Apr 30 2013

CFCA sponsor ‘sees courage and humanity’ on visit to Costa Rica

Natalie Urban, a CFCA sponsor, was overjoyed to meet her sponsored child and family on a recent visit to Costa Rica. It was the first time her sponsored child had been to the country’s capital, San Jose!

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Apr 29 2013

Guatemala awareness trip brings hope and gratitude

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“Bob’s notes” are reports from CFCA President Bob Hentzen, who regularly accompanies awareness trip participants. You can see Bob’s full update on his Facebook page.

Photo credits for this report go to Ricardo Ajpuac at the Hermano Pedro project in Guatemala.

It’s a pleasure to be in touch with you and to share these profound experiences.

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Apr 26 2013

Seeds for the future: CFCA-Guatemala develops reforestation project

Reforestation seedbed in CFCA-Guatemala

Mothers in Guatemala tend to tree seedlings in a reforestation project they created to help restore their local environment.

Today is Arbor Day! In one area of Guatemala, one community started a new initiative to grow two trees for each sponsored child.

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Apr 8 2013

A place to call home

By Amanda Burian, CFCA communications project manager

CFCA sponsored friends and family members in Guatemala.

From left: Rigoberto, Natali, Darvin, Dayana, Audelina and Rebeca in front of their new home. Natali and Dayana are sponsored by Ken and Linda Vilag.

Not long ago, owning a home that was safe and comfortable seemed like an unattainable dream for Rigoberto and Audelina, the parents of four young children in Guatemala.

“[Owning a home] might have been in my dreams, but it was never considered a reality,” Rigoberto said.

In February, the family received the keys to their very own home. Their dreams were made possible through the support of Ken and Linda Vilag, who sponsor two of their girls: Helen, who goes by her middle name, Dayana; and Natali.

Audelina and her children in their old one-room home.

Audelina and her children in their former one-room home.

Before receiving support through sponsorship, the family faced many hardships and daily life was a struggle.

They lived on the property of Audelina’s brother and didn’t have much to call their own.

“We only had one room built with tin sheets,” Rigoberto said. “We were all piled up in that room. There was no space for our things, and it was chaotic at times. Read more

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Apr 4 2013

Making eco-friendly curtains and jewelry in Honduras

Thorn and seed curtains

Braulia, a CFCA sponsored elderly woman (right), and Cristina, daughter of a sponsored aging friend, sell their curtains and jewelry by a roadside in Honduras.

A group of mothers and daughters in Honduras recently shared with us a special technique they use to craft environmentally friendly curtains and jewelry from thorns and seeds!

Check out our interview with 10-year-old Tania, a CFCA sponsored child, who describes how she helps her mother make interesting and eco-friendly designs.

I’ll never forget the day I was sponsored because it was my birthday. I was turning 6 years old.

My name is Tania, and since that day I have become part of the beautiful and loving CFCA family.

I help my mother make curtains and bracelets by opening the little holes in the seeds and stringing them together.

I like to make the bracelets, but I don’t like to make the curtains because it takes too much time, and I get bored.

CFCA sponsored child

Tania, CFCA sponsored child in Honduras, helps make designs from thorns and seeds.

I want to invite my sponsor to come to my community. I would love to meet her and teach her how to make the bracelets and necklaces.

DIY thorn and seed curtains and jewelry in 3 steps:

  1. The first step is to look for the thorns, which we call “cachitos” or bull’s horns. This is the most difficult part of the process because a large number of stinging ants live inside the thorns and sting our hands.
  2. Next we have to get seeds. We use a seed called “Lágrimas de San Pedro” or Saint Peter’s Tears. These seeds are usually brought over from another community. We try to use any kind of seeds we can find in our community. We paint the seeds so they are colorful.
  3. Once we have collected all the necessary materials, we start to make our products. First, we make holes in the seeds and thorns. Next, we create a design and use fishing or metal string to make the curtains and other kinds of jewelry.

Read the full story about mothers making eco-friendly curtains in Honduras

steps

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Apr 3 2013

Helping families achieve self-sufficiency, part 3: Guatemala

CFCA sponsored friend

Floridalma and her daughters, Bridia (left), sponsored through CFCA, and Lilian (right).

By Kristin Littrell, CFCA correspondent

CFCA is not a one-size-fits-all organization. We rely on our field staffs to know the families in each community, to listen to their needs and hopes, and to provide a program that empowers them to build a path out of poverty.

In the final post in this three-part blog series, we give you a window into several CFCA communities, to gauge the success of the Hope for a Family sponsorship program.

It takes 20 minutes on the back of a motorcycle, up steep and narrow dirt roads, to get to Floridalma’s home.

She lives in Chuixilon, a small Guatemalan village, where rolling fields of strawberries are sheltered by the peaks of nearby mountains. It is beautiful and remote. The air smells like strawberries mixed with fresh pine, and only the moon and the stars light the streets at night. Read more

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