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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Xhuliano's Progress Report 2014

Xhuliano is 13 years old and lives in Albania. I loved the questions Albania chose to put in their reports this year. The answers really allowed the kids to show their personalities.


This Year I Go To: Secondary School Grade 7
My Favorite Subject Is: Mathematics
My Grades Are: Average
My Close Friend At School Is: Ani
There are 23 pupils in my class. 

My Health Condition Is: Satisfactory 

Dear Sponsor, I want to share a poem/song/tale/or other with you: 
I'd love to spend a week or two,
swimming down the Nile. 
Or sunbathe on a sandy beach,
just for a little while. 

The animal that represents me best is: Lion because the lion is a brave animal that escapes risk. 

Things or people that have inspired/motivated me during this year: Reading, sports, my family. 

What Happened in My Life This Year

I was very happy when (it was a checklist. He checked everything): 
- I received a photo from you
- I received a letter/gift from you
- You said "I love you"
- I see the changes in my family and community
- You encouraged my dreams
- I took part in different child friendly activities 

Benefits and Trainings/Activities Participation
- Summer Camp
- Children's Rights Activities
- Birthday Celebration



Saturday, July 26, 2014

Lovely Letter from Wendjy

At first, letters from Wendjy were slow going and not very personal. Things are certainly improving. It's so fun getting to know these "kids."

Wendjy lives in Haiti. He is 19 years old. This letter is dated June 14th, 2014.

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Dear Kayla, 

I love having the opportunity to communicate with you. I greet you and your family in in the all-powerful name of the Lord. I trust that you and your family are doing okay, thanks to God. I'm happy to know more about your work and to see you and children in photos. I feel so happy for the work because this is something I really love so much, that is playing with children. I want you to know that in a few days after the state exam, school will be off and I will be on vacation. I look forward to it because I love vacation in order to play soccer and basketball with my friends and swim in the sea. The only thing I don't like about summer is the warmth. When will you have vacation? Thank you for the letter and your prayers. I ask you to continue to keep me in your prayers. I will do the same thing for you too. I want to share Romans 8:3 with you. I wish that God in his grace will protect you. 

Wendjy Louis

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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

More World Vision Updates: 2013: Sierra Leone

Of course, I have to share the 2013 project update for Abu-Bakarr's ADP too. Without delay...


- Educated local savings groups on how to provide small loans and financial training to the community. 

- Improved the health status of 5,000 children by providing them with deworming medication. 

- Educated 700 community members on malaria prevention in order to battle the life-threatening disease. 

- Rehabilitated wells and created water management committees to improve sanitation and the community's access to safe water. 

- Supported primary school teachers so they could take classes from a teacher training college, in order to improve children's education. 

- Provided local schools with solar powered systems so they could generate enough energy to light classrooms for evening classes. 

Monday, July 21, 2014

More World Vision Updates: 2013: Albania

This post may not be interesting to anybody except me, but I like to get these things in writing before the next update happens.

Here are more things accomplished by the ADPs that my Albanian boys attend. Domenik's project has only been open for a couple of years, which Xhuliano and Florenc's projects are in the final stage of World Vision's help. Unfortunately, child abuse is a very serious problem in much of Albania. One of WV's biggest goals for this country is meeting with parents to discuss why this problem is occurring and to involve the community in stopping this abuse.


- Increased economic opportunities by supporting local farmers with training and equipment, helped youth receive vocational training, and enabled vulnerable families to start income-generating activities. 

- Trained community members on ways to improve water sanitation and hygiene in their neighborhoods and educated children on proper handwashing practices, to try to prevent illness. 

- Established student governments, giving youth a voice in school decisions and equipping them to help make their school more child-friendly. 

- Trained educators on innovative teaching methods and how to help children with learning disabilities succeed in school. 

- Conducted awareness sessions with moms and dads, promoting positive parenting practices and encouraging them on the importance of education and ways to provide proper nutrition for their children. 

- Partnered with teachers, healthcare workers, and local authorities to educate the community on child protection and child rights. 

- Coaches parents, teachers, and school authorities to be more inclusive of vulnerable children and those with special needs. 


- Taught young people agricultural skills which will help them earn a living.

- Helped vulnerable families start income-generating activities and small businesses to better provide for their children. 

- Educated 91 Albanians on ways to improve sanitation and hygiene and 515 children on proper handwashing practices. 

- Trained 35 teachers on positive teaching to help children with learning difficulties succeed at school. 

- Helped reduce school dropout rates with teachers and parents to identify and respond to underlying issues. 

