At Chalice we love our sponsorship program model because it enables parents and guardians – armed with the training and support of our site staff and family circles – to make financial decisions on what their child and family need most. Sometimes, they can launch their small businesses to better support their families for a bright and stable future. Erika is one of them, she started her very own baking business.
Erika lives with her husband and four children near our Chiclayo site in Peru. They have journeyed with the sponsorship program since her sons were babies.
Her sons: Stiven, Victor, and Jacob were sponsored when they were just little. Year after year, Erika brought them to Centro Esperanza, the hub of our Chiclayo site, where she joined early stimulation activities. Later, her children joined the lunch program and recreational activities such as swimming, chess, music, and art – you name it! While growing up, their children were encouraged to join The Reading Kite program, where they read storybooks and accessed tutoring, as needed, for their homework.
Later, Erika joined a family circle called “Mujeres líderes construyendo un Futuro Mejor” (“Women leaders building a better future”). She became the group’s coordinator as her leadership skills continued to grow. “She always tried to promote the participation and integration of mothers, motivating them to go after their dreams and look for a better future,” writes the Chiclayo site staff.
Through the family circle, she gained the skills and confidence to open her own business – baking goods. She always loved cooking and baking but never realized that she could use that skill as a financial opportunity!
Now she supports her family financially and is a mentor for other mothers like her that are part of the Chalice sponsorship program. “With everything I have learned and achieved, now it is my opportunity to share and accompany other women,” Erika writes.
“I really feel proud and happy for having been part of the Chiclayo project, which came and changed my life for good and forever. I will be eternally grateful to Chalice for giving us the opportunity to move forward.”
She’s proud of her accomplishments and grateful to her sons’ sponsors!
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