Photo Friday: Our top 5 “brush your teeth” photos

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

This weekend, many kids here in Canada will be receiving lots of goodies from trick-or-treating, which means that caregivers will have to make sure those little teeth get an extra good brushing! It’s important for children all over the world to have constant access to good dental hygiene to ensure that they have a happy, healthy smile every day of the year.

Without assistance, many children and families at our sites would be forced to go without dental care. Cavities and tooth loss leads to pain, missed school, low self esteem, and lost job opportunities. Thankfully, our wonderful supporters make it possible for kids and families at our sites to receive essential dental care, training and supplies through donations to our programs and our gift catalogue. This week, we’re featuring our top 5 “brush your teeth” photos, so you can get a first hand view of our kids keeping their smiles bright and pain-free.

#5: Toothbrushing tutor

This little girl from our Mbinga site in Tanzania is getting a hands-on lesson in dental hygiene! It’s helpful for older siblings and students to assist younger children with their teeth brushing routines until they get the hang of it. These children received their toothbrushes and toothpaste through kind donations to our gift catalogue.

 

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Sponsorship helps Shaheda set up shop

On a calm March day in 1995, little Shaheda was born to her joyful parents in the town of Wa, Ghana. Soon after she was born, Shaheda’s parents discovered that she had a hearing impairment, a disability she would live with for her entire life. Despite her disability, her parents tried to give her the best life they could. Unfortunately, accommodations for her needs proved expensive on top of the poverty they already faced living in a poor rural community.

With the support of sponsorship, Shaheda was able to attend Wa School for the Deaf, a specialized school where students receive an education tailored to their needs. Here, she was able to focus on her studies and receive the attention she needed to excel in class. She then attended St. John’s Integrated Senior High School, where she graduated with good marks. Her best grades were in Food and Nutrition courses!

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Photo Friday: Our top 5 “comforting home” photos

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

Each and every person deserves the comfort of a safe and secure home. For many families living in poverty, however, this basic human right is far out of reach. In communities surrounding our sponsor sites, we see families living in difficult situations. Some houses are unsafe and in disrepair, or lack appliances and furniture. Other times, families struggle to afford the high cost of rental properties. Some families don’t have homes at all, and are forced to shuffle between neighbors or relatives.

Thankfully, our dedicated donors selflessly support all sorts of incredible initiatives that help many of these families overcome these obstacles and achieve the dream of living in a secure and comfortable home. This week, we’re featuring our top 5 “comforting home” photos from our sites, so you can get a peek at some of these heartwarming stories for yourself!

#5: Mercy’s many home upgrades

Mercy, from our Serenje site in Zambia, is 13 years old and in grade eight. She lives with her mom, dad, and five siblings! Mercy has been sponsored since pre-school. Without her sponsor’s support, Mercy’s dad explains that they would be unable to afford to send her to school.

Mercy’s sponsor has been very generous with the family by sending gifts of special money, which has allowed them to dramatically improve their previously dire living situation. They’ve been able to get connection to the electrical grid and have since gotten a fridge, a sewing machine, some minor household renovations. Eventually, they plan to build a new small home on the land next to their current home for more space for the large family!

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“Njiru Stars” youth group shines thanks to community support

In many communities surrounding our Nairobi site in Kenya, a lack of employment opportunities has been an ongoing issue, especially for young adults. In these areas, it’s a constant struggle for many individuals to find stable, well-paying work that they can rely on for a steady income.

Our East Africa Coordinator, Martha, walks by a particular corner every day on her way to and from work. Known as the “jobless corner,” young men would wait here to be approached and chosen for daily wage labour jobs. She would see these same young men waiting for work, day in and day out. A naturally social person, Martha would stop and chat, and got to know the young men over many months.

Martha was saddened by their stories. Despite their best efforts, they were chronically unemployed, and their families were suffering. So Martha did what she does best – she educated them! She met with them as a group, listened, connected them to local resources, and gave shape to their dreams. Upon learning about their skills and potential, she arranged for the group to receive entrepreneurship workshops and financial training thanks to kind Chalice donors. Thus, the “Njiru Stars” youth group was born!

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Photo Friday: Our top 5 “autumn” photos!

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

Here in Canada, autumn is in the air! Seasons at our sites look very different depending on which country they’re located in. Our Ukrainian sites have autumns just like ours, while others like our Filipino sites only have two seasons!

This week, we’re sharing our top 5 “autumn” photos from our sites. Whether or not our sites have a traditional “autumn” season, we think these photos filled with harvest goodies, hats, and sweaters just feel like fall!

#5: A hearty harvest

This farmer from our Mbinga site in Tanzania is enjoying a bumper harvest of corn! Farming is an essential source of livelihood in Mbinga. Many parents of sponsored children earn a living through farming. Nearby schools supported by our nutrition program also do the same to supplement their school lunch programs.

