CCF In Our Communities

We've Moved!

2009-07-01T15:26:00.001-04:00

This blog has moved! Click here to access the new ChildFund International blog.

Remembering Our Past

2009-06-30T11:11:00.003-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

As we look forward to the next chapter in our history, today marks the last day that we are known as Christian Children’s Fund. At our International Office in Richmond, Va., we are celebrating CCF Day today. Employees are wearing CCF shirts, showing off CCF memorabilia and sharing their memories. Here’s a look at some of the CCF items on display:

We believe the work we have done is just the beginning of the work we have yet to do. Our mission has always been about benefiting the children, and we believe this change will allow us to positively impact more children and youth throughout the world.

Please join us as our mission to help the world’s children continues as ChildFund International.

Surprises at CCF

2009-06-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

By Mona Lin,
Communications Intern

As an international student from Shanghai, China, I have attended Virginia Commonwealth University for my dual degree program since the end of August 2008. My graduate studies are in mass communications and strategic public relations. For me, however, working and applying what I have learned is what I most enjoy.

In Shanghai, I interned at an international public relations agency and participated in a student exchange program in Taiwan, working for the Public Service Television Group as a practice reporter. Now, as I embark on another adventure here in the United States, I really wanted to see how American organizations employ public relations.

Recently, nonprofit organizations have become my main interest. In fact, with China’s economy booming, and the transformation of Chinese government functions, nonprofit organizations, which are considered to be a product of Western civilization, are now becoming a reality in a country with a 5,000-year history.

For example, in China, there is the Hope Project for children living in remote areas. The Hope Project helps children who have dropped out of school return to school. We also have the China Red Cross, which operates nationwide and plays a tremendous role in various crises and natural disasters, including floods, snowstorms and the earthquake in the Sichuan province last year. Nonprofit organizations are growing fast in China and are vitally needed.

I had never imagined the connection between Christian Children’s Fund and China before I applied for my internship. I was really surprised to learn that CCF was actually founded in Northern China. I had explored the CCF Web site and found video clips of formerly sponsored children who grew up in Hong Kong.

I even met someone who could speak Chinese very well here at CCF, Ben Cohen. Ben, who is an undergraduate public relations student from the School of Mass Communications at VCU, had studied Chinese for a year at Fudan University, which happens to be my university in Shanghai, China.

Although we did not know each other, we both attended Fudan University in 2007, VCU in 2008, and now, we are both here, serving as interns at CCF! Frankly, nothing can be more thrilling than meeting someone in a foreign country who speaks your language and knows so much about your own culture.

Instead of focusing on the challenges that result from cultural differences, I am more impressed by the cultural identity that I witness here. Interning at CCF is a perfect fit for me. As well as gaining actual working experience and learning through the organizational culture, I am glad to see myself growing and transitioning from a full-time student to a part-time worker.

By accomplishing different jobs, I am discovering my real interests, which is very helpful for my future career development when I return to China. It is no wonder, therefore, that my internship here at CCF will become the most unforgettable experience during my stay in this country.

New Name, New Sites

2009-06-24T15:14:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

As Christian Children’s Fund nears the name change to ChildFund International on July 1, some changes are taking place in the way you can connect with us.

Beginning July 1, we will move this blog, our Twitter page and our Facebook page to new URLs. While many of these sites are still “under construction,” we’d like to let you know about these changes now so you don’t miss anything.

Our Twitter page will move to http://twitter.com/ChildFund where we will continue to post regular links to Web page changes, links to our blog and engage in conversations with our Followers.

Click here to become a Fan on Facebook. We will be uploading photos, videos and much more to our Facebook page starting July 1. We’ll also continue to link to our blog posts and our Web site when those areas change. And we have much more planned for Facebook in the next several months – become a Fan and don’t miss out!

Lastly this blog will move July 1. Click here to access the new blog. We’ll continue to post regular entries in addition to adding new features such as photos, videos, polls and much more. As always, we welcome any comments.

For our regular readers, we’d like to say thanks for following along – we hope you’ve enjoyed our blogs so far and we hope to have you along as our changes near completion in the next week.

Another Sneak Peek

2009-06-23T11:36:00.003-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

If you were traveling along Interstate 64 in Richmond this morning, you might have noticed something going on outside our International Office near Glenside Drive. As we showed on our last blog entry, “Signs of Change,” we’re preparing for our name change to ChildFund International on July 1. And these new signs are only a small portion of changes to come in the near future. Here’s a look at today’s scenes:

Signs of Change

2009-06-19T11:20:00.005-04:00

By David Hylton,

Public Relations Specialist

If you drive along Interstate 64 through Richmond, you’ve probably seen our building and a big sign with our name on the side. But now it’s starting to look a little different …

… check back soon for more details to find out what’s going on!

Forget the Same Old, Same Old for Dad

2009-06-15T13:27:00.002-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

To honor your dad this Father’s Day weekend, why spend money on a tie that he’ll never wear or a bottle of cologne that nobody really likes? Instead of a $20 tie, how about buying two baby chicks in The Gambia?

Through the Christian Children’s Fund Gifts of Hope & Love catalog, gifts can be purchased to help 15.2 million children and families in the 31 countries we work. When you buy a gift in his honor, we’ll send him a personalized gift card to let him know of your thoughtfulness.

We know that times are tough for many families due to the current economy, but there are lots of items you can buy for less than $20 including picture books for a child care center in the Caribbean, a drawing kit for a child in India, a mosquito net for a family in Uganda, a pair of reading glasses for a parent in Sri Lanka, a duck for a family in Timor-Leste and cough medicine for a child in Honduras. (And don’t forget about those baby chicks.)

And these are just a few of the items! Click here to check out the entire gift catalog. And from our worldwide family to yours, have a Happy Father’s Day!

We’d also love to hear from you about the worst Father’s Day gift you’ve either received or given. Leave your comments below!

A Worldwide Community

2009-06-12T15:00:00.004-04:00

By Cynthia Price,
Director of Communications

Liz Strauss, who I met earlier in the morning at Blog Potomac, noted that social media isn’t new. It’s the platform that is new. In the “old days” we engaged by phone or email. The new ways to engage, such as Twitter, are still about connecting.

At CCF we connect using both traditional (ChildWorld and Annual Report publications) and new (Facebook, Twitter) so we don’t leave anyone out of the conversation. The new ways simply make it easy to connect in real time and globally.

Telling Our Story

2009-06-12T14:13:00.002-04:00

By Cynthia Price,
Director of Communications

Mid-morning at Blog Potomac we heard from Scott Monty, who is responsible for social media with Ford Motor Co. He shared some of their ideas around the social media platform. They are similar to ours – “I will tell the truth.” “I will write deliberately and accurately.”

His goal is to humanize Ford. At Christian Children’s Fund one of our goals is to connect with our supporters and more directly tell them how they help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children around the world. We want them to know how we believe that when you change a childhood, you change the world.

Technology Woes Aside, We're at Blog Potomac

2009-06-12T12:58:00.004-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

In this age of social networking where everybody is constantly in touch through blogs, Facebook and Twitter, it’s easy to take technology for granted. And with the best laid plans in place our Director of Communications Cynthia Price was going to e-mail me a couple of blog entries from Blog Potomac today. (Click here for the details on Blog Potomac.)

However, she hit a snafu with her Blackberry in which she couldn’t send or receive e-mails and we were forced to take a step back in time – she dictated blog entries to me over the phone. It’s like we were in 1999 instead of 2009. Joking aside, here are her initial thoughts on Blog Potomac:

Walking into the State Theatre in Falls Church I found the room of small tables set up like a café. A sea of computer screens were already aglow as participants linked up, tweeted and blogged.

I was here to learn how to better engage with Christian Children’s Fund supporters. We’ve got our Fans on Facebook and Followers on Twitter, but we would like a stronger dialog. How do we get there? What conversations should we have on this blog?

Almost immediately I ran into Geoff Livingston, with CRT/tanaka, who is working with CCF on a social media strategy. He introduces me to Liz Strauss, of successful-blog.com, and we discuss how to better share the connection donors make with the children they sponsor.

Like everyone here, I’m clicking away taking notes and sharing ideas (including through this blog).

We are looking for better ways to connect and this conference will help with ideas, but it’s ultimately about what you want.

