Faith, union, and solidarity is what makes Sofiyas’s family stronger in Ukraine

This close-knit family of eight have a way of standing out in a crowd.  

“It is simply impossible for them to get by unnoticed,” the Ternopil sponsor site staff write. “Every Sunday you can see them in church, wearing humble but neat clothing, standing together with their hands folded in prayer.” The family has never missed a celebration at their church, always all together: Parents Oleh and Oksana, Nazariy, Olha-Mariya, Sofiya, Oksana, Matviy, and Ivan.  

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Kavisree’s breathing is made easier with an oxygen machine

Kavisree is two years old, and is the daughter of Sathish, a Skills @ Chalice faculty member in our Madurai sponsor site. When not teaching with Skills @ Chalice, Sathish has been doing freelance work to support his two daughters, his wife, and his widowed mother.

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Raymark’s wheelchair is the gift of sunshine and socializing

Raymark loves going out in his neighbourhood of Laoang, the community base of our Samar sponsor site. When he can’t go out, his sister Racelyn often sees him socializing from afar.  

“He is always excited to look at people while peeking at the window,” she describes.  

Raymark was born with cerebral palsy which affected the development of his speech and motor skills. He relies on his mother, Rachell, and grandmother, Corazon, for his day-to-day needs. Rachell pursued a degree in education so that she can support her family as a teacher. But she struggled to make ends meet and could not afford special devices for Raymark.  

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Sparkling with Christmas Joy in Paraguay

When Christmas comes, it seems that the whole world has a birthday,” writes the staff at our CMAVIL sponsor site in Paraguay. “In every house children and adults prepare the party: some set up a manger with a small child, others also decorate a tree with lights and stars. The streets and houses sparkle with lights and garlands.”  

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A special Christmas hamper full of solidarity

At our PINIFE sponsor site in Peru, “Christmas is an important day for families, as they celebrate the birth of Jesus and have the Holy Family of Nazareth as their model,” describes the site staff. 2021’s celebrations centred around St. Joseph, as we came to the end of the special year dedicated to our universal patron. 

The site staff organized an online day of reflection for each of the 22 Chalice family circles, held from December 6 to 20th. “These celebrations were very well received by the families, especially by the parents that learnt a little more about St. Joseph and they committed themselves to live the sacred family of Nazareth’s virtues at home as well as to instill in their children the values of love, respect, responsibility and reconciliation.” Sponsored children submitted videos to share. They sang Christmas carols, offered Christmas messages and poems. 

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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.  

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