Author Archives: Sarah

Orphaned brothers start a hopeful new life together

Joseph and Benjamin are brothers from Kyandoo, a small village near our Mombasa site in 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 boy’s 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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Maksym receives life saving treatment for Lyme disease

Last September, Maskym, a sponsored child from our Ternopil site in Ukraine, came home from school with a sharp headache and high fever. Svitlana, his mother, kept Maksym home from school for two days thinking he had the flu. Maksym, however, just kept getting sicker. Svitlana also noticed that his head was constantly tilting to one side.

Svitlana brought Maksym to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with swelling of the brain. Treatment, however, had no effect. Maksym was quickly transferred to larger hospital where he underwent a variety of blood tests. It was soon discovered that he suffered from Lyme Disease. After a few days of antibiotics, he improved and was sent home.

Just one month later, Maksym became sick once again. Doctors informed the family that Maksym would need to be treated for upwards of one year to see improvement. Worst of all, the disease had caused many complications, such as inflammation of the brain stem, chest, stomach, heart, and kidney and pancreas issues.

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A light in the darkness: Rupali’s new dream

Rupali, from our Assam site in India, lives with her parents, older sister, and younger brother. Her parents are incredibly hard working, and do everything they can for their children. Her father, Pobin, drives others around in a rickshaw for a living. Even though he’s in poor health, he works nearly every day to make ends meet. Rupali’s mother also works selling small items on the side of the road for extra income.

Despite their dedication and hard work, Rupali’s parents still don’t make enough to support their family. They never received a formal education, making it difficult to find higher paying jobs in the competitive local economy. The family doesn’t own their own land, and struggle to pay rent and afford basic needs.

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Borehole well brings life to school in rural Ghana

In northern Ghana, it’s often incredibly difficult for children to attend school. Lack of transportation, public services, and food insecurity all prevent children from attending class. Many young adults move to the prospering southern towns, leading to a further lack of teachers and services.

For over ten years, Chalice has been working in northern Ghana to help bring education, food, and safety to vulnerable children and their families. In 2013, Chalice partnered with the Wa School for the Deaf to help provide even further services to children in need.

St. Don-Bosco special school, built in 2016, is a sub-campus of Wa School for the Deaf which caters specifically to children with intellectual disabilities. The school has 102 teenage students, many of whom are sponsored through Chalice. The students thrive despite their disabilities, and are learning trades such as making soap, detergent, sandals, and beads, and gardening and animal rearing.

Due to its rural location, the school faces its fair share of challenges. Water and sanitation has been an ongoing issue. It’s a monumental task to provide enough safe, clean drinking water for the students, and hard to find enough water for the crops and animals on campus.

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Traditional Kenyan Kaimatis (fried dumplings)

This Christmas, whip up this easy, delicious snack that the whole family will love. Kaimati is a traditional fried dumpling coated with sweet vanilla syrup. This indulgent treat is a popular dessert and snack among Swahili and Bajuni communities in Kenya- we received this recipe straight from one of our Kenyan sites!

Kaimatis get their unique flavour from the method of how yeast is combined with the flour. This recipe serves a family of four, but can be doubled for parties or for families with a sweet tooth.

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This Christmas, Jane puts her love in action

Canadians all across the country are living “Love in Action” with our 2018 Christmas gift catalogue. When you give a gift through our catalogue, you’ll provide essential needs to vulnerable children and families in the developing world.

Your gift is two gifts in one – you can honour a friend or loved one with your donation, and they’ll receive a beautiful handwritten card telling them of the special gift purchased on their behalf.

Twelve-year-old Jane, from Tignish, P.E.I., has been hard at work putting her love in action this Christmas season. When Jane and her mother, Lisa, received this year’s catalogue in the mail, Jane expressed her wish to help others.

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Donors help Ukrainian family rebuild after fire

On August 8, 2018, Lesya and her family endured an unexpected disaster. A fire, caused by an electrical short circuit, blazed throughout Lesya’s family home near our Ternopil site in the Ukraine. The fire damaged much of their kitchen and furniture, and destroyed the roof and beams in their nearby barn and shed. Lesya’s mother, Halyna, raises her four children alone, and is unable to work full-time. The family survives on their garden and small poultry farm. The damage caused by the fire was devastating to the family’s daily lives and to their livelihood.

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Heartfelt letters for the holidays

One of the greatest joys of sponsoring a child is the opportunity to build a real, lasting connection. Sponsors receive yearly updates on their precious sponsored children, including a new photo and details about school and family life. The most heartwarming, personal touch to these updates are the handwritten letters and pictures from your sponsored child. As a sponsor, you receive a letter twice a year, and are able to send as many letters as you’d like.

Good topics to write about are family, children, friends, hometown, the weather, pets, and hobbies. If you have children in your family, sending their hand-drawn pictures is a big hit. Sponsored children write about similar topics, and often share their hopes, dreams, and hobbies with their sponsors! At Christmas, sponsored children take special care into crafting their letters. They even include a beautiful handmade card to wish their sponsors a warm and joyous Christmas.

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Krystyna pursues her artistic talents

Khrystyna is a creative, smart and hardworking young lady from our Ternopil site in the Ukraine. She has endured many hardships from a young age. Her father passed away when she was very young, and shortly afterwards her mother was diagnosed with cancer. All of the family’s savings was spent on her mother’s treatments, and it was very difficult to make ends meet.

When Khrystyna was 11, she was accepted into Chalice’s sponsorship program and was chosen by a generous sponsor shortly after. Although Khrystyna’s life has been anything but easy, she continues to persevere. She’s incredibly motivated and has always shown a thirst for knowledge.

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