Sponsored children get school supplies in Central America
The school year for Central American countries starts in January or February, and parents have been shopping the last few weeks for school supplies.
Mauricio, 6, is a CFCA sponsored child in El Salvador. Here he displays his school supplies purchased through sponsorship benefits.
For families living in poverty, however, school supplies can cost more than the families are able to afford. Usually the cost ranges between $50 to $60.
Families in the CFCA sponsorship program sometimes earn as little as $100 a month or less. That means buying school supplies would consume around half of their monthly income.
Here are two CFCA sponsored children in El Salvador, who obtained school supplies this year through sponsorship benefits.
Mauricio (interview with his grandmother, Antonia)
Mauricio lives with his mother, his two sisters and grandmother. His mother works as a security guard and is paid $180 a month. His grandmother sells vegetables and fruit and makes approximately $60 per month.
What does it means to your household budget for CFCA to provide these school supplies? Read more
January 30, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
How do I help CFCA, continue providing for my sponsored friend?
Q. If something happens to me, how can I help CFCA and continue to provide for my sponsored friend?
A. Whether through a current gift, will, trust, retirement fund or life insurance policy, you can support the ongoing work of CFCA and also provide for the continuation of sponsorship benefits, emergency assistance or higher education for your sponsored friend.
Planning today using our estate planning tools can make a lasting impact for years to come.
We are here to help with any questions you or your advisers might have regarding estate gifts to CFCA. Contact Michael Calabria at (800) 875-6564 or giftplanning@cfcausa.org, or visit hopeforafamily.org/estate for suggested language and beneficiary information for your attorney to include in your estate documents.
We assign the highest reasonable amount of available resources to directly benefit sponsored friends. See our financials and the consistently high ratings we receive from independent charity evaluators.
January 27, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Sponsor meets Kenyan child – ‘what being human is all about’
By Laura Seyfang, CFCA sponsor
As a longtime CFCA sponsor, I had often read the invitations to join a trip to visit my sponsored child.
CFCA sponsor Laura Seyfang and her sponsored friend, Sophia.
While I felt committed to the CFCA mission and loved sharing letters with my two sponsored children, one in the Philippines and one in Kenya, I never felt able to justify the time and expense of such a trip.
This past December I was able to make it happen when I combined a Habitat for Humanity Global Village Trip with a visit to my CFCA sponsored child in Kenya.
I wasn’t sure CFCA would embrace my visit since it wasn’t one of their trips, but was very happy to receive overwhelming support to make this personal connection happen.
Habitat for Humanity is a non-denominational Christian organization whose goal is to provide decent affordable housing for all. This organization provides opportunities for volunteers to help build houses in nearly 50 countries around the globe.
During my trip to Kenya with 20 other volunteers, we were able to work on constructing four houses for families in an internal displaced persons camp, where they had been living in tents for almost four years.
It was a lot of hard work, but the results were extremely rewarding.
At the conclusion of the Habitat Build, I hired a driver who took me to Meru in northeastern Kenya, where my sponsored child, Sophia, lived. Read more
January 26, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
Helping families affected by Cyclone Thane in India
Some of the damage after Cyclone Thane in India.
Cyclone Thane hit southern India last December, damaging houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles. Forty families in the CFCA project in Chennai were affected by the damage.
Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison in India, recently traveled with CFCA staff members from the Chennai project to see how CFCA is helping these families rebuild after the cyclone. This is his report.
When I visited families in the CFCA sponsorship program who were affected by the cyclone, I observed that most of the families don’t have concrete houses.
Their houses are in the urban slums of Pondicherry. Read more
January 25, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
What do sponsored children want to know in letters?
CFCA sponsored children from Colombia talk about letters and what they want to hear from sponsors.
Jackelin
Jackelin, 11
“I would like it if they told me about their family, friends and their cat. Also I would like them to tell me about where they live, how the city and country are.
“I would like to personally know and thank them for all the things they have given me. I would also like them to send me lots of pictures.”
Kevin
David, 7
“I want to know what my sponsor eats, and if they eat what they like. I would also like him to tell me where he lives and to send a photo.”
Kevin, 7
“… if there are robbers where my sponsor lives and if his work is going well.”
Jennifer, 9
“I would like to know how my sponsor’s family and children are doing and whether he has all he needs. I would like for my sponsor always to support me in everything I do, and am grateful that he gives me much love. I work very hard and send him lots of hugs and kisses.”
