Tag Archives: ChildFund International

Payroll Tax Increase Expected to Suppress Charitable Giving

Posted on January 31, 2013 | Comments Off

By Cynthia Price, Director of Communications

infographic on charitable giving

Click to view the full graphic.

I’ve noticed my paycheck is a bit smaller with the return of the 6.2 percent payroll tax, a 2 percent increase over the 4.2 percent rate we’ve experienced for the past two years. I’d already identified and committed to my charities this year, so it’s not going to change my giving levels, although I may have to see fewer movies or cut back on my coffee shop visits.

At ChildFund, we were curious as to what Americans might say when asked whether the tax increase would impact their giving. Today, we release a survey conducted for ChildFund by Ipsos Public Affairs.

Here’s what we found:

  • 20 percent will reduce their charitable giving by an average of 29 percent.
  • 21 percent will not give at all to charity in the coming year.
  • 54 percent will continue to make charitable donations at the same level.
  • 6 percent anticipate giving more.

“While there is some good news in these findings, the survey results suggest a challenging year ahead, in what already has been a demanding fundraising climate,” says Tereza Byrne, ChildFund’s chief development officer.

“Nonprofit organizations like ChildFund can take comfort in the fact that six in 10 Americans will either maintain or increase their charitable giving,” she adds. “What is alarming, however, is the anticipated decrease in contributions by as many as one in five givers. If that comes to pass, it will likely have broad-reaching consequences across the nonprofit landscape.”

Comments Off

Posted in In the News

Tagged , , , ,

ChildFund Distributes Emergency Food in The Gambia

Posted on October 2, 2012 | Comments Off

Reporting by ChildFund The Gambia

woman being interviewed

A community member describes her family’s situation to a local reporter.

Last week, ChildFund responded to the ongoing food crisis in The Gambia, working with our local partners in the West Coast region to distribute rice and cooking oil to 1,768 affected families.

The distribution took place during three days in the 32 communities where ChildFund has operations. All families received 50 kg of rice and 3 liters of cooking oil. We expect to continue support for affected families through October, when we anticipate food security for the region will improve.

child and mother receiving food

Mai and her child.

“My family and I are indeed very thankful for ChildFund’s intervention because there is no longer a fear of food shortage,” says Mai, mother of a sponsored child in Siffoe. “We can now enjoy the pleasures of having three meals per day.”

ChildFund New Zealand, a member of the ChildFund Alliance, as well as corporate and individual donations are helping fund the emergency food supplies.

Comments Off

Posted in Emergency

Tagged , , , ,

Family Struggled to Prepare a Daily Meal

Posted on September 27, 2012 | Comments Off

By Saroj Kumar Pattnaik, ChildFund India

Being born into an extremely poor family tends to reduce a child’s chances for a promising future. Years aoo, that seemed to be the case for Kesavaiah, a 6-year-old boy living in a remote tribal village in the Annanthpur district of southern India’s state of Andhra Pradesh.

Kesavaiah’s father, an agricultural laborer, was the only breadwinner for his five-member family. Insufficient income and paucity of alternative livelihood options often forced the family to struggle to prepare a full meal for all. Going to school and truly enjoying childhood was just a distant dream for Kesavaiah and his two sisters.

But things changed gradually for Kesavaiah after he was enrolled in ChildFund India’s Early Childhood Development program in 1996. Praja Seva Samaj (PSS), ChildFund’s local partner, matched young Kesavaiah with a sponsor, who provided additional funds so Kesavaiah and his sisters could attend the village school.

youth from India

Kesavaiah

“I still remember the days when my father was struggling to arrange a square meal for each of our family. My mother was also working as a daily laborer just to satisfy our hunger. Many a time we went to sleep at night after just drinking water,” recalls Kesavaiah, who has now completed his technical degree and aspires to become a top mechanical engineer.

He notes that it was the timely support from ChildFund and its local partner PSS that helped transform him from a pessimist to a dreamer.

“I never thought that I would able to complete my primary education as the conditions were not allowing that to happen. It was the moral and material support by ChildFund India and PSS that helped me to come so far in life,” he says.

“Their assistance and advice have not only allowed me to become the first person in our community to see a college, but they also have proved to be a solid platform for my sisters to continue their studies,” he adds.

Kesavaiah, who has understood the value of money since childhood, took full advantage of the sponsorship assistance, never neglecting his studies. He was the top student throughout his primary and intermediate education, earning a full scholarship to technical college.

In addition to his academic achievements, Kesavaiah, now 23, has been an active member of the local Children’s Club supported by ChildFund. His perseverance and tenacity to achieve have become an inspiration for others in his village.