Child Labor … Leave Us Alone

2009-06-12T09:44:00.005-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

Child labor oh child labor
You steal our time to play. You make us carry heavy things. Every day we wake up in the cold to carry heavy loads of water, heavy bags of charcoal and wood.

Today is World Day Against Child Labor – a day launched in 2002 by the International Labor Organization (ILO) to raise awareness of child labor issues around the world. This year’s theme is “Give Girls a Chance: End Child Labor.”

At Christian Children’s Fund, we tackle child labor problems head on by supporting the basic needs of children in these situations. Children are missing out on their childhood as educational opportunities are sacrificed when they’re forced into work.

Child labor oh child labor
You steal our time to go to school. You make us so tired that even when we go to school, we are tired and just sleep.

The ILO estimates that 218 million children ages 5 to 17 are engaged in child labor – 100 million of those are girls, such as 15-year-old Monica in Zambia who wrote “Child labor oh child labor.”

Child labor oh child labor
Leave us alone, we want to play and go to school, we don’t want to carry heavy things. Our bodies are not strong, we cry out to you oh child labor … Leave us alone.

For more information about CCF and World Day Against Child Labor, click here to check out our latest news release.

(Note: The drawings in this entry are from children and youth in the Philippines and Zambia who were asked last year to depict what child labor means to them.)

What do CCF and Rock 'n' Roll have in common?

2009-06-03T15:55:00.003-04:00

By Bill Cavender,
Assistant Director Interactive Communications

I had the opportunity to catch up recently with Nuno Bettencourt after a performance at the M3 Festival in Columbia, Md. Back on the road with Extreme with a date on the East Coast provided a chance for us to get together and continue our discussion about Christian Children’s Fund, music, collaboration and the future.

Nuno has been connected with CCF since he was 11 years old. His parents were sponsors for many years and through this experience Nuno became aware of the work that was being done to assist deprived, excluded and vulnerable children.

Now a successful artist and parent himself, he continues the connection by sponsoring a child in Sierra Leone and one in India. He hopes these sponsorships will develop a similar awareness with his own children.

“It gives … me and my kids a sense of hope by helping someone in need; the hope that if we were ever in trouble that we would not be alone; the hope that we belong to a sympathetic community.”

The relationship doesn’t stop there. While financial support and expanding his children’s understanding of the world are important, Nuno also hopes to help broaden awareness and develop commitments from others. As a respected artist with a large audience, he is eager to lend his voice in support of our work as CCF and building a connection with the new brand, ChildFund International.

Over the past several years Nuno and I have had conversations about engaging new supporters and new demographics. While traveling around the United States and the world a couple of things have stood out to him: His audience is aware of issues surrounding poverty and the impact on children, and many are committed to helping make a change. His experience has strengthened his conviction that CCF is an effective organization for making these changes.

As an artist strongly committed to his craft, he works hard and takes pride in his accomplishments. Understanding that CCF is also committed to its work and accountable to our supporters has helped forge a strong connection.

“There are many charities that do great work with kids fighting cancer or other terrible illnesses. But I choose CCF because if we don’t help the most vulnerable they may never reach their teens and live long enough to experience those sometime trying moments of adulthood. This planet is way too rich not to provide for basic needs of all people and to give them a chance to live and carve their own path.”

We’re in Africa … Already?!?!

2009-05-19T13:17:00.002-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

We’re walking so fast that my fingers can’t keep up! As part of our Walk Across the World initiative, we’ve already “visited” our program areas in Mexico and Brazil. From Brazil, we crossed the Atlantic Ocean to visit Senegal.

We have worked with children and families in the western African nation for more than 20 years. Program initiatives tackle health issues such as malaria and HIV. CCF Senegal offers activities including education, health and sanitation and nutrition to address the overall wellbeing of children and their families.

For more about Senegal, click here to check out our Web site. You can also click here to check out our “In the Field” blog and read about our director of Communications’ trip to the country last summer.

In about six weeks of our Walk Across the World, nearly 100 of our International Office employees have walked more than 8,200 miles. We’re currently walking across Africa to another program area. I’m not telling you which one just yet … but at this rate we’re probably almost there. Check back soon for updates!

Finding Your Passion

2009-05-12T10:39:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

“Once you find your passion, you will be taking a huge step toward achieving the kind of happy life everyone dreams of.”

This is what CCF President and CEO Anne Lynam Goddard will tell graduating students at Assumption College this Saturday. Anne graduated from the Worcester, Mass., college in 1977. She’ll receive an honorary Ph.D. this weekend as well.

She admits that more than 30 years ago she never imagined returning to the college to deliver a commencement address.

“If you had asked me when I arrived here in 1973 who among my classmates was the least likely to be chosen to be a future commencement speaker, I would have chosen … myself without a doubt,” she says.

Anne’s career has always been about helping children. In 1977, she began her career as a social worker. Two years later she joined the Peace Corps. Since that time she has always been involved with international organizations that help children. At CCF for the past two years, she has led the development of CCF’s new strategy, and a new globally unified name and brand, which includes a name change to ChildFund International effective July 1.

For more information about CCF, click here to check out our Web site.

Helping Mothers Around the World

2009-05-08T08:45:00.004-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

Mothers are the cornerstone of families around the world – a healthy mother means a healthy infant, which leads to healthy families.

At Christian Children’s Fund, our programs give mothers the knowledge and tools they need to care for their children. For example, birthing centers in the Philippines that opened last year allow women easier access to receive medical care.

The centers are designed to provide comprehensive primary health care to cater to not only pregnant women, but also to women and children in general. And the facilities offer patients access to trained health care workers.

In Honduras, trained community staff, known as Guide Mothers, perform home visits and teach new mothers exercises for early stimulation to develop their child’s skills. Guide Mothers also provide follow-up health visits and cover the topics of immunizations, sanitation and safe water.

If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for your mother this Mother’s Day, consider a donation from our Gifts of Love & Hope catalog. When buying from the catalog, you can select an item in honor of your mother. When you do that, we’ll send her a personalized gift card to let them know of your thoughtfulness.

There are several items that can be bought to help mothers around the world – mosquito bed nets prevent women from contracting malaria; a head flashlight helps midwives assist mothers for safe, healthy births; and a water filter stops water-borne diseases from spreading.

For more information, visit www.christianchildrensfund.org and click on “Gifts of Love & Hope.”

Making a Stop in South America

2009-05-04T16:44:00.002-04:00

By David Hylton,
Public Relations Specialist

From Richmond to Mexico to Brazil to … we’re not telling! In our “Walk Across the World” initiative, our employees have now “visited” two program areas and walked more than 6,200 miles in less than a month.

Most recently, we made a stop in Brazil, where CCF has worked since 1966. CCF Brazil’s National Director Gerson Pacheco gave us a warm welcome.

“Our country, our children, families and communities, welcome you with our arms open and our hearts filled with joy and gratitude for everything you do for us,” Gerson said. “Come and enjoy our hospitality, our culture, our customs, our music, our Carnival, our food and drinks (such as ‘Feijoada’ and ‘Caipirinha’), our beaches, our historical towns, our forests, our champion football, all the amazing collection of organized diversity that makes Brazil one of the most significant and important countries on the face of the planet.”

One highlight of our programs in Brazil is education. CCF Brazil provides after-school centers where children receive a balanced meal and homework supervision. CCF Brazil also offers “dream corners” – small libraries – for children and “toy libraries” in rural communities where children have a chance to play and experiment with educational toys. The libraries bring educational toys like blocks and puzzles to children who have few or no toys at home.

For more on our programs in Brazil, click here. Continue to check back here to see where we’re making our next stop!

Protection for All Children

2009-04-28T15:22:00.003-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

“Some children in our community have to get married. We know that they are not ready to get married.”

These are the thoughts of children and youth in the developing world who live in environments that do not protect them from abuse, exploitation or neglect. The children and youth are often prevented from healthy development.

We tackle these issues head on with child protection workshops for our staff to recognize the problems.

Child protection risks include: an alcoholic parent; a community with traditions that do not value girls’ participation; parents encouraging their children to engage in prostitution or to migrate to urban areas for work; and a child with a disability who is hidden indoors by his mother.

Our programs will remove these obstacles by promoting protective environments, says child protection specialist Martin Hayes. Our child protection workshops are designed to have children speak up about the issues that affect them the most.

For more information on our workshops, including what we found in our U.S. programs, click here to check out our latest news release.

