From just a young age, Calex had a front row-seat into what it means to be successful.
Hailing from near our Don Bosco site in Paraguay, he used to accompany his mother and father while they sold straws and brooms.
At age 10, Calex was fortunate to be selected by a kind Chalice sponsor, and with their help, remained dedicated and faithful to his studies.
He finished high school, and went on to university, a major step in his life, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Science.
When MaryAnne first looked at the sea of children in a Chalice sponsorship booklet, Eunice’s eyes stood out.
Compared to all the other children, she looked “so sad,” MaryAnne shared in an interview.
At the time, MaryAnne worked as Chalice’s International Operations Manager for Latin America. She already sponsored one child, and wanted to take on another. She and her family chose Eunice, a young girl from Kenya nearing her teenage years.
Like many sponsors, MaryAnne and her family wrote to Eunice. Through their correspondence, Eunice received valuable support from MaryAnne, as well as the prayers of her family.
But soon, the situation changed.
The boarding school Eunice attended ended its relationship with Chalice, and the site closed. Many of the students simply went home. For Eunice, whose mother passed away years before and whose father wasn’t in her life, home wasn’t an option.
MaryAnne, on the other side of the world, was heartbroken.
She wrote her a letter, letting Eunice know she was on her mind and heart, and in her prayers.
“That was it. It was closed, and we had no more contact with her,” she said.
In the intervening four years, MaryAnne thought about Eunice often. But with no way to contact her, she had no way of finding out what had happened to her. She didn’t know Eunice prayed regularly, in the hopes she would meet MaryAnne again.
MaryAnne was eventually promoted to Senior International Manager at Chalice, a role she still serves in today. The opportunity to visit Kenya soon came up.
It was a longshot, but she knew she wanted to try and find Eunice. Just in case.
If there’s one thing that can be said about our site staff in Kenya, it’s that they’re miracle workers. They managed to trace Eunice to a Christian boarding school, where she had, against all odds, studied hard and earned admission on merit.
This was all news to MaryAnne. She was prepared for any possibility, but amazed when she discovered Eunice doing so well.
The only thing left was to reconnect.
The deputy principal of the school told Eunice someone was there to meet her. But Eunice had no idea who that someone was.
To her surprise, Eunice shared in the interview, the first face she saw was MaryAnne’s.
“It was like, ‘God has answered my prayer’,” Eunice said.
At that moment, all they could do was hug each other and cry.
Up to that point, Eunice was working whenever she could to pay for school. MaryAnne asked Eunice if she’d like to be sponsored again, and naturally, Eunice accepted. With the help of sponsorship, Eunice’s expenses and fees were covered, so she could focus on her studies.
That wasn’t the end of Eunice’s struggles, but it was the beginning of renewed hope.
When MaryAnne visited Nairobi again, she helped Eunice apply for university. It was then Eunice asked if she could call her “Mom”.
Of course, MaryAnne said yes.
Around the same time, Eunice was introduced to Martha, Chalice’s East Africa coordinator.
Despite all the support from MaryAnne and her family in Canada, Eunice was missing something important: a place to truly call home. She needed somewhere to go when not in school, that could give her support on the ground.
In that moment, with a loving and generous heart, Martha stepped in.
She offered Eunice the chance to come live with her and her family, giving her a soft place to land. They grew close, and today, when Eunice thinks “family”, she thinks “Martha and MaryAnne”.
She’s now completed studies in special education, and is doing an internship at Chalice’s Konta site, formerly called the School for the Deaf. There, she works with children who are deaf or hard of hearing, her true passion.
“When I talk to them, we interact, I am able to make them feel they are accepted in the society,” Eunice said.
She dreams of pursuing a master’s degree, and prays that one day, she can help a child the way MaryAnne helped her
In fact, Eunice said, MaryAnne returned to her life at just the right moment.
“She’s more than a mother to me,” Eunice said.
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Continue reading “How Sponsorship Completely Changed Eunice’s Life”
While most kids learned to walk at age two, Fabian learned to read.
