Meet Barbara's 7th sponsored child Eloina!

This is what Barbara wrote about why she chose Eloina from Guatemala as her 7th sponsored child:

My sponsorship of Eloina was a big surprise in more ways than one as I had determined that I could only afford to sponsor the maximum of six children. Had she lived my Mother would have reached 100 years old in 2008 and I had searched my brains for someway original to commemorate the event and leave a lasting legacy. After much soul searching I came up with the idea to sponsor a boy from Honduras with her birthdate. Suffice to say I wasn't able to find boy or girl in any country with that particular birthdate. But in the end I found Eloina in Guatemala with my Mother's sweet look born on my own birthdate - so I became her new sponsor in June of 2008.

Eloina lives in a community about seven miles from Guatemala City and enjoys going to a nearby park at the weekend with her elder sister and Mother who is a single parent. Evidently, she also reading with them some of the books that I have already sent to her. I believe that she has just started school so am waiting to hear how she likes it."

And here is her bio:

Age: 5	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 10/19/2003
Height: 3 Feet 2 Inches		Weight: 31 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: No - Too young
4. Favorite School Subjects:
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: General housework
Talents or Hobbies: Painting, Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $195.00
6. Name of Father: Unknown			Age:	Occupation:
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Edith			Age: 32	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Mileidy V.		Age 9	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Mother
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 Concrete		Floor Tile
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

More for the bed fundraiser

Cat tote bag
Dog tote bag
Cat shoulder bag
Dog shoulder bag

In an effort to HOPEFULLY raise fund faster for the beds that are still needed for Jonathan, Diego and Leydi, I have added these 4 tote & shoulder bags to my Ebay store. The Ebay link is still on the upper right hand side of this blog. The Wiggles shirts (that once were selling so well) and not doing so well now. I think Ebay does better in the summer months, so if all else fails, maybe we can finish the fundraiser in the summer. Of course, I really hope it ends sooner than that... We'll see.

Meet Barbara's 6th sponsored child Crismairy!

Crismairy lives in the Dominican Republic. Here is what Barbara wrote: Crismairy is my sixth sponsored child and chosen for an unusual reason. For the past twenty years I have been doing intensive research on the life and family of Simon Fraser, explorer. During that time I was able to discover his birthdate which had eluded even the most eminant historians. The year 2008 was the bicentary of his amazing exploration of the Fraser River so I decided to sponsor another child to commemorate the occasion with the same birthday of 20th May. Crismairy fit the criteria and so I began sponsoring her about August 2007.

Crismairy lives with her young parents and two older and one younger siblings. Even though both parents work their income is on average only about $150.00 per month. Like many other Dominicans she loves to play baseball and also volley ball. She also likes to dance the 'merengue'. I had planned to visit her on her birthday this year but my plans had to be cancelled due to the financial crisis and low Canadian dollar. Instead I will be making a Special Needs donation to the family so that they can finish their bathroom., Perhaps, I will be able to meet Crismairy in person in the future and to watch her dance the merengue!

And here is her bio:

Age: 5	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 5/20/2003
Height: 3 Feet 9 Inches		Weight: 40 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Black
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art, Writing
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing volleyball, Playing baseball
Chores at Home: Sweeping, 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): $150.00
6. Name of Father: Francisco			Age: 28	Occupation: Janitor
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Juana			Age: 37	Occupation: Factory Worker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Franklin		Age 3	Gender M	Name Jeffrey		Age 11	Gender M
Name Yoselin		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: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community faucets
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Barbara's 5th sponsored child Pearl!

Pearl is from the Philippines. Here is what Barbara wrote regarding Pearl:

This is a brief bio for Pearl since I have not been able to visit her and doubt that I ever will due to the distance and very hot climate.

All of my sponsored children were chosen for a reason or to celebrate an event. In the case of Pearl she was a birthday present for myself for a special birthday and hers was the closest to mine - besides she was very cute too!! I began sponsoring her in September, 2006.

She is the youngest of a family of five with two older siblings, a brother and a sister. Pearl Daphne is possibly the most clever of all my seven children. She wrote her first letter to me when she was only five in beautiful hand-writing with well spaced words. She names all the dolls that I send her and loves to read particularly rhyming fairy tales. She is always so grateful for the things that I send her in direct packages particularly dolls and Hallowe'en dress up clothes.

