Archive for February, 2009
What is the best method to make my contribution?
Q. What is the best method for me to make my sponsorship contribution?
A. The most convenient, efficient and cost effective way to make a contribution is through automatic bank withdrawal. With this payment option, you are authorizing CFCA to withdraw your monthly sponsorship payment directly from your checking account.
Contributions for sponsorship made through automatic bank withdrawal significantly reduce CFCA’s processing costs, which free up more of your dollars for our work in support of sponsored children and aging.
Bank fees, printing and postage costs continue to increase and currently average 78 cents for each payment made by check. Our average cost for a credit card transaction is 85 cents. In contrast, the cost for an automatic bank withdrawal is less than 5 cents.*
CFCA’s automatic bank withdrawal is both safe and secure. Your payment may be scheduled for the 5th or 20th of the month and can be canceled at any time with a simple phone call or letter to CFCA.
Sign up online through our secure website.
Thank you for your continued support of your friend through CFCA.
*These amounts are current as of Dec. 31, 2008 and are subject to periodic change.
February 10, 2009 at 4:07 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
‘I’m going to miss your letters’
“I truly hope, with all my heart that you are well because you deserve all blessings from this world.”
So begins the final letter from Karol to her sponsor of 10 years, Joseph Presper. Karol has finished her studies and is now working as a nurse’s assistant at a hospital near her home. Because she has finished her university studies, it was time for Karol to be retired from the CFCA program. CFCA does not retire a person at a certain age. Instead, we walk with them until they have reached their educational goals.
Finishing her studies and graduating from the program was a bittersweet time for Karol. She writes, “At this moment there is also this great sadness in my heart … not only for your help but because I love you so very much and I am going to miss your letters, your news, knowing about your life and your family.”
Mr. Presper, a retired accountant, says he used his letters to encourage Karol in her studies. He began to sponsor because he came to a point in his life when he realized he did not need more material possessions. There are so many others in the world who need so much, he said.
While he did not get the chance to visit Karol they both feel they grew close through their letters. Karol continues, “I remember every single detail, all your letters, everything that you’ve gone through, everything you’ve shared with me, your support. Just imagine! I have your picture taped in my bedroom and anybody that comes in always asks me, who’s he? And I proudly answer, ‘My Godfather!’”
Karol had one last request of her Godfather: please sponsor another child. “I would feel very happy to know that your beautiful light will light up the life of another child … there are many children of this world that need support, love and help to continue on, to bloom and change their own future.”
In this Valentine season where we can get lost in a sea of cards, chocolate, flowers and sentiment, we want to recognize the deep love that exists between a CFCA sponsor and sponsored friend. Karol closes her letter by saying, “You can be sure that there is someone that will always carry you in heart and mind. I will pray to God, everyday, to fill you with blessings, to keep you healthy. My life has been marked since I met you. Please, pray to God for me too, this is how we will continue to be united for eternity.”
Mr. Presper honored Karol’s request and chose to sponsor another child.
February 10, 2009 at 2:03 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 4 comments
Helping Luis smile again
Julie Watson is a member of the CFCA Communications Department. She went on a 2008 mission awareness trip to Bolivia, where she met Luis, her sponsored friend.
He was shy and quiet, and I was the peculiar American whose presence frightened the 4-year-old boy.
While waiting for the bus to depart to the first subproject visit, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A translator from the project was standing there with a surprise for me: Luis, my sponsored friend. I didn’t even recognize him. I hadn’t been told that I would be meeting him. My own confusion soon turned into exhilaration, and Luis’ eyes told me of his confusion, too. He was experiencing something new as well.
As the bus pulled away from the hotel we took our seats. Luis returned to the security of sitting next to Olivia, his guardian from the orphanage. Slowly, Luis began to smile and make eye contact with me. He was looking around the bus, which was filled with a dozen or more strange, white faces that all looked back at him. His face broke into large smile, and his dark eyes twinkled like stars in the evening sky. As the trip went on, “Shorty,” a nickname given to Luis because of his small stature, began to sit closer to me and play peek-a-boo-type games.
Luis enjoyed the bus ride and sat back in the seat, drinking his soda. I wondered if that was what had contributed to his decaying teeth. Olivia told me that the children in the orphanage don’t get sugary snacks or drinks. They did not know what care he had before coming to the orphanage. When I asked if his teeth bothered him, she told me that he often holds his hands cupped around this jaw because of the pain.
Even with the toothaches and a bit of travel sickness, he never ceased to be a bright ray of sunshine for many on this trip, especially myself. I wanted to sweep him up and carry him home, where I could give him everything I thought a 4-year-old needed to be happy and healthy. I settled for helping him in whatever way I could. His immediate need was obvious: helping with his dental care.
When I returned to Kansas City, I asked Sponsor Services to ask the project to find out what was wrong with Luis’ teeth, and what it would cost to get them fixed. I learned that Luis would need very extensive dental work, yet the total cost would be only $80 U.S. Can you imagine?
Sponsor Services helped me set up a special funds account to pay for his dental work, which the project said would begin sometime in February. I pray that he is feeling better.
I plan to return to Bolivia on the 2009 mission awareness trip and can’t wait to see Luis and his new smile. God bless CFCA and all the staff members who are helping my special little friend smile again.
