Meet Carlos!

This is the most recent of my writing-children.  His name is Carlos and he lives in Guatemala.  Here is his information:

Birthdate:	12/12/2003
Information last updated:	7/1/2011
Schooling
US School Grade Equivalent:	1
School Performance:	Average
Child is attending school
Family Duties
Running errands Making beds Cleaning
Hobbies and Sport
Group games Soccer/Football Bicycling Baseball Marbles Swimming Reading Other ball games Story telling
Guardians
Father Mother
Natural Parents
Marital status of parents:	Now married
Natural parents are together Father is alive Father is living with child Father is supporting child Mother is alive Mother is living with child
Employment
Father/Male Guardian other employment:	industry worker
Father/Male Guardian is employed Mother/Female Guardian is unemployed

I have already received on letter from him.  I look forward to 12 more years of communication with him.  It is so much fun to here about how people in other countries live!!

Meet Aldair!

This is the second writing-child I was assigned to.  His name is Aldair, and he lives in Colombia.  Here is his profile information:

Birthdate:	11/27/1994
Information last updated:	3/1/2011
Schooling
US School Grade Equivalent:	9
School Performance:	Average
Completion Date:	20121101
Child is attending school
Family Duties
Running errands Cleaning
Hobbies and Sport
Soccer/Football Bicycling Listening to music
Guardians
Aunt
Natural Parents
Marital status of parents:	Were never married
Father is alive Mother is alive Mother is supporting child
Employment
Mother/Female Guardian other employment:	Differents jobs
No Father or Male Guardian Mother/Female Guardian is at times employed

As you can see, he will be 17 this month!  He is very dedicated to his studies, and wants to go far in life.  His letters have been informative, and very nicely written.  I have been writing to him for about 6 months now. 

Meet Lilian!

This is Lilian.  A friend told me about an organization that allows sponsors to write letters to the children for support, while someone else chooses to send the monetary donations.  This is perfect for me since my family is at poverty level in annual income.  I can not make sponsorship donations.  However, it is so easy to send a letter, and the children really appreciate it!

I have been writing to Lilian for almost a year now.  Her information was just updated.  Here is her updated information:

Birthdate:	8/5/1999
Information last updated:	11/1/2011
Schooling
US School Grade Equivalent:	6
School Performance:	Average
Child is attending school
Family Duties
Washing clothes Gardening/Farming Running errands Cleaning Carries water Child care Gathers firewood
Hobbies and Sport
Group games Hide-and-Seek Running Reading Jump rope Singing Other ball games
Guardians
Grandmother
Natural Parents
Marital status of parents:	Now married
Natural parents are together Father is alive Father is supporting child Mother is alive Mother is supporting child
Employment
No Father or Male Guardian Mother/Female Guardian is at times employed Mother/Female Guardian is a farmer

She writes very sweet letters, and I send her a letter from myself every 2 to 4 weeks.  It has been a very fulfilling relatioship.  I have since added 2 more children to my account and write to them regularly as well.  I don't even pay for stamps because I write the letters via their web-site!!

Edward and his family

Edward with his father and sister-in-law

Above is Edward in school studying at his desk.  Below is Edward's sister-in-law fixing the family's meal.

Above is Edward's school, and below is the water pump.  He was telling me that the water pump does not work, but you can see by the sign that there is a phone number posted of who to call with any pump problems... I guess this doesn't work??

Above is Edward's bed and below is his house

Edward is one of my Mwana Hope/CHILDHOPE Zambia kids.  I have been sponsoring him for a year now.  He did a great job with his camera and took some awesome photos. 

Mwanza's New Photo

Mwanza sure has been growing up quickly!!  Check him out!  He will be 16 on August 5th.  He is still raising his brothers and sisters, and seems to have grown into a happy young man.  Such a change from when I first started sponsoring him.  You may remember that 3 years ago, he wasn't even in school, and had nothing to eat.  This is what sponsorship is all about!

Ana in Guatemala- Fundraiser #36 Response

Post by Katja:

This is the report for fundraiser #36 for Ana in Guatemala. Her family was in need of a wardrobe and Ana needed a bed and new clothes.
On the last day of last year John finished off the fundraiser and Ana was able to receive the things as a belated birthday gift (her birthday was at the beginning of January). There were 18 people, who helped me with this fundraiser and we were able to send $350 to Ana's family. Yay!
Ana was able to buy 1 wardrobe, 1 single bed, 3 pants, 3 blouses, 1 sweater, 1 pair of shoes and 6 underwear.

Here are the beautiful photos of my happy Ana with the things that she purchased with our money.

Ana's letter (written by her sister) is as follows:
"Ana greets you with much love wishing you are in good health along to your dear family and the people around you. She thanks you for the single bed, for the jeans and the blouses and for the pair of shoes, and the underwear and the sweater she was able to buy which were of great support to her. She says so long to you with much love and a huge hug."

Thank you so much to everybody who helped with this cause! I wouldn't have made it without you!!! A special thanks to John, who finished off the fundraiser, to Heather G. for creating the fundraising page and of course for Heather M. for getting everything started and going!

