How to make ‘indio viejo’ stew (Nicaragua recipe)
Try this indio viejo recipe from Nicaragua … mmm!
CFCA serves more than 10,000 sponsored children and elderly in Nicaragua. Our staff members there sent us this tasty recipe for “indio viejo,” or a corn-based, slow-cooked stew!
The Nicaraguan people are experts at making a variety of food dishes based on corn. This is a culture inherited from their ancestors.
In rural communities, corn-based meals are consumed daily. One of them is indio viejo, which is usually served as the main dish with rice, fried plantain and coleslaw salad. Sometimes, however, it is served as a secondary dish.
This recipe is for five people. See the full recipe
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May 17, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Tickets available for ‘Rise and Dream’ Kansas City premiere
Our ‘Rise and Dream’ Kansas City premiere is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Mo.
The doors open at 6:15 p.m., and a dessert reception will follow. We hope to see you there!
Tickets are now available at www.hopeforafamily.org/tickets.
Although the premiere is free, we ask that you reserve tickets as soon as possible so we know how many people will be attending.
As just a taste of the great things to come, we’d like to share this Q-and-A with Paul Pearce, the film’s executive producer and CFCA’s director of global strategy.
What was the inspiration behind making “Rise and Dream?”
The idea was to capture how people living in poverty can be an inspiration for the rest of the world, through their perseverance and hope despite their daily survival struggles.
Many times people living in poverty are treated as if they are in a great abyss, with nothing but their need to offer the rest of the world.
We wanted to make a film that dispelled this myth. We wanted to challenge ourselves and others to truly give the poor a voice — to give them the microphone for once and let them share what they think and feel. Read more
May 16, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Graduation season and the importance of a good ‘goodbye’
School and college graduations are taking place around the United States this time of year!
Now is a great time to help youth reflect on the need to take proper leave of those who have enriched their lives as they move on to the next chapter in their lives.
Larry Livingston, CFCA director of church relations, has created a simple exercise to help young people recognize and more deeply appreciate the important relationships in their lives.
This exercise can be used to complement a classroom lesson or parish youth gathering, or be part of an end-of-the-year group retreat.
Related links
May 15, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Enveloped in the love of Guatemalan sponsored children, families
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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies mission awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.
The sinsonte birds are singing their hearts out, welcoming the early rains. They also welcome 35 CFCA sponsors, their hearts ready to learn and to share.
Excited children, elderly and families lift their hearts in prayers of gratitude for their sponsors.
In nine different regions across Guatemala, a dedicated CFCA staff serves an estimated 89,000 children and elderly. More than 500 families wait in hope to belong to CFCA.
God knows this is sacred ground, made so by the sacrifice of countless martyrs and the daily sacrifices of humble, hard-working people.
We are here to listen. May we see much more than poverty. May we see firsthand the realities of our families.
May we remain open to learn about their heroic efforts to walk that path out of poverty, hand in hand with our sponsors.
Remembering the martyrs
We remember in a special way the testimony and martyrdom of Bishop Juan Jose Gerardi 14 years ago: April 26, 1998.
Our attendance at Holy Mass at the Cathedral de la Asuncion Guatemala City draws our attention immediately to the thousands of names, mostly indigenous, etched for years into the massive pillars surrounding this historical structure, etched for life into our hearts. Read more
May 14, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
In honor of Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is this Sunday!
For many families we serve around the world, mothers are the light of the household and work hard to provide their families with the basic necessities they need to survive.
We’d like to highlight the importance of mothers by sharing this inspiring tale of a Nicaragua mothers group that is giving back to the community.
Through their united efforts, these mothers of sponsored children sold tamales door-to-door and purchased a food basket for a boy with special needs and his family.
And that’s just the beginning of their incredible story: Nicaraguan mothers group works to help others
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May 11, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
How to wrap a sari (saree)
By Sreekanth Gundoji, CFCA communications liaison in India
Ever wondered how to wrap a sari? This video will show you!
The sari is a traditional dress worn by women in India for many centuries.
Its meaning comes from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, which means “strip of cloth.”
The sari is a one-piece item of clothing that fits all women regardless of figure and height.
Its length ranges from approximately 17 to 21 feet (5.30 to 6.30 meters). It is made from different fabrics such as nylon, cotton, silk and polyester.
