First Giving Fundraiser & You're Invited

Everyone who is reading this post is invited to check out the First Giving Fundraiser page just launched: http://www.firstgiving.com/givelove This fundraiser has been set up for ANY sponsor with Children International that would like to raise funds for a special needs donation to their child/child's family. The details are on the First Giving page, so make sure to read it. I know that some of you have been able to get help through another fundraising web-site. However, I have made several failed attempts to the same web-site, as have many other sponsors. I am hoping that because we are a small fundraising group just starting out, we will be able to give everyone a chance to get funds raised for their child. At a later date, we would like to do bigger projects. For now, we are focusing on fundraisers between $125 and $200, in order to give everyone a chence to help their child.

Shortly, I will be listing the pending projects. For now, Robyn's child Janet is first up. She needs the money before she starts back to school May 1st! Janet is Project #1 for our fundraising site.

Project #2 is for Barbara's sponsored child Miguel in Mexico. Miguel has been struggling in school. He shares a bed with his parents. Barbara has promised him a new bed if he goes to school every day and improves his grades. It is her hope that he will have accomplished this by the time the fundraiser is complete. If not, she will be sending the money anyway. Being able to sleep in his own bed will probably improve his rest, and he will be more likely to do better in school. I will be posting the details of Project #2 tomorrow. In the meantime, make sure to stop by the First Giving page & show Robyn your support. Thank you, everyone!

Get your Special Requests Ready!

A big top secret project will be revealed tomorrow!

Victor & Mack's trip to Honduras Part 3

CI Day, Part 3 – Jonathan's House:

We went to visit Jonathan's house next, where I was able to meet his father and two teenage brothers. The family lives in a very nice house (by Honduran standards) in addition to having a fairly decent monthly income (again, by Honduran standards). I can only assume that the family's economic situation was worse when Jonathan was first enrolled with CI many years ago? In any case, I had selected Jonathan to sponsor because he was the closest child in age to Connor on the CI website. I had hoped when choosing Jonathan that he and Connor could become pen pals and possibly meet each other someday. I had no idea that it would be so soon!

We were invited into the house, and again we declined the offer of a drink. The first thing Jonathan showed me was the photographs I had sent him, which were on display (all the time or just for my visit, I don't know). Passing through the kitchen to the backyard, I saw that they had one of those big containers of purified water – like is in office buildings – so I requested a drink after all, since I was super thirsty. So, cups of water were handed out all around.

When everybody was settled into chairs in the backyard, I gave Jonathan the backpack full of goodies that I had brought for him. He did not seem very comfortable with the idea of opening it up and taking out each item like Carlos had with his gifts. The CI rep urged Jonathan into exploring the outside pockets, all the while clicking her camera and telling him to "smile", "hold that up", and "give Mack a hug". There was a somewhat awkward attitude of "you MUST love this person!", but Jon was amiable enough about it, if still a little embarrassed.

I let him off the hook, and did not insist that he finish opening the backpack. Instead, I took out the new soccer ball and shin guards I'd brought, along with the cap and jersey of Honduras' national futbol team. These gifts definitely got smiles. I happened to be wearing the jersey of Jonathan and his brothers' favorite local team (which I'd bought for myself because I liked the green color), so I'm sure that helped relations.

I decided I wanted to hold one of the family chickens, which offered some comic relief as everybody laughed while I chased the birds around the yard. Jon eventually cornered one and gave it to me. I asked if I could meet his dog, so the family began calling for him to come. Stewart is not much of a guard dog, because he was running around the neighborhood while his home was intruded upon by a gang of gringos! He was a nice dog, though – even if he refused to eat the treats I brought for him.

It was time to be on our way, so I said goodbye to Jonathan's father and brothers, and we all got back into the cars. The rest of the sponsored kids/mothers had waited in the front yard during our visit. This was the one downside, I think, to seeing them all on the same day – the lack of "privacy" when spending time with the individual families. At Carlos' we'd been alone, and Jon's house was OK, because we were mostly inside or in the backyard out of sight of the others. It was different at Wilson and Axel's house, but I'll tell you that story later.

Victor's thoughts: Not a lot to say on this section as this is about Mack's kid and I just sat back and let her have the floor, as it were. It did seem a bit awkward with the other families in the front of the house - I wondered if I should be hanging with them but both of the translators were (appropriately) with Jon and his family, so I would have been limited in my ability to communicate. I can speak some Spanish, but understanding it when spoken to me is a lot harder.

Jon seemed to be a fine young man - very well brought up and with a good family. I did find it amusing that both Carlos and Jon had dogs with English names (Blackie, Stuart) whereas my dog at home has a Central American name! (Cocoa)

Jon was clearly very happy with his gifts, but I think the translators felt that perhaps he should be as physically expressive about it as Carlos had been with me and that's just a difference in ages. Carlos was half his age and anybody who has been around kids knows that the younger set are a lot more likely to be demonstrative

Meet Victor's 3rd Sponsored Child Wilmer!

Sigh - this blog is entirely responsible for me picking up a third child, which I did on Friday. In the course of writing about one of my previous children, I referenced the search I had made to find him. I didn't remember if the search field said 'Boy/Girl' or 'Male/Female' and, wanting to be accurate, I went to the CI site to find out (It's Male, btw). Once there, and having a search cued up (Honduras/Male) I decided to run it just to see what popped up. I do this every so often - it's always dangerous - sort of like going into a pet store where you might get seduced by puppy eyes. I saw a couple of kids that I clicked on 'just for fun' - read the bio of the first but then moved on. Much as I'd like to, I can't help them all. But then I looked at the bio of the second one, a boy of five. I saw something that I had not seen before with any of the kids I'd ever looked at - he (and his one sibling) was being cared for by a single father. Right away, I felt God speaking to me and saying that this was a kid who I should be sponsoring - it wasn't a question of affording it - I knew I could - and in less than two minutes I made the final decision to take him on.

