presented with stuffed pillows in the shape of animals by mall representatives. Eduardo’s wish was for a bicycle. With a helmet, knee and elbow pads and a lock, he is now ready to ride to school. The Beltran girls settled for clothes, but the look in Lovely Sophia’s eyes as she tried on a new dress spoke volumes about her happiness. Richelle Joy is more reserved, but still, when she picked out an Elmo T-shirt, she was a very happy girl.

After shopping, we returned to the Community Center, where a holiday party was in progress. I was stunned by the warm reception provided by Agency Director Cynthia Tiotuyco and her staff. Their greetings made me feel like a celebrity! The sponsored teens at the Manila field office made me feel special as well when I praised their efforts to notify and educate their friends about dengue fever and parasitic diseases. There were so many intelligent and sincere teens that I met there. Just looking into their eyes made me see that their future holds great promise.

Check the blog again tomorrow to read how Steve was inspired to sponsor yet another child.

A Merry Christmas to All

“I thought if I would do good enough all year around, Santa would grant my wishes. And so every Christmas I’d wake up only to find the same empty sock I put up. Then the realization came to me. Santa wasn’t for real. And life isn’t easy.” – Leslie Mae Apuli, Philippines

Cold weather is here, and the Christmas shopping season has begun in earnest. And as much as I look forward to the season with all its sights, smells and memories, I’ll confess I’m not looking forward to the crowds at the malls!

Thankfully, Christmas is about more than just “things.” Nevertheless, gifts lovingly presented by friends and loved ones do serve to remind us that Christmas is indeed about giving – a valuable lesson, and one we would do well to put into practice the other 364 days of the year as well.

My family was not wealthy, and I’m sure there were Christmases when we got less than most other kids our age did. But there was never a lack of warmth and caring, and Christmas holds special memories for me because of that.

It’s sobering, though, to discover that Christmas isn’t all that special for a lot of people. Leslie Mae was just 14 when she came to Kansas City to represent her native Philippines at Children International’s youth conference. And when she stood up to give her speech, we quickly learned this was not just another teenager for whom Christmas was the next gadget, to be played with for a couple of days and then discarded out of boredom. Her words gripped us, and hardly a dry eye remained in the crowd.

“I thought if I would do good enough all year around, Santa would grant my wishes,” reflected Leslie Mae of her childhood growing up in poverty. And so every Christmas I’d wake up only to find the same empty sock I put up. Then the realization came to me. Santa wasn’t for real. And life isn’t easy.”

Now, over two years later, Leslie Mae is still talking about Christmas. “Before, Christmas was spent like an ordinary day. I remember looking forward to each day of the year as a child, wishing for gifts and bright lights to be decorated on our house. But there was nothing I could do than wish and watch other children excitedly spend the Christmas dinner with their families.”

Far from bitter over the deprivation she endured as a child, Leslie Mae is grateful for the generosity of the sponsorship family here in America – a family of caring people who have allowed Leslie Mae and hundreds of thousands of children like her to discover the wonder of Christmas.

“When Children International came, each Christmas brought with it a new hope for our family and other sponsored families,” adds Leslie. “Each gift that we received reminds us that the world had not given up on us, and that still there are people who care for us. Each Christmas becomes a motivation for us to strive hard and make our lives better every day.”

Photo and interview assistance by Anthony Lorcha, Children International's communications coordinator in Legazpi, Philippines.

Returning to Chile

Posted on behalf of Andrea Waters

This is my third trip to Chile in my 20 plus years at Children International. The first time I visited, the country was just beginning to find its way after so many years under the rule of Pinochet.

Today Chile has a burgeoning middle class enjoying better employment opportunities allowing them the income to purchase newer, larger homes. You see the new housing divisions popping up everywhere. Yet there are still so many suffering in older neighborhoods and squatter areas.

For those with less education and lacking skills, work can be difficult to find, or seasonal at best.

Even though it is spring here, the cooler mornings bring out the children in sweaters, colorful hats and their distinctive rosy round cheeks.

I love that the families we encounter, although quite poor, still have a resourceful and wonderful spirit.