The sari is worn with a blouse and underskirt or petticoat. It goes well with a fitted matching blouse with embroidery designs.
Editor’s note: In this video, Prameela, a CFCA sponsored youth, wore the sari on top of a T-shirt and jeans, which is not traditional. This was so that she could feel comfortable wrapping the sari in front of the camera.
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May 10, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Sponsored friend extends ‘unending thanks’ to sponsors, CFCA
The CFCA project in Legazpi, Philippines, recently sent us success stories from young adults who were sponsored through CFCA. Here’s one from Raquel, a sponsored child who will soon graduate with a bachelor’s degree in office administration.
My graduation is fast approaching and whether I like it or not, I will soon be leaving CFCA.
I will be graduating college and will step into a real world. Yes! It is a dream come true!
Nevertheless, I will never forget all the people who have helped me and supported me. People who sat beside me, walked with me, and praised me for every accomplishment I achieved.
Without them, I would never be what I am right now.
December 2003 is the time when I became sponsored through CFCA. I had mixed emotions of excitement, nervousness and happiness.
I even asked myself, what life awaits me in this sponsorship program? What changes will it bring to me?
I took my high school education in a public school. I had to walk about a third of a mile (500 meters) from our house to the main road to catch a jeep going to my school.
My money was always insufficient. My father is a farmer while my mother is a housewife. My mother always borrowed money from our neighbor when I did not have money for my fare.
It was hard – but my family never surrendered. Read more
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May 9, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
How we decide which child is most in need of sponsorship
By Veronica Batton, CFCA writer/editor
With so many families brimming with potential but in need of help, how does CFCA select prospective sponsored members?
Nicole Miller, who works in CFCA’s child services department, with pictures and family profiles of children awaiting sponsorship.
With so many children and aging waiting to become sponsored, it can be difficult to determine who needs sponsorship the most. The CFCA projects in the 22 countries where we work determine who is eligible to participate in the Hope for a Family program.
Families learn about the CFCA Hope for a Family program through friends or CFCA’s presence in the community.
Our field staffers approach the families and determine whether their children or aging family members are eligible for the program.
Some of the criteria that project staffers assess, besides economic need, include the family’s willingness and commitment to actively participate in the program and work toward becoming self-sufficient.
If the family meets the criteria to participate in the Hope for a Family program, the CFCA social worker will compile a family profile for the child, youth or aging person to be sponsored.
The complete information then goes to the CFCA office in Kansas.
Every child, youth and aging person accepted into the CFCA sponsorship program is living in poverty and in need of sponsorship, and we determine who is in the most need based on who has been waiting the longest for a sponsor. Read more
May 8, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Sponsored aging friend creates beauty with beadwork
By Regina Mburu, CFCA communications liaison in Kenya
Leah, 72, sponsored through CFCA in Kenya, has learned how to make beautiful jewelry from wastepaper. She also weaves baskets for a living.
At 72 years old, Leah is loving life – enough to learn two whole new trades.
Leah has been sponsored through the CFCA program in Kenya since 2003. Recently she has taken up basket weaving and making jewelry out of recycled wastepaper.
“This work keeps me so busy that I forget any problems I might be having,” she says. “You know when you are busy, you don’t fall sick.”
It wasn’t always this easy for Leah. She has seven children, three of whom have passed away, and 18 grandchildren.
Leah’s husband died in 1977, leaving her to take care of the seven children.
At that time Leah worked as a hospital cleaner, and her earnings were not enough to provide for her family.
“My neighbors saw my plight, and they introduced me to the CFCA Hope for a Family program,” Leah said. Read more
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May 7, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 3 comments
Wisdom of the Ages: Joji, 76, from India
Joji, 76, sponsored through CFCA in India.
Joji, 76, has been sponsored through the CFCA-Hyderabad Hope for a Family program in Nalgonda, India, for more than two years.
Joji now lives in a home for the aging where he offers his knowledge to others by spending his free time visiting the sick and lending his ear to anyone who needs someone to listen.
What is your secret for long life?
I feel God is with me and keeps me going. For God a thousand years is like a day and one day is like a thousand years.
Living each day keeps me going. Sin corrupts the body and also affects society. Leading an honest life and remaining truthful helps to live in peace.
What advice do you have for young people? See his answer
May 4, 2012 at 8:00 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