This whiz-kid from near our Arica site in Chile was even featured in the news at just two years old and learned English at 10.
Chocotejas are a traditional dessert from Peru! Originally from Ica, in the south of Lima, this delicious dessert is filled with “manjar blanco”, or “dulce de leche”, along with pecans, walnuts, fig, raisins, and coconut flakes.
It’s common for people from other Peruvian regions to travel to Ica just for delicious chocotejas they can share with friends and family.
(Makes 6-12 chocotejas*)
Introducing…Chris Bray!
Chris is a Catholic speaker, musician, and author who spends his days travelling across the country, giving people hope by helping them draw closer to Christ. He inspires people everywhere he goes, and from them, he draws encouragement and motivation to grow his ministry.
He’s partnering with Chalice to speak at the Catholic Educators’ Conference in Vancouver, B.C. But what’s the story of Chris? What’s going on behind that smiling face? We sat down for a Q&A with Chris to get to know the real him.
Real talk: maybe you haven’t heard about Chalice’s critical needs program. Or maybe you have heard of it, but you’re less clear on what it accomplishes. In our latest blog post, we’re here to fill in the blanks, and nothing does that better than the story of Meru County’s soon-to-be newest hairdresser.
Yvonne is studying hair at home in Kenya, and a Chalice sponsor has supported her since 2011. But though she might make haircuts and styling look easy, her journey hasn’t been.
She, her mother and siblings lived in a neighbourhood that consisted of makeshift homes made from light materials. One night, in December 2020, the family lost everything.
Continue reading “Why Critical Needs are Critically Important”
Picture Jesmolita, the eldest daughter of three siblings, living near our Orissa site in India. She and her family lived in a small old house, striving to get by on a humble budget.
In short, it was challenging – at one point, they couldn’t even afford adequate food and clothing. A good education was an even more distant dream.
Enter Jesmolita’s Chalice sponsor, a kind individual who uplifted the family in their darkest time.
With their support, Jesmolita started going to school, and her siblings had more support for their education and healthcare, too.
Continue reading “Chalice Supporters Made One Family’s Life ‘Beautiful’”
When Brother Marcelin first met Marco, he saw a boy who would someday be a great man.
Br. Marcelin, director of Chalice’s Haiti South site, knew Marco had the potential to accomplish all his dreams. To get there, though, he desperately needed a helping hand.
Marco suffered from a disease called lichen planus, an inflammatory skin disease that caused itchy lesions in his hands. Everyday actions like putting on shoes or holding a feather were challenging. His mother, Mrs. Marlene, visited many hospitals in the city of Jérémie, but the pricey treatments were out of reach.
Meanwhile, Marco kept going to school, determined his education wouldn’t be disrupted.
As many of our supporters know, Ukraine is in the middle of a tense political conflict with Russia. Chalice serves three sites in Ukraine: Lviv, Ternopil, and Pochaiv. Sponsored children and their families are safe, and the needs of families have not changed. They’re still dealing with COVID-19 and an increased cost of living, putting them in need of money for food, heating materials, and basic necessities. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict, and we know our supporters feel the same way. Unfortunately, we do not know what will happen until, and if, the situation escalates. We’re monitoring the news closely, and keeping in close contact with all three sites.
Since 1992, Chalice has told anyone who will listen about the cycle of poverty. It’s the thing that keeps families poor through generations, and one of our key goals is breaking it.
We’re big believers that the first step in that process is education. For many in the developing world, education isn’t a matter of enrolling in a public primary school and getting there on the bus. In Zambia, for example, students in rural communities walk long distances to school, and only 55.3% of students pass their grade 9 exams.
Lack of education and support means kids don’t continue to post-secondary education, limiting the type of jobs they can access. Chalice is working to change that, and by the end of 2022, our Zambian sites want 95% of children to pass grade nine exams and move to the next level.
Continue reading “How Education Breaks the Cycle of Poverty”