On Tuesday we met Waldo, a proud grandfather who used to build homes. That is, until a recent health crisis left him partially disabled.

His wife, Maria, does laundry for others. During our visit she was finishing up laundry for a soccer team! Bright yellow jerseys were hung neatly in two rows. Between their two meager incomes, they support their family. Their daughter, Soledad, volunteers for Children International – usually helping the children write letters and helping clean the community center. They all work hard to support their family unit, all centered around little Jennifer, a precocious sponsored 5-year-old.


Our group is headed back out to visit more communities and children today. We will have more to share with you tomorrow.

You Asked For It!

Several of you have requested photos of children using the newly-remodeled Children International community center in Cienfuegos, Santiago, the Dominican Republic. I located a few shots sent to me by Dayanara, our communications coordinator, and thought I'd share them with you...

Measuring up (above): This child's medical records are getting ready to get an update. We carefully monitor children's height and weight in an effort to detect and prevent malnutrition and make sure development is normal.

Writing your sponsor is fun -- especially when you get to work with a friend!

Dr. Luisiana is going to make sure this young man keeps his winning smile...

One of the greatest benefits Children International provides sponsored children is free medications. Often, if poor families are even able to see a doctor, they do not have the money to fill a prescription. Children International backs up its free basic health care by making sure the children have the medicines they need to get -- and stay -- well.

Behind the Scenes: Meet the Writer

Posted on behalf of Damon Guinn

Damon Guinn is a Senior Staff Writer for Children International. You've most likely read his work in our various print publications and on our website, www.children.org. Here's an opportunity to meet him...

I’ve worked for Children International for more than six years now: first as a Sponsor Services Representative, then as a Proofreader, and now as a Writer. To say it’s been a learning experience is an understatement.

When I tell people that I work for a child sponsorship organization, the usual reply is...“Wow! That must be very rewarding!” No doubt it is, but I always pause before responding. There’s no simple way to describe the depth and scope of work like this – so full of tragedy and triumph, heartache and hope.

Damon with children at our agency in Lusaka, Zambia

Sharing the stories of the poor and disenfranchised is a cause I’ve been committed to ever since I volunteered at an orphanage in Bulgaria 12 years ago. That’s where I first came face-to-face with children in dire need of help.

Fresh out of college, with no idea what the future had in store, my time at the orphanage was a crash course in humanity. Interaction with Gypsy children taught me what it means to be absolutely marginalized by society. Seeing boys and girls covered in sores from skin infections, I learned how essential good hygiene and health care are to young children. And teaching basic English to boys and girls starved for knowledge was a lesson in enlightenment no university setting could ever replicate.

These days, my teachers are numerous and spread all over the world. I now have more than 300,000 young boys and girls in 11 different developing countries teaching me what it means to be truly, and sometimes desperately, human.

All of that to say this...on Tuesday, November 20, fellow writer Deron Denton and I will post a report on the anniversary of Typhoon Durian on http://www.children.org/. It’s an examination of those lives fatally touched by one of the worst typhoons in Philippines history. We hope you’ll take a look at the article and video – if for no other reason than to glean some insight into the human condition.

Stories from sponsored youth who lost everything in the disaster – including loved ones – will no doubt give you a fresh perspective on life and another reason to be thankful at this time of year. You can also see for yourself how a new housing community being built by Children International and contributors like you will give typhoon survivors hope for the future.

Tragedies like Typhoon Durian are lessons in humility and heroism, and all of us should study the experience if we hope to gain the wisdom that comes only from a struggle for survival.

I, for one, am grateful to my young teachers for the grace and dignity they continue to impart while battling the tests of life.

One Down, Seven to Go!

Mithu Dinda peers through a massive crack in the wall of her flood-damaged home in India.

BREAKING NEWS…

Thanks to the generosity of our blog readers, in just two days we have received enough donations to cover the repairs to the first of the eight homes that were critically damaged by flooding in India!

