An 8.8 magnitude earthquake has struck Chile--the largest to hit the nation in the past 50 years. Phone lines and electricity are down and the airport in Santiago has been shut down. The passenger terminal has suffered major damage. Children, Incorporated serves 436 children in Chile in 6 projects. Of these projects, one is located in Talca, near the epicenter of the quake. We assist 61 children at San Jose de Talca, 23 of whom are waiting for a sponsor. Our assistance provides for meals, medical attention, and education.
Latin American division director Magda Kegley has been attempting to contact all our projects in Chile. She has heard from one – the Santiago Day School. The coordinator there writes, “Magda, thank you for contacting us. This has been horrible. It’s the first time I’ve experienced anything like it. The most affected areas are Talca, Concepcion, and other coastal areas. The roads are split and sections of the overpasses have collapsed. We have not been able to communicate with the other coordinators. Our children and the families we serve here are safe. Most areas are without electricity. One of the Sisters is going to try to travel to Maipo (location of the Ramon Santelices Center) and see if she can get through, although reports are that the road to Maipo is split. Here at our home, our chapel and other school walls are cracked in places and all of those walls will need to be repaired. Please keep us in your prayers. We will let you know if we hear from the other Sisters at our various locations.”
We will keep you informed as we gain more knowledge of the situation. In the meantime, please keep our children, their families and our great coordinators in your thoughts. If you would like to help with relief in Chile, please visit our Urgent Needs page and select the Latin American Emergency Fund. Funds will go towards necessities like food, safe drinking water, and medical treatment for the young victims of this tragedy.
While Ethan did ask for a little vacuum cleaner for his birthday, "So he can help Mommy clean the house," he is otherwise asking all his party guests to make donations to children in Haiti.
When asked why he decided to ask for donations to Haiti instead of gifts for his birthday, Ethan said that he "feels bad for them, that some have no mommy or daddy, or a house to live in or blankets." Ethan says if he could go to Haiti right now, "I would give them toys and food and a big hug."
Ethan loves helping people, even if it's just those in his family. He says "I help my daddy do house projects all the time and I help my little brother Silas get up when he falls down." Ethan credits his teacher at a Montessori preschool, Miss Tracy, as the one who taught him to help other people.
This picture came to us from our project at St. John's Community Center in Kenya. With the help of Children, Incorporated funding, the center provides excellent care and education to the students, including special skills training to create more promising employment opportunities in the future.
In this picture, the children are holding up mosquito nets they got thanks to Children, Incorporated. The nets are part of a continued effort to prevent malaria. Children at several of our projects in Africa and India will benefit from this program which aims to fight the infectious disease.
Children at one of our implementing partner's schools in Haiti, before the quake
Among other sources, CNN is reporting today about how important it is for those who want to help the relief efforts in Haiti to give cash only. They state that:
- Aid groups stress need for cash after disasters, as donated goods can pose problems
- Non-cash donations may inundate ports already struggling to cope with deliveries
- Donating medicine can be dangerous and there are few ways to safely dispose of unusable drugs
- Aid groups say cash offers flexibility so that disaster victims get what they need
The children and families of Haiti need your help today so that, together, we can rebuild a brighter tomorrow. Donations made through Children, Incorporated will not only help to relieve the earthquake victims' of their basic needs, but will also go towards rebuilding their communities as we look toward the future.
"Our compounds at Cite Soleil and Blanchard are being used as places of refuge, away from the danger of any houses and trees that could fall on the people." The adjoining soccer field is now serving as a camping ground for the people in the community.
With your help, children like those pictured here (photo taken prior to the tragedy) will be able to recieve the food, water and other basic necessities they so desperately need now. You can donate online at www.childrenincorporated.org or call us at 1-800-538-5381. To read the original story on this project, click here.
Children, Incorporated recently received 2,140 pairs of pajamas from the Pajama Program in New York City. The pajamas will be distributed to children all over our U.S. divisions.
We would like to thank the Pajama Program for this wonderful donation! Many, many of our children will be staying warmer at night thanks to their generous support.
Every year the children who are sponsored through Children, Incorporated send special holiday cards to their sponsors. The cards have to go through a sorting and mailing process at our office before they are sent out to sponsors. With mail coming in from 24 other countries and thousands and thousands of sponsored kids, this mailing is anything but simple. Our Children's Letters Department usually has to take about three and a half weeks of their time to finish the mailing.
This year, we asked local supporters of Children, Incorporated to help us out. So many of you reached out and expressed interest in volunteering--we really felt your support! 25 volunteers came through our doors and helped to mail 12,138 holiday cards!! With their help, the mailing took just 8.5 days.
We'd like to thank all of those who volunteered for this project, including employees at Cavalier and Banana Republic.You made our work so much easier, and you helped us to foster the important connection between sponsor and child.
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