Obviously, I don't know anything about him other than what's in the family info sheet. His other sibling is a sister, a year younger than he is. I did learn something new - one of my other kid's father was named 'Desconocido' but when I noticed Wilmer's mother had the same 'name', I realized that it probably wasn't, in fact, a name. I looked it up and now I know that it's simply Spanish for unknown. I don't think that means the other parent doesn't know the name of the missing one (possible with a father, not at all possible with a mother) just that they didn't provide that information to CI.

Wilmer's father is young (28) and seems to have a job as a day laborer. I suspect a single man in his position with two small kids has a lot better prospects than a single woman would so my guess is that he won't be a single father for too long. I try to send each of my kids a special gift of $250 three to four times a year and I've just sent the first one to Wilmer. His write-up says they sleep on hammocks, so I suspect that a bed might be one of the first things they get. I never put conditions on my gifts - I let the family select whatever they need the most, so if they select choose other things than a bed, I won't be the least bit bothered.

I seem to have gotten lucky in at least one area, here. I had said that if I sponsored any more kids, I wanted them to be in the same town as one of my other boys. I couldn't tell from the backdrop used in Wilmer's photo if he was or not, but decided that it wasn't that important. But checking the fact sheets, one of my kids is in sub-project #6104 and he is in sub-project #6106 so they are probably very close to each other.

Of course, this gives me another reason to make a return visit to Honduras! Not that I mind, and fortunately I'm in South Florida so often and it's inexpensive to get down to Honduras from Miami.

1. Child's Full Name: Wilmer
Age: 5
Gender: M
Date of Birth: 11/14/2003
Height: 3 Feet 6 Inches
Weight: 47 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: No - Too young
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing soccer
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $105.00
6. Name of Father: Wilmer Gabriel Age: 28 Occupation: Daily Worker
7. Name of Mother: Desconocida Age: Occupation: (If not present, why?) Abandoned family
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Wendy Yamileth Age 4 Gender F
9. Child now living with: Father
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room Cooking Facilities: Earthen stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Hammock
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block Roof Corrugated metal Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services: Water Source/Storage: Running water in home Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Victor & Mack's Trip to Honduras Part 2

CI Day, Part 2 – The Other Community Center + The CI Reps:

We stopped next at another community center – the one near Jon and Wilson's houses. It was a much nicer looking place, at least from the outside. This one even had a playground. We did not get a tour of the inside, as we were anxious to take the kids shopping. In the back of my mind, I assumed that we would return there later, but we didn't. Next time I visit, I will definitely make sure to see the inside of the center!

Everybody was waiting in a large covered play area for our arrival: Jonathan and his mother + Wilson, Axel, and their mother + another CI representative.

We all greeted each other and posed for pictures before getting back into the cars and heading out. Both CI ladies came with us – I assume it was one from each project area? Or was it a group leader + a translator, like had been talked about in the visitor's brochure?

I kind of regret not paying more attention to the who's and why's of the representatives. I was too focused on the kids. Both women spoke English in addition to Spanish, so they were interchangeable as interpreters. Both were very friendly and accommodating. The reps seemed just as happy and excited about the visit as the kids and their families were! They were good (maybe a little TOO good, lol) at pushing the sponsors and children together, and making sure we were interacting with each other to the fullest degree.

The only slight complaint I have about our representatives was that they were sometimes discouraging about the extravagant purchases that we were making. I can see their point – kids whose families are hurting for food and other necessities really don't need a $35 toy! But what else were we supposed to do? I'm sure that visiting the modern mall was a lot of fun for children who seldom get to go to such places, but it was hardly an economical place to shop! We were paying only slightly less for things than we would have in the United States, when we would have been better off making our money stretch further for the family. I will have to think about a way to fix this problem next time. I have some ideas along those lines.

In any case, I thought that overall the CI representatives did an excellent job of organizing our group and moving us from one step to the next without being "bossy" or taking control away from the sponsors and what we wanted to do … if that makes any sense?

Victor's Thoughts: The second CI center (in El Progresso) was much nicer. I suspect it was a combination of being in a larger city and the result of some specific sponsor's generous gift. At the time I was much more focused on the kids and getting a move on than looking at the center. A large portion of the day was spent driving - this couldn't be helped because we wanted to see the kids' actual homes, so that meant two center visits, three home visits and then going back later to the three homes to drop the kids off at the end of the day. Because we were a group of five, we were in our own car. If I was there with just myself and perhaps one other person, I would see if I could ride in the CI van with the kids and the translators so I could spend more time with them. Also, for my next trip, I probably wouldn't feel the need to visit them at their houses again so more of the day could be spend doing some other activity given that time is limited.

The translators were very good at their job - with the size of the group it was very useful to have them both. I also had to fight the urge to flirt with one of them as she was quite pretty! They were very organized and I was quite impressed with how they handled the group.