Kesavaiah’s mother, Venkataramamma wants her son to fulfill his dream of becoming an engineer. “I am so proud for my son. He has been a reason for hope for all of us, and I am very much thankful to ChildFund for making this happen.”

Village leader Pakker Naik concurs. “[ChildFund] has been focusing on many issues with interventions at the school level and village level. We are now seeing this positive impact among children today. I would say proudly that Kesavaiah is the first engineer in our village.”

Comments Off

Posted in Youth in Action

Tagged , , , , , ,

‘When I Was Little, We Had Nothing’

Posted on August 28, 2012 | Comments Off

By Patricia Toquica, Americas Region Communications Manager

Bolivian family

Karla with her family.

“Welcome. I’m Karla and this is my house,” says a 19-year-old girl from La Paz, Bolivia, as she ushers us into her home, a one-room rental house shared by seven family members. Karla’s house, located on a small lot, is surrounded by upscale homes, something quite common in Bolivia’s urban areas.

“When I was little, we had nothing,” says Karla, adding that she’s proud of what her family has been able to achieve in recent years. “My mother used to take me and my brothers and sisters to the ChildFund center, where they would feed us and play with us.” That’s how Karla and her siblings started participating in Early Childhood Development, after-school activities and youth leadership programs that ChildFund Bolivia offers in La Paz through its local partner Avance Comunitario.

“We would go there to study after school, and we would learn a lot that helped us improve our grades. We’d then write to our sponsors about this support, so that they could learn about our life and how their money was helping us,” explains Karla who is now a civil engineering student at a public university in La Paz.

She is the second of five children: the eldest sister is currently working on her thesis in computer science and soon will be graduating from the university. Karla’s younger brother also finished high school and is studying to become a sound technician; her younger sister, will graduate next year, and the youngest siblings are in junior high.

“We were able to go to university because through the center we built our self-esteem and leadership skills,” Karla explains. “I used to be very shy [when I was young], but when I saw the professionals and other youth leaders working at the project, I wanted to become a professional like them.”

Her father is an electrician and her mother, Albertina, works at home and on spare jobs cleaning houses or washing clothes. She volunteers at the Avance Comunitario Center, where she also has taken skills training classes.

“Their interest is to study and become professionals,” says Albertina, nodding at her children. “I could only make it until eighth grade, so we support them in every way we can. They are all good kids and know how it is to live in poverty. When they grow up, they will be professionals and entrepreneurs, and they’ll help others and give jobs for the ones in need.”

Comments Off

Posted in Youth in Action

Tagged , , , ,

Aspiring Cinematographer Finds Light

Posted on August 23, 2012 | Comments Off

Reporting by ChildFund Ethiopia

As the eldest child in a family of four, Dagnachew, 28, has shouldered bread-winning responsibilities for years, first helping his mother provide for his younger siblings and then assuming those duties entirely after his mother passed away.

Having a sponsor and support from ChildFund has helped him through troubled times.

“My early childhood was amazing, though; there are lots of good things,” he recalls. “I loved writing letters to my sponsor, and I also loved to read her letters. It gave me great satisfaction and encouragement. We used to talk about our two countries and so many things. I still keep the letters with me. My relationship was not limited to my sponsor; it also extended to her family including her husband. “They shaped my life appreciably.”

After completing grade 12, Dagnachew couldn’t continue his education, due to all of the family responsibilities before him. “I joined ChildFund while my mother was alive; after she passed away I remember the good deeds of ChildFund.”

So Dagnachew went to work full-time to keep his younger brother and two sisters in school. He took on odd jobs and also began painting signs and buildings, often doing signage work for ChildFund Ethiopia.

youth

Dagnachew

When ChildFund Ethiopia’s Semen Ber project offered Dagnachew professional training in photography and videography, he jumped at the opportunity. The program provides disadvantaged youth with vocational skills. ChildFund also helps graduates with capital and materials to start their own businesses.

Four years ago, Dagnachew opened his own photography shop. Today, he has two locations in Addis Ababa, employing four full-time employees and 10 part-time assistants on the weekends when weddings keep the photographers busy.

painting of camel

Dagnachew also still loves painting. This work on parchment depicts a woman leading her camel.

And Dagnachew is now finally able to return to school. He is pursuing a degree in cinematography and aspires to write, direct and produce his own films. “My big dream is to lead an independent life and become successful in the film-making industry,” he says. He already has several documentary film credits.

Although happy in his work and studies, Dagnachew has another measure of success that is equally rewarding. His siblings are on the right track in life. His brother graduated from Hawassa University and works with Dagnachew in the business. One of his sisters is pursuing a degree at Addis Ababa University and the younger other is a junior high school student.