Leydi's 2011 Photo!

This is Leydi's most recent photo.  She looks to be trying to smile when she doesn't really feel like smiling.  She has had one big loss after another in her lifetime, and she is only 10!!  I wish I could scoop her up and hug her forever!  There is only so much I can do for her from so far away.  I hope the days become better for her!!

Dulce's 2011 Report!

Dulce's new photo and report:

Height: 4 Feet 7 Inches		Weight: 68 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Black
2. Attends School: Yes
3. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes: Playing with dolls, Running
Chores at Home: Running errands, General housework
Talents or Hobbies: Drawing, Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
4. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $100.00
5. Name of Father: Victor Manuel				Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Does not live at home at present
6. Name of Mother: Dulce Maria				Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
7. Brothers and Sisters:
8. Child lives with: Relatives
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
9. Description of Home: Three Bedrooms, Dining Room, Kitchen
Construction: Walls: Concrete block			Roof: Concrete		Floor: Concrete
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
10. Facilities and Services:
Water Source: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Goodbye, Diego!

Diego (in the middle) shown here with his friends has come a long way in the sponsorship program.  He was just a toddler when he entered the sponsorship program, so at 13 years old (he will turn 14 in July), he has been in the program for more than 80% of his lifetime.  You may remember his health issues that led me to ask Aura's House to add him as a project on their site.  His aunt was able to pay off her debts, and Diego was able to get many things that would improve his health. 

The fundraiser through Aura's House was a success, and it raised the family's standard of living.  Of course, that was the point of the fundraiser- we want all of our children to get out of poverty, right?!  I don't know if this is the reason, but I have a strong hunch- Diego's family has left the sponsorship area!  I hope they have moved into their own place, as the place they were staying in was not their own.  In my head (since that is all I have to go by), I imagine that they moved to a better neighborhood that is closer to Diego's school. 

While I am happy for the family, don't child departures just suck (and no, I do not want the other child they have chosen for me- bwah, bwah, bwah)!?!?!?

Muntanga and his family

Muntanga above in front of his house and below a profile shot of himself in the dark

Muntanga with his goat above and Muntaga's sister Memory (sponsored by Sara) below

Muntanga with his school notebook above and with his family below (mother, father, Memory and little Luse)

Muntanga's mother below fixing dinner

Muntanga had some great photos on his camera.  His younger sister Luse is still in need of a sponsor.  If you would like to sponsor her, send an e-mail to macandmic@gmail.com

Alex's Camera

Alex and Warring above (not sure who the guy is on the left) and Charles and the unknown boy below

The boy above looks like a Michelo.  Does anyone recognize him?  Below, Alex decide to photograph feet.  LOL!

Charles' Camera

Alex above with the electronic game filled with candy that I sent him and below the Kalalu children working at home

Charles' family above and below the place where they cook their food

Charles did not take any pictures of himself, as you can see.  His cousin whom he calls his brother is an orphan and spends a lot of time with Charles and his family.  The cousin's name is Alex.  Well, Charles took a photo of Alex, and then, Alex used his camera to take some photos of Charles.  You will see Charles in the photos that Alex took when I post them tomorrow. =)

Fanwell and his extended family

Fanwell above with his cousins and below with his grandmother, aunt, and cousins

Fanwell's house above and his bed below

The Magoye river above and the part of town where they go to buy things below

Fanwell playing football above and playing billiards below (pretty inventive, huh?!)

Fanwell is a child that I sponsor with Mack.  We started sponsoring him after we heard of how sick he was and how he needed immediate medical attention.  He still looks ill in a lot of these photos- like he is in pain.  I hope that he will start feeling better soon!  We have paid for him to see the doctor, and we will see what the outcome of that is... Maybe he can take extra vitamin supplements. 

Anyway, he did a great job with his camera.  I like the river photo and it is cool to see what the town looks like, too.  He looks happy with his extended family, so that makes me happy =)

Daniel and his Camera

Aren't these two adorable?!  I have no idea who they are because Daniel didn't fill out his scavenger hunt sheet, but I plan to ask him in my next letter when I send him the pictures.

Daniel's self-photo above and then, more pics of the cute little toddlers below

Daniel didn't do as well as some of my other kids did.  I noticed that the girls took the exercise a little more seriously than the boys- though I did have a couple of boys that did a good job as well.  The ones with the least amount of good photos were Daniel, Ashes, Alex and Charles... But, I did get SOME pictures, so it is still nice to see their surroundings.

Thandiwe's Pictures

Thandiwe above and below dishing out supper

Thandiwe's grandfather above and her bed below

Thandiwe lives with her grandfather.  The video that I have of her, she said that she lives with him because her mom died.  I am guessing that her father died as well.  She has such a sweet spirit.  When she spoke of her mother's death, she started to cry.  It really moved me because my father passed away when I was 9, so I know the loss that you feel from that. 

I had to add Thandiwe to my family.  I hope that our correspondence will fill the void of her parents in some small way.