Victor & Mack's trip to Honduras Part1

CI Day, Part One - Main office + Carlos' project + Carlos' house

We arrived at the main San Pedro Sula office at the agreed upon time of 8:30 am. There, we met a woman named Irene, who is the English-speaking liaison person. I had assumed that she would be the one accompanying us on our visit, but she explained that another sponsor was there that day to visit SIX kids, so she was assigned to that person.(This made it seem like they have sponsors coming and going continuously, but later our CI representative told us that we were only the third sponsors to come visit any of the 30,000+ kids in her project area.) (I'm not sure of the accuracy of this information, because she was talking about huge numbers of kids in each sub-section, but the CI website says there are only 20,000 kids served in all of San Pedro Sula.)Anyway, we were told that we would need to wait 45 minutes for another representative to arrive and collect us. A couple minutes later, Irene decided that to make things quicker we should drive our rental SUV to another project office and meet the CI van there. She sent a man in a white truck to guide us. He drove like a maniac, weaving in and out of traffic. At one point, he even lost us completely. We were kind of scared, having no clue where we were or if we'd even find him again! It was all my fault, I guess, because Irene had asked me if she should tell the truck driver to go slowly, and I said, "No, let's go fast. Victor is a good driver." We drove straight ahead blindly for maybe 15 minutes, and the truck was waiting for us at the next intersection.

After probably an hour since the time we'd left the main office, we arrived at another Children International building. We weren't sure where we were, exactly, but we got out of the car and went inside. It was a modest building, with lots of adults and kids going in and out. We never got a tour, but I saw rooms with Spanish labels over the doors saying "Library" and "Medical Services".Carlos (almost 8) and his mother were inside. Victor recognized them immediately from the photos he's received, so he went over to say "hi" and give hugs. Probably 5 minutes later, a woman approached me, introduced herself (sorry, but I don't remember her name) and asked where my friend, Victor, was (in the restroom). She said, "Carlos should be around here somewhere; let me find him." I replied that he was right over there, and we'd already met.Since everyone was together, we headed out to visit Carlos' home. Our group returned to our rental car, while the Carlos, his mom, his sister + the representative got into a large van that had been rented for the occasion. I think we get billed for that later.We drove maybe 20 minutes to the remote neighborhood where Carlos lives. The driver made a wrong turn at first, leading us off the highway onto the wrong little dirt road. I'm wondering how that mistake was made, since the family was in the car with him. Probably, they told him the wrong turn because they aren't used to driving to/from their house?Carlos' house was constructed of brick, and was nicer inside than Victor had anticipated. Of course, he had previously sent money for them to buy a door and put cement over the dirt floor.We were ushered into the living room where we sat down. We politely declined drinks, not knowing if the beverages offered would be contaminated. Victor took out the gifts he had brought for Carlos. The kid seemed a little bit uncomfortable with the flashing cameras and so much attention focused on him, but he was young enough to adapt OK. First, he pulled out and held up all of the items in the backpack that Victor bought him - mostly clothes. Then Victor started taking the toys from another duffel bag, which earned him even bigger smiles from Carlos. The gift-giving session ended with a grateful hug!I had brought a pretty box full of stuff for Carlos' 14-year-old sister, Mitza. I also brought boxes of toys for his brother, Jose (12), and one for Carlos. Then we learned that Carlos had another 6-ish aged brother that nobody knew about, so I hope he got Carlos' toy box. The two brothers were not there. The older boy was probably at school? The younger one was with a sitter, but we met him later.We posed as a group for photos with the family members who were present - Carlos, his mother, and his sis. There is no father in the picture (both literally and figuratively). The representative asked if it would be OK if Mitza came shopping with us. The girl demurely shook her head, but it was obvious that she wanted to come. Of course, we didn't mind. I would have liked to take ALL the siblings of our sponsored kids out, but the van wasn't big enough for that.In the yard, we met Carlos' dog, Blackie. I knew that my Jonathan had a dog, so I'd brought plenty of treats - with extras, in case the other boys also had dogs - so Blackie scarfed down some Beggin' Strips.Now, it was time to get back into the cars and travel 40 minutes to the town where the rest of the boys live.

Victor’s Thoughts: Driving in Honduras was quite an experience. I realized right away you can’t drive ‘defensively’ like they teach you in drivers ed – you’ll never get anywhere. I soon figured out that the best thing was to think of it like a videogame and just go for it. Once I had my mind oriented that way it was both easier and kind of fun. Of course, my passengers might have had other thoughts on the matter!

I had expected we would meet Carlos at his house and was not expecting him at the center. It caught me a little off guard – I had intended compose a short greeting to him in Spanish but didn’t have the time and was lucky to get out “Hola, Carlos”, but I did get down on one knee and let him give me a hug. I didn’t want to overwhelm him – there were five of us in the group so I sort of let him get used to us before trying to interact with him much. Somehow he was smaller than I was expecting – probably because in all the pictures I’ve seen of him, he’s standing next to his very petite mother so my mental scale was off. But it was very nice to see this child I’d only had pictures of for the past three years actually in the flesh.

It was nice to see the difference that the improvements to the house had made – A couple hundred dollars here and there – while not much to me, had clearly given Carlos and his family a somewhat better quality of life. I brought an equal amount of clothes and toys and showed him the clothes first – saving the toys for last as I knew he’d like those better! He seemed to like the clothes a lot too, not as much as his mother did, though. I’d put the clothes in a new backpack which I also gave him as well. I also gave the family a framed picture of myself which they put up next to the TV – apparently a place of honor in a Honduran household since the same thing happened with my next child. Carlos was a very happy little boy when I had finished giving him everything and it was worth every penny to me just to see his smile.

Meet Victor's 2nd sponsored child Axel!