As you may recall from my first blog from a couple of days ago, the government in the state of West Bengal, India, has stated that around 400,000 people have been affected by the flooding, and that some 40,000 homes have been either damaged or destroyed. I also mentioned that it is very difficult to obtain land to build new houses, so the most viable option is to repair and rebuild the homes using much more durable materials.

Our goal is $4800, which will allow us to repair the eight homes identified to us by our agency staff as being in the most critical need of repairs. The individual cost breakdown is $500-600 per home. And in the past couple of days, our readers have already contributed $550!

So we’re off to a great start. I realize that our blog readers make up a limited – but growing – group, so I’d like to ask you to help in a couple of ways:

1. If you haven’t already contributed toward helping put a roof back over the heads of these families, please consider doing so. You may give any way you prefer: by phone at 1(800) 888-3089, by check (mail to Children International, PO Box 219055, Kansas City, MO 64121) or via our website, www.children.org.

Regardless of which method you choose, it is very important that you email us at blog@children.org to let us know the amount of your donation and that it is intended for the India flooding victims. Be sure to include your account number.

2. How about helping us spread the word? Use the little envelope icon at the bottom of this post (and of the original posts from a couple of days ago) to forward it to your friends and family. Let them know you’re participating in helping repair these families’ homes. Perhaps they’d like to help as well!

You don’t have to do it alone…helping these families in India would make a great project for a class, a group of coworkers or a church group.

Thanks a MILLION for your help! I’ll keep you updated as more donations come in and work begins on the repairs.

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.

More Help Needed in India

The very first thing I want to say is “thanks.”

I wrote yesterday about the victims of the flooding in India in hopes that we’d be able to raise some funds to help them, and you didn’t disappoint me. Some of you responded right away – and we appreciate that!

Today I received a report that damages are more extensive than we first thought. In addition to the two families I wrote about yesterday, at least 6 more children and their families have been severely affected.

So our goal just jumped from $1200 to $4800 ($600 per home x 8 families).

Besides asking our blog readers to help, we’ve also kicked off an initiative here in the office. Our Children International employees are raising money in different ways – some of them quite creative! (Stay tuned…we might be sharing more about this on the blog.)

Wouldn’t it be exciting to put these families into safe, dry houses without lengthy delays? Of course, we as an organization are committed to their wellbeing, so we will make sure they’re taken care of. But I know our sponsors want every possible ounce of our regular sponsorship donations to go to the programs that are so desperately needed to make children’s lives better. So if we can raise these funds as a separate project, much good will have been done.

If you’d like to donate, please email us at blog@children.org. You may donate any way you’d like, but it’s VERY important you specify that your donation is to help the needy families in India that you read about in the blog. So if you donate through the Children International website, it’s still important that you email us at blog@children.org and let us know that you gave, and how much. If you send a check, be sure to include “For Needy Families in India – Blog” on the memo line.

The report I received is so recent that I don’t yet have photos of the specific homes that were affected, but below are some general photos of the flooding.

We’ll keep you posted as to how much we’ve raised as the donations come in.

Thanks again!

Photos by Nivedita Moitra, from our agency in Calcutta, India.
Note: Click on each picture for a larger image.

Behind the Scenes: Meet the Writer

Erin Fitzgerald joined the team at Children International in 2004, and since then has treated our readers to many great articles and videos. Her simple and direct writing style resonates with our sponsors and helps bring to life the circumstances of the children we work with.

One of Erin's videos, Behind the Scenes of Sponsorship, will be featured on our website (www.children.org) beginning Tuesday, October 2. We asked Erin to share a few comments with us about the video:

"In 2006, I traveled to our agency in Guadalajara, Mexico, to meet families served by sponsorship. While at a community center, I sat in on a computer class led by a volunteer mother who was passing on her knowledge to other parents of sponsored children.

"During this computer class, I tried out my video skills for the first time, attempting to shoot footage while the class was in progress. I used some of this footage to help create a video about our volunteers called 'Behind the Scenes of Sponsorship.'

"If you have a chance, check it out to learn more about the parents whose tireless dedication helps make our programs possible."

Follow this link to check out Erin's video as of Tuesday...or go ahead and visit now just to look around.

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?