ChildWorld SPRING 2017 PUTTING CHILDREN S HEALTH ON THE MAP IN SENEGAL

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1 ChildWorld SPRING 2017 PUTTING CHILDREN S HEALTH ON THE MAP IN SENEGAL Oumy, a mother of six in rural Senegal, worries a lot less about her children s health today then she did four years ago, when their illnesses could be terrifying. The government health post, nearly 2 miles away, might as well have been the moon when Oumy imagined making the trek with two sick children, the baby Thiawdo tied onto her back and feverish Babacar in her arms. With her husband away seeking work, Oumy would have to leave the other children in the care of 11-year-old Mohammed, the eldest. Easier to stay home and hope for the best, to hope that Babacar wouldn t go into convulsions like his sister had once before. Oumy is happy to have left such experiences behind, ever since a volunteer-run community health hut became active in her village. The new health hut is one of 2,553 Your support is a source of health and hope for children. Oumy and her children are safer and healthier because of the new health hut in their community. like it, plus another 1,674 outreach sites for areas where there are no health huts, throughout Senegal s 14 regions. These health huts and outreach sites provide essential services for more than 70 percent of the country s population, including those in the most remote areas. Staffed by about 17,000 trained community health workers nationwide, these locally based efforts are possible through a cooperative agreement from USAID that started in ChildFund leads a consortium that helped carry out the project and continues to work with Senegal s government to develop a national community health strategy. Together, we re formalizing the inclusion of health huts as part of the nationwide health system, and working with the Ministry of Health to implement that plan. Now, Oumy says, Whenever the children are sick, I don t delay. I ve learned to detect symptoms of things like malaria. When a child has a fever, I take him straight to the health hut. One of many benefits of functioning health huts like these is that community members seek care earlier than before. The result? Children have a greater chance of surviving illness and injury, as well as avoiding other ailments. You can help reach more vulnerable communities with a gift today! 2821 Emerywood Parkway Richmond, Virginia

2 FRESH PERSPECTIVE FROM A VISION TRIP TO MEXICO W hen fans go to a Newsboys concert, they get to see well, the band, of course and, because Newsboys is one of ChildFund s LIVE! Artists, they also get to see and hear about the work that ChildFund is doing around the world. In July 2016, drummer Duncan Phillips traveled to Cuetzalan, Mexico, to see for himself the positive change that friends like you are making possible. Phillips was accompanied by two members of our staff to help navigate and translate. The group spent three days observing our projects and meeting with some of the families we work with, including one family who had participated in some of ChildFund s programs for nutrition and early childhood education in Cuetzalan. Even though they have so little, the first thing they did was offer me tea and welcome me into their home, Phillips says, which is just one room with dirt floors. They don t have much, but ever since 2821 Emerywood Parkway ChildFund arrived their lives have steadily improved. In the home of another family, Phillips noticed a bag hanging from a string. He asked what was inside, and the woman told him that it held all of her most valuable possessions: a shiny tiara, small items full of memories, a yellowed garment she had worn on her wedding day. Phillips then asked why the bag was hanging. So the rats can t get to it, she said. At the end of the day, Phillips reflected on his experience. They re some of the poorest people I ve ever met, says Phillips, but they re rich in love and kindness. Now, before Newsboys plays a show, fans will get a chance to see a video featuring Phillips and the families he met. And during private Q & A sessions at the band s VIP experience, he will speak about his trip and his support for ChildFund s work with conviction and understanding even deeper than before, helping more and more people learn about our Richmond, Virginia mission and connect with children through sponsorship and support. ChildFund has truly made a difference in my life, Phillips tells his fans. Let it make a difference in yours. Can t attend a LIVE! Artists show? Check out the video online at bit.ly/2m44csh

3 SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT Friendship Beyond Borders When Sarah traveled to Timor-Leste to meet the two girls she sponsors there, she was struck by the country s beauty and how it contrasted with the poverty she saw everywhere she went. Maintaining the will to stay in school against the outside pressures, and the culture of poverty that is probably the biggest challenge that [the children] face. Access to education can be a problem, and I think that s where organizations like ChildFund come in, allowing the child to go to school, to learn a trade. The visit was a chance for Sarah to not only see what life is like for Arosa, Naku and their families, but also to get a firsthand look at the difference her sponsorship is making in their lives. She came away with deeper friendships and fresh inspiration. Regardless of where you sponsor your child, it can be a huge positive impact for you to visit, not only on the child, but for the family, the community and certainly, on you, she says. Watch Sarah s life changing journey at bit.ly/2k8ss1u. DID YOU KNOW? Sending a Special Monetary Gift to Your Child is Easy It s a great way to show your sponsored child how important your friendship is. The best amounts are between $20 and $50, but please don t send monetary gifts directly to your child. Please give online, through your sponsorship statement, or call Supporter Care. We ll make sure your gift is delivered safely to your sponsored child. Your sponsored child will receive 100% of the gift you send. Amara s sponsor sent him a special gift. The experience was priceless for them both! The thank you I got as a result of my $20 gift to Amara was heartwarming. I received a picture of him holding the slate his mother bought for him for school, and I was told he also got a suit and a pair of shoes. My husband had tears in his eyes when I showed him the letter and photograph. Three ways to send a gift to your sponsored child: Online at ChildFund.org through the Manage Account tool. Through the reply form in your regular sponsorship statements. By calling we will be happy to help! Please allow two months for processing and delivery. We also ask that you include $3.50 to help cover delivery, processing, added security and foreign currency fees. Gifts for sponsored children in Cambodia and Vietnam are pooled at community level.