This makes him feel proud – being the eldest and supporting the youngest.

Comments Off

Posted in Youth in Action

Tagged , , , , , ,

Successful Partnerships Support Child Development

Posted on August 21, 2012 | 2 Comments

By Patricia Toquica, Americas Region Communications Manager

In the cold mountains of Ecuador, a group of young preschoolers eagerly await another visitor to their Child Center for Good Living (Centro Infantil del Buen Vivir) in the remote town of Santa Rosa in Tungurahua province.

The children have grown used to guests, as government officials regularly cite this center as a successful model for early child development programs. The center was specially designed with children’s welfare in mind and built and managed as a joint effort by the government, the local community and ChildFund.

young children eating at preschool

Children in this remote village enjoy a meal at the Child Center for Good Living.

The Child Centers for Good Living are part of Ecuador’s National Plan of Good Living (Plan Nacional del Buen Vivir), a policy to recognize child development as an integral child right. By 2015, Ecuador aims to enroll 75 percent of its children in child development programs.

In Santa Rosa, the previous child development center was in bad condition, in terms of infrastructure and services. The community signed an agreement with the provincial branch of the Ministry of Social and Economic Inclusion (Ministerio de Inclusión Social y Económica-MIES) and ChildFund Ecuador to together build and administer a new center under the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

“We built this center up from the very first stone to the very last nail,” says Blanca Chiza, coordinator of Cactu—ChildFund’s local partner organization. The local community association contributed the land and the labor; the government and ChildFund provided financial and technical assistance, equipment and trained staff to run the center.

teacher at child center

Viviana teaches at the center.

Currently, 26 children (newborns to age 5) now learn, rest, eat and play in a well-equipped center. “The community is thankful, as the facilities we had before were in terrible condition,” says Viviana Vargas, center coordinator. “The mothers of our town can now work, having the peace of mind that their children are well taken care of.”

vegetable garden

A small garden provides a learning opportunity for children and fresh vegetables for the center.

The center has rest areas where toddlers can take their naps; bathrooms with basins and toilets made to their size; rooms for music, playing, and exploring, as well as a fully equipped cafeteria.

“The key to our success is the model where we teachers work together with parents, communities, government and ChildFund,” says Viviana. “At the ECD center, we meet our neighbors; we help and support each other.”

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Early Childhood Development

Tagged , , , ,

Carving Out a Future: Youth Apprentices in Timor-Leste

Posted on August 16, 2012 | 2 Comments

By Belchior Goncalves and Zoe Hogan, ChildFund Timor-Leste

In many ways, Timor-Leste is a young country – just 10 years since the restoration of its independence, more than 60 percent of the population is under age 25 (2010 Census). As more young people leave school and look for work each year, the majority find that employment opportunities are few and far between. In the rural district of Bobonaro, about 56 percent of the people do not have formal employment (2010 Census). Many young people work on their family’s subsistence farms or admit that they “do nothing.”

trainer in carpentry shop

Yohanes, 59, is training five Timorese youth in carpentry skills, so they can open their own small businesses and build sustainable livelihoods.

With the support of ChildFund Timor-Leste, one man is taking action on what he sees as an opportunity, rather than a problem. “There are many youth I see who could grow, develop and support themselves,” says Yohanes, a 59-year-old carpenter. An experienced trainer, Yohanes has partnered with ChildFund Timor-Leste’s community-based organization in Bobonaro to provide young people with the opportunity of a lifetime – a chance to learn a trade and start their own business.

Young men using carpentry tools

Yohanes oversees the apprentices’ work.

ChildFund Timor-Leste identified five unemployed young people in Bobonaro district who had limited education but displayed the determination to work for a brighter future. Yohanes is working alongside these five apprentices, showing them how to make quality chairs, desks, doors and windows. For five days a week, the center is a hive of activity as Yohanes and his apprentices try to keep up with local demand for their well-made products. After the apprentices complete the 12-month program, ChildFund Timor-Leste provides each one with carpentry tools so they can use their newfound skills to start a small business.

Apprentice in carpentry center

After 12 months of practical training, Natalino will receive carpentry tools to start his own business.

Natalino, a promising apprentice, was forced to leave primary school after just one year because his parents could no longer support him. “There are lots of youth in the village, but they don’t go to school. They will end up the same as I was before, just farming,” Natalino says.

Natalino is in no doubt of how important the support of ChildFund Timor-Leste and Yohanes is to his future: “If I stay here for one year, I will leave as a carpenter. It will change my life.”