At the end of last year I sent the family a Special Needs donation so that they could buy a much needed table and five chairs as well as many food items. Evidently, Pearl was so exited to be able to choose it from the large shopping mall and that she would be able to use it to do her homework. Mother Joan was equally delighted that the family would now all be able to eat together. They received it just in time to be able to use it for the Filipino Christmas Eve celebration

I always carefully check out all the photos from Quezon City just in case Pearl might appear. My persistance was rewarded when she was featured in the Feb 27th CI Blog "Sam in the Philippines". Pearl is shown in the 10th and last photo for that day with the footnote "Friday ended with sponsored children, excited to hear about their sponsors and excited to send a message of thanks back." As you can imagine I was delighted to see Pearl Daphne and her Mother, Joan, included in the photo.

Though Pearl is still very young she has great potential and I am sure that she will do very well in life.

And here is her bio:

Age: 6	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 10/16/2002
Height: 4 Feet 0 Inches		Weight: 56 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with friends
Chores at Home: Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Singing, Dancing
Languages Spoken: Filipino
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $194.00
6. Name of Father: Elarde			Age: 40	Occupation: Driver
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Joan			Age: 35	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Neil Bryan		Age 17	Gender M	Name Pearl Diane		Age 15	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room
Cooking Facilities: Kerosine stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Sleeps on the floor with mattress
Home Construction: Walls Concrete			Roof Plywood		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Neighbor's faucet
Electricity: Non-regulated usage
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Barbara's 4th sponsored child Mario!!

Mario lives in Chile.
Here are Barbara's own words:

When, I first started to sponsor children I had only intended to sponsor one. Famous last words! I was now up to three in two years. I had always wanted to visit Easter Island so, due to my increasing age and health limitations, I decided in 2006 that it would have to be now or never. Since my combined sponsor visit and excursion to Guatemala had proved to be so successful I decided to do the same with Chile. However, I did not have a child to visit! That problem was soon solved when in the summer of 2006 I took on the sponsorship of Mario aged five. I fell in love with his busby style hair and cheeky grin.

I noticed immediately from the photos taken with his gift parcels that he curiously examined everything that I sent him. That was a good sign and it proved to be correct because he recently came to the top of his class which made both his family and myself very proud of him.

He lives in a small farming community about an hour's drive from Vina del Mar in a pretty location near a river. Most of the older members of the family work in the fields which gives them seasons of plenty and then nothing. When I visited him in March of 2007 he had only been told of my visit the day before so was not very interested. The rest of the family had gathered in a group outside their house to welcome me but Mario stood defiantly some distance away. When I went upto him and introduced myself and asked for a hug he shook his head. So, I told him that I had come a very long way to see him and had brought a car load of things for him but needed a hug first. That, immediately brought forth a limp lettuce like hug and a run to the car!!! The joy on the faces of all the family members as they each received a gift and Mario and his sister, Xaviera, opened up a suitcase full of gifts as well as a stuffed back pack was a sight to behold.

We also visited a local zoo where Mario was able to see for the first time his favourite animal, the elephant, in the flesh. In his excitement he leaned over a drop between a rock and the fence in order to get closer almost giving me a heart attack!. Now, every time I get a drawing from him it always includes an elephant even two years later.

After lunch in a large shopping mall we did a little extra shopping. After a couple of thank less gifts were bought I asked the CI interpreter to tell the two young children that I was from the old school and if I did not get a thank you there would not be any more gifts (in a nice way of course). Thereafter, it was very sweet that each time they received a gift they chorused in unison their thank-you's. Later, Mario came up alone and thanked me but I wasn't sure what for. He explained it was for the batteries that I had bought for his new fire-truck - bless him!! We next visited an ice-cream parlour where Mario managed to cover his new Canadian outfit with dripping icecream while waiting for the photos to be developed. The last I saw of Mario was his grinning face as he waved good bye from the CI van taking them home.

When I asked him what he had liked best from all the things that I had brought for him he replied the blow-up world globe - so I know that he will go far with his inveterate curiosity.