- Held summer camps and other activities for 720 children, which taught them essential life skills. 

- Helped organize 6 awareness raising initiatives, reaching 704 community members with information on child rights. 

- Conducted 17 training sessions for 272 participants to promote positive parenting practices. 

- Trained 217 people on how to report cases of abuse to local child protection services. 

- Children enjoyed birthday parties with fun sports, games, and entertainment. Each child received a photo album as a gift.  



- To improve dairy production and household income, 54 farmers were provided with new equipment. 

- Provided medical assistance, like eye exams, for 18 children with acute needs. 

- Trained 42 teachers and school directors on child-centered teaching methods, improving the learning environment for students. 

- Held 17 training sessions for parents, promoting positive parenting practices and educating them on the importance of school attendance and proper nutrition for their children. 

- Established and trained 2 student governments to organize initiatives on safe internet use. These students have also raised awareness on the importance of qualified teachers and children's rights among 3,597 community members. 

- Through youth groups, trained peer leaders to advocate for children's rights to an education. 

- Held 11 training sessions for 238 people to teach improved hygiene practices, child development, and safe internet use. 

- Worked with faith-based organizations, healthcare centers, teachers, and local authorities to be involved in a child protection safety network to help create a safer environment for children in the community. 

- 2,687 boys and girls enjoyed fun parties in honor or their birthdays. 11,000 winter hats and scarves were distributed to children at local schools. 

Saturday, July 19, 2014

More About Celeste's Siblings

I received a letter from my precious girl, Celeste, today. I love that from the very beginning of our relationship, Celeste has always written great letters. She really does a great job expressing her personality through her letters.

Celeste is 12 years old and lives in Honduras. This letter was written June 14th, 2014.

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Dear Kayla,

In this moment I am writing this letter hoping you are in good health and prosperity given by God, just the way your soul is prospering. This time I want to thank you for the lovely letter you have sent and for showing that you're always thinking of me. I am fine and so are my siblings. Mario is in 9th grade. My sister Vicky is still in the university. She's studying Psychology and is happy studying for a career. Antonio (Her brother's name is Mario Antonio. Celeste uses the names interchangeably). doesn't like to go to the secondary school much because it's boring, according to what he says. My dad tells him that it is going to help him in the future. Yes, I do know the Christmas story. My favorite pastimes are to go out for a walk, play, have fun, and go swimming in the pool. I have 4 pets; two dogs and two cats. The female dog is named Osa. I hope you are in good health. May God bless you always. 

Celeste

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Friday, July 18, 2014

Love from Indonesia, Thailand, Honduras, and Ethiopia!

I opened my mailbox today and four letters literally fell out and landed on the floor of my apartment building. The mailman put them crooked in my mailbox, leaning against the door. Either way, I was happy to pick those letters off the floor and tear into them.

Sagitaria sent me a quick update about her life. Sagitaria is 10 years old and from Indonesia. This letter is dated June 2nd, 2014.

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Dear Kayla,

Shalom mama. How are you? Mama, thanks for your letter. My family is healthy here. It often rains and it is often hot here. So I think the weather is normal here. My hobbies are writing and reading. My friends are kind and friendly. Mama, I pray to the Almighty God that we are healthy. Amen. 

Regards,
Sagitaria

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Fongwin also sent me a newsy type letter. I love these little updates from these kids. Fongwin is 11 years old and from Thailand. This letter is dated May 8th, 2014. 

_________________________________________________________________________________



Dear Kayla,

Hello, sponsor. I'm very glad to write a letter to you again. Thank you very much for your love and your kindness for me and my family. My family and I are fine. It's very hot in my country. There is rain and there is hailstones. There are many damages. I'd like you to call me Fongwin (Fongwin's real name is Thawatchai and he signs all his letters this way. I asked which name he preferred). My school will start soon. I'll be in a new grade and I will have new friends. I'll pay much attention to my studies. Do schools in your country start yet? Please pray for my studies. I'll pray for you. Lastly, my God bless you. 

Love in Christ, 
Thwatchai

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Alexander wrote about the fun way kids celebrate birthdays in their project! Alexander is 13 years old and lives in Honduras. This letter was written June 20th, 2014. 

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Dear Sponsor Kayla,

I'm glad to write to you. Let me tell you that I'm learning a lot in the project and discovering my talents and how to share with others. I want to tell you that I have learned a lot in the project and how to wash my hands and I am very kind. What I like learning in the project is Bible texts. We celebrated our birthdays at Kentucky Friend Chicken with pinatas. They take us our for our birthdays. I ask you to pray for my family. Thank you for what you do for me. Goodbye. 