It's All About the Children

2009-04-24T10:12:00.002-04:00

Children in today’s world need help more than ever. The World Bank estimates that 53 million people around the world will fall into poverty this year – that’s the total population of California and Florida combined. And that’s on top of the 1.5 billion people already living in poverty.

To address the problems, this is a critical time for Christian Children’s Fund to meet the growing needs of children. To help meet these needs, we are making a few changes. To learn about these changes, visit our Web site at www.christianchildrensfund.org.

Benvenido a México!

2009-04-17T13:55:00.002-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

With nearly 20 teams of five people each, our Walk Across the World initiative has gotten off to a quick start – we’ve already made it to Mexico! As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, collectively as a staff we are walking across the world to “visit” some of the 31 countries where we work. We started at our International Office in Richmond,Va., and ventured more than 1,800 miles to our first stop in Mexico.

Team Fabulous Five collected the most miles on the first portion of the trek, logging more than 220 miles in one week. Two other teams also passed the 200-mile mark. To put this mileage figure in perspective, 1,800 miles is also about the same driving distance from San Diego, Calif., to Memphis, Tenn., and from Key West, Fla., to Portland, Maine.

Team Fabulous Five received special recognition from Mexico’s National Director Virginia Vargas for collecting the most miles so far: “I am sure you all enjoyed the journey and had a lot of fun, but more than that, this team effort proves your love for CCF. During your ‘stay’ in Mexico you will find 45,000 children that recognize the hard work all of you do every day in order to have better opportunities in life. Also you will enjoy tacos and enchiladas with the company of Mariachis!”

Christian Children’s Fund has worked in Mexico since 1955. One program highlight there is our Early Childhood Development program to provide education to children age 5 and under. More than 7,000 children are enrolled in this program. More than 180 educators monitor the child's development, train mothers on how to help their child overcome learning delays, make home visits, discuss early child development strategies with parents and coordinate with local governmental ECD programs. Other community volunteers, known as Guide Mothers, also play an important role in helping children’s cognitive learning.

For the next stop in our Walk Across the World journey we continue to head south to Brazil, which is more than 3,500 miles away. How quick will we get there?

One Death Every 30 Seconds

2009-04-15T16:16:00.001-04:00

By David Shanklin, Senior Program Health Specialist

About 1 million children under the age of 5 die each year from a disease that is entirely preventable. An African child dies every 30 seconds from this same disease; nearly a half billion people become ill because of this disease.

What is this disease? Malaria. The cause? The parasitic disease is transmitted to people through infected mosquitoes.

About 40 percent of the world’s population is at risk of malaria, with the most serious area of impact being sub-Saharan Africa. About 90 percent of deaths due to malaria occur in Africa, mostly among young children.

Education is the foundation for prevention, but many vulnerable families do not know how malaria is transmitted or how to prevent or treat it. With World Malaria Day approaching April 25, it’s staggering to know that less than 25 percent of people who need prevention and treatment services actually receive them.

In countries where CCF works and there is a problem with malaria, our staff works with public health services to mobilize families to use insecticide-treated mosquito nets to sleep under, seek prompt treatment of suspicious cases, encourage pregnant women to take anti-malarial medicines and encourage indoor spraying for mosquitoes.

CCF also works with public health officials to ensure that services are available and that there are trained community health workers nearby with medicines to address the problem. While the process can be slow at times, there are signs of great progress in recent years.

For example, in Zambia from 2002 to 2007, two-thirds of all households in that country have benefitted from indoor spraying, about 70 percent of children under the age of 5 sleep under bed nets and more than 66 percent of pregnant women receive one or more doses to prevent the disease.

As World Malaria Day approaches, what can you do to help? Through CCF, mosquito bed nets and other medicines can be purchased on our Web site through our Gifts of Love & Hope catalog at www.christianchildrensfund.org/gifts. One mosquito bed net can protect a family for up to four years.

Remember, this disease is preventable. A child does not have to die every 30 seconds from malaria.

For more on malaria, click here to view a video of David Shanklin discussing the disease.

CCF Receives Coveted Four Star Rating

2009-04-09T12:43:00.002-04:00

Charity Navigator, America’s premier charity evaluator, recently awarded Christian Children’s Fund its coveted four-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances.

According to Charity Navigator only one-fourth of the charities it reviews receive its highest rating of four stars. In receiving this rating CCF has proven that it executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way.

The unprecedented growth of the non-profit sector is a clear indicator that organizations like CCF must prove they operate under the highest of standards from both a management and fiscal standpoint.

Accountability and transparency are also core indicators to donors and sponsors in determining what non-profit organizations they want to support with their hard earned dollars.

For more information, click here.

Give a Chick, Help Children and Families for Years

2009-04-07T09:54:00.002-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

For the price of a few bags of Easter candy, you can change the life of a child in a developing country.

$9 buys a live baby chick for a family in The Gambia. That chick provides eggs to feed the family and the extra eggs are a source of income. For $10, you can purchase a duck for a family in Timor-Leste.

When children grow up in a family that is economically secure they are able to eat nutritious meals that help them grow. They can attend school and develop life skills.

You can buy chicks and ducks and many other animals through Christian Children’s Fund’s Gifts of Love & Hope catalog. The gifts are delivered straight to families in need in the areas we work. Dozens of other items are available, including $6 cough medicine for a child in Honduras and a $5,357 motorcycle for medical emergencies in Bolivia.

When buying a gift, you can select the items in honor of your friends and family. When you do that, we’ll send them personalized gift cards to let them know of your thoughtfulness. It may be a perfect conversation starter for you and your family this weekend.

To purchase a gift from the Gifts of Love & Hope catalog, visit www.christianchildrensfund.org and click on “Gifts of Love & Hope.”

Walk Across the World With Us

2009-04-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

In many countries around the world, children have to walk miles and miles each day to go to school or to find clean drinking water for their household or to receive adequate health care. They’re not walking for their health – they’re walking because they have no other choice.

At Christian Children’s Fund’s headquarters in Richmond, we often take walking for granted. We ride the elevator down a couple of floors for a meeting instead of taking the steps; we park at the closest spot possible at the office or at the mall; we go home, sit on the couch and watch TV throughout the evening. Well, enough is enough.

Beginning today, we are launching a program called Walk Across the World in which we are walking to several countries where we work. We aren’t literally going out the door and walking there, but we are using pedometers to track the numbers of steps we take each day.

The Walk Across the World initiative involves about a dozen teams with five people each. Walking across the world will be an overall CCF effort, with some friendly competition along the way. Every 2,000 steps will be counted as a mile.

While this is an effort of our newly formed Wellness Committee – Power Up – we also are doing this to stop and visit our program areas around the globe. The first stop is Mexico, which is 1,808 miles from Richmond (according to most crows). How fast will we get there? Check back with us often to find out and to learn more about our work there.

In addition to following our progress here, you can keep tabs on us on Twitter at twitter.com/C_C_F where we will tag our walking entries with #WorldWalk. Please join us!

Ready to Pound the Monument Avenue Pavement

2009-03-27T14:06:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

We’re ready! Christian Children’s Fund’s 10k team gathered together today for a pasta lunch in preparation for Saturday’s Monument Avenue 10k. We’re all looking forward to representing CCF tomorrow! About two dozen staff members, plus more than a dozen family members, will be taking part in the 10k.

As I have mentioned before, when you see us out there in our CCF T-shirts, don’t think of us as individuals – think of what CCF does for the rest of the world, helping more than 15 million children and family members in 31 countries. We’re all helping deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have the capacity to become young adults, parents and leaders of the next generation who bring lasting and positive change in their communities.

Take the CCF World Water Day Challenge

2009-03-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

In the world today, approximately 1.3 billion people (18 percent of the world’s population) lack access to safe drinking water. Others don’t have enough water to bathe or even wash their hands.

And every day, almost 10,000 children under the age of five die as a result of water-related illnesses.

Every day, an American family uses an average of 80 gallons of water. To put that number in perspective, one load of laundry uses almost 35 gallons of water.

In Africa, the average family only uses 5 gallons of water a day. That one load of laundry cycled by the American family is more than that same family in Africa consumes in one week.

CCF recognizes that clean, safe water is essential to the health and development of children, and to every family’s ability to be self-sustaining.

