A Little Pilot in Training

This is Sergio from Quito, Ecuador. One look at that sweet little face and you’ll know why his sponsor picked him. Makes you want to pinch his little cheeks and give him a big hug, doesn’t he?

He may be small, but Sergio’s got big plans. “I would like to be a pilot to fly a plane. I play with my toy plane toy, and I am the pilot.”

Until then, Sergio is lucky to have a loving sponsor to continue giving him the benefits he needs to reach for the sky.

Photos and reporting assistance by Andrés Barreno, Children International Communications Coordinator in Quito, Ecuador.

Using What She Learned in Her “Foam-ative” Years

Poverty has a long list of trophies hanging on its wall…and Laura was determined not to be one of them.

Despite being born into impoverished conditions, Laura, 17, made up her mind to be a winner. It was obvious that education was the key to a better life; the question was, how do you get an education when your family can barely afford to eat?

Laura’s answer came in an unlikely manner.

Because Laura is sponsored through Children International, her mother had the opportunity to attend vocational training offered by the sponsorship program to mothers of sponsored children, teaching them to use “foamy” (foam rubber craft material) to create various forms of art. Laura tagged along to the classes – and there she discovered the key to her dream.


Instead of hanging around in boredom, waiting for her mom to be done so they could go home, Laura listened attentively to the training. In fact, she was so attentive that she mastered the lessons herself.

Now Laura gives classes to other people, decorates for parties and makes other decorations – all out of “foamy.” Her earnings are about $100 per month…a very respectable figure, considering that the average monthly income for sponsored families in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia, is less than $114.


Using the money she earns with “foamy” art, Laura is studying to be a medical and aesthetical cosmetologist. Though her parents pay her tuition, she is able to afford raw materials for her art and textbooks for her school. Her earnings also cover her transportation to and from her classes.

Laura is just one of many outstanding youth who are determined to make it in life. Thanks to the dedicated sponsors of Children International, they’ve got a fighting chance.

Photos and reporting assistance by Patricia Calderón, from our agency in Barranquilla, Colombia.

A Reality Check

Posted on behalf of Deron Denton.

The recent heat wave here has been keeping people from getting outdoors as much as they had been earlier this summer. Therefore I hadn’t seen a neighbor for awhile until we touched base this weekend.

I asked him how he’d been.
“We are really hurting,” he said. He can’t afford to keep making payments on his truck because the grocery and electricity bills are starting to really eat into their budget. And they have home repair work that needs to be done but the cost of materials, he said, has gone up considerably.

I had just returned from filling up my car, so I could relate…but only a little. It does seem, though, like we are all tightening our belts and carefully watching the way we spend money. That conversation has reverberated in my mind, causing a bit of (irrational?) panic to set in regarding finances.

For a couple of years now, one of the first thoughts I have when I feel the pangs of financial insecurity is about a friend of mine named Aaron. He began sponsoring a child while going through his own financial woes. Yes, you read that correctly: he BEGAN sponsoring when he was feeling financially insecure. Granted (and he won’t mind me saying this), Aaron is a little different from many – still, that counter-intuitive reaction has stuck with me. Though I don’t want to tout the specific ways it has impacted my actions, his example has – occasionally – guided me.

I decided to send Aaron an email, asking if he’d explain this unusual philosophy. He opened up his reply with a description of something he calls “baglady” syndrome:

“It is that irrational fear probably based upon all the pressures of modern life to keep up our lifestyles with computers, iPods, TV's, cars, gas, mortgage, food, clothes and everything else whereby we fear we will lose our jobs, become homeless, trade aluminum cans for food money and hold up signs on the side of the road hoping for spare change knowing we will never actually ‘work for food.’
“I was having just such fears when I decided to sponsor a child at Children International. I have spent a lot of time in foreign countries where there is real poverty, even volunteering for years at an orphanage in rural Mexico.

“I have a soft spot for children in these countries and have ever since my first visit to Mexico with my Spanish class in 7th grade. My father gave me $100 for souvenirs but I quickly gave it all away to the beggars in Mexico City before we even got to Tasco or Acapulco. My heart ached for them. It was a sight I had never seen in the States and it tore me up then as it does still today.”


Aaron concluded his answer with this:

“So in my heart and head I knew in this land of plenty I would never be homeless unless I chose to be. And part of overcoming this fear for me was to sponsor a child through Children International. Last year, I called the field officer to see what her family most needed and was able to provide them with a monetary gift to buy these items.

“The letter I received after that tore me up. Genesis relayed to me that at 14-years old, it was the first time in her life she had a bed of her own. They sent me photos of all the new items they were able to buy and told me how much it changed their lives.