Carlos Alexander

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Last up, is a letter from Enatenesh. She didn't have too much to say, but it's always good to hear from her. Enatenesh is 17 years old and from Ethiopia. This letter is dated June 30th, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla,

How are you doing, my sponsor? My family and I are fine. I thank you so much for your support. I am attending my school and Sunday School. I am studying to be successful on my exam. I need your prayer for my family and my education. I thank you so much for your prayers. I love you. Till my next letter, goodbye. 

Enatenesh

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Sponsors Needed in Projects I Sponsor In #1

I keep saying I want to make this a weekly thing and then I keep getting distracted. I have to remind myself that I created my blog in the hopes of sharing more about child sponsorship and for finding sponsors for more children. What better way than to share about children that are waiting for a sponsor?

I titled this post #1, because I am hoping that will help me truly make this a weekly thing, as long as there are children waiting in projects that I sponsor in on the website that week.

This week, there are 7 children for me to share. Maybe one of these kids will grab your heart and you'll feel lead to sponsor them. If that does happen, I would love to hear about it!



Kenia has been sponsored!



Charan and Bala have both been sponsored! 


Eknath has been sponsored! 


Meet Ravidas. He attends IN-905, which is the project that my Kalpesh attends. This is another project for great letters!

Ravidas is 12 years old. His birthday is June 22nd. He enjoys art, reading, and playing ball games. He attends activities at church regularly. 


This precious boy is Mohit. He attends project IN-967 where my Khushi attends. He lives in a community that is located in the Himalayan Mountains, where the weather can get very cold. 

Mohit is 9 years old. His birthday is May 9th. He lives with a single father and one sibling. He has been waiting over 250 days for a sponsor. 


Belen from NI-221 has been sponsored!



That's all for this week. Check back Wednesday for more! 




Sunday, July 13, 2014

Gifts for Enoc and Debora

My friend Hilary will be going on an individual visit to Honduras to see her sponsored children. She offered to take gifts for people that sponsored in the same projects her children attend (it's easy to pass off gifts to project workers to take back to the project). For me, these projects are HO-133 and HO-372, which is where my new boy, Enoc, and my sweet Debora attend. I am extremely grateful whenever I am able to send a gift to one of my children. It's so fun choosing special gifts for them that I typically can't send them in the mail.

For some reason, I didn't think to take a picture of the items before I packed them up. I must have been too excited to get everything together. But, I did take a picture of the bags afterward:



For Deobra, I chose a small doll, a toy bottle, a pink squishy penguin that lights up, a toothbrush, and a comb. 

For Enoc I chose a box of markers, a notebook, some playdoh, a toothbrush, a yellow squishy sheep that lights up, a bracelet with a soccer ball charm on it, a small egg with toy dinosaurs inside of it, and little silver car. 

These gifts will be delivered next month. How fun! 

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Three More for the Record Books

Isn't there a saying of some sort that talks about news coming in groups of three? Hmm...now that I think of it, maybe that's what they say about celebrity deaths. Oh well, it's too late to back out now. Lately, I've noticed that when I get mail, I seem to get them in groups of three. That's much better news that celebrity deaths, if I do say so myself.

Is this taking a morbid turn?

Let's stop chatting and just get to the letters:

My dear little Kwizera. I always call him little, even though he's turning 10 years old this year. I still picture him as that tiny, skinny guy I got in his very first photo. He's certainly growing up.

Kwizera lives in Rwanda. This letter is dated May 10th, 2014.

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Dear Kayla,

Beloved special parent, I love you so much. First, greetings to you in the name of Jesus. How are you? I have the pleasure of writing this letter to you telling you about myself. It is sunny in my country. In school, I earned 71% on my exams and came in the 18th position in class. My dad hs been sick with scar in his neck. I love playing football. I love to worship God. I am well and happy. How are you doing? I am so thankful to you. I write to wish you a prosperous year. I was so delighted by the lovely letter you wrote. I felt so pleased. I thank you for that letter. Thank you! 

Kwizera 

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Next up, a letter from my sweet Brazlian girl, Maria. Her letters always have this upbeat air about them. She seems to be a very positive little girl. 

