Author Archives: Sarah

Beds keep kids cozy in Ternopil, Ukraine

In Ukraine, beds remain one of the most frequently requested items from our gift catalogue. The majority of the families at our sites in Ukraine are large, and often times their homes are small. Children share beds with siblings and parents, with often up to four people sharing one small bed.

Over the years, we’ve used generous donations through our gift catalogue to replace broken beds with new ones, or provide bunk beds to siblings so that children could sleep in their own beds. Sofa beds are also a popular choice, as many families have limited living space- sofa beds can be used as a sitting couch during the day, and a bed at night.

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Girls’ boarding school gets a boost from our donors

Starehe Girls’ Centre, located in Nairobi, Kenya, is the only chance some girls get at a quality education. The boarding school was founded in 2005, and offers education to economically disadvantaged girls. The centre boasts an extremely high standard of education, and is meant to prepare girls to continue their studies competitively in university.

Starehe Girls’ Centre works in tandem with Chalice sponsorship to allow girls from poor backgrounds to attend. It also receives our support for sports teams, school gardens, student clubs, and more. “The Centre sets out to not merely provide food, clothing, and protection to girls in need, but to restore them in self-confidence so often injured by earlier misfortune in life,” says Sr. Jane our Starehe Girl’s site director.

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Yana’s acting skills blossom on stage

Yana, from our Ternopil Site in Ukraine, grew up living with her mom, dad, and sister. The family was rich in love, but struggled to stay afloat financially. Yana’s mother suffered from a chronic neurological disorder known as chorea, and spent most of her time at the hospital receiving medical treatments.

Since the family lived in a rural area, it was difficult for Yana’s father to find full-time, year-round work. He took many odd labour jobs, working nearly every day to provide for his daughters and pay for his wife’s medical bills.

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Jyothi’s Family Circle benefits from her strong leadership

As a part of our child sponsorship program, we strive to empower caregivers. With the proper support, mothers and guardians can identify and decide what their child needs to thrive. We provide education and resources directly to the child’s primary caregiver so that they, in turn, can meet their child’s needs.

Overcoming poverty is an enormous challenge, and caregivers often feel alone in their struggle. To remedy their isolation, caregivers are organized into Family Circles, and are paired with Chalice field workers. Every month, the Family Circles gather to discuss needs and priorities for their families, and decide together how to best use their sponsorship funds.

Sindhu, a sponsored child from Mangalagiri, India, lives with her mother, Jyothi. When Sindhu was sponsored, Jyothi was very excited to join her own Family Circle. She started out as a regular member, but after many years of demonstrating hard work and leadership, was chosen to become the circle’s leader.

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Zero Cavities Project spreads smiles in Tondo

Good dental hygiene is essential for the health and happiness of growing children. In the Philippines, tooth decay is a widespread problem afflicting many children and adults. Last year, at a routine heath check at our sponsor site in Tondo, almost 100% of our 1325 sponsored children had cavities.

Tooth decay and gum disease have a serious effect on both children and adults. Tooth issues can weaken bodily defenses for serious and potentially dangerous diseases and infections.  Poor oral health also negatively affects school performance. In the Philippines, toothache is the primary cause of absenteeism, and reduces confidence and self-esteem due to pain and missing or decayed teeth.

Every child deserves to have a strong, beautiful smile. Our new Zero Cavities project aims to treat and eradicate cavities for sponsored children and their siblings at our Tondo site. Children receive dental treatment for current issues, regular fluoride rinses, and are being taught how to properly care for their teeth at home.

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Canadian students help Madeline’s family save for a home

Madeline is used to living a busy life. She’s the mother and sole caretaker of Phalancia, Phalanda, Fedelin, Phadelin, and baby Phedjina. The family lives together in Terrier-Rouge, a community near our Haiti North site. 

One of Madeline’s children, Phalancia, is sponsored with Chalice. Sponsorship helps Madeline provide better care for her children, but the family still lacks many necessities. For many years, they lived in an inadequate home made of clay, and Madeline constantly worried that it would collapse. 

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Elder sponsorship encourages Simón’s recovery

Simón, from our Fatima site in Bolivia, always dreamed of having his own home. In order to save costs, Simón lived with his brother for many years. His room was improvised with plastic walls and tents. It was very cold, and when it rained, the roof leaked. Despite his challenges, Simón always remained cheerful and optimistic, determined to reach his goal.

Simón worked diligently as a bricklayer when his health allowed, and finally saved up enough money to buy a plot of land where he could build a small home! One unexpected day, however, he suffered a pre-stroke, and the whole right side of his body was left paralyzed.

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Ukrainian family embarks on a new orchard business

In Ukraine, ballooning inflation has dramatically increased the cost of family necessities. Heating and food are among the most expensive needs. High rates of unemployment and underpaid work leaves many parents unable to afford these rising costs.

The Konovalyk family, located near our Pochaiv site in Ukraine, has deeply felt the effects of the poor local economy. Anastasia, Anhelina, and Oleksandr are all still school-aged, and rely solely on their mother for support. She wakes before the break of dawn each day to make bread at the local bakery, but doesn’t make nearly enough income to provide everything her children need.

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Orphaned brothers start a hopeful new life together

Joseph and Benjamin are brothers from Kyandoo, a small village near our Mercy Care Site in Mwingi, Kenya. When they were still very young, their mother, who was their only caretaker, sadly passed away. After her death, the boys went to live with their grandmother.

Life with their grandmother was full of happy moments! Joseph and Benjamin remember waking early in the morning to a breakfast of hot corn meal porridge that she had lovingly prepared. The boys would fetch firewood and haul water in from the nearby river for her, and she took special care to make sure they were thriving. The happy family did everything together, and the boys’ doting grandmother loved them deeply.

These happy moments were cut short when Joseph and Benjamin’s grandmother fell ill. She quickly deteriorated, and passed away just a short time after. The death of their grandmother deeply affected the young children.

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Nutrition program provides nearly 150,000 meals last year in Tondo

In the Philippines, many children living in poverty are in poor health. Malnutrition, leading to anemia and poor dental health, is one of the most urgent issues at many of our Filipino sites. Through the support of our sponsors and donors, we work with our local partners to implement nutrition programs to help nourish hungry children and families.

In addition to sponsorship, our Tondo site in the Philippines provides regular daily meals supported through our nutrition program. Vitamins and extra supplements are also provided to anemic and vitamin deficient children.

So far, the children in Tondo have greatly benefited from the regular, healthy meals. In our 2017-2018 year, 144,551 meals were fed to children in need. Sponsored children aren’t the only ones who benefit- the coordinators were given permission to feed other children who were hungry and came asking for food, as long as the children in the program were fed.

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