“I am still unsure about my future and my job and what life may bring my way, but I do know that as long as I help others I always seem to be provided for myself.”

I probably wouldn’t make such a suggestion to my neighbor who is feeling financially squeezed. But it is good to be reminded of my reality: I have everything I need – I lack nothing essential.
As our blog audience knows, that places me in a very fortunate position, indeed.

The Lighter Side of Sponsorship

Each month our hard-working Communication Coordinators choose three sponsored children and interview them to see what’s on their minds. Their answers remind us that no matter where a child lives or what their economic situation may be, they are sweet, funny…or just plain silly. And, thankfully, sponsorship is allowing them to hold on to their innocence.

Abegail Bonalos, Manila, Philippines
What are you afraid of?
I am afraid of the pink dinosaur peeking in our windows. It is fat, and it looked at me and then I went to my parents and slept on their bed, because I was afraid of it!

Yamileth Galarza from Guayaquil, Ecuador
What do you want to be when you grow up and why?
I still don’t know, but I don’t want to be a doctor or a model.

Kelly Hernandez, Barranquilla, Colombia
What would you give your sponsor if you could give him/her anything?
Something pretty that would make him happy - like a picture of me.

John Torres, Valparaíso, Chile
What would you like to say to your sponsor?
I would tell her I am a mischievous and loved boy. I get a little cranky sometimes.

Jonathan Aguierre, Guatemala City, Guatemala
What do you like to do for fun? What makes you happy?
Play with friends. I feel happy when I play with them and we tickle our tummies, because we laugh.

Teddy Nyirongo, Lusaka, Zambia
What would you like to say to your sponsor?
I want to give you a big hug.

Another boy who is waiting for his chance to just be a kid is Richard. If you know someone who would like to help out, please email us at blog@children.org.

Adding to a Youth’s Potential

Posted on behalf of Sarah Jane Velasco, Communications Coordinator in Tabaco, Philippines.

Julie Panganiban may have come from a poor family in Tabaco, but she doesn’t let poverty get in the way of her dreams.

At the age of 13, Julie is already in her third year of high school. As a child she skipped pre-school and was accelerated to first grade. An all-around whiz kid, she excels both in the arts and sciences, but she is particularly gifted in mathematics. She is proudest of being part of the Mathematics Trainers Guild where selected students across the country undergo advanced math clinics and take qualifying exams for international math competitions. She also represents her school during division science meets and press conferences.

Julie (in red) with her sponsored friends during a youth workshop.
But even though she is excelling academically, Julie admits that she is quite shy when it comes to dealing with her peers. “It was difficult for me to adjust especially during my first year in high school. I was really very shy then,” she shares. But through the exposure she gets from Children International’s different activities, she was able to overcome her shyness. “The leadership trainings helped me to become more confident in sharing my ideas with others. Mingling with other sponsored kids in various activities helped me develop my social skills more,” she adds.

But all of that progress almost came to an end when her family suffered a serious financial crisis during her first year of high school. Julie almost had to quit school. But instead of giving in to the problem, she took it as a challenge and even got the highest grades in her class that academic year. According to Julie, “More opportunities are open to those who are educated. That’s why I’m fortunate to have a sponsor who helps me to continue with my studies.”

With the support of her sponsor, this bright young lady is well on her way to breaking through the barriers of poverty.

Bloggers on a Mission: Richard Needs Your Help

Last week we introduced you to Richard, a young man from Tabaco, Philippines (read the original post here).


As you may recall, Richard’s situation is desperate. His family generates only about $30 of income each month, causing them to live under unimaginable circumstances.

Richard still needs a sponsor…and we’re looking for a champion. Will you be the one to help us find him a sponsor?

Let your family…your coworkers…your friends know that the situation is urgent. Tell them how simple and gratifying sponsorship is – and how great a difference it can really make in the life of a poor child and his or her family.

And if you have a Lift One Project, once you find someone to sponsor Richard, drop us a line at blog@children.org. We’ll not only set up the sponsorship personally, but we’ll also make sure Richard’s new sponsor gets credited to your Lift One Project.

We’re standing by to hear from you!

Peter from Zambia

Peter loves being a sponsored child. He's especially happy about the opportunity to have an education. "I like the library because I have learned a lot of things, and I am doing better at school. I was very excited the day I received things for school. I was given everything I needed for school."

When asked what he would like to share with his sponsor, he knew just what to say. "I would like my sponsor to see how happy I am because of the things I received from him through Children International." Just looking at that smile, there is no doubt in my mind that he means it.

Photo by Clementina Chapusha.