Wendy
Wendy, 7
“I would like them to tell me how they are doing, if they live with the family and for them to send me a photo.”
Katherine, 16
“I would like to know how their whole family is doing, and how he is doing since I last heard from him, how it’s been going in the [U.S.] Air Force, what has happened in his life since he last wrote.
“Also, what food he likes, if he is sick or well, his birthday so I can send a card and a happy birthday greeting, how old he is, if he lives with his children, if his wife is still alive, if he is a grandfather, if he still has his dogs.
“I’d like to know if he has received the letters I sent with thanks for his support and help. But the most important for me is to know how he is.”
Related links:
5 great letter-writing ideas for your sponsored friend
January 24, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
How to make ticucos from Honduras (recipe)
Ticucos from Honduras.
CFCA serves more than 17,000 sponsored children and elderly in Honduras. Our staff members there sent us this beautiful recipe for ticucos!
This recipe serves approximately 6 people. See the full recipe
January 23, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
May we pray for you?
Edwin and Natali pray together in El Salvador. Both are sponsored through CFCA.
Sponsored children and aging friends around the world pray for their sponsors. At CFCA offices we pray for you, too.
Every day, in the morning and just before lunch, a bell rings at our CFCA headquarters in Kansas City.
The bell signals a call to pray, and a group of staff members puts aside work for a few minutes to gather in prayer for CFCA sponsors, sponsored friends and others in our community.
If you have an intention you’d like us to pray for, we’d be honored to include it in our prayers.
Simply enter your request at www.hopeforafamily.org/pray. Note: These prayers are offered in our chapel and are not shared publicly.
Thank you for being a part of our worldwide community of compassion and hope.
P.S. We have a weekly Prayer Partners email that features prayer requests for the CFCA community around the world. If you’re interested in praying with us, please go to this page to sign up: http://www.cfcausa.org/GetInvolved/StayConnected.aspx
January 20, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Can you join us for the world premiere of ‘Rise and Dream’?
Great news for all who are interested in our upcoming documentary film, “Rise and Dream!”
We recently learned that “Rise and Dream” is an official selection in the 2012 Thin Line Film Fest, an international documentary film festival, which will run from Feb. 10 to Feb. 20 in Denton, Texas.
This will be our world premiere – the first time the film will be shown to the public!
If you live in or near the Denton or Dallas/Fort Worth areas or are in the mood for a road trip, please come and see the movie! We know you’ll love the film, and we’re hoping for a packed house to show support for the film and for CFCA.
Rise and Dream will be showing at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, in the Campus Theatre, located one block west of the downtown square: 214 West Hickory St., Denton, Texas 76201. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to get tickets soon. Read more
January 19, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
We found sponsors for more than 8,000 kids!
We did it!!
More than 8,000 children have been sponsored through the “8,000 miles for 8,000 kids” effort inspired by Walk2gether, the 8,000-mile solidarity walk through Latin America led by CFCA President and Co-founder Bob Hentzen.
Related news report: ’8,000 miles for 8,000 kids’ meet goal
We cannot thank everyone enough for all the help we received in making this possible. This was a labor of love for so many people, and we deeply appreciate your support.
As Bob says, “For each of you who walked with us in fact or in prayer, this continues to be an exciting and humbling journey into the lives of our sponsored friends, their families and our CFCA colleagues.”
Thank you, CFCA community!
January 18, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 6 comments
Natural home remedies for winter, flu season: Honduras
Clockwise, from top left, are eucalyptus leaves, orange leaves, anise seeds and ginger root. Maria, grandmother of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras, uses all these items for her natural home remedies.
In our ongoing series about natural home remedies used by sponsored friends and their families, we look to Honduras.
Maria is caretaker of three CFCA sponsored children in Honduras. She has a vast knowledge of herbal remedies intended to alleviate discomfort from common ailments such as coughs, colds, fever and nausea.
Her practice does not discourage her neighbors from visiting doctors or hospitals. However, because of her vast knowledge in herbal remedies, neighbors prefer going to her first for a quick diagnosis and affordable treatment.
(Read more about how she uses herbal remedies to help her community.)
Here are some herbal remedies Maria recommends during the winter and flu season. Read more
January 17, 2012 at 9:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