Watch a video of the apprentices at work.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Youth in Action

Tagged , , , , ,

Sierra Leonean Youth Eager for Opportunity

Posted on July 31, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Abu Bakarr Conteh, ChildFund Sierra Leone

As part of ongoing efforts to tackle unemployment in Sierra Leone, some 3,000 youth have started an intensive 12-month training program supported by ChildFund.

Years of civil war in Sierra Leone have robbed thousands of children and youth of a complete education. With few opportunities for employment, this generation of youth has been languishing in their villages with very little to offer and dim prospects for the future.

youth at sewing machinesChildFund, with funding from the World Bank, is rolling out the Youth Employment and Support Project (YESP) in five districts including the capital city of Freetown. And young people are eagerly enrolling in carpentry, masonry, auto mechanics and welding, among other vocational programs.
After completing the YESP training, the youth expect to improve their prospects of getting jobs.

young woman working on vehicle“My dream is to become one of the best female auto mechanics in the country, so I can work for the big companies,” says 18-year-old Mamadi, who has been on the street and suffered exploitation.

youth repairing electronicsMusa, who was struck with polio, is seeking to add value to his life. “I will become self-employed and be able to provide for my family once I complete the training,” he says.

In a country where unemployment remains a huge challenge across the population, these youth are highly spirited and determined to carve their own destinies.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in In the Field, Voices of Children

Tagged , , , , , ,

Interning at ChildFund

Posted on July 24, 2012 | 5 Comments

by Mark Robinson, Communications Intern

I came to ChildFund unsure of what to expect from my first internship. We’ve all heard horror stories of interns who spent their summer filing papers and picking up packages. I didn’t want the best professional relationship I forged to be with the baristas at the nearest Starbucks. I wanted to get outside of my comfort zone. I wanted a chance to grow.

markinternblog

At ChildFund, I felt like more than just “the intern.”

I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to work for 10 weeks as a respected member of the ChildFund communications team. Every project I’ve worked on has been purposeful. And aside from a now infamous assignment my mentor Cynthia Price gave me, I have been spared from doing too many “interny” tasks.

From day one, my mentors, Community Manager Virginia Sowers and Director of Communications Cynthia Price, took my goals into consideration and tailored my assignments to help me accomplish them. Because of their flexibility, I was able to focus on improving my multimedia skills. I researched podcasts and edited raw footage from Uganda into a video that was featured on ChildFund’s blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. My work has been showcased, not hidden away. But with all that said, I doubt when I look back at ChildFund that I’ll remember the work.

I’ll remember poking my head over ChildFund writer Christine Ennulat’s cubicle to chat about my most recent journalistic pursuits.

I’ll remember the shock I felt when I learned KISS front man Gene Simmons sponsors more than 140 children through ChildFund and the subsequent buzz around the communications pod after the episode of his reality show filmed in Zambia debuted.

I’ll remember the disbelief I felt when I found out my colleague and longtime ChildFund employee Alison Abbitt passed away following reconstructive knee surgery. We had spoken only days before.

While the extremes stand out, the small lessons I’ve learned here will not be forgotten and this, my first formal foray into the professional world, has prepared me in some ways for my next adventure: Botswana.

My next four and a half months will be spent studying journalism at the University of Botswana in Gaborone. It’ll be my first trip abroad, so my feelings about it fluctuate between giddy excitement and crippling nervousness on a day-to-day basis. I do now, however, have the comfort of knowing that a network of sympathetic world travelers is only an email away.

While I’m in Africa, I plan to freelance in pursuit of my career as a foreign correspondent. Who knows? Maybe one of my stories will find its way into ChildWorld.

→ 5 Comments

Posted in ChildFund International, Success Stories, Youth in Action

Tagged , ,

From Student to Head Teacher: A Sponsored Child’s Journey

Posted on July 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

By Virginia Sowers, ChildFund Community Manager

When I have the opportunity to travel to ChildFund’s programs in the field, I’ve learned to watch for the unexpected moment—the shy, camera-ready smile of a child peering through a window, a chance to walk slowly through a village with a community volunteer who readily shares her insights or an impromptu conversation on the edge of a muddy road with the head of a parent’s committee.

Most recently, my travels to Uganda included a brief stop at the high-performing Buyengo Primary School that ChildFund has supported since 1984. We were there to see the students and tour a new library being built. Someone casually mentioned that a former sponsored child was now the school’s head teacher.

And that’s how I met Fred Wabwira, who recalled the early days of the school when students—so eager for the opportunity of education—sat on rocks in the absence of desks. His own education progressed, however, and he eventually returned to oversee the teaching staff at a school he considers home.

Watch the video interview with Mr. Wabwira.

Special thanks to videographer Jake Lyell and communications intern Mark Robinson for video editing.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in In the Field

Tagged , , , , ,