Victor's Second Child, Axel
I started sponsoring Axel in June 2008 after losing a child to a miscarriage. It seemed like a good response to what was otherwise a rather upsetting event. I didn't care about age that time - just searched Honduras/Male and saw what that brought up. He was on the first page, but I went through the entire list before I went with my gut and picked him. It's always a bit of an odd feeling when you pick one - you want to pick them all, of course, and I sometimes feel bad for the ones I don't choose but you can only do so much. The fact that Axel was being raised by a youngish single mother was part of the consideration, as I felt she probably really needed the help.

Axel and his family live in the hills overlooking the small city of El Progresso - a half-hour drive from San Pedro Sula. Their house is comprised of a concrete room perhaps 12 foot square which serves as sleeping quarters for Axel and his immediate family as well as their living room and an adjoining ramshackle tin structure which is where they cook and the extended family sleeps. As I have been sponsoring him for less than a year, the special gifts I have sent down have gone more on things such as a bed and fan for Axel rather than any home improvements. I never put conditions on what the family uses the money for - I feel they (with CI's guidance) are the best judges of what their most pressing needs are - but I hope that they are able to make some improvements over the next couple of years. The toilet and bathing area are both outdoors and seem reasonably hygienic if not ideal.

Axel just turned ten two months ago and his favorite subject is math. He's a tad short for his age, but not out of the norm and seems quite healthy in all respects. His mother and grandmother are both lovely people - very friendly and quite vocally appreciative of Axel being sponsored. Axel said twice in his first letters to me that he would like "to know me through a picture". I think he was quite pleased and surprised when I delivered the requested picture in person! His favorite futbol team is Olympia - one of the things I was able to buy for him was a team jersey so he can proudly show off his allegiance. He has one older brother and three sisters; one older and two younger. Overall, he is a very friendly and playful boy and I consider myself lucky to have him as one of my sponsored children.

Age: 10
Gender: M
Date of Birth: 2/26/1999
Height: 4 Feet 2 Inches
Weight: 59 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any:
3. Attends School: Yes 4.
Favorite School Subjects: Grammar/Math
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $105.00
6. Name of Father: Desconocido Age: Occupation: (If not present, why?) Abandoned family
7. Name of Mother: Wendy Yamileth Age: 29 Occupation: Homemaker (If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Sayda Julissa Age 11 Gender F
Name Soreli Nicolle Age 7 Gender F
Name Wilson Jose Age 12 Gender M
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Earthen stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Folding beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block Roof Corrugated metal Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services: Water Source/Storage: Running water in home Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Victor's 1st sponsored child Carlos!

Victor's First Child - Carlos

I started sponsoring back in 1991 when my grandfather passed away and left me a fairly decent inheritance that I was not at all expecting. I had wanted to do something to honor him and I hit upon the idea of sponsoring a child - an idea that I got from my mother. She was the head of our church's Sunday School and one of the things our collection went for was the sponsorship of a child in Lebanon.

I picked up Carlos in 2006. I wanted to sponsor a very young child as the ones I'd had before, I'd started at around age 10 or so. He was four at the time and when I saw his picture on the CI website, I got this feeling (which I tend to think is from God) that he was the one I should choose. I have picked kids from Honduras because it's a stable country and close enough to think that I might one day visit, though at that point, it would have been problematic. I was married at the time and my ex was unaware that I was a CI sponsor - she was VERY strange about money and I simply found it easier not to say anything than have an argument about how I chose to spend my funds. For years, other than my secretary who gave me my mail, I chose to keep it to myself.

Carlos lives in a town called Saint Rita - about a forty-five minute drive from San Pedro Sula. He's nearly eight; his birthday is the end of this month. He hasn't learned to write yet; his teenage sister has written all of his letters for him so far. Of course, he always draws a nice picture to go with them. He has two adult siblings, a teenage sister and two other brothers - one twelve and one six (though that one is not listed on the family record). His 12yo brother is sponsored - I don't think the 6yo is and I am currently looking at sponsoring him myself. Carlos is being raised by his mother with lots of help from the older siblings. Their house is concrete walls with a tin roof that seems very watertight, and they do have electricity and a TV set in the house. They have been able to make some improvements with special gifts I have sent down - laying a concrete floor and buying a new front door among them - and Carlos was able to get his own bed and an electric fan as well. He has a dog named Blackie (who looks quite well cared for) and his favorite subject is math. His favorite futbol team is Olympia - the most successful team (and, not uncoincidentally, the most popular) in Honduras.

Age: 7
Gender: M
Date of Birth: 4/28/2001
Height: 4 Feet 2 Inches Weight: 60 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any:
None 3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with toys and cars, Playing soccer
Chores at Home: Running errands, Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $147.00
6. Name of Father: Mariano Age: 64 Occupation: (If not present, why?) Abandoned family
7. Name of Mother: Maria Age: 48 Occupation: Homemaker (If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Cinthia Age 23 Gender F
Name Jose Alexi Age 11 Gender M
Name Mitza Josselin Age 15 Gender F
Name Selvin Age 18 Gender M
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Earthen stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Folding beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block Roof Corrugated metal Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services: Water Source/Storage: Running water in home Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Efrain's 9th sponsored child Alyson Rebeca!

Efrain's own words:

Alyson is my nineth sponsored child with Children International, my seventeenth sponsored child ever, and my most recent sponsorship. Alyson was another impulsive sponsorship. Almost exactly what happened with Rovelyn, happened with her. I entered CI homepage and right there was her picture. Her smile bought me (as opposed to Rovelyn who did it with her innocent eyes). Alyson is seven years old. She lives in Ecuador with her father,mother, three brothers and two sisters. Alyson doesn't write her own letters yet. Her first letter was written by her mother. She says that Alyson is very loving with the whole family; that she likes to help in the house; that she likes to draw and paint. She likes the red color; and her favorite fruits are banana and apple. I once asked CI to take pictures of Carolyn with her family. Those pictures show a very sweet girl, the prettiest among all of her siblings. She smiled broadly and brightly. Those pictures also show a house made of canes that looks very weak. I'll see what I could do about it.