A few of our programs include:

Water wells in Zambia, Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Sri Lanka and Angola
Latrines for schools in Sri Lanka
Crop irrigation systems in India
Water reservoirs in Brazil and Ecuador
Training and education on water sanitation and hygiene in Honduras, India, Ecuador and the Philippines

But on March 22, in honor of World Water Day 2009, we at CCF want to see how well you can complete our World Water Day Challenge. That means for one day, Sunday, March 22, we’re asking you to reduce your water usage from the average 80 gallons to only 5 gallons for the entire day.

To help you along, here are a few statistics on water usage for every day tasks that most of us may take for granted.*

Flush a Toilet: Between 1.5 and 3 gallons for each flush.
Take a Shower: 3.5 gallons every minute.
Use a Dishwasher: Between 6 and 11 gallons.
Brush Your Teeth: 2 gallons.
Cook a Quarter Pound of Hamburger: 1 gallon.

*All statistics are according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Try it out and tell us how you did. What was the hardest challenge you faced in keeping your water usage to 5 gallons of water for one day? What have you learned in trying the CCF World Water Day Challenge?

Leave your comments below!

We’re all communicators

2009-03-16T12:56:00.001-04:00

As a follow-up to our previous post on our Global Communications Workshop, we had one more participant offer her thoughts on the workshop … and this crazy Richmond weather.

Tenagne Mekonnen, Africa Region

Being from perfect climate in Ethiopia I am not used to extreme temperatures. So I was like a fish out of water when it snowed on my second day I was in the USA. I had the privilege of playing in the snow for the first time in my life!

As always, I enjoy working in CCF believing that I make a contribution to the children we serve in the organization. Communication helps us to belong to a society and benefit by such relationships. When our works and efforts are communicated very well with the quality, focus and detail, the happenings taking place in the organization will be cherished and create ownership.

Our communication focuses on healthy and secure infants, educated and confident children and skilled and involved youth. This will for sure indicate our direction and will enhance confidence of our stakeholders whose support has been consistent and life changing. The workshop strengthened my belief in how much communication will mean internally and externally.

The workshop through the week helped to learn, share and suggest in how to streamline the common mission and vision at all levels of the organization. We are all communicators! What shall we do then? Let us share what we have so that voices of our children and youth will be expressed.

Focusing on increasing the quality of programs, we then will educate and inform how we can bring change on deprived, excluded and vulnerable children. The workshop highlighted how as an organization we can share our self to the right persons at the right time and through the right channels to stakeholders, staff, communities and children.

Not only did the USA receive me in snow, but it also is sending me back home with rain and chilly weather!

For more information on where CCF works, click here.

The World Comes to Richmond

2009-03-13T12:18:00.003-04:00

While most Americans were adjusting to an hour’s time difference this week due to daylight saving time, six of Christian Children’s Fund’s employees were hard at work adjusting to time differences of up to 12 hours.

This week our International Communications department held a Global Communications Workshop to help align our plans and strategies. Our discussions included social networking (and this particular blog). The group also had a chance to visit the VCU Brandcenter and the newsroom of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

As part of the work this week we asked for volunteers to blog about their week in the United States. Here’s what two of them had to say.

Adriana Villarreal Bernal, Mexico

"All men by nature desire to know." – Aristotle

The eternal need of knowing, or learning, of being informed is a constant of mankind. Information is power. Power that can help others … especially for children by enabling them to take control of their lives and to command their future.

We are taught that the process of communicating has components a receptor, a transmitter and a message, but a visit to a newsroom of a newspaper opened my eyes and I perfectly understood the stressful part of communicating – the urgency of the best story, with the best picture to transmit the message, and let it flow and satisfy the need of both the receptor and the transmitter.

But when you are communicating with the final purpose of helping deprived, excluded and vulnerable children to have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults who bring lasting and positive change to their communities, then communication acquires new dimensions.

We have the responsibility of finding the best communications tools and contents in order to let others know how they may help.

Some messages may be that important and others may just have importance for the transmitter; for example today I want to share with you that this morning I saw snow for the first time in my life.

Tobias Chomba, Zambia

Visiting CCF's International Headquarters in Richmond is one thing that I have looked forward to. I always thought the visit would give me an opportunity to meet several International Office staff that I have interacted with in my work at Christian Children’s Fund Zambia. And, of course, enable me step foot in the USA for the first time. My dreams came true when I was invited to be part of the Global Communications Workshop that included other international participants from Asia, the Americas and African regions of CCF.

Working for CCF Zambia as a sponsor relations and communications manager has enabled me to interact and engage with various CCF stakeholders such as children, communities, sponsors, donors and staff at different levels across CCF worldwide. My eight years of work with CCF has been focused on supporting children and sponsors to achieve mutually rewarding relationships and that the achievements are demonstrated on how CCF sponsorship supports vital program activities to make a difference in the lives of deprived, excluded and vulnerable children.

The Global Communications Workshop started with introductions among participants. The group of participants was reasonably small, but representative of CCF’s worldwide communication experts. The objectives of the workshop were to have a communication strategic reflection on our role and how we can build and strengthen quality information dissemination of our work to sponsors and donors. A thorough review of our global strategy was done and various discussions were held on the role communication will play in achieving the three core outcomes. The core outcomes are healthy and secure infants; educated and confident children; and skilled and involved youth.

The coming together tightened the loose nuts between the international, regional and national offices. Being part of this process is a big milestone in my CCF work history. It really has afforded me a chance to put forth the National Office’s perspective that will engender our active participation in our context while contributing to the global goal. I can see space for creativity and innovation development. This is a great achievement in my lifetime work in communication in CCF.

We restated our commitment to being authentic, empowering children through innovative leadership to become leaders of enduring change. From the field perspective, we learned a lot on targeted communications, social media and opportunities for innovations. We, at the same time, gave feedback to strengthen our work.

A Little Bit Can Go a Long Way

2009-03-06T13:54:00.002-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

$10 … should I buy 10 songs from iTunes or a duck that can provide food to a family in Timor-Leste? As more and more Americans receive their tax refunds in the next several weeks, this is a legitimate question we should ask ourselves.

In writing a recent news release about tax refunds and breaking it down by the numbers, I realized that it doesn’t take much to make a big difference in the life of a child where Christian Children’s Fund works. In these tight economic times, more and more people are watching every penny spent, but we should not forget about the children less fortunate than us around the world.

The average American will receive more than a $2,000 tax refund this year. While this can certainly help pay off some bills or even catch up on some debt, did you know that it costs just $288 to sponsor one child for one year through CCF? Besides sponsorship, there also are several other ways to help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children in the 31 countries CCF works. $6 can buy cough medicine for a child in Honduras; $10 can buy a duck for a family in Timor-Leste; $14 can provide an art kit for a child in Angola; and $36 can purchase a goat for a family in Zambia. Hundreds of gifts are available up to $5,300 apiece.

The statement of a little bit goes a long way certainly applies when talking about children living in poverty.

For more on this subject, click here to check out our latest news release. For more information on CCF, visit www.christianchildrensfund.org. (We’re on Twitter too at www.twitter.com/C_C_F.)

Monument Avenue 10k is a team effort

2009-03-03T09:48:00.003-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

As we’ve mentioned a couple of times on this blog, about 20 percent of Christian Children’s Fund’s Richmond-based staff is participating in the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k on March 28. As the organizer of this team, it has been great to see the enthusiasm around this race. As a runner of many races, I often look at running as an individual thing, but in the past couple of months I have once again been reminded that running and walking in an event such as this is very much a team sport.

That being said, I’d like to share a couple of personal stories from CCF staff who are participating in the 10k.

Michelle Bray, accountant
Though I had heard of and have had co-workers who participated in the 10k in previous years, I was never motivated to participate myself. However, in 2009 I pledged that I would challenge myself to do new and greater things. To try things I’ve never done before and accomplish goals that I had previously thought was unattainable. The 10k is the perfect opportunity for me, as I have never participated in anything in this capacity.

Personally, weight has been a constant struggle in my life, once weighing 252 pounds. I lost more than 100 pounds some years ago, but I must admit it is still hard to maintain; obesity is a disease in its own. So not only do I have weight to contend with, but cancer runs in my family. The training has been keeping me on task and making me feel my best.

Lastly, while making it to the finish line will be a new accomplishment for me, making it to the finish line with my CCF family will be an even greater joy, as we are all aspiring to make a difference, as well as have a healthier future for years to come.