Maria is 10 years old. This letter is dated April 22nd, 2014

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Dear Sponsor Kayla,

How are you? I hope you are well. I am okay. I want to say thank you for your letters to me and I like when you take time to write to me. I love your letters. My favorite colors are pink and red. I like children and I think they are cute. My mother is Marlene and my father is Francisco. My brother is Junior. I have a dog called Morena. Do you like animals? Which ones? Here, Brazil is very hot but sometimes it is raining. I ask the Lord to bless you always. 

With Love,
Maria

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Now, first letter fun! This time from my girl Lina, from Colombia. I love all letters from all of my sponsored children, but there is just something extra exciting about a first letter. I know that Compassion changed the policy so that correspondent sponsors don't receive the "first letter" template from correspondent children anymore, so I didn't get to learn any of that basic information. But, Lina wrote a pretty great letter, sharing about her community and herself. 

Lina is 15 years old and this letter is dated April 24th, 2014. 

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Dear Sponsor,

I greet you a God bless you. I want to tell you that I'm happy because I already turned 15 years old. The city where I live is called Cali and it is a very nice and very big city. The neighborhood where I live is a very united neighborhood and people are very nice. The traditional food in my city is chicken and it is very delicious. I love it. In my city there are 3,474,695 million people and they are very friendly (all of them?! Haha). Do you have children? What are their names? I want to tell you that the neighborhood where I live is called "Union de vivienda popular". It is a small but very united neighborhood. The most common means of transportation in my city is called MIO (integrated transport system). What is the most common means of transportation in your city? I want to thank you for the gifts you send me and for supporting me monthly at the CDC. I want to ask you to pray for my family but especially for my mom because she is not in Cali. To answer your question, I do love children and I think it's something very nice about me and also that I'm joyful. I want to give you this verse: Proverbs 2:13. 

Lina

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Another great mail day! 



Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Community Updates 2013: Bagbo ADP

Last, but not least, I received a few photos from the Bagbo ADP, which is Sierra Leone. This is the community that my boy Abu-Bakarr attends. This ADP does not provide too many photos, but I am grateful to get the few that they do provide.


Children were given a platform to speak loudly about Child Rights. This photo was sent with a direct quote from this lovely lady. Here is what she said: 

''Praise us for the little efforts we make, and we may believe that you care for us. Criticize without gently correcting us, and we may not like you. Violate our rights, and we may not forgive you. Encourage us, and we may not forget you.''


The Gender & Child Protection committee gathered to follow-up child abuse and domestic violence cases. This group hopes to bring about change so that less violence occurs in the home. 


Wheelchairs, and other materials for children with disabilities, were provided so that these children will be able to attend school. 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Community Updates 2013: Durres ADP

Today, I will share some of the accomplishments that the Durres ADP in Albania accomplished during the last full year. Durres is the name of the community that my little boy Domenik lives in.


Children were taught how to plant and take care of planets. This was to encouraging a more green, healthy environment. 


A youth group was created for teens and young adults. This gave the young adults opportunities to get together fun fun activities, sport competitions, and service project. 


Children were given dental check-ups and treatment, when it was needed. 


Schools is this community are far from child-friendly and do not have appropriate outlets for students. Student governments were formed in three schools. The children got together to plan activities and improve school grounds. 


Parents and guardians were given classes on proper and appropriate communication to use with spouses and children. This is to cut down on the fighting in the home, which often cause child abuse and domestic violence. 

Sunday, July 6, 2014

A Round of Letters!

July seems to be starting out with a bang, just like June did. I was so excited to open my mailbox yesterday morning and see three letters inside.

I received my first letter from my newest sponsored child, Enoc. I just sponsored him on June 8th, so it hasn't even been a month! I know that first letters are typically filled out before the child even has a sponsored and then it is sent on to speed up the process. But still, less than 4 weeks is really fast for it to get to me, I think.

Enoc is 3 years old and is from Honduras. This is the typical form letter for Honduras.

Side note: Enoc is soooo tiny, after reading his height and weight.

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My Name: Enoc Isau
I am a: Boy
I live in: The Countryside
How old am I?
My favorite game: Soccer
I live with: My parents, my sister, my brother
My favorite meal:  Beans & spaghetti 
My height: 94 cm.
My weight: 28 pounds
My birthday: July 20th 

In the box set aside for his drawing he traced his hand and colored it pink. It's so tiny and cute!

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Next up is a letter from Solomon. He wrote on the My Typical Week form page. Then, as usual, there was a nice message written on the back. 

Solomon is 8 years old and lives in India. This letter is dated March 28th, 2014

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1. I wake up at 7:00 a.m every day.