Here is her bio:

Age: 7
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 12/19/2001
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Height: 3 Feet 10 Inches
Weight: 41 Pounds
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Painting
Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $200.00
6. Name of Father: Andrés Fernando
Age: 32
Occupation: Laborer
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Marisol Yadira
Age: 33
Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Angye Raquel
Age 3
Gender F
Name Arturo
Age 1
Gender M
Name David
Age 15
Gender M
Name Josué Andrés
Age 9
Gender M
Name Yajaira Yadira
Age 13
Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Wooden beds
Home Construction: Walls Split Cane
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Wood
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Delivered by truck in barrel
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Septic tank

Meet Efrain's 8th sponsored child Carolyn Andrea!

Efrain's own words:

Carolyn is my eighth sponsored child with Children International, and my sixteenth sponsored child ever.Carolyn was a child I chose from a booklet that CI sent to me asking me to sponsor a child from their waiting list. I took the booklet and did certain choices on it. Carolyn was my second choice. When I called CI to sponsor a child from that booklet, my first choice was already sponsored. So Carolyn became my new sponsored child. Carolyn is eight years old. She lives in Honduras with her father,mother, and one brother. She writes her own letters. Carolyn has a clear and pretty handwriting. Carolyn is a very loving child. After Jose Antonio, she is the most loving of my sponsored children. She is also the one who more readily anwers my questions. It was funny that the first letter I got from her, she told me that she was pretty. Of course, I told her that I already knew that by seeing her pictures. :-)I recently made a special donation for her. Her pictures show an obviously happy girl. She wears a broad smile beside her mother while showing what they bought; mostly clothes and food. Carolyn is very sweet. I'm glad I sponsored her.

Here is her bio:

Age: 8
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 2/2/2001
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Height: 4 Feet 0 Inches
Weight: 55 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $63.00
6. Name of Father: Jose Luis
Age: 30
Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Sulmary Suyapa
Age: 25
Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Hedryn Josue
Age 2
Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Electric burner
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Efrain's 7th sponsored child Regine!

Efrain's own words:

Regine is my seventh sponsored child with Children International, my fifteenth sponsored child ever, and the third sponsored girl from the Philippines.The process I followed to choose her was very deliberate. I went to CI's website and browsed through the search results for girls in more or less an age range of 5 to 10 years old. I collected a number of pictures renaming them with the name of the child, formed a collage with all of them and then I showed it to various people. It was funnyto notice that various people were reluctant to see the pictures because they wrongly thought that I was asking them to sponsor a child. Once I had all the feedback, I chose Regine. Regine is nine years old. She lives with her father, mother, one brother, and one sister. As with Jinky, I just downloaded her last yearly picture the day after I downloaded Jinky's, most likely the one you see posted here. I'm still waiting for her big smile. She writes her own letters. All of my filipinas, and Regine is no exception, have a clear and pretty handwriting. Regine's handwriting is almost a work of art. I recently made a special donation for her. Her pictures show an obviously happy girl. It can be seen in her eyes. Her smile is characteristically not big, but I know her enough now to see it in her eyes.

Here is her bio:
Age: 9
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 9/24/1999
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Height: 4 Feet 1 Inches
Weight: 46 Pounds
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Languages
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with friends, Playing indoor games, Playing outdoor games
Chores at Home: Running errands, Mopping
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Filipino

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $175.00
6. Name of Father: Redentor
Age: 38
Occupation: Driver
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Nelly Jean
Age: 34
Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Ivan
Age 5
Gender M
Name Tiffany
Age 2
Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room
Cooking Facilities: Portable gas stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Metal beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community Pump
Electricity: Non-regulated usage
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Efrain's 6th sponsored child Jinky!

Efrain's own words:

Jinky is my sixth sponsored child with Children International and my fourteenth sponsored child ever. Jinky is another girl from thePhilippines. When I sponsored her, I didn't had in mind to sponsor another child. It was another impulsive sponsorship. I just went to the CI website and browsed the girls pictures. As Rovelyn did, so did Jinky. She bought my heart with her sad innocent look (in that picture).

Jinky is eleven years old. She lives with his father, mother, and four brothers.I just downloaded her last yearly picture yesterday afternoon, most likely the one you see posted here. I was wishing for a long time to see that smile. On every picture (save for the previous yearly picture), if she smiles, it is a half smile with the lips closed. She looks just adorable in this picture.When I sponsored Jinky, her records said that she slept on the floor with a mat. My inquiries on this matter revealed that there was little room left for a bed but that a sofa bed would do. So I donated for her sofa bed. Yet, her next child progress report said that she still slept on the floor with a mat. I asked about this. CI inquired on this and I got in reply four pictures of Jinky sitting on her sofa bed. It turns out that by the time they made the report, she preferred to sleep on the floor since it was the hottest season of the year.

It has been said that it's wrong to have favorites. Yet I think most people do have favorites. I confess up front that among my sponsored children, Jinky is my favorite. I have never told her so, nor I have told so to anyone of my other sponsored children; but I always tell it to anyone who wants to know about my children. She is not the most affectionate nor the prettiest among my sponsored children, yet I tend to prefer her. I don't know why, but Jinky always stands out.