Stephanie Brummell, web content specialist
I wouldn’t call myself a gym rat. I wouldn’t call myself a couch potato. Sure, I enjoy spinning, body pump and yoga. But I also indulge in lazy Sundays, greasy Chinese food and ice cream.

Back in December, I began talking with a co-worker at CCF about how to overcome my frustration with how much time I was putting in at the gym and how I was not seeing a decrease in numbers on the scale.

Perhaps it had something to do with the Chinese food?

That’s when he brought up the Monument Avenue 10k. He talked about the camaraderie; the adrenaline rush of finishing your first race; the pride you feel after running a distance you never thought possible. I decided then and there to hop back on the weight loss saddle, but this time I would make my journey about something other than the scale. On Dec. 26, the first day registration opened, I signed up to run as a novice in the 10k.

I told friends and family about my training. I watched with excitement as others at CCF signed up to run or walk the race. In February, I started taking the stairs up to my cubical on the fifth floor of CCF’s building.

I’ll never forget the first Saturday morning I ran a mile with my Richmond SportsBackers YMCA 10k training team. That one mile was the hardest I’ve ever done in my life. But now, and to my surprise, I’m running 4 miles multiple times a week. I’ve lost 8 pounds in the process and with about a month left to train, I’m feeling confident and motivated; excited, but anxious – especially for this weather to perk up!

Training for the Monument Avenue 10k has changed my life. I make time for workouts no matter what and I’m more focused than ever before. And being part of CCF’s 10k team has helped me get to know my co-workers a little bit better too. And the best part is, thanks to my training schedule, I’ve been able to hold tight to my beloved lazy Sundays.

And lastly, a little about myself and this 10k.

I began running five years ago to lose weight for my wedding. Well, 40 pounds later and several races later, I’m still running and couldn’t be happier. I’ve had some ups and downs with race times, weight and injuries, but I have no plans to stop. Last year in my first Monument Avenue 10k, I raised hundreds of dollars for the VCU Massey Cancer center; this year I’m planning the same.

Helping bring together a CCF team has been rewarding in many ways. From fighting cancer to being a part of the Richmond community to having speed goals, everyone has their reasons for taking part in this event. It’s great to get know my co-workers on another level and I’m looking forward to representing CCF that day. While some people are walking and some are running, be on the lookout for us in our CCF T-shirts that day. When you see one of those T-shirts, don’t think of us as individuals – think of us as a team and what CCF does for the rest of the world, helping more than 15 million children and family members in 31 countries.

For more information on the 10k, visit www.sportsbackers.org; for more information on CCF visit www.christianchildrensfund.org.

A Closer Look at India

2009-02-26T09:01:00.005-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

With the recent box office success and Oscar winnings of the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” there’s a lot of attention on India these days.

The movie focuses on a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is suspected of cheating, however. While being interrogated, events from his life are shown that explain why he knows the answers.

The story of “Slumdog Millionaire” reveals only a small portion of how poverty impacts that country. At least 300 million people in India live below the poverty line, with children accounting for nearly one-third of this group.

Christian Children’s Fund has been working in India for more than five decades, currently assisting more than 600,000 children and family members. CCF’s programs in India include education, early childhood development, sustainable livelihoods and health and nutrition.

In recent years, CCF, with support from the government, launched a Reading Skills Improvement program to enhance the reading abilities of students in rural areas. CCF India has assisted more than 18,000 children from 900 government schools in India through this program.

CCF also had a major role in India’s recovery following the 2004 tsunami. CCF India constructed 12 new schools in Balwadis in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam districts for the government following the devastation. In some cases the new buildings were constructed on higher ground to avoid being damaged by future disasters.

For more information on our programs in India, click here to visit India’s page on our Web site.

Read All About Our CEO in Boomer Life

2009-02-12T16:04:00.003-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

“When she gets around the children, the light comes on.” This is what Christian Children’s Fund Board Chairman Charles Caravati says about CCF President and CEO Anne Goddard in the latest edition of Richmond’s Boomer Life magazine.

Goddard is featured in the February/March 2009 edition, along with three other Richmond women who hold top positions in their fields. The article details her career path to Richmond and CCF.

“If you could do anything for an hour, you can do it for a day. And if you can do if for a day, you can do it for a week, for a month, for a year,” Goddard tells the magazine about her work with non-government organizations.

Boomer Life is available free throughout Richmond, including at Ukrop’s, Kroger, CVS, Wawa, Blockbuster and various shopping centers.

Our 10k Goals

2009-02-11T11:10:00.001-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

From supporting cancer research to being a part of the community to simply being healthy, about 20 percent of Christian Children’s Fund staff has signed up to run or walk the Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond on March 28.

The Monument Avenue 10k is one of the largest road races in the country and we’re eager to hit the pavement for those 6.2 miles. Last year the 10k had more than 35,000 entries and according to the Richmond Sports Backers, signups are at record pace this year with maximum entries once again at 35,000. Here’s a look at what some of our staff has to say about taking part in this event.

Betty Baatz, marketing administrative assistant
“I’m not a runner or sports type, but have been involved in dance and fitness since I was young. I had participated in a four-mile walk/run in St. Louis in the past, but this will be my first participation in a 10k. I’m looking forward to being part of a team in supporting our organization, CCF! Even though I’m fairly fit for my age, I’m sure I’ll be a little sore after the 10k.”

Jeanette Duncan, data administrator
“The purpose of the 10k is to raise money for the VCU Massey Cancer Center, and I have a grandmother with three types of cancer. I have also lost several close friends due to cancer. I would like to honor them by walking in this. Also, I have lost a total of 87 pounds, and I would like to lose 13 more. Walking every day will help me achieve my goals and keep me motivated.”

Dawn Durrett, staff accountant
“For me it is nice to know that not only are you doing something to benefit yourself you are benefiting an unlimited amount of others as they work on cancer research. Every year as I get to the sixth mile and see all of the others who have finished before me sticking around to cheer for me makes me emotional. It is nice to see that in this hectic world that we live in others can come together on one day for a cause we all need to fight.”

Jessi Hanson, education associate
“I like running as a hobby, not only because it is a great way to stay in shape but also because it offers 30 minutes to an hour a day of just ‘me’ time: time to reflect, breath, and get re-centered. I used to be a middle school long distance coach, and I loved getting kids to develop a passion for running for fun. It is my first time doing a 10k on the East Coast, so I am very excited to get to run in Richmond and represent CCF!”

Melissa P. Joseph, Grants Compliance coordinator
“This is my first time to do the 10k and I will be walking. My New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and be healthier so I figure this was a perfect opportunity to do just that. My goal is to get through the walk in an hour and half and feel good doing it. I am walking now to prepare so that I won’t be exhausted half way through.”

Shakita Macklin, Financial Systems analyst
“This is my first year participating in the 10k. Even though I have never walked nor ran a race of this magnitude, I did not hesitate to sign up. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but instead take the time to think of ways to better myself in the upcoming year. During this self-evaluation, I decided to become more active and pay closer attention to the foods I consume. The 10k was a perfect way for me to stay focused on this personal goal as well as walk for a good cause. Several members of my family have battled cancer, so I’m walking in honor of them.”

Sean Mullins, Child Sponsorhip
“This will be my fifth year taking part in the 10k. Five years ago, a friend of mine came to me at the last minute since the guitar player in his band had gotten ill and asked me to fill in the next morning at the 10k. I went out there and played the same seven songs over and over as people ran by. While I had a great time playing, I had an even better time people watching and my wife loved all the people that were dressed up. We have done it every year since then as a way to kick off spring time and to start getting in better shape for summer.”

Diane Willis, vice president of Global Human Resource
“I'm planning to walk because it's a community activity that brings people together, and because I find walking very relaxing. Not to mention the health benefits. My goal is to spend time enjoying the (hopefully) spring sunshine and to reach the end without aches, pains or blisters.”

For more information on the 10k, visit the Richmond Sports Backers Web site here. For more information CCF, click here to visit our Web site, here to follow us on Twitter and here to become a fan on Facebook.

Children's Champion Comes to CCF

2009-02-06T16:35:00.005-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist
(updated Feb. 11 with video link)

You may know him for his wrestling fame, but Mick Foley wants everyone to know his story as a Champion for Children. Mick – now an executive shareholder in the newly formed Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling on Spike TV – has been involved with Christian Children's Fund since 1992, donating more than $290,000 for early childhood development centers and health clinics in the Philippines and Mexico, and for new schools in war-torn Sierra Leone. He also sponsors seven children through CCF.