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Jamesley knows no limits

The first thing you notice about Jamesley is the huge smile beaming from his face. Once you get to know him you would also find out that he is a very smart and funny boy, likes school, is very patient and his love for goats is second to none.

A sponsored boy from Haiti, Jamesley was born with a spinal cord deformation which left him unable to walk. He was first referred to a surgeon back in 2010 but the appointment never took place due to the devastating earthquake and the resulting destruction of the hospital in Port-au-Prince. Tragically, his father was killed during the earthquake.

A courageous and determined young man, Jamesley touched the heart of a Chalice supporter during a visit in 2015. The supporter became Jamesley’s sponsor and raised funds to cover his first surgery. Thanks to a great surgical team and many prayers, the surgery was a success and Jamesley quickly made wonderful progress, moving around with the assistance of walking aids.

“Jamesley is laid back and studious,” describes Br. Marcelin, site director for Haiti South. “When you meet him you understand that he really has no problem living his life despite his condition.”

Now Eleven years old Jamesley is still smiling bright, enjoys playing soccer with his friends and is doing well in school. He moves quickly and shows great agility with his crutches. Over the past five years he had funds raised for him to return to Port-au-Prince to be fitted with a hip brace and then receive physiotherapy, and then he was fitted and purchased a new brace in 2016. This past year he was found to be anemic so once again thanks to the generosity of our supporters, funds were raised to provide a special diet for a year to treat this condition.

An inspiration to us all, Jamesley breaks the barriers every day because he only sees his ability and lets nothing hold him back.

Photo Friday: Our top 5 “teacher” photos!

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

On October 5, we globally celebrated World Teacher’s Day, a time to recognize all of the incredible teachers that share their knowledge and shape the future of the precious young minds in their care.

This week, we’re sharing our top 5 “teacher” photos from our sites! At each of our sites, we have so many ambitious teachers working diligently to educate sponsored and non-sponsored children alike. Some schools may be in disrepair and supplies may be lacking, but day after day, teachers inspire students to shine in the classroom.

#5: Maisie and her many minis!

Maisie is a teacher at St Charles Lwanga Nursery School, located in the Muchinga province of Zambia. This is an acutely poverty stricken area; many parents work as farmers and earn less than a dollar a day. The Sisters and teachers who work at the school provide quality education for under privileged children, and ensure they have a meal each day through the school’s feeding program.

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House repairs bring security to Samar families

One of the long-cherished dreams of families at our Samar sponsor site in the Philippines is to build a life where the social, cultural, and economic capabilities of each family member are nurtured and developed. A great starting point for families to start reaching for success together is by owning a safe and secure home. For most low-income earners, including sponsored families at our site, this lifetime dream is often so difficult to achieve due to inadequate space and insufficient finances.

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Photo Friday: Our top 5 “elder” photos!

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

Elders are an integral part of our families and communities. They formed and raised each and every family in the world today, pass down and preserve traditions, and continue to share their unique gifts and talents with their loved ones, friends, families, and communities.

This week, we’re sharing our top 5 “elder” photos from our sites! In addition to child sponsorship, some of our sites have a sponsorship program for elders. Elders with little or no family support can rely on sponsorship and their Chalice site for food, medical support, and companionship! We’re so happy to be able to partner with our supporters to help give our elders the opportunity to live safe and dignified lives.

#5: Mario’s support system

Don Mario, a retired farmer, is sponsored through our Don Bosco site in Paraguay. His father was sponsored until his passing ten years ago, at which time Mario began receiving support. Mario’s passion was playing the accordion, but unfortunately he had to sell it to cover living expenses.

Most of his sponsorship funds go towards medicine and food. He has four brothers and four sisters, one of whom lives next door and keeps an eye on him, helping him to arrange his weekly visits to the hospital. He is very grateful to his sponsor for helping him make ends meet and live comfortably!

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Photo Friday: Our top 5 “lunch time” photos!

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

Lunch time is an especially important part of the day for growing minds and bodies. Students at our sites need nutritious, filling meals to help them focus on their studies! Thanks to donations to our nutrition fund, our sites are able to support all sorts of school lunch programs.

This week, we’re sharing our top 5 “lunch time” photos from our sites! Getting meals ready takes a lot of work, and we’d love to take you through some of the steps that our staff, teachers, families, volunteers, and children take to prepare and enjoy meals together. It’s really a group effort!

#5: First, you have to cook the food!

Thanks to sponsorship, Liseth, from Cochabamba, Bolivia, was able to attend school. As she grew up, she frequented the after-school support program at her Chalice site, where she received help with her homework and a daily nutritious meal from the soup kitchen.

Liseth grew up watching staff at the kitchen prepare meals and knew in her heart that she wanted to cook for a living. She’s now studying to become a chef, and works at a local soup kitchen to help pay for her studies. She feeds over 100 daycare-aged children every day, and loves giving back to the community!
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