Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.
When a child enters the sponsorship program, the whole family benefits from the support. Families can grow together when they can all access nutritious food, health supplies, and send the sponsored child and their siblings to school. Knowing there is a regular source of support gives the family stability, confidence, and the ability to plan for future needs.
This week, our top 5 “Grow Families” photos celebrate God’s great gifts to us: our parents, siblings, grandparents and even our ‘families’ that aren’t related by blood. Through sponsorship, everyone can thrive.
#4: Building strong families
Ethel is the president of her Family Circle at our Samar site in the Philippines. She lives with her husband and five precious children, three who are sponsored through Chalice! Thanks to the support of sponsorship, her children Liberato, Hazel, Erica, and Ella Jean are all able to attend school, while baby Aiden will have the support needed to grow up happy and healthy. Wanting to give back to the community, Ethel and her group-mates planted a garden at her children’s local school!
#4: Sponsorship supports the whole family
Ronjila lives with her five children and husband in a hill-top village. Her husband is a daily wage earner while she works at home taking care of the pigs and kitchen garden. Her son, Soumit was sponsored three years ago, which was an immense help for the entire family! With some careful saving, the family purchased extra piglets for income. During the COVID-19 lockdown, they sold some of their pigs for money for essentials, and saved some extra to purchase new piglets once the pandemic is over.
#3: Sometimes family isn’t who you’re related to
Chalice’s Saidia site is located in Gilgil, Kenya, a small town with many slums. The living conditions are poor and criminal activity is widespread. The site encompasses the Saidia Children’s home, which welcomes in vulnerable children who cannot live with family members. As they stay at the home, many with the support of Chalice sponsors, the children thrive. They go to school each day and receive healthy meals and regular health check-ups. They get to participate in sports, learning activities and agriculture. And of course, they enjoy holidays and community events too! The love and friendships the children and staff share are a living reminder that everyone is ‘family’ in the Body of Christ.
#2: Strengthening family ties
Alejandrina is 91 years old, and has been sponsored through Chalice for 12 years. She has nine children, more than 20 grandchildren, and 30 great-grandchildren. She’s pictured here with her great-grandson, Sebastian! She has great ties with her family, and lives with her daughter Eugenia, who is amazed at how healthy her mother is. “She’s healthier than I am!” she laughs. In her younger years, Alejandrina raised hens and sold eggs for an income. Now she likes contributing to family life by helping with the cooking. She still likes to get dressed in her favourite colour for family photos, blue!
#1: Siblings benefit from support, too!
In the Philippines, our Zero Cavities Program ensured that sponsored children and their siblings had access to essential dental care. Cavities and tooth pain is a main reason that children in the Philippines miss school, and tooth decay can cause a lack of confidence and loss of job opportunities in the future. Parents were so happy that all of their children were able to have their dental issues treated!
Follow Chalice on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates from our sponsor sites, impact stories, and more! Be sure to check back next week for another Photo Friday.