Mick dropped by CCF today on his way to a TNA wrestling event in Charlottesville where he is scheduled to make an appearance. He had a chance to catch up with CCF staff and had an exclusive interview with CBS 6. (Click here to view the story. Thanks to CBS 6 for the clip.)

“I want people to stop me because they know I’m a Christian Children’s Fund sponsor,” Mick says.

Mick recently visited Sierra Leone, where his name adorns a newly built school.

“It’s about letting children with very little in their lives, through no fault of their own, know that someone out there cares,” he says of his involvement with CCF.

Richmonder Takes the Reigns as Board Chairman

2009-01-28T13:25:00.008-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Charles Caravati Jr., a Richmond resident and graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, became Christian Children’s Fund’s Board of Directors chairman this week. He has been on CCF’s board since 2002.

CCF’s Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting at Richmond’s Henrico County headquarters on Emerywood Parkway off Broad Street.

For more on this and details on a new CCF board member, check out our latest news release here.

We Just Feel Like Running (and walking)

2009-01-15T09:43:00.003-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Every year when spring rolls around, thousands upon thousands of runners and walkers hit Monument Avenue in Richmond with the same goal – to complete 6.2 miles on one of the city’s most famous streets.

This year, Christian Children’s Fund staff in Richmond will be well represented at the 10th Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k. To date, we have more than 10 percent of our staff registered, with more signing up every day.

Our newly formed wellness committee – POWER UP! – will have a special recognition for those taking part – but SHHH! It’s a secret right now what they’re doing.

Continue to check this blog as we have various training updates leading up to the race, which is March 28. For details on the 10k, click here to visit the Richmond Sports Backers Web site. If you have any training advice for us, please leave a comment below!

This Little Piggy …

2009-01-14T16:47:00.003-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Some pigs go to market, some pigs stay home … but in Uganda, some pigs are changing the life of one woman and her family.

Thanks to Christian Children’s Fund livelihood programs, Milly’s life has changed for the better following the death of her husband in 2003. When he died she was unemployed and left with eight children to raise.

A year after her husband’s death, a meeting was held in her Ugandan village to tell residents that CCF was looking for people to train in farming. CCF Uganda staff visited the village soon after the meeting to register people in the program.

“We were immediately enrolled for a one-week course on gardening and farming,” Milly said. “Before the training, I used to rear a few pigs at home. I would tied them on a rope and take them to the garden to feed. Now I have given them shelter because I am equipped with knowledge on how to look after them in the right way.”

At the end of the training, CCF gave Milly a pair of piglets – male and female – to help her start a piggery business. Today she is an accomplished community piggery farmer, and she has started other income-generating activities such as poultry and banana farming. And because of this business, she is able to afford to send her children to school. Her children also participate in the family business.

“My first born is now studying at a university,” Milly says.

To read more about Milly’s story, click here to read CCF’s latest news release.

CCF Among Groups Stressing Gender Integration

2009-01-12T11:43:00.004-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Over the past several months, Christian Children’s Fund has been engaged in increasing U.S. foreign aid. Earlier this month, CCF Washington Office Director Laura Henderson joined a group of 25 nonprofit organizations that met with President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team to discuss the importance of gender integration in U.S. foreign assistance.

Laura was one of several people who spoke at the meeting Jan. 8. She discussed the difficulties in carrying out gender integration in projects in the field without the full commitment from USAID and other development agencies from the level of the USAID administrator to the level of technical officers.

The meeting took place in response to a Dec. 16 letter on the importance of gender integration in U.S. foreign assistance that Women Thrive Worldwide drafted and CCF and 40 other organizations signed.

To read more about the meeting with Obama’s transition team, click here.

Henrico Doctor’s and CCF Maintain the Spirit of Giving

2009-01-09T10:41:00.003-05:00

By Stephanie Brummell, Interactive Content Specialist for CCF

The holidays may be over with the start of the New Year, but that didn’t stop Henrico Doctor’s Hospital from making one last drop off at Christian Children’s Fund.

The mitten tree, which began only 7 years ago, has turned into an annual event for both patients and staff at Henrico Doctor’s.

“We started doing it because we had so many patients who would bring us holiday gifts and food,”said Bonita Jones, registered nurse in cardiopulmonary rehab. “So instead, we wanted to encourage them to give back to their community through a mitten tree.”

Each holiday season, beginning as early as the day after Thanksgiving, patients at Henrico Doctor’s begin inquiring about the tree. And every year, dozens of mittens, scarves, hats and even a few blankets are brought to the rehab facility in hopes of helping others less fortunate warm up during the winter months.

After the mittens were hung on the tree with care, the staff at Henrico Doctor’s counted a total of 197 warm items for donation. A portion of these items went to the Girl Scouts and the rest, about 150 items, came to CCF.

“We love working with CCF because we know that our donation will go to children in need,” said Jones.

“One year CCF sent them to the Afghanistan and one of your employees went there to help establish a school and came back with pictures of all the children with their hands up in the air covered with our gloves. Those pictures were worth a million words.”

This year, CCF will be sending the donation to the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

The CCF and Henrico Doctor’s connection came in the form of patient care when a former CCF employee had Jones as a nurse.

What Can You Do to Help?

2009-01-06T14:12:00.003-05:00

By Anne Goddard, CCF president and CEO

The news that each of us hears each day is not good – the world’s economy is struggling like never before. Although it might be easy to focus our thoughts on any ramifications for us personally, it might help to think of our personal story within the larger one, which is something that we at Christian Children’s Fund do regularly.

Childhood is a one-time opportunity. Many of the world’s deprived, excluded and vulnerable children don’t have televisions to watch or the literacy skills to read a newspaper. To them, the world’s recession is not a new story – they have heard about and lived tough times their whole lives. And if we let their lives get tougher in any way, their one-time opportunity for a healthy childhood is gone forever.

As you think about your own personal resolutions for this year, please add the world’s children on your list. Think about anything you can do within your own world to help others in need around the world.

Thank You, Thank You and Thank You!

2008-12-31T07:54:00.002-05:00

By Cynthia Price, Director of Communications

Just before Thanksgiving we began calling donors to thank them for supporting Christian Children’s Fund and our work with children. It was a way to say thanks during the holiday season.

I personally called about 100 donors. I’m not one to enjoy chatting on the phone, but the donors were great. Those I spoke with directly couldn’t believe I wasn’t asking for money – that I was simply calling to say thanks. One donor asked, “Are you sure you don’t want money?”

I laughed and said, “Nope, just wanted to say thank you and Merry Holidays!”

He laughed and said, “You can call me anytime!”

Most expressed concern about the economy and tough times but said they remained committed to sponsoring their child (or children). That was so rewarding to hear.

I heard from some about the snow in the northeast. Others talked about their personal losses this year, but that giving to others helped them.

We have great donors. Obviously we couldn’t reach them all. But if you’re reading this, “Thank you!”

Coffee Roaster Perks Up Employees With Child Sponsorships

2008-12-29T11:14:00.005-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Putting others first – that’s the mentality of Dillanos Coffee Roasters in Sumner, Wash. The company – whose mission statement is “Help People. Make Friends. Have Fun.” – puts others first in several ways, one of them being helping Christian Children’s Fund.

The company sponsors a child for each of its employees – to date that total is 78. At Dillanos’ headquarters a wall is adorned with photos of the employees and their sponsored children. (See the photo above for what the wall looks like.)

Dillanos’ Marketing Director Lon LaFlamme said the employees enjoy the benefit of sponsoring a child and many employees give separate individual donations to CCF during the holidays.

“Putting others first – like the kids in Christian Children’s Fund – not only supports our mission statement and culture, it also encourages our family of employees to put the welfare of Dillanos first. Selflessness builds great companies and happy employees,” said Dillanos’ CEO David Morris.

For more on Dillanos’ and its work, click here to see our latest press release. You can also find out more about Dillanos’ by visiting http://www.dillanos.com/.

Soldier's Memory and Efforts to Help Afghanistan Live On

2008-12-22T14:28:00.003-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Forrest Ewens – a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army – was passionate about helping the people of Afghanistan. In addition to handing out treats to the children, the elders in the nearby village where he was stationed would often ask for him by name.

“When he wrote home, he would write more about the help he was able to provide to the local people rather than his military adventures,” Forrest’s mother, Carol, said.