4 Your Gifts Help Provide for Children in Their Times of Greatest Need! HELP FOR HAITI IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE MATTHEW On Oct. 4, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti. It was the largest humanitarian disaster there since the devastating earthquake of A thousand people died and more than 1 million needed emergency assistance. The hurricane also ruined crops and destroyed water and sanitation infrastructure, leaving 67% of all Haiti without water. We collaborated with our ChildFund Alliance partner, Christian Children s Fund of Canada, to help bring lifesaving assistance to children and families affected by the storm nearly 130,000 people! Aid efforts focused on food assistance, support for rehabilitation and repair of houses, and increasing communities access to potable water, hygiene supplies and training in cholera prevention. TYPHOON HAIMA STRIKES THE PHILIPPINES When Typhoon Haima made landfall in the Philippines on Oct. 18, heavy rains and strong winds damaged or destroyed more than 27,000 homes and decimated livelihoods. We are happy to report that all of the children and families in ChildFund program areas made it through the ordeal safely! And with help from our friends and supporters, 600 families in the region s Apayao, Ifugao and Mountain provinces have been provided with the means to repair their homes and rebuild their livelihoods, which will indirectly benefit an additional 3,000 families. Thank you for standing with these families when they needed you most. Rainiel, 5, sits beside a mound of rice that his father salvaged from flooded rice fields. ZAMBIA NURSE AND LIFE SKILLS TRAINING PROJECT TURNS CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES Zambia is facing a critical health care shortage. Right now, there simply aren t enough trained nurses to meet the country s needs. Meanwhile, the country is bursting with young people who need jobs and are filled with untapped productive potential. That s where the Zambia Nurse and Life Skills Training Project (ZNLTP) comes into play. Mwele, right, practices her nursing skills on a fellow student. In partnership with The MasterCard Foundation, and individual donors like you, we re working to equip a total of 2,000 young adults with both nursing and life skills, so they are able to find employment as nursing professionals. [The ZNLTP] is an integrated, scalable program which uses technology to respond to the demand for employment among young people, says Doras Chirwa, ChildFund s Program Director in Zambia, and it also responds to the critical shortage of health workers in the country. The 5-year project, which will conclude in February 2018, works with nursing schools, tutors and government stakeholders to integrate a new learning model, elearning, into preexisting institutions. Through the project, these schools are equipped with elearning tools for students, like computers and tablets, and tutors improve their own knowledge in workshops as well. Scholarship funds are available to take students partway through their educations. And gifts from caring friends like you help these young people finish their training and set them on the path to fulfilling careers in nursing. It s a win-win for the students and the community! For the remainder of the project, we will continue to work with students, tutors and institutions to help match the critical needs of the health care sector with the high aspirations and boundless potential of young people in Zambia. Your gift today can empower even more young people in Zambia, and around the world.

5 FROM THE PRESIDENT S DESK Hello! From Timor-Leste to Zambia the locations in this edition of ChildWorld may seem a world away. But believe me when I say, you are there! Every day, your gifts of love and support are seen. Your life-changing presence is felt. And you are known as a friend whose compassion is making the world a better place. So take a few minutes to read about the change that s taking place in Senegal, where health huts are making life safer for children. Pay a visit to Timor-Leste with Sarah, a sponsor of two girls there, as she sees firsthand the blessings that sponsorship can bring. Learn how training is helping Zambia s youth address the nation s nursing shortage, while they also build brighter futures for themselves. Read these and our other stories, and as you do, please know that all these things are possible because of caring friends like you! On behalf of the children you are helping, we simply can t thank you enough. Warmly, Anne Lynam Goddard President & CEO P.S. For more information and additional ways to help, please visit ChildFund.org, or call Thank you!

6 UGANDA UPDATE: Families Are Staying Together Thanks to You In war-torn Uganda, parents and caregivers often lack the economic stability to care for young family members. As a result, many feel forced to let go of their children, hoping that they will receive better care elsewhere. Thankfully, friends like you are stepping in to offer a helping hand. And a generous matching grant from USAID means that individual donations received before June 30 will be multiplied more than 9 times to help more families stay together! Because of your compassion, families will: learn entrepreneurial and technical skills to help them grow their incomes over time. work with business skills coaches who can mentor them and help provide them with the necessary skills to become self-reliant. improve their ability to build savings and better prepare for the future. receive help in planning their livelihoods. have financial support to meet immediate needs. Your Gifts Multiply More Than 9X! Every donation helps more families stay together. Thanks for all you do! Contributing photographer: Jake Lyell