Share In Their Future

Update: Bolivian Crisis

Marcela Molina, coordinator of our Bolivian projects, recently sent us the following update on Santa Ana de Yacuma:

“I have just called Sister Ana (project volunteer at Lourdes school) and she assured me that the Children, Incorporated children are doing well.  It has rained for the past 3 days, but there is no further flooding.  The ground is saturated everywhere you go.  Sister Ana, in order to get around and check on our families, travels by canoe. 

She said that most of the village families are living under tents and they are expected to remain there until June, more or less.  I informed her that Children, Incorporated is about to send funds to help the families with their most urgent needs. I asked her to take photographs of the flooding and of the makeshift tent communities.  She said  that she would, but that it might take sometime as she prefers to wait until some of the water recedes.  The important thing is that the children are safe.  Some of the classes are being held under tents.  The teachers do not want the children to go too long without schooling. 

The truth is that the situation in Bolivia worsens with each passing day.  Inflation has grown considerably, and it’s difficult for people to afford to buy anything.  The value of the dollar decreases every week and workers' salaries continue to decrease.  Last night, here in La Paz, there were some violent encounters between two groups of protesters.  I had to stay at work until after 10PM because the demonstrations were across the street from where I live.  We all pray that our country's situation will improve one of these days." 

Reservation Dormitories

Many of the Native American children on our program live in dormitories during the school year.  These facilities are built in close proximity to reservation schools, and they house children who are homeless or who live too far from school to commute every day.  The typical dormitory staff includes an administrator, a custodian, a nurse, and a counselor.  The dormitory system is particularly common on reservations in South Dakota and Utah.

Bunk beds in a Utah dormitory:



Exterior of the dormitory:

New Homes for Tsunami Survivors in Sri Lanka

The 2004 tsunamis devastated thousands of communities throughout the Indian and Pacific oceans.  Sri Lanka was especially hard-hit, with more than 40,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced.  Families who rented their homes found themselves in a particularly precarious position because the Sri Lankan government distributed most of its assistance to homeowners. 

The Dadella Children's Center, located in southwestern Sri Lanka, is a CI project site.  Ten of the families that send children to the Center lost their homes in the tsunami and--as renters--were ineligible to receive replacement housing from the government.  The director of the Dadella Center appealed to CI for emergency funds to build new houses for these families. 

In a comparatively short amount of time, CI raised the requisite funds to construct ten homes.  Our generous donors were very willing to contribute to this cause.  Complications arose, however, when staff began seeking land on which to build the new houses.   Because none of the ten families had owned land, the Dadella director had to locate a suitable building site.   This search took many months.  Once land had been obtained, the building process began.  Construction was slow because thousands of other families in the vicinity of Dadella were rebuilding at the same time, which created a shortage of workers and materials. 

In 2007, however, the ten houses were completed.  We are thrilled that all of our Dadella children will once again live in homes of their own.  As always, we are most grateful for the assistance we received throughout the completion of this project, and we are pleased to be able to share with our supporters several photographs of the Dadella houses during various phases of their construction:   

During a 2006 trip to Sri Lanka, Foreign Division Director Luis Bourdet (pictured above, at center) visited Dadella.  In honor of his visit, the children performed several skits and dances:

 

Unsafe Housing Conditions

All of the children who participate in CI programs live in poverty.  This trailer is home to a CI child and five of his relatives:

Such living conditions are common among our United States children--and the children in our Foreign and Latin American divisions often reside in even more dilapidated housing.  You can help alleviate this poverty by sponsoring a child or by making a donation to Children, Incorporated. 

Home for the Holidays

Your donations to our General Fund provided a sponsored child and his family with a special gift, just in time for the colder months ahead:

“On behalf of [sponsored child] Tim and his mother, we would like to give our sincere thanks for your prompt response and your  willingness to assist this family with a special gift…As a result of your donations, the family was able to have their electric services restored and return to their residence.  This really meant a lot to the family.  It is through the generosity of organizations and individuals such as you that make a tremendous difference in the lives of the families we work with.”  --Marilyn, Volunteer Coordinator, Richmond,  Virginia