Forrest, of Gig Harbor, Wash., was killed in action in 2006, but his memory and effort to help the people of Afghanistan live on. Forrest’s parents have been contributing to Christian Children’s Fund since 1992 and wanted to find a way to honor their son. They quickly realized that a well would be a good way to have his memory live on.

Earlier this year, construction of a well in the remote Samady Village in Badakhshan Province was completed, thanks to funding from Forrest’s parents, family and friends.

The well provides clean water to about 500 families in this area, bringing about significant change. Children who once had to walk to nearby villages to find water can now focus on their education instead of waiting in long lines. Clean water also prevents illnesses from water-borne diseases found in rivers.

“It is especially encouraging to us to see that our decision to be involved in CCF long ago has been so worthwhile,” Carol said.

To read more about Forrest and the new well, click here to read the latest news release from Christian Children’s Fund.

Th1s HoLi6ay, Try G1ving By th3 Num6ers with CCF

2008-12-17T12:01:00.006-05:00

By Stephanie Brummell, Interactive Content Specialist for CCF

Everyone loves presents. No matter the occasion, whatever is in that mysterious wrapped up box adorned with bows and string curls – we want it, we need it and we’ve got to have it now.

But looking back on your childhood, chances are some of your most “precious possessions” have since seen better days.

We grow out of clothes, we find better toys. Yet along the way, we also find that one of the best gifts is giving of ourselves; knowing that our generosity toward others is truly appreciated, and sometimes needed.

This holiday season, CCF is encouraging everyone to give the gifts that keeps on giving way past their shiny, brand-new expiration dates. Even if it goes to someone you’ve never met.

Our Gifts of Love and Hope Catalog has more than 100 items to choose, ranging from animals and garden tools to toys and school materials. Not only will your gift brighten the day of the child, family or community who receives it, but thanks to you, we will be that much closer to easing the burden of poverty to those within our circle of care.

Did you know...

Your gift of teaching materials will help 1,500 children in 8 primary schools throughout Ethiopia.

1 bicycle with a sidecar can help a family in the Philippines deliver vegetables, fruits and baked goods without having to walk door to door. 1,000 children will benefit from the availability of this nutritious food in 10 communities.

For as little as $6 you can provide cough medicine for 1 child in Honduras. Share the joy of simple card games with children in Angola for only $10. It’s not how much you give, but knowing a child’s life will be better since you did.

In poverty-stricken communities in Mississippi, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, young people are looking for a chance to make a difference. Your gift will provide a team of 5 young people with 10 gallons of paint and supplies to transform a barren house into a beautiful home. Plus these youth will also plant 1 tree in the yard of each low-income home to celebrate the beautification and transformation of their community.

6 chickens will provide enough nourishment and income for 1 school of children in The Gambia. 5 ducks will help feed an entire family in Timor-Leste.

Did you know 1 mosquito net can save up to 3 children and last for up to 5 years? Did you know you could purchase a net from the Gifts of Love and Hope Catalog for only $11?

Already this holiday season, gifts have been ordered to help many children and families living in poverty, including a house for a family in Timor-Leste for $2,857 and a water tank for 800 children in India for $107.

Do your part to make this holiday season shine brighter for children all over the world; check out our Gifts of Love and Hope Catalog here.

Happy Holidays!

CCF Hits the Streets of Richmond to Give Back Locally

2008-12-12T08:47:00.007-05:00

By Nicole Duciaume, Documentation and Sponsorship Support Officer for CCF

Earlier in November, a group of us at CCF were looking for ways to give back locally this holiday season. After all, our headquarters is in Richmond, and we love being here.

So, we set out to identify two local organizations that share many of our own goals and program approaches, but whose clients and recipients are all Richmonders.

The first – Virginia Council of Churches Refugee Resettlement Program (VCCRRP), serving the refugee community in Richmond. The second – Freedom House, serving the homeless and working poor in the greater Richmond area.

We asked them one, simple question: how can we help?

An answer came in the form of CCF’s 2008 Holiday Gift Drive. Beginning Nov. 21 we asked staff to donate children’s books to benefit VCCRRP and items such as hats, gloves and scarves to benefit Freedom House. Staff response was overwhelming.

On Dec. 10, I, and two other staff representatives, hand delivered these items to both organizations to learn more about their mission and clients, hopes and needs, frustrations and successes.

A representative from VCCRRP told us that our donations were “exactly what the spirit of the holidays is all about; extending a hand of welcome and peace.”

A representative from Freedom House also thanked CCF for helping “make this holiday special for many that get lost in the shuffle of life.”

It was an amazing opportunity to give of ourselves and see the outpouring of support and generosity from our staff. It was even more amazing to be able to represent my colleagues to these other organizations.

Our goal was to let them know that CCF is not only committed to the 15.2 million children and families around the world who we support through our organization, but that we also intimately care about the wellbeing of people in our own community.

This outpouring of support inspired us to re-write a well-known holiday song (please begin humming the classic tune “The 12 Days of Christmas”)

On the twelfth day of our Holiday Drive, CCF staff gave back:

377 total items
246 children’s books
35 pairs of gloves
30 stylish hats
23 sets of warm things (combos of hats, scarves, and/or gloves)
17 comfy scarves
8 board games, coloring books and puzzles
7 blockbuster children’s movies
5 children’s throw pillows
3 pairs of ear warmers
2 pairs of socks and
And even one pair of leg warmers.

(Ok – you can stop humming now).

One Wife, 136 Children – How'd That Happen?

2008-12-10T14:20:00.002-05:00

Huntingdon, Pa., resident, business owner and husband Leon “Red” Hopkins says his donations to Christian Children’s Fund are not a big deal – what he is passionate about it is getting more people to give.

Red sponsors 136 children through CCF – he recently added 12 more.

“It’s a thing I do,” he says of his sponsorships. “Get yourself a child; you’ll feel great.”

To read more about the “thing” he does, click here to read CCF’s latest news release.

We All Have Something to Say, But Children Say it Best

2008-12-08T13:33:00.002-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Adults have all the answers, don’t we? At least we like to think we do. Around the world, millions of children live in poverty. Finding the answer to break the cycle is not easy, but at Christian Children’s Fund we know that listening to children and how poverty impacts them is a start.

A new publication – “We’ve Got Something to Say: Promoting Child and Youth Agency, A Facilitator’s Manual” – captures how important it is to listen to children and youth about the issues that impact them the most.

This publication follows a 2005 CCF poverty study in which we learned that children are far more sensitive to and affected by poverty than we first thought. The study also showed that children understand poverty as a deeply physical, emotional and social experience.

We know that children are agents of change and are capable of playing leading roles in their lives and in their communities. This manual helps make this clear.

The guide was developed for program managers, community workers, community leaders, youth leaders and others who are interested in working more effectively with young people in community development. Child protection expert Claire O’Kane and child participation consultant Tracy Dolan wrote the manual for CCF.

The manual is divided into seven sections that stress the importance of talking to and working with children in communities to bring change and help with planning in CCF’s program areas.

While the “We’ve Got Something to Say” guide was written for CCF, Dolan said its uses are practical for any organization that works with children.

“This guide includes chapters on how to prepare adults and organizations to work more effectively with young people and how to share governing responsibilities with children and youth,” she said.

To view the “We’ve Got Something to Say” manual click here.

We Can't Control Our Chickens and Goats!

2008-12-05T14:04:00.004-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

A few weeks ago, we told you about Christian Children’s Fund’s "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog and how you can use it for your holiday shopping needs.

Well, we’re here to tell you that chickens and goats are flying off CCF’s shelves – more than 1,200 have been purchased this season.

For more details on the gift catalog, click here to check out our latest news release, go here to read our blog entry from a few weeks ago or check out the catalog on our Web site here.

Will there be a Generation C – for Cure?

2008-11-28T08:00:00.005-05:00

By Stephanie Brummell, Interactive Content Specialist

First, there were the “Baby Boomers;” known for adding to the worldwide increase in birthrate just after World War II. Naturally soon after came the “Baby Busters” – better known as Generation X.

These people grew up with an affinity for pop culture that may never be challenged.

In between live the “Jonesers,” whom people reference when speaking competitively about “keeping up with the Joneses.” And who could forget Generation Y? Steadily making their way to the top even as we speak?

With each sweep of a new generation comes change; some for better some for worse.