2. In the morning, I usually brush my teeth. 

3. In the afternoon, I usually eat my food.

4. In the evening, I usually play and study. 

5. I go to sleep at 8:00 p.m every day. 

6. My favorite day of the week is Saturday because I play all day. 

Dear Sponsor Kayla, 

Greetings to you in Jesus's name. I am project staff writing this letter on behalf of Solomon. He is fine by God's grace. Thank you for your loving prayers towards his family. As well, we too celebrate Valentine's Day on February 14th. On this day, they wore red clothes and gave gifts. He is very much thankful for your special love card you made for him. He likes the verse very much. He was excited to hear about your younger sister. He is happy to see him (her boyfriend) in the photo. They make nice couple. Here are Solomon's siblings: Older brother Praveen is 17 years old, older sister Esther is 13 years old and younger sister Mary is is 6 years old. Praveen is working, Esther is in 8th grade and Mary is in 1st grade. All together, they like to play hide and seek. Yes, his siblings Esther and Mary also attend the CDC project. (I'm surprised to hear that 3 children from their family all are enrolled in the project. I thought the limit was 2). He likes to watch cartoons on TV. No, he didn't sing and dance with the other children. VBS happened in his church. He enjoyed the VBS bible class. He will share about VBS in his next letter. Pray for him. He is also praying for you. 

Yours Sincerely in Christ

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To end, I received a letter from Derrick, one of my sweet Ugandan boys. He writes his letters completely in English and he does a great job, if I do say so myself. 

Derrick is 11 years old. This letter is dated April 30th, 2014. 

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Dear Kayla,

Thank you for the letters I received from you. Thank you for the pictures too. How was your sister's birthday? How are the children that you take care of? 

We are four children in our family. One girl and three boys. I am the first born. My sister is 3 years old. My brothers are 6 years old and 2 years old. I like to play ball games with my siblings. 

Our weather is warm and we also have some rains. 

I am now having a short holiday from school. My term one ended last week. I will be going back for term two mid May. I am now in Primary Five. 

I am thankful to God for the gift of life and for your care. Kayla, thank you for being my friend. God loves you and have a good day. 

Derrick 

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Community Updates 2013: Labinot ADP

Continuing with my series of posts about the activities and improvements World Vision has done in communities, I will continue with the Labinot ADP. This is the community that my boy Florenc lives in. He probably participated in some of these activities. It's fun to think of him being involved in the betterment of his community.





World Vision taught several families how to raised animals and provided them with sheep, in order to make an income. 



The middle schools and high schools in the community were updated with new desks and supplies


A brand new kindergarten was created for the children, complete with developmentally appropriate toys and learning materials. 



Children attended classes in a local church to learn more about the bible.


A large Christmas party was thrown, complete with balloons and messy face paint. :)




2013 was a great year in the Labinot ADP!


Friday, July 4, 2014

Community Updates 2013: Qendra ADP

Every year, World Vision updates the progress of the communities that your sponsored children live in. While Compassion International has CDCs (Child Development Centers), World Vision has ADPs (Area Development Projects). They are basically the same thing, a center where the children and families gather in do activities and learn new things.

This year, WV has updated our online accounts and will now be posting pictures of the community happenings. I loved looking at these photos and want to share them with everyone. I know that a lot of my readers sponsor with Compassion and don't get to hear as much about World Vision and the kinds of things that go on in the communities, so I know some of you will be interested in seeing these photos. I will post the photos and give a little description of what is going on in the photos.

The Qendra ADP is in the community that my boy Xhuliano lives. Xhuliano probably didn't participate in all of these activities, but it's great to see how World Vision is changing the community, as a whole.


Parents and guardians had small group decisions about successful parenting tactics.


Children did their part to clean up the trash in their community


During a summer camp, the children took breaks to write letters to their sponsors about their experiences at camp. 


Leaders in the community met to discuss how to bring clean water to more of the community. Due to their decisions, about 250 more families now have access to clean water. 


Children had discussions and came up with ideas of how to make schools a more friendly place


Children went out into the community and shared about the importance of education, especially for education for girls. Girls in Albania often do not attend high school so they can work in the home and prepare for marriage. 


Teenagers, especially young women, did presentations against child labor and encouraged parents to allow them to stay in school. 


Young adults were taught how to plant and grow trees, making the community more healthy and green. This also gave jobs skills to these young people. 


Children were taught the story of Easter and acted out the story using skits. 


Teens that are not enrolled in high school attended a life skills training class, where they discussed what interests and talents they have, and how that can be changed into job skills. 


All and all, I'd say that the Qendra ADP did a lot of productive things in 2013!