February 6, 2009 at 1:12 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
A CFCA community organizes a dental clinic
Hello fellow walkers,
The lack of access to basic services is one of the biggest problems of the poor around the world. Many people think that in order to give dignified living conditions to those in need, lots of money is necessary, but what we really need is a heart to walk with them. Just by knowing that someone cares, a healthier environment is created within the poor. What an amazing experience to see the outcome by letting them know that there is “someone” who thinks and cares about them.
Within the city of Santa Ana, El Salvador, we find a small community of families who survived by collecting garbage from the city dump to sell. CFCA is now sponsoring 84 children in the area, and the changes are fabulous.
With the support and work of the CFCA families who connected electricity from one of their homes, brought chairs, installed lights and offered their help as volunteers, CFCA organized a dental campaign in the community.
One by one, the sponsored children came to see the dentist. It was extraordinary to see the wide, open eyes of the children seeing the dentists work for the first time. As you may imagine, some of the children were crying, some were nervously laughing and others debated the risk to even open their mouth!
Sponsored child Erick, 8, was very nervous and did not want to enter our improvised clinic. “No, no, I am not letting any doctor use a drill on my teeth.”
We invited Erick to see the reactions of other children before him. After much convincing, he accepted and discovered that the check-up was not painful at all.
“The machine with the brush was tickling my mouth. It was fun,” said Erick.
The families in the area make an average of $50 to $60 a month. Without sponsorship, dental service is impossible. CFCA organized this campaign with the hope of discovering current dental conditions in the children, to find the possible cause and work on prevention.
Drs. Dennis Funes and Ana Lizeth Mendez were both born and raised in Santa Ana, and they know the needs and difficulties of the families. They were very happy to see that the children were well-behaved. Working 10 hours a day during the weekends, they offered excellent service with patience and professionalism.
“I am amazed by the conditions of these children’s teeth. First I thought we were going to have very difficult cases but I am happy to say that most of them are in acceptable condition, and the follow-up treatments will be minor,” Dr. Funes wrote in his final assessment.
Dr. Funes mentioned that the nutritional food provided by CFCA has made a big impact in the current result.
“The benefits and services offered to this community in the past have greatly impacted their current dental health, and their health in general. We need to work on prevention, the need for vitamins, and fluoride is a must.”
CFCA will work on fixing superficial cavities, providing proper fluoride treatment and focusing on teaching proper dental care.
Our love and gratitude for all the sponsors who are offering help to the children around the world. You are truly helping to build a better and healthier future for your friends. Let’s keep walking together; we are really on the right path.
Henry Flores
Director of Communication Center
El Salvador
February 5, 2009 at 12:08 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
Zamboanga documentary trailer: You are invited!
We invite you to see our trailer of “Zamboanga: Poverty, War, Music,” the first CFCA-produced feature-length documentary. Cinematographer John Nosack has created an initial trailer that gives a beautiful overview of the story.
The film chronicles the journey of 13 teenagers who learn to play traditional Filipino musical instruments and end up as the headlining act at a five-hour concert at the edge of the jungle. The triumph of the teens’ performance is inspiring. But the triumph of the teens and their families in their everyday life will change your view of people living in poverty.
The five-minute trailer is on the film Web site at www.zamboangathemovie.com. Please take a look, let us know what you think and, while you’re there, sign up for Zamboanga e-news to receive film updates and alerts.
February 3, 2009 at 4:20 pm Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Notes from the Field #6 – Ecuador
Sarah Marquart, CFCA project specialist, talks about Maria, a sponsored aging woman in Ecuador. She received dentures from the dental program funded by CFCA. Now that her smile has been restored, she is truly a happier woman.
February 3, 2009 at 11:34 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 2 comments
Dentures restore Grace’s smile
By Peter Ndungo, Nairobi project coordinator
Grace, 67, is all smiles. She is happy because she has acquired a new set of dentures. She acquired them in August 2008, thanks to CFCA.
Grace has never put so much value to her teeth as she is doing right now. She does not have a history of dental ailments. Her problem has been brought about by age, she says. She started losing her teeth in her 50s. She never thought that teeth would stand in her way of good health until May 2008, when she lost her remaining teeth.
With her new set of teeth, she is now able to chew foods such as githeri (boiled maize and beans), arrowroot, meat, ugali (porridge made with maize flour), chapati and mandazi (baked wheat flour products). She can also chew sugarcane and fruits such as mangoes and oranges.
Her doctor suggested a gradual introduction to such food, and she can now comfortably eat every meal she pleases. Her speech has also improved tremendously, and she can’t stop herself from smiling.
Read about dental care in Nairobi.
February 2, 2009 at 11:09 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
A better quality of life
This week marks the beginning of National Children’s Dental Health Month, sponsored by the American Dental Association. While this month serves to raise awareness in the U.S. about good oral health in children, it also presents an opportunity to learn about dental health benefits in developing countries. This week on the blog, you’ll read about sponsored members in Kenya, Ecuador, El Salvador and Bolivia who are enjoying a better quality of life thanks to the dental care provided through sponsorship. Enjoy!
February 2, 2009 at 11:03 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) Leave a comment
Their love shines through
Maria and Miguel offer us a moving example of love and devotion in marriage. The Salvadoran couple has been together more than 58 years. Their union is celebrated in this week’s Prayer Partners on the beauty of marriage.
They share a glimpse of their relationship in this video:
Become a Prayer Partner to receive the weekly e-prayer.
February 2, 2009 at 10:40 am Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) 1 comment