But as we celebrate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, and all thoughts turn toward raising awareness for the global epidemic that affects more than 33 million people worldwide, we can’t help but ask, “Will there be a Generation C?”

That is, do you think there will be a Cure for HIV/AIDS in your lifetime?

“Wow, that’s a big question,” said William Fleming, HIV/AIDS Program Specialist for CCF. “I doubt it, but then we have had major breakthroughs before. Most folks are talking about chronic disease management – like diabetes, or cancer in some ways.”

According to Fleming, efforts to combat HIV have had positive spill-over effects in many areas, driving innovative research toward finding a cure. So far, however, nothing concrete has surfaced.

“For now prevention and treatment are our best weapons.”

Get in on the discussion. Why do or don’t you think you will see a cure for HIV/AIDS happen in your lifetime? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

What Are You Thankful For?

2008-11-24T09:46:00.004-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

This year has been one of doom and gloom according to the nightly news and the morning headlines in newspapers – home foreclosures are at record highs and the stock market seems to have no bottom. We say (for at least a few days anyway) enough is enough. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and it’s time to think about the good things life has to offer.

To celebrate the holiday, we asked several of our CCF employees what they are thankful for this year. Here are their responses.

Gary Duncan, assistant director of marketing
“Despite the economy in the U.S., the increasing job losses, and high prices for basic daily needs, I am thankful that there is reason to be positive for the future. In many impoverished countries, there are children and families who have no hope, no dreams, and no one to encourage them.”

Eli Rivadeneira, assurance officer in CCF’s Americas Region
“I am thankful for my life, the opportunities I have had, the moments I have lived, the persons I have met. I am thankful for my great family and for my parents who always support me. I am thankful for my husband, my son and my daughter; they are blessings in my life. I am thankful for my professional life, for the opportunity to be in CCF, because since I visited the communities and shared with the children and their parents, I changed my priorities in life. I understand the important things to live and enjoy and I am really thankful for it.”

David Hylton, public relations specialist
“I am thankful for the opportunities and challenges that each new day brings in both my professional life and my personal life.”

Cynthia Price, director of communications
“I am thankful for friends and family and the blessed life that I have. I know I’m fortunate that my basic necessities and then some are covered, but all this was reinforced this summer when I traveled to my first developing country. I was in Senegal and The Gambia for Christian Children’s Fund. I no longer take for granted access to health care and education, water from my tap, and so much more.”

Annelore Temple, executive secretary, Marketing and Sponsor Services
“I am thankful, even as our world is facing an economic crisis, that we still have hope – hope in our future, hope in our new leader and, most importantly, hope in our God, who will preserve this country called America.”

Welbert Luis S. Gonçalves, administration officer, Brazil
“I am thankful for my wife, who has always supported me in my professional and personal life. I am thankful for my little son, who is only 1 year old. He came into our lives bringing so much joy and so many lessons to be learned. I am thankful for him to have the opportunity to be raised in a home where he can not only have access to basic needs, but also to be loved. I am thankful for our health, for our friends and for each new morning.”

Stephanie Brummell, interactive content specialist
“I’m thankful for my family and for the foresight that brought me to CCF. Not only is my passion for writing used each and every day, but that same passion is also transformed into my own way of helping children all over the world. Who knows what my words might inspire?”

Cheri Dahl, vice president of International Communications and Fundraising
“I am thankful that I work with a team of people that I like, who laugh and have fun, and who are committed and work hard.”

Nicole Duciaume, documentation and sponsorship support officer
“I am thankful for my family’s unconditional love and support, friends who make me laugh, opportunities to touch the lives of others, my dogs’ effervescent personalities, and warm dryer-fresh towels.”

Ellie Whinnery, public relations manager
“I am thankful for family and friends and the freedom to celebrate together on Thanksgiving. I am thankful that in these tough economic times we truly understand that being together and giving of ourselves is more important than material things that won’t last. Everyone contributes a part to our Thanksgiving meal. We take a long walk before eating and have dessert first, then our meal … otherwise we are too full to really enjoy pumpkin and pecan pie.”

* * *

Now it’s your turn. What are you thankful for this year? Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Hear How Children’s Lives are Changing

2008-11-18T15:46:00.008-05:00

Children in Senegal and The Gambia in West Africa are learning in schools and gaining confidence thanks to Christian Children’s Fund’s programs. In August, Cynthia Price, director of communications for CCF, traveled to this region with CCF President and CEO Anne Goddard to get a first-hand look at CCF’s programs in action.

This week Cynthia will share her experiences from the trip. The presentation will be held from 2-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the Twin Hickory Library in Glen Allen, Va.

Want to Give a Goat? Buy it Here

2008-11-10T16:32:00.017-05:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

We’re no David Letterman, but we're borrowing his idea of a top 10 list to help you with your holiday shopping. We know that you just threw out that Halloween pumpkin, and the Thanksgiving turkey may already be in your freezer, but the holiday season is right around the corner.

Christian Children’s Fund can help you with your holiday shopping with its "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog. From solar lanterns to paper and pencils to chickens and goats, all of our gifts change the lives of the deprived, excluded and vulnerable children and families in developing countries.

Items from this year's "Gifts of Hope and Love" catalog can be found by clicking here.

We know you don't want to get up at 5 a.m. to shop on Black Friday – besides, that flat screen TV will be on sale again in January and that Nintendo Wii you've been dying to have will eventually be back in stock. You know you really don't want to wrap and ship gifts this year – just think of that headache of looking for that roll of tape you thought was in the kitchen drawer.

Do you still need more reasons to shop our "Gifts of Love and Hope" catalog? Well then, here are 10 more:

You don’t have to dig around your attic for a gift box or wrapping paper for your gift. CCF takes care of that for you. No bows required.

You don’t have to bite your fingernails or wring your hands waiting for it to be delivered in time for your holiday celebration.

You don’t have to ask the help of cranky, overworked store clerks for the size you need or wait for them to check for it in the back room.

The item you order will not be out of stock, backordered, sold-out, or no longer available. There is an unlimited need for “Gifts of Love and Hope” and CCF has all of the items available.

We have gifts that will fit any budget and don’t require you to pay shipping and handling. Gifts start at $6.

Gas prices may have come down, but who wants to search for a parking space at the mall? And with the “Gifts of Love and Hope” you don’t have to fear forgetting where you parked.

You can shop in your jammies anytime of the day, or night. Shop and order online.

Your gift will reduce your income taxes because it is tax deductible (if you itemize).

You will get a heartwarming feeling about the gift you purchased in honor of your friends or loved ones.

The number one reason why you should shop from CCF’s “Gifts of Love and Hope” catalog – Your gifts provide a brighter future for children and families in the 32 countries CCF works.

So what are you waiting for? Get your shopping done now and then sit back and relax with a smile on your face knowing that you’ve helped change the lives of children around the world.

To learn more about the gift catalog, click here to watch a video from CCF's Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Resources Mike Pressendo. For more information on Christian Children’s Fund, click here.

Hello Richmond! Did You Know We Were Here?

2008-10-30T10:37:00.005-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Earlier this year, we created this blog as a way to keep you up to date on what's happening at Christian Children's Fund. Unfortunately, we admit, we let it slide. Before we knew it, a month had passed … then several months … then all of a sudden the last quarter of 2008 is here.

I'm here to tell you, though, that this blog is back. So please bookmark this page, add it to your RSS reader, e-mail a link to your friends – we want your help in keeping it going.

This all being said, we want to re-kick this blog off with a warm Richmond, Va., welcome. Oh wait, you didn't know that we're located in Richmond? Well then, that's a good place to start. We'll begin by giving you a few Richmond facts.

* We have been in the Richmond area since our founding in 1938.

* We are now located in Henrico County on Emerywood Parkway just off Broad Street near Glenside Drive. We’re next to the relatively new Virginia Blood Services Building.

* We employ about 200 people at our Richmond headquarters, better known as the International Office. CCF employs about 1,600 worldwide.

* In the past year, more than 7,100 people in the Richmond and Petersburg area contributed to CCF through child sponsorships or one-time donations.

* Our current 24-member board of directors includes 11 individuals from the Richmond area.

* In a 2005 study ("Virginia's Nonprofit Sector: An Economic Force," by Lester M. Salamon, Stephanie Lessans Gellar, and Wojciech Sokolowski), CCF was listed as one of the top five nonprofits by total revenue in the Richmond/Petersburg region.

Now that you know a little more about