- Children International
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Children International Abbreviation CI Motto "Real help. Real hope." Formation 1936 [1] Type NGO Legal status Foundation Purpose/focus Eradicating child poverty Headquarters Kansas City, MO [2] President & CEO Jim Cook[3] Website www.children.org Children International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to bettering the lives of impoverished children, their families and communities.
The organization achieves its goals primarily through private donations and monthly child sponsorship, which provides a real one-to-one connection between a single child and a donor.[4] Sponsorship aims to give poor children the tools and opportunities necessary for success by providing benefits and supporting programs for each child—primarily in the areas of education, health and youth.
The Children International Sponsorship Program as of 2010, benefits more than 340,000 impoverished children and their families in eleven countries,[5] including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States and Zambia.
Contents
History
Founded in 1936 [6] Children International began as Holy Land Christian Mission. Initially, it focused on assisting children with physical handicaps and single mothers.[7] However, in 1980, the organization responded to the expansion of extreme poverty by dropping its religious affiliation, changing its name to Children International, and becoming a secular NGO.
That same year, the organization opened its first centers in India, the Philippines and Guatemala.[8] Since 1980, the number of sponsored children has grown from 2,300 to 335,000.
As of 2011, the organization continues to recruit sponsors through its website, television ad campaigns, and hiring grassroots fundraising firm Dialogue Direct.[9] It has seventeen active centers in eleven countries,[10] with a high fundraising efficiency of eighty-one cents to the dollar.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is a monthly contribution that provides resources for children and families living in poverty. Sponsorship provides children with clothing, dental, education, family assistance, medical, nutritional aid and various youth programs.
Clothing
Sponsorship provides children with material benefits like new clothing, shoes and household goods. When items like clothing and shoes become too small for the sponsored children, they often pass them on to younger siblings.
Dental
Dental clinics can be found at most Children International sponsorship centers. In locations without a regular dental program, medical staff monitor for potential problems and frequently refer children to dentists or specialists when treatment is needed.
Education
Children eligible to attend school are provided with benefits intended to help their parents overcome the financial restrictions that might prevent their children from enrolling in school— items such as school fees, backpacks and other supplies, as well as school uniforms and in some cases, shoes.
Children who are not yet enrolled in school have access to sponsorship centers, which are often equipped with developmental games and toys and age-appropriate books that are their disposal.
Family assistance
Children International helps ensure families have access to a network of support during disasters, emergencies or in those cases when serious life events threaten families’ well-being. Food, clothing and other emergency relief is often available, along with counseling assistance and crisis management. Sponsorship centers offer micro-enterprise loans, skills training and community awareness programs to help families improve their economic situations.
Medical
Through the Children International Sponsorship Program, children ages 19 and under receive an annual medical checkup. Those with medical conditions are treated promptly, given any necessary tests and medication, and referred to specialists as needed. Ongoing care is provided at the sponsorship center medical clinics, which treat everything from common respiratory infections to chicken pox.
Nutritional aid
Children International checks all sponsored children for signs of malnutrition during their routine medical checkups. Those who are seriously malnourished are enrolled in the Children International Nutrition Program, where they may be provided with emergency food, vitamins and other support. Children, their parents and other family members may also receive dietary guidance such as food-handling and preparation classes, nutrition games and materials, and even instruction on how to grow healthy gardens.
Youth program
The Children International Youth Program provides youth ages 12 to 19 the opportunity to gain job skills training, leadership experience, life skills, community service, civic involvement and other social values. Youth also have the opportunity to take part in programs like organized sports leagues called Game On! where youth gain team-building skills, problem-solving, participation, learning through success-oriented interaction. The Into Employment program teaches youth valuable job-skills while providing youth a network of prospective employers.
Countries of Operation
In 1980, Children International officially became global by extending its programs overseas and operating in different countries around the world.[1]
Children International México
In 2005, Children International México began to operate in the metropolitan city of Guadalajara, Jalisco. Children International México seeks to create programs primarily focused on improving health, strengthening education, as well as training adolescents and women to become active leaders in their communities with the ultimate goal of reaching local development. [2]
Santa Paula Community Center in Tonalá, Jalisco, México.
Children International México serves the following communities [3]:
- Paraísos del Colli Community Center, Zapopan Municipality: 5,600 children
- Santa Paula Community Center, Tonalá Municipality: 3,000 children
- Villa de Guadalupe Community Center, Zapopan Municipality: 5,500 children
- La Nueva Santa María "Zona del Cerro del Cuatro" Community Center, Tlaquepaque Municipality: 6,000 children
Goal
By the year 2015, Children International México hopes to improve health conditions, education, and life skills in more than 25 thousand children and adolescents through the sponsorship program in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
Programs
Health
Children International México's main objective in the health program is to provide proper medical attention to every child as well as promote a healthy lifestyle, in the effort to prevent common diseases. This is accomplished with the following programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Medical attention and annual check-ups
- Dental attention and distribution of hygiene kits
- Health workshops in disease prevention
- Anti-parasitic treatments
- Health Promoters program for the mothers of the sponsored children within the communities
Nutrition
Children International México seeks to promote healthy eating habits in order to prevent malnutrition, overweight, and obesity. This is accomplished with the following programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Healthy-eating workshops
- Child Rehabilitation for children facing malnutrition, overweight, and obesity
- Health Promoters program for the mothers of the sponsored children within the communities
Education
Children International México seeks to strengthen learning abilities in both children and adolescents to refrain from issues such as failing grades that result from neglecting educational responsibilities. This is accomplished with the following programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Community Centers of Learning (ITESM)
- Computer classes at computer labs in each center
- Free Internet access at every computer lab
- Entrepreneur training
- Distribution of kits that contain school supplies (i.e. notebooks, pencils, erasers, crayons, etc.)
