Saidi lives in Uganda with his brothers and sisters and their grandmother. At the age of 14, Saidi was already a talented young boy who took on the responsibility of providing for his family. He built an addition to their small house in order to make more room for his siblings and worked hard cleaning fishing nets, even though he was paid less than $2 a day. Read more…
Going, going…gone!
On March 3rd, Childcare Worldwide will host Reaching Out to a Needy World – an international celebration featuring a silent auction, the Ugandan Orphans Choir, dinner and a guest speaker from Africa. We still have a few seats open at the event, so RSVP today if you’d like to join us!
As a preview to the silent auction, here’s a sneak peek at some of the great items up for bid:
Read more…
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Seeing the “Love” in Love Paks
Around 4,500 children were blessed this past Christmas with a special present (Love Pak) because of the generosity of many of our friends. If you are one of those people, thank you! Here’s a glimpse of the joy brought to the children who received Love Paks. These special Christmas presents contain a variety of useful and fun gifts, including: sweets, fruit, traditional Christmas bread, small toys, clothes, blankets, backpacks, hygiene items, or additional school supplies.
We have received photos from the Christmas parties in Haiti and Thailand and want to share them with you so you can see the difference you made.
According to our Director in Haiti, Mendelson Cesar, many parents did not think their children would receive gifts for Christmas. They were deeply touched when all their kids received Love Paks. Read more…
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Ugandan Orphans Choir 101
Have you ever wondered why we host the Ugandan Orphans Choir?
The 2012 Ugandan Orphans Choir just began their tour circuit in Washington State and over the next 10 months they will travel down through Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Oklahoma before ending their tour in Texas. You may have already seen an inspiring performance by the choir, or perhaps this is the first time you’ve heard of them. Either way, here are some FAQ’s to help you learn more about the choir.
Q: What does the Ugandan Orphans Choir have to do with Childcare Worldwide?
A: The Ugandan Orphans Choir is a ministry of Childcare Worldwide—a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering children in the developing world through education that leads to employment. We have been serving children around the world since 1981 under the leadership of Dr. Max Lange and his wife, Marlies. The choir is just one of the ways that we raise awareness about the needs of children living in poverty.
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Focusing on the Philippines
“My help comes from the Lord.” -Psalm 121
In early December our Philippines Director, Ken Tagud, was visiting the U.S. and dropped in at our office in Bellingham, WA. I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about our ministry in the Philippines. Ken was very patient with my lack of knowledge about the geography of the Philippines as he explained the context in which his people live their day-to-day lives.
The Philippine Islands are located in Southeast Asia in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. Though united under one flag, there are over 7,000 islands that hold everything from metropolitan cities to rural villages.
According to Ken, many of the islands are very small, with no natural fresh water source. During El Niño (a season without rain) the residents of these small islands depend on outside assistance. The land on some of these smaller islands is mostly made of sand, making it nearly impossible to grow crops. “The main occupation of these islands is fishing,” Ken shared. “When the typhoons come, they cannot fish.”
Those living on the rural islands are poor and often lack education which makes it very difficult for them to live in the city, where there is so much competition for work. About a third of the people in the Philippines are poor. Eighty percent of the poor live in rural areas.
These rural islands strongly contrast with the bustling cities of Quezon City, Manila and Cebu City. Though there are more opportunities in the cities, those who live there are not without hardships.
“Even the poor families try their best to educate their children,” Ken shared this interesting insight into the culture. Despite high levels of unemployment and poverty, great importance is put on making sure one’s children can get an education. According to Ken, it is common to see parents making huge sacrifices for the sake of their children’s futures. Read more…
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Haiti: Two Years Later
Today, Haiti will be observing the two-year anniversary of the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that changed the country forever. Nearly 250,000 people were killed and over 600,000 were left homeless. Two years after the event, Haiti is still desperately struggling to rebuild itself, but there are signs of hope amid the rubble.
Haiti has had a long-standing position as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The earthquake in 2010 only worked to increase the level of poverty and despair. In the past two years, Haiti has faced several other challenges. In October 2010, clean water became a major issue when a cholera epidemic rapidly spread across Haiti. Since then, this epidemic has infected over 500,000 people and has killed almost 7,000 of them. Hurricane Tomas hit Haiti in November, 2010 and left behind destruction and ruin as intense flooding made an already difficult situation next to impossible. The contested presidential elections in early 2011, and the following violence and protests, added to the instability of the country. Inflation has risen drastically—leading to economic struggles that have left many families unable to purchase food and basic necessities.