And here is his bio:

Age: 7	Gender: M	Date of Birth: 6/18/2001
Height: 3 Feet 11 Inches		Weight: 49 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing soccer
Chores at Home: 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): $180.00
6. Name of Father: Julio			Age: 49	Occupation: Farmer
(If not present, why?) Separated
7. Name of Mother: Ana			Age: 42	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Javiera Del C.		Age 8	Gender F	Name Jonathan		Age 19	Gender M
Name Katherin		Age 17	Gender F	Name Luis		Age 18	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, One multi-use room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Portable gas stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Wood			Roof Slate		Floor Wood
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Barbara's 3rd sponsored child Nsenzeni!

This post is about Barbara's 3rd sponsored child. This is what she wrote about her:
I began sponsoring Nsenzeni (nickname Tapiwe) only a few months after Miguel in July, 2005. Lusaka had just been added to C.I's list of countries and, at first, they had difficulty in persuading the local population that strangers actually wanted to help them I wanted a very young child and Nsenzeni was only two years old when I began sponsoring her. I chose her because of her sad face. Later I learned that she had a very good reason to be sad but it is too private to be shared on a blog. She is being brought up by her grandmother, Lontia, with her own family.

After seeing Nsenzeni's sad face I determined to put a smile on it one day soon. Famous last words as it took over three and a half years before I saw the first glimmer of a smile. She didn't even smile when she received the many gift packages though Lontia and the CI staff assured me that she was overjoyed with them. I asked, begged pleaded for a smile all to no avail and she even started to cover her mouth. After being told that she really enjoyed the candy I often included I tried some reverse psychology and made a deal with her - no smile - no more candy!! And this bit of bribery actually worked and now I get a smile in each photo.

At first Lontia was supporting her family with only $29.00 a month. Over the years it went up to $50.00 and only months after I sent a small incentive gift to start her own vegetable vending business it has increased to $70.00. But now she helps Lontia sell the greens, beans and dried fish which is the main staple of the Zambians and seems so much happier.

Nsenzeni is a funny little child. Evidently, she talks about her sponsor to her little friends in the compound. At first she told her grandmother that she was going to take everything that I had sent to her with her when she got married. Then she told her little companions that Barbara was going to buy her a big house with everything in it which dream I had Lontia immediately dampen.

From her earlier photos where she glared at the camera and didn't appear to like anything that I sent her I despaired that she just did not like anything. I was later reassured by Lontia that when her little niece, Leya, was born she helped look after the new baby after practising with the sensitive doll that I had sent her.

Over the years Nsenzeni has benefitted from the medical care provided by C.I. It was found that she had a tapeworm which prevented her from gaining weight and parasites which were immediately treated. The only water available is from the community faucets and community latrine. I recently learned that she has had malaria but is now O.K. but CI will have her checked out by their physician and also for cholera as there is now an outbreak in the neighbourhood. In spite of all the local problems I am optomistic that she will do well in life and hopefully develop the dazzling smile of her strong grand-mother.
Here is the latest letter from Nsenzeni to Barbara:

"Dear Barbara,

I hope you are very find. Back to us we are fine. We missed your letter Barbara. We are always happy when we received a letter from you. Oh you are so special to us Barbara. We want to thanks you for the things that we receive from you and we like them very much. Nsenzeni she was not feeling well. But now she's OKy. She had malaria.

We received everything that you sent for her and I was very Happy for the money you sent for me and I say that thank you vry much for friendship and support you are giving Nsenzeni. Happy Merry Christmas and Happy Year. You are special. May God bless you and your friends. Thank you. Yours Lontia and Nsenzeni."

Here is her bio:

Age: 6	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 1/9/2003
Height: 3 Feet 7 Inches		Weight: 41 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Languages, Grammar
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Dancing, Singing
Languages Spoken: Nyanja
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $70.00
6. Name of Father: Jabulani			Age: 33	Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
7. Name of Mother: Stella			Age: 21	Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Leya		Age 3	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Relatives
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: Living Room, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Coal stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Brick			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community faucets
Electricity: Not available
Sanitary Facility: Community latrine

Meet Barbara's 2nd sponsored child Miguel!!

