Category Archives: South America

Jan 24 2013

Sponsored child crafts ‘clean and green’ turtles from recycled paper

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CFCA sponsored child makes recycled paper turtles

Andres in Colombia holds one of the turtles he crafts out of recycled materials.

My name is Andres, and I have been sponsored for six years through CFCA in Colombia.

My father works as a bricklayer and my mother is a housekeeper. My father works by seasons, and sometimes we do not have any income to sustain our family.

One day I had a great idea. I went with my mother to the CFCA office where she met with her mothers group. I like to go and help her during the meetings. At the meeting, I met a mother who knows how to make crafts. She was making many things with plastic, and I was very curious about it. Read more of Andres’ story

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Jan 14 2013

Community in Colombia plants trees to help in drought

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A Chinese proverb says it’s better to light one candle than curse the darkness.

We can find a modern-day parallel in a community in Cali, Colombia, where families in the CFCA program found it’s better to take action and plant a tree to help the environment!

Water walk in Colombia

Yeraldin, CFCA staffer in Colombia and CFCA scholar, plants seeds for a future tree in an environmental campaign to help fight against drought. Yeraldin was sponsored through CFCA as a child.

For several years now, Colombia has suffered from a drought that has caused the nation’s government to urge citizens to conserve water (see this article for more information).

This particular CFCA community in Cali has had limited water supply as a result, and CFCA mothers groups met to discuss the problem. Read more

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Jan 9 2013

How to make empanadas from Colombia (recipe)

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empanadas from Colombia

Celina’s empanadas from Colombia … mmm!

Celina is a mother to two sponsored children in Colombia, and for her, empanadas are her livelihood. She took out a loan through her mothers group to start a business selling empanadas and coffee. (CFCA serves more than 22,000 sponsored children and elderly in Colombia.)

Celina used the income from her business to purchase her first home.

Celina shares her recipe with us, and we invite you to try her delicious empanadas. Enjoy! Get the recipe

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Dec 18 2012

‘Pomp and Circumstance:’ Parents graduate in Colombia

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Parents of CFCA sponsored children

Parents of CFCA sponsored children stand proudly with their entrepreneurship diplomas.

CFCA believes strongly in the creativity and talents of sponsored families and partners with families throughout the world to unlock their potential.

In Bogota, Colombia, every Friday, leaders from each parents group meet at the CFCA office to participate in a “livelihood projects” class to learn techniques on how to successfully develop their talents and skills into sources of income for their families.

CFCA staffers utilized a local government program focused in the development of professional formation programs.

The main goal is to bring business education to family members of sponsored friends, and have these individuals spread their knowledge to fellow parents in their group.

CFCA staffers have seen many changes in families thanks to this class. Parents have diversified their families’ sources of income and also further developed their skills and talents. Read more

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Dec 11 2012

‘An amazing, emotional experience:’ Sponsors’ trip to Chile

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By Mary and Douglas DeLong, CFCA sponsors

The DeLong family visited their sponsored child on a recent awareness trip to Chile.

The DeLong family visited their sponsored child on a recent CFCA awareness trip to Chile.

Our journey began 12 years ago when we sponsored a Chilean child through Christian Foundation for Children and Aging.

Little did we realize what a journey it would be, or the experiences we would have.

When we started sponsoring Jannier he was 2 years old, and his mother would write us letters.

As he got older, she would include drawings that he had colored. Once Jannier was able, he started writing the letters himself.

We would include pictures of our own family with our letters and, in turn, would receive pictures of him.

His pictures joined the other pictures of our family on the refrigerator, and our son and daughter called him their little brother in Chile.

Jannier and his mother, Miriam, became part of our extended family.

At the end of September my husband, Doug, and I traveled on CFCA’s trip to Valparaiso, Chile, to meet Jannier and his mother. Read more

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Dec 3 2012

‘Moving on up’: Colombian mother buys first home

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By Celina, mother of two sponsored children in the Hope for a Family sponsorship program in Colombia

CFCA-Colombia: Celina and her daughter in their new house

Celina and her daughter standing in front of their new home.

My goal has always been to have my own house. That was my biggest dream, but I could never save enough money to buy a home.

When my children joined the program, Elvia, a CFCA staff member, started to talk about mothers groups and how we could develop our skills.

We made a poster with our dreams, and I chose to use a picture of a house. Elvia told us that we can reach our goals as long as we establish clear goals.

After that meeting, I started to think about the first step in reaching my dreams. I started to attend CFCA workshops frequently to gain motivation.

I was unemployed, and we needed to have a bank account with money before we qualified for government-subsidized housing. I had just 50.000 pesos (about $28 US) in my pocket. I asked the bank about the process and learned I needed 60.000 pesos (about $33 US) to open a bank account. Read more

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Nov 14 2012

Chile: A beacon of hope

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map of ChileJoin us as we celebrate Geography Awareness Week with National Geographic and friends. This year’s theme is “Geography: Declare Your Interdependence.”

CFCA has worked in Chile since 1982, and currently works with almost 5,000 sponsored friends and their families.

Chile’s unusual proportions ó 2,700 miles long and 109 miles wide ó makes it the longest country in the world in terms of length-to-width ratio.

It is one of the most prosperous countries in South America, but extreme poverty still exists.

CFCAís project in Valparaiso works closely with families, empowering mothers, preserving the dignity of the aging and opening the doors of education for children and youth.

The Valparaiso project hosts a training program for mothers of sponsored children, teaching them income-generating skills to help them increase their household income and save money. Read more

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