Children got an exciting field trip during Christmas

Our Konta sponsor site in northern Ghana is a Catholic organization which supports children from low-income families and children with special needs. At Christmastime, the community loves to have a special Mass, where they can offer prayers for “the Chalice family, the generous donors, the beneficiaries, the new converts at Kpongu and the community as a whole,” writes Nicholas, the sponsor site director. “We asked God to protect us against Covid-19 and bless us all in the coming New Year 2022.”  

The Christmas party started after the Mass, where they enjoyed drinks, biscuits, and a meal among sponsored children, parents and the community members.  

The Wa staff wanted to create an experience for the children where they could “embrace their culture” and so they arranged to visit the Sampaa Naa Palace, the home of the local chief. The Wa Naa oversees the Waala traditional council in the upper west region of Ghana.  

Continue reading “Children got an exciting field trip during Christmas”

Parents and their children fall in love with gardening in Bolivia

The “Sagrado Corazón de Jesús” daycare is a splash of colour among the brown buildings of Cochabamba, Bolivia. The centre offers pre-school education and, importantly, nutritious snacks and meals daily, with support from Chalice’s nutrition program. 

For the littlest ones, trying new foods can be challenging. Fresh produce isn’t always easy for their parents to buy, so many children are tasting certain fruits and vegetables for the first time at lunch. And, being children, vegetables are not always their favourite! 

Continue reading “Parents and their children fall in love with gardening in Bolivia”

Chalice sponsorship changed Neziini’s family destiny

Neziini loves to jump and skip around her rural community in northern India. The energetic 11-year-old keeps her parents busy and speaks of her dream of becoming a doctor.  

Her parents, Ebviio and Naomi, are hardworking farmers. They own a single plot of land and paddy fields. When Neziini was just starting primary school, her family was undergoing severe financial difficulties. They lived in a rented house and faced food insecurity. Ebviio and Naomi reared pigs and cultivated vegetables to earn what income they could.  

Continue reading “Chalice sponsorship changed Neziini’s family destiny”

The difference a hot meal can make

With the support of a farm, a school can run a daily lunch program for students. School-day lunches are game changers for students and staff in impoverished communities where families face food insecurity. Whenever a school introduces daily meals there is a significant increase in enrollment, retention, and grades, and absenteeism and drop-out rates decrease just as much.   

Through our African School Farming and Food Security Project, Chalice will support the feeding of 16,000 children in 29 schools in Tanzania, Zambia, and Ghana.   

Continue reading “The difference a hot meal can make”

Gifts of special money

It feels like it snuck up on us, but we have reached the middle of October already! It may feel too early to think about Christmas, but at Chalice, now is the time to do a little planning ahead. Sponsors inquire with us about sending a gift of ‘special money’ to their children for a Christmas gift. Special money is simply an additional donation of any amount to your sponsored child or elder, which they spend on much-needed items such as school supplies, clothing, and even home improvements. Sponsors can give special money gifts at every time of year, but of course, a gift waiting on Christmas morning is extra heart-warming.  

Continue reading “Gifts of special money”

Our top 5 ‘Animals as Gifts’ photos!

This time, we’re sharing our top 5 ‘Animals as Gifts’ photos! 

For families in need, the gift of a goat or sheep provides nutritious milk that can be made into cheese or drunk on its own. Giving the gift of an animal (or food to support it!) through the gift catalogue is a great way to help families feed themselves and earn income. 

P.S. Our 2022 gift catalogue is here! 

#5: A Valuable Asset 

Sunil and his brother Babul’s parents aren’t around, so they live with their brothers, sister-in-law and niece. Thanks to generous gift catalogue supporters, they received a pair of goats! 

“The goats are our valuable assets and they support us with livelihood particularly during unfavorable times, thanks to Chalice,” Babul writes.  

Continue reading “Our top 5 ‘Animals as Gifts’ photos!”

Healthy teeth and happy faces thanks to ‘Zero Cavities’

Brave young Mary smiles again because she no longer has a terrible toothache! 

The 11-year-old was in agony from an infected molar. But thanks to the Tondo site’s “Zero Cavities” dental program, an oral surgeon patched her up, free of charge!

Dental caries is one of the leading health problems among children in Tondo. Families are not always well informed about the need for good oral hygiene. The parents face so many other challenges, like unemployment and food insecurity – and dental care can start to slip as a priority. “Dental care and practice of good oral hygiene had been the least of the family’s concerns,” writes the Tondo site staff.  

Continue reading “Healthy teeth and happy faces thanks to ‘Zero Cavities’”

Breaking new ground at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School has a glorious namesake, but this time last year, the school was anything but beautiful. 

The walls were collapsing on rotten timber supports, exposing the students and staff to the elements year-round. They were cold, damp and muddy part of the year and sweltering and dusty the other parts. They are also dark and have poor air quality. The conditions prevented the students from focusing and caused a drop in attendance. In short, big changes needed to be made urgently in order for students to be given the education that they needed and deserved. 

Continue reading “Breaking new ground at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School”

Back to school!

Chalice has been partnering with the Fondation Montesinos who run the Pierre Salvatti Orphanage, since 2018. Chalice’s sponsor site is called St Dominique, named for the children’s school, L’Institution Saint Dominique. The school is the meeting point for children who live at the orphanage, under the care of loving staff members and Sisters, and the children in the community who can live with their families.

Continue reading “Back to school!”

Empowering women and families through Chalice family circles

“The skills training will impact positively on the life of many families at the site.” 

These mothers are not just smiling because they’re bedecked with beads, but because they are modeling their popular new designs!

Communities in Ghana have been greatly impacted by shutdowns during the pandemic which closed markets, impacting both incomes and access to food and supplies. Once markets reopened families were eager to start new and better small enterprises and rebuild their families’ finances. 

Continue reading “Empowering women and families through Chalice family circles”