Miguel happy at last with one of his birthday presents. He was not at all impressed with the desk, bookcase and globe preferring to have had a T.V. instead!!!
Miguel with his Mother and sponsor plus his gooey cake.
This is Miguel's 8th birthday party 11th February which I was able to provide him with.
Big sister Martha dressing Miguel in his new Pirate costume for Hallowe'en. HIs new bookcase and globe behind him.
The long and dusty road leading to the community where Miguel lives. He is with his eldest sister, Martha, and his nephew, Jose.
Miguel with his new desk and world globe
The family, CI Interpreter and Driver in front of Miguel's house.
Miguel plucking up courage to feed a visiting giraffe in the Safari Zoo. Earlier when the huge head appeared just where we were sitting I don't know who was the fastest to leap to the other side!!!

With Miguel at the CI Community Centre in Zapopan, Mexico
Miguel's kitchen.
Barbara & Miguel at the Guadalajara zoo in February 2008

Sorry that there are not so many good size pictures of Barbara's kids. There is a slight problem trying to get things to upload. Hopefully, there will be better pictures later. Here is what Barbara wrote about why she decided to sponsor Miguel:

When I first decided I wanted to sponsor a child I originally wanted a child from Mexico. Being the closest to Canada I had hoped to visit a sponsored child there more easily. Or Africa where the need is greatest. However, at that time (2004) C.I. did not have either Mexico or Zambia listed amongst the countries that they handled. Needless, to say two months after I sponsored Marelyn CI opened both countries for sponsorship. There were only two boys listed at that time so I chose Miguel for his pensive look.

He has turned out to be my most affectionate and caring sponsored child. So far, life has not dealt kindly with him. He once suffered from convulsions but since being sponsored, he was checked out by a specialist and since he starting taking the prescribed medication he has not had any other episodes.

He also has had some learning problems and failed entry to the third grade when he wrote me a sad little letter saying that he had some bad news but that he promised to do better. He was examined by the CI psychologist who examined him but found that he is very smart with an impressive memory. It appears that he needs that someone pay special attention to him but as the Mother is illiterate and doesn't seem aware of the importance of school learning and the Father an alcoholic there is nobody really that can do so. I am hoping that his new desk, bookcase and numerous books plus a world globe might somehow help.

From the beginning he was begging me to visit him but I had two longer visits to make before the shorter visit to Mexico. He is a shy but very caring little boy with a taste for really garish shirts.

Now, here is his bio:

Age: 9	Gender: M	Date of Birth: 2/11/2000
Height: 4 Feet 4 Inches		Weight: 73 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Black
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing soccer, Playing with toys and cars
Chores at Home: No Chores, child is too young
Talents or Hobbies: Drawing, Singing, Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $171.00
6. Name of Father: Filimón			Age: 47	Occupation: Unemployed
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Angela			Age: 48	Occupation: Maid
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name José Antonio		Age 22	Gender M	Name Juana		Age 23	Gender F
Name Martha		Age 33	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Kitchen, Bathroom
Cooking Facilities: Gas Stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Brick		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Stored at home in barrel/tank
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Meet Barbara's 1st Sponsored child Marelyn!

Barbara: I think this is the best photo of Marelyn as it shows her lovely hair to great advantage.
Marelyn & Luisa's First Communion Photo - Sunday, November 18, 2007 - Photo from Marelyn's mother


I will start by introducing you to Barbara. Barbara lives in Vancouver, Canada, and she sponsors 7 children through Children International~ two girls, Marely and Eliona in Guatemala, one boy, Miguel, in Mexico, one girl, Nsenzeni, in Zambia, another boy, Mario, in Chile, Pearl in the Philippines, and another girl in the Dominican Republic, Crismairy.
Barbara first began sponsoring Marelyn in October 2004. Barbara has a cool set up for Marelyn with her pictures and description underneath. It is like an electronic scrapbook. She got help putting it together, and it turned out really well... I wish I could do the same for all of my kids, but I can't even imagine how long just the one for Marelyn took to put together!!! Unfortunately, I have worked with it for a few hours and am still unable to copy and paste the scrapbook to the blog. Instead, I am uploading some pictures of her, and maybe I can get the scrapbook pages up later. I am very disappointed that I couldn't figure out how to get the 7 scrapbook pages up here, but I know I need to get this posted because there are many more children to tell you about... Hopefully, by the time I finish introducing Barbara's kids and Mack's kids, I will have it figured out... Keep your fingers crossed. This is the summarized version:

ONE CHILD'S POSITIVE EXPERIENCE OF SPONSORSHIP
WITH CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL

Marelyn Magdalena, Age 10, of Guatemala City, Guatemala
Sponsored by Barbara Since 19 th November, 2004
Character: Marelyn is very sweet, shy and quite affectionate. She is
very attractive with the loveliest dark brown hair and has a deep husky
voice. Like most Guatemalans religion plays a major part in Marelyn’s
life.
Marelyn lives in a one-roomed house with her parents, Luis and Carolina
– both street vendors, older sister, Luisa (11), younger sister, Anita (6),
little brother, Fernandito (3) and her grand-mother. For various reasons it
has not been possible to provide repairs or extensions or move to a safer
location.
Here is her bio:

Age: 10	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 8/22/1998
Height: 4 Feet 6 Inches		Weight: 84 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Hazel
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art, Grammar, Mathematics
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing basketball, Running
Chores at Home: Babysitting, Running errands
Talents or Hobbies: Painting, Dancing
Languages Spoken: Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $260.00
6. Name of Father: Luis			Age: 31	Occupation: Street Vendor
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Carolina			Age: 30	Occupation: Street Vendor
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Ana Judith		Age 7	Gender F	Name Luis Fernando		Age 4	Gender M
Name Luisa Carolina		Age 12	Gender F
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One multi-use room, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Portable gas stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Wooden 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 Alice's 8th sponsored child Katherine!

Katherine was actually one of the 4 children that I had added to my account in order to find sponsors for all of the HIV+ children that CI had left that did not have sponsors. I posted the children on my family blog, and Alice jumped to take Katherine. Katherine has a more recent picture, too, but I can't get it uploaded right. I will wait until Alice returns from her trip and I will post a more recent photo at that time. Of the four children with HIV (and actually, 5 children, since I had already taken one for myself), Katherine is the only one of them that still lives with both of her living parents. I am hoping this is because they detected the virus soon enough to get the proper treatment for the whole family. I can't wait to hear of the updates for Katherine because I feel like I have a connection with her, since I had her in my account for a couple of days. More to come!
Here is her bio:

Age: 7	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 10/26/2001
Height: 3 Feet 10 Inches		Weight: 43 Pounds		Hair Color: Brown		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any:
3. Attends School: Yes
4. Favorite School Subjects: Art
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): $200.00
6. Name of Father: Domingo			Age: 34	Occupation: Street Vendor
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Miriam			Age: 38	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Yahaira		Age 10	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: Wooden beds
Home Construction: Walls Split Cane			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Dirt
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Delivered by truck in barrel
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Septic tank

Something New!

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You should now see something new on the right hand side of the blog. I have figured out how to add a ticker for Jaden's bed fundraiser. I have not, however, figured out how I can get it to fit in that small square... So, it still has to be worked on, but at least you will now be able to keep track of the fundraiser everyday. As you already know, Jaden sent $125 for Dulce's bed. Now, there is an additional $50 towards the second bed. I have the fundraiser set up for a goal of $750 because I don't have an exact figure yet. I have the cost for all of the beds except one. I am waiting to hear back from Children International. Once I have the exact figure, I will adjust the goal amount accordingly. Scott Cotter told me today that they have it prepared & it will be coming my way. Maybe by next week we will know what is needed to purchase a bed for Leydi. The Wiggles shirt sale is still going on, and you can click on my Ebay button on the right to see the items. That money, along with any donations (loose change or otherwise) will go toward the bed fund. We hope to have beds for all 4 (of the sick) children by June! Thanks to everyone who helps! And, for those who may have missed the "sponsorship experience" that was posted on the CI web-site about the bed fundraiser, you can read the article in my earlier post here: http://childrenaretheworld.blogspot.com/2009/02/family-affair-sharing-joy-of.html

Meet Alice's 7th sponsored child Flora!