Here is her bio:
Age: 11
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 8/24/1997
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Height: 4 Feet 7 Inches
Weight: 73 Pounds
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Languages
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing outdoor games, Playing with friends
Chores at Home: Washing dishes
Talents or Hobbies: Singing
Languages Spoken: Filipino

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $197.00
6. Name of Father: Ildefonso
Age: 50
Occupation: Watchman
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Lucille
Age: 45
Occupation: Maid
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Elicille
Age 20
Gender M
Name Jason
Age 19
Gender M
Name Jayrald
Age 17
Gender M
Name Jeffrey
Age 16
Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Efrain's 5th sponsored child Rovelyn!

Efrain's own words:

Rovelyn is my fifth sponsored child with Children International and my thirteenth sponsored child ever. I sponsored her to break the"dominican-children-only" rule; she is from the Philippines. I had already broken the girls-only rule, so I decided to break this rule too. Yet I didn't enter CI's website with the express intention of sponsoring another child. I just saw her picture on CI's home page andher tender eyes bought me. You can see the picture that did this on the page located at http://www.liftoneproject.org/goto/caroe. The picture I speak about at that page is the one that did this.

Rovelyn is my first filipina ever. Previously, I had sponsored children from Haiti, Nicaragua, and The Dominican Republic; althought by the time I sponsored Rovelyn, I only had children from the Dominican Republic. Rovelyn is nine years old. She lives with his father, mother, one brother and one sister.

From all of my sponsored children, the most satisfying experience I have had came from a special donation I made to Rovelyn for a bed.When I got her pictures, picturing her sitting on her brand new bed with the broadest smile I have ever seen on my sponsored children, I just can say that it was worth way beyond each penny spent. It is the happiest memory I have of my sponsorship experiences. I might have a much better experience when I go visit one of them and he/she receives me with great excitement. If that ever happens, it will surpass this experience. But up to now, this is my best sponsorship memory, thanks to a little girl that lives far away called Rovelyn.

Here is her bio:
Age: 9
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 1/17/2000
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Height: 4 Feet 0 Inches
Weight: 47 Pounds
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Languages, Reading
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with friends, Playing with dolls, Playing outdoor games
Chores at Home: Washing dishes, Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Singing, Drawing
Languages Spoken: Filipino

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $117.00
6. Name of Father: Roderick
Age: 32
Occupation: Laborer
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Eva
Age: 34
Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Princess Joy
Age 6
Gender F
Name Van Harold
Age 3
Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Coal stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Metal beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community Pump
Electricity: Non-regulated usage
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Efrain's 4th sponsored child Jose Antonio!

Efrain's own words:

Jose Antonio is my fourth sponsored child with Children Internationaland my twelveth sponsored child ever. I sponsored him with the already set idea of breaking the "girls-only" rule. Many people had been joking about a discrimination against boys that I had been supposedly doing. I was not feeling forced to do so, but I toyed with the idea and decided to do it. I browsed Dominican boys at the CI website and chose Jose Antonio.

Jose Antonio is not my first sponsored boy ever. Previously, I sponsored one boy with the other charity. It was at a time when I just called the charity and asked to sponsor a child. They made the choice for me.

Jose Antonio is already twelve years old. He lives with his father,mother, two brothers and one sister. He tells me that his sister,Soranyi, is very loving to him.

Until recently, I have been under the impression that girls were more expressive and loving in their writing. I even didn't believe certain sponsors who told that girls were too independent to be actually very loving. Well, Jose Antonio turns out to be the most loving of my sponsored children. Or at least that's the impression I get through his letters. He openly and directly says that he loves me; maybe just one of my sponsored girls have done so and not to the extent that Jose Antonio does. He entered school relatively recently, so his handwriting is not as good as the girls that are near his age, but his handwriting is easy to read.

Here is his bio:
Age: 12
Gender: M
Date of Birth: 3/19/1997
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Height: 4 Feet 6 Inches
Weight: 70 Pounds
Hair Color: Black
Eye Color: Black
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Grammar, Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with toys and cars, Playing baseball
Chores at Home: Running errands, Taking out the trash
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $186.00
6. Name of Father: Saturnino
Age: 40
Occupation: Small Store Operator
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Leoncia
Age: 33
Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Luis David
Age 14
Gender M
Name Marbin Noel
Age 15
Gender M
Name Soranyi M.
Age 10
Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Living Room
Cooking Facilities: Portable gas stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Wood
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Efain's 3rd Sponsored child Leidy Altagracia!

Efrain's own words:
Leidy Altagracia is my third sponsored child with Children International and my eleventh sponsored child ever. I sponsored Leidyon an impulse; I entered CI's website and next time I was aware of I was sponsoring a new girl :-). Well, it's not that dramatic, but you know, I couldn't refuse to sponsor her.
Leidy is from the Dominican Republic. She lives with her father,mother and one brother. She likes to play with dolls and likes to playvolleyball. I have already heard that volleyball is a common hobby around DR. She also likes singing and dancing. I bet she would be tooshy to dance for me whether I ever visit her.
I endearingly call her "mi princesita" (my little princess). I tell her that she has a name of a princess. She is still too young to writeby herself, but she is already in school, so I expect this to change soon.
Leidy Altagracia has been my last girl I have sponsored from theDominican Republic. After her, I sponsored a boy from the DominicanRepublic also and after the boy, I sponsored a Filipina girl. I enjoywriting in my native language (Spanish), so I'm eager for Leidy to begin writing her letters by herself. I suspect they will be very affectionate.



Here's her bio:
Age: 7
Gender: F
Date of Birth: 5/10/2001
Height: 3 Feet 8 Inches
Weight: 44 Pounds
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls, Playing volleyball
Chores at Home: Washing dishes, Sweeping, Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Singing, Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $150.00
6. Name of Father: Félix
Age: 33
Occupation: Driver
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Enelsida
Age: 30
Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Leo Fabio
Age 9
Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block
Roof Corrugated metal
Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Jonathan is on his way to a new BED!!!

The money for Jonathan's bed was sent this morning. I can't wait to see how it will look when he gets it!!! Thank you Robyn for your donation to the bed fund!!! The Wiggles shirts are not selling well at all, and so the sales are going in a negative direction (The Ebay fees are taking away the profit). Luckily, it was my turn the funraiser rotation, so I was able to pick up money from that to make up for the negative return on Ebay. Hopefully, the Wiggles shirts will sell better in the summer (as well as the other things that I usually sell at that time)... Now, about the bed. I sent Jonathan a note to go with the donation. It goes like this:

Querido Jonathan,
Te mando el dinero para comprarte una cama nueva. Espero que la cama que compres, te haga sentir mejor de salud. Me gustan muchisimo tus cartas y fotos. Peinso en ti y en tu abuelita cada dia. Merecen lo mejor de todo en la vida. Los quiero mucho. Por favor, darle un beso y abrazote a tu abuela para me. Besos y abrazos para ti tambien.
Con amor y carino,
Heather

(Dear Jonathan,
I am sending you the money to buy your new bed. I hope that the bed make you feel better. I love your letters and photos. I think about you and your grandmother every day. You deserve the best of everything in life. I love you both very much. Please give your grandmother a kiss and a big hug. Kisses and hugs to you, too.
With love and affection,
Heather)

Meet Efrain's 2nd Sponsored child Yokaira!

In Efrain's own words:

Yokaira is my second sponsored child with Children International and actually my tenth sponsored child ever. I have been a sponsor since1992. I have sponsored 8 children through other charity before sponsoring children from CI, and I still sponsor 3 of them. When the time came when I had to say goodbye to one of my girls, Maria Eugenia, from the other charity, I decided that I'll sponsor two new girls to replace my beloved Maria. Yokaira was one of them.

Yokaira is a beautiful brown-eyed little girl from the DominicanRepublic. It's funny, her yearly pictures have always shown a girl with a hard look, maybe the last one is the exception. Her father died and she lives with her mother and six siblings. She is still too young to write her letter by herself. I'm already encouraging her to do so. I want her to write her own letters by herself as soon as she's able to.

Here is her bio:

Age: 6	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 3/17/2002
Height: 3 Feet 10 Inches		Weight: 49 Pounds		Hair Color: Blond		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art, Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls, Playing with friends
Chores at Home: Running errands, Taking out the trash
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $137.00
6. Name of Father: Sergio Antonio			Age: 37	Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
7. Name of Mother: Digna			Age: 42	Occupation: Factory Worker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Altagracia		Age 15	Gender F	Name Fhreidin		Age 8	Gender M
Name José Ariel		Age 16	Gender M	Name Marilyn		Age 9	Gender F
Name Yaritza		Age 8	Gender F	Name Yudelissa		Age 16	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Dining Room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Concrete		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Mack's 3rd Sponsored Child, Mercy!‏

Mack's own words:

I had to choose my third sponsored child carefully, because I'm (currently) limiting myself to three. I had a few important things I was looking for when I sought out my this sponsorship:

1. I had two sponsored boys already, so I knew I wanted a girl.
2. I had two older kids already, so I wanted a little one.
3. I wanted to sponsor in Zambia, because it's a country I'd like to visit someday.

It just so happened that my friend, Heather, was already sponsoring an adorable 7-year-old Zambian girl named Mercy. Heather had also taken on several new children with HIV, so she did not mind the idea of me "adopting" Mercy from her. Thanks, Heather!

I don't know a lot about Mercy yet, as she is too young to write for herself. Her mother reports that her daughter is happy and enjoys showing off the pictures I've sent when she has friends over to the house … just like I show off Mercy's photos to MY friends! I hope as this little girl grows older and continues her schooling (she IS in school, despite what her report says), she will have fun writing me letters and sharing more about herself. In the meantime, people can learn more about Mercy by watching the slide show presentation featuring her that CI shot a few years ago:

( www.children.org Look for the archived slideshows. She is in the Easter slide show from 2008, I believe)
Here is her bio:

Age: 7	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 7/7/2001
Height: 3 Feet 7 Inches		Weight: 33 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: No - Family lacks money
4. Favorite School Subjects:
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Drawing, Playing with friends, Playing outdoor games
Chores at Home: Carrying water
Talents or Hobbies: Drawing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Nyanja
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $40.00
6. Name of Father: Richard			Age:	Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
7. Name of Mother: Musano			Age: 26	Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Catherine		Age 0	Gender F	Name Derrick		Age 5	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Coal stove
Sleeping Accommodations: The floor with a mat
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community faucets
Electricity: Not available
Sanitary Facility: Community latrine

Meet Mack's 2nd Sponsored Child, Wilson!‏

Directly from Mack:

I chose to sponsor my second child, Wilson, age 12, because he is the older brother of my friend's child, Axel, and I wanted to have my own connection to the family. Wilson had never been enrolled with Children International when I offered to sponsor him, presumably because he was too old when his mother discovered the program. Still, he had attended school prior to sponsorship and is at the correct grade level for his age. In fact, Wilson is in the same grade as my first child, Jonathan, who is a 1.5 years older! The boys are in different classrooms, however, because Jonathan's math skills have placed him in an advanced program.

Wilson is a very well-mannered and confident boy, likely a result of him being the oldest of five siblings. His whole family is warm and vivacious - especially his single mother, Wendy, who quite possibly smiles more than any other person I've ever met.

Wilson's family is also very poor. He, his brother, his three sisters, and his mother live in a small house made of wooden slates and tin. Also residing in the same two-room shack are Wilson's grandmother, two aunts, and two small cousins. That's eleven people in an area about the size of my garage!

There are quite a few pets at Wilson's house. My favorite is his adorable turtle (even though it bites). His family also has a rabbit and the usual assortment of chickens and ducks. There is a dog, too, but not for much longer. I would have inquired about a veterinarian, but it looked like the poor pup was beyond that point.

Overall, I think Wilson is a very lucky kid. He has a large, fun-loving family, and people would kill for the view off the side of his mountain. There are more important things in life than money!

Here is his bio:

Age: *12* Gender: *M* Date of Birth: *6/7/1996*
Height: *4* Feet *9* Inches Weight: *86* Pounds Hair Color: *Brown*
Eye Color: *Brown*
2. Health problems, if any: *None*
3. Attends School:* Yes*
4. Favorite School Subjects:* Mathematics*
Favorite Pastimes or Sports:* Playing soccer, Listening to music*
Chores at Home: * Running errands, General housework*
Talents or Hobbies:* Drawing, Painting*
Languages Spoken:* Spanish*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:*
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): *$105.00*
6. Name of Father: *Desconocido* Age: ** Occupation: **
(If not present, why?)* Abandoned family*
7. Name of Mother: *Wendy Yamileth* Age: *29* Occupation: *Homemaker*
(If not present, why?)* *
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name *Axel David* Age *10* Gender *M* Name *Sayda Julissa* Age *11*
Gender *F*
Name *Soreli Nicolle* Age *7* Gender *F*
9. Child now living with: * Mother*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:*
10. Description of Home:* One Bedroom, Living Room, Kitchen *
Cooking Facilities:* Earthen stove *
Sleeping Accommodations:* Sleeps on the floor with mattress*
Home Construction: Walls * Concrete block* Roof * Corrugated metal*
Floor * Concrete*
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage:* Running water in home*
Electricity:* Available*
Sanitary Facility:* Latrine*

Meet Mack's 1st Sponsored Child, Jonathan!‏

(For the sake of the blog, I will refer to Mack's sponsored child as Jon, since I already have a Jonathan as well). Mack has written some sentences to tell more about Jon:

I was very fortunate to find my first child, Jonathan. When a friend encouraged me to sponsor through Children International, I knew right away that I wanted to support an older boy who spoke Spanish. My hope was that my 14-year-old godson, who takes Spanish language lessons at his high school, would be able to write letters and bond with my sponsored child.

My initial search for a teenager on the CI website led me to Jonathan, a 13-year-old Honduran boy who fit my needs perfectly! I didn't realize until later how lucky I was to find Jonathan, as teens seldom appear in the CI listings. Children his age either have sponsors already, or are considered too old to enroll in the program. I learned that Jonathan's third sponsor had suddenly "quit", and that I am his fourth.

Connor, my godson, has not yet written a letter to Jonathan (he is still in his first year of Spanish classes), but he got an even better opportunity – he was able to go with me to visit Jonathan in February of 2009! By then, the two boy's ages were 14 and 15, and they had a wonderful time together playing basketball and air hockey (which Jon won) at the mall.

A little bit about Jonathan:

* Jonathan is short for his age and a slightly shy boy who loves to have fun once he's drawn out of his shell. He has a beautiful, big smile, but sometimes needs coaxing before he will share it with the world.

* Jonathan is the youngest of three brothers. His two older siblings still live at home, and the brothers all share a love for the local San Pedro Sula futbol team, Marathon (pronounced M-are-uh-tan?).

* He lives in a very nice home, and his family (both mother and father are present) has a reasonable and stable income (by local standards) of over $250 per month. I assume that their financial situation was worse when Jonathan first enrolled in the CI program.

* He has a dog named "Stewart" and also a number of pet chickens (or future dinners?).

* Jonathan's best subject is math, and favorite activities are drawing and playing sports.

Now, here is his bio:

Age: *14* Gender: *M* Date of Birth: *1/19/1995*
Height: *4* Feet *11* Inches Weight: *80* Pounds Hair Color: *Black*
Eye Color: *Black*
2. Health problems, if any: *Child requires dental care*
3. Attends School:* Yes*
4. Favorite School Subjects:* Mathematics*
Favorite Pastimes or Sports:* Playing soccer*
Chores at Home: * General housework, Running errands*
Talents or Hobbies:* Singing, Drawing*
Languages Spoken:* Spanish*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:*
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): *$253.00*
6. Name of Father: *Jose Angel* Age: *44* Occupation: *Tailor*
(If not present, why?)* *
7. Name of Mother: *Bessy Suyapa* Age: *42* Occupation: *Homemaker*
(If not present, why?)* *
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name *Jimi Jose* Age *15* Gender *M* Name *Jose Angel* Age *17* Gender *M*
Name *Merlin Yamileth* Age *21* Gender *F*
9. Child now living with: * Parents*

*INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:*
10. Description of Home:* One multi-use room, Living Room, Kitchen *
Cooking Facilities:* Electric burner *
Sleeping Accommodations:* Beds*
Home Construction: Walls * Concrete block* Roof * Corrugated metal*
Floor * Concrete*
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage:* Running water in home*
Electricity:* Available*
Sanitary Facility:* Toilet*