Psychology
Children International México seeks to promote healthy domestic environment with family interaction in order to prevent domestic violence. This is accomplished with the following programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Psychological consultation:
- One-to-one therapy sessions
- Group therapy sessions
- Psychological attention for entire family of sponsored child
- Human development workshops
- ‘School for Parents’
Youth
Children International México strives to strengthen leadership skills in adolescents so that they may work to improve the quality of life in their respective communities. This is accomplished with the following goals in mind as well as programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Forming young leaders
- Respecting the environment
- Life skills through sports
- Forming strong values
- Leadership in health
Community Participation
Children International México seeks to strengthen leadership abilities in women so that they may be agents of change and in turn impact their local communities as well as the world. This is accomplished with the following goals in mind as well as programs and activities, implemented and offered:
- Forming strong female leaders
- Designing, executing and evaluating social projects
- Health Promoters program—certification opportunity for mothers of the sponsored children to be 'Health Promoters' in their communities
Affiliates and campaigns
- Aura's House:[11] works with Children International on Small Scale, Doable Projects.
- Lift One Project:[12] a campaign led by Children International. A social networking site for sponsors with the desire to inspire, where they can create their very own webpage to recruit sponsors to help more children.
Programs and publications
Journals and publications
- Field Notes: "an annual newsletter", written by agency directors[13]
- LiftNote: a monthly online newsletter, distributed through e-mail to members of the LiftOne social networking site
- Journeys: a biannual magazine for donors, chronicling the organization's progress and accomplishments[14]
Lift one community
Sponsors are able to socialize, communicate, organize, and advocate on a social networking site called LiftOne. Members create their own profiles and contribute blog posts and photographs to the community. Called "Lifters," these online activists come from around the world, with the large majority being active donors to Children International.Lift One Project:[15]
Pen pal program
Children International seeks to create a distinct, individualized connection between donors and their sponsored children. In order to accomplish this, the organization hosts an international "pen pal" style program in which letters are exchanged and both benefactor and recipient are able to get to know each other personally, sometimes over a span of years.[16] In addition, CI donors receive a photograph of their child yearly, as well as an annual progress report that tracks how the cycle of poverty is being broken.[17]
Reception
- In 2009, Consumers Digest named CI one of their "top-rated charities." [18]
- Charity Navigator gives Children International 3/4 stars.[19]
- The Better Business Bureau has given CI accredited status, meaning that it "meets all 20 Standards for Charity Accountability and is a Seal Holder."[20]
- Children International is part of the Combined Federal Campaign, which promotes charitable giving among government workers in the United States. Its number is 12078.[21]
- The National Disaster Coordinating Council in the Philippines awards Children International top honors in disaster relief.[22]
References
- ^ http://www.children.org/about.asp?sid=DEE83412-7E14-454C-8DF9-08F0C5C13C11
- ^ http://www2.children.org/en/us/Pages/home.aspx?sid=B62C54B2-0F5C-40AA-B154-F489C2AE1581
- ^ http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3479
- ^ http://www.children.org/howHelpChildren.asp?sid=B62C54B2-0F5C-40AA-B154-F489C2AE1581
- ^ http://www2.children.org/en/us/info/Pages/WhereWeWork.aspx?sid=B62C54B2-0F5C-40AA-B154-F489C2AE1581
- ^ http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/2010/06/16/prnewswire201006160942PR_NEWS_USPR_____MM20547.html
- ^ http://www.children.org/history.asp?sid=784E6AC5-9005-4CF9-A35A-C72993A3BB31
- ^ http://www.children.org/history.asp?sid=784E6AC5-9005-4CF9-A35A-C72993A3BB31
- ^ http://summer.dialoguejobs.com/dialogue-direct/children-international
- ^ http://www2.children.org/en/us/info/Pages/WhereWeWork.aspx?sid=2D6CAF57-6F73-4F53-B5A5-638859F60EF1
- ^ http://aurashouse.com/?s=children+international
- ^ http://www.liftone.org
- ^ http://www.children.org/benefitsofSponsorship.asp?sid=91E27F74-2BCD-4055-98E1-FE81DBEE4C01
- ^ http://www.children.org/benefitsofSponsorship.asp?sid=91E27F74-2BCD-4055-98E1-FE81DBEE4C01
- ^ http://www.liftone.org
- ^ http://www.children.org/benefitsofSponsorship.asp?sid=91E27F74-2BCD-4055-98E1-FE81DBEE4C01
- ^ http://www.children.org/benefitsofSponsorship.asp?sid=91E27F74-2BCD-4055-98E1-FE81DBEE4C01
- ^ http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/childreninternational/40360/
- ^ http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3479
- ^ http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/child-sponsorship/children-international-in-kansas-city-mo-1815
- ^ http://www.opm.gov/cfc/
- ^ http://www2.children.org/en/us/News/InTheNews/2011/Pages/Philippine-Government-Recognizes-US-Based-Charity-3-29-11.aspx?
http://www.children.org/YouthReportCard.asp http://www.children.org/celebrity
External links
- Official website
- Template:Official celebrity supporters
Categories:- Organizations based in the Philippines
- Non-governmental organizations based in the Philippines
- Charities based in the United States
- Children's charities
- Development charities
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