Flora lives in Rural Guatemala. Children International put together a slide show for "blog action day" back in October 2008, in order to get sponsors for special needs children. Flora was one of the children featured because of her spina bifida. Alice was the first sponsor to take action that day and give hope to a child with special needs. She, also, more recently sent a special needs donation to Flora's family, so that they can buy some of the extra things that her condition requires. As soon as the photos & response is received on that, I will post it here. It will be fun to find out what they decided to purchase.
Here is her bio:

Age: 9	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 11/24/1999
Height: 3 Feet 3 Inches		Weight: 31 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Black
2. Health problems, if any:
3. Attends School: No - Too young
4. Favorite School Subjects:
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with dolls
Chores at Home: Washing dishes, Sweeping
Talents or Hobbies: Singing, Painting
Languages Spoken: Cakchiquel, Spanish
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $90.00
6. Name of Father: Hugo Arnulfo			Age: 39	Occupation: Farmer
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Josefina			Age: 38	Occupation: Homemaker
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Clara Marisol		Age 11	Gender F	Name Dany Roberto		Age 16	Gender M
Name Evelio Dario		Age 7	Gender M	Name Hugo Damian		Age 4	Gender M
Name Lidia Aracely		Age 13	Gender F	Name Oved Froilan		Age 2	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Parents
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: One Bedroom, Kitchen
Cooking Facilities: Indoor fireplace
Sleeping Accommodations: Wooden beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Nearby river
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Latrine

Meet Alice's 6th sponsored child Sharon!

This is Sharon from Zambia. She is Eclipse's 5 year old sister. Alice began sponsoring her in August 2008. I will have more pictures to come because Alice is waiting on the photos from the Christmas package that she sent them. Stay tuned!

Here is her bio:

Age: 5	Gender: F	Date of Birth: 7/25/2003
Height: 3 Feet 4 Inches		Weight: 33 Pounds		Hair Color: Black		Eye Color: Brown
2. Health problems, if any: None
3. Attends School: No - Too young
4. Favorite School Subjects:
Favorite Pastimes or Sports: Playing with friends, Playing hide and seek, Playing outdoor games
Chores at Home: No Chores, child is too young
Talents or Hobbies: Sport
Languages Spoken: Nyanja, Tonga
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:
5. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $24.00
6. Name of Father: Morrison			Age: 44	Occupation:
(If not present, why?) Deceased
7. Name of Mother: Regina			Age: 40	Occupation: Street Vendor
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Eclipse		Age 7	Gender M	Name Ishmael		Age 11	Gender M
Name Stanford		Age 14	Gender M
9. Child now living with: Mother
INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:
10. Description of Home: Living Room, One Bedroom
Cooking Facilities: Coal stove
Sleeping Accommodations: Beds
Home Construction: Walls Concrete block			Roof Corrugated metal		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Community faucets
Electricity: Available but not affordable
Sanitary Facility: Community latrine

Meet Alice's 5th sponsored child Carlos!

Carlos is Claritza's brother. Alice first began sponsoring him in August 2008. She recently sent the two of them a special needs donation that they used to buy food and other things for the home. I will post the pictures of that in a later post. Carlos' most recent letter to Alice was translated like this:

I feel very happy because you are thinking of me. I had a good Christmas time, thanks God. I hope you also had a good Christmas time too. I received your gift. Thank you so much. Thank you for everything you do for me. I hope you will be able to meet you some day, so I will be able to give you a warm hug and kiss. May God give you long life and health, so you can help other needy children. Now I say bye with much love and affection, Carlos

Here is his bio:

Age: 10	Gender: M	Date of Birth: 2/19/1999
Height: 4 Feet 6 Inches		Weight: 68 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 baseball
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): $100.00
6. Name of Father: Santiago			Age: 36	Occupation: Laborer
(If not present, why?)
7. Name of Mother: Eladia			Age: 41	Occupation: Teacher
(If not present, why?)
8. Brothers and Sisters:
Name Claritza		Age 5	Gender F
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 Concrete		Floor Concrete
11. Facilities and Services:
Water Source/Storage: Running water in home
Electricity: Available
Sanitary Facility: Toilet