Read more…
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A New Start in the New Year
2012 is here! I love the arrival of a new year. It brings new life and fresh ideas as we seek to make this next year better than the last one. Everyone loves a new start, a second chance, and the hope for a better future. As I look back over my life, I know that I have come on a journey involving many new starts and transformations of spirit. Life has brought many challenges and opportunities. Many of us are looking forward to the possibility of a new start with the beginning of this New Year.
New starts are especially important for those who have had a life of tragedy and sorrow. For many of our sponsored kids, life was a daily struggle in a desperate situation before someone like you decided to give them a new start in life. Just look at Topher, Rogers, Joseph, Selinah, Peninah, and Tadeo. These are stories of new starts, and there are thousands more like them among the children we have served over the last 30 years. I pray that as 2012 unfolds, many thousand more new starts will be made for children around the world.
Learn how you can give a new start to a child in need this year
How are you getting a new start this year? Let us know by leaving a comment!
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From Old to New
December 31st approaches, coming with celebrations to mark the passing of the old year and the beginning of a new one. 2011 has been a challenging year for many of us. Earthquakes, famine, drought, tsunamis, flooding and tornadoes have ravaged the world on an international level, civil war and protests have raged across many countries, and economic struggles have increased for thousands of individuals. There have been many good things that have occurred as well though, so let us not forget to give thanks that God has walked with us this past year.
As we stop to reflect on the past year, it’s an annual habit to hope and pray that the next year will be a better one. This is the core motivation for New Year’s Resolutions. I make resolutions every year—and sometimes I actually end up keeping them. Other times I fail miserably. Popular resolutions for many Americans are to get in (better) shape, eat healthier, quit an addiction, spend more time with family, get out of debt or learn something new. Many of my resolutions fall into these categories as well.
As I was reading in Ephesians this week though, I came across these verses:
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Wouldn’t this make a great resolution for 2012, and the rest of your life? To lay aside our sinful natures and embrace the new self that Jesus offers to us—to be more like Jesus every day than we were the day before. Obviously, this is a resolution that is impossible to keep if we try to do it by ourselves. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit are the only things that will enable us to live in this new self.
As I look forward to 2012, I have many hopes and dreams. I’m sure you do as well. However, as we start out this new year, let us not forget that all of our hopes and dreams need to rest on the fact that God, the incarnate God, loves us deeply and desires us to be more like Him.
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A Christmas Dream
What child hasn’t dreamed of getting a bicycle for Christmas?
To an American child, owning a bicycle means a little more freedom and endless hours of fun in the neighborhood with friends. In Uganda, however, receiving a bicycle for Christmas has an even greater significance.
Solomon Ssenyonga is 16 years old. He lost both of his parents when he was very young and since then, he has been staying with his aunt. She cannot afford to send Solomon to boarding school, so he had to walk for an hour and a half each way to school.
Every day, when Solomon arrived home from school, he walked another 3 kilometers to fetch water for his family. He was often too tired to study after such long days. But regardless of the daily challenges he faced, Solomon said, Read more…
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No Longer Living Alone
You may remember the story of Topher (12), Rogers (10) and Joseph (8) that we shared earlier this year. These three brave boys were living all alone in a deplorable situation in Uganda. Their mother had died and their father had abandoned them. The problems and challenges in my life seem so insignificant compared to what these boys have had to live through. Not only were they physically alone, it must have seemed like hope had abandoned them as well.
God had not forsaken Topher, Rogers and Joseph though. Thanks to the generosity and compassion of people like you, all three boys are now happily living in one of our children’s homes! They have a place to live, food to eat, school to attend, someone to care for them and the knowledge that they are loved. In fact, they just got to participate in their very first Love Pak party.
It always amazes me how God breaks through into the darkest situations and works to restore the broken and hopeless. God tells us in Deuteronomy 31:8 that “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” These words are as true for us today as they were for Moses and the children of Israel. God’s promises never fail and His faithfulness is sure. Which of God’s promises are you holding onto today?
Thank you for your care and concern for children like Topher, Rogers, and Joseph. God uses your generosity to change lives and enable children to survive and succeed.
To learn more about Love Paks, click here.
To learn more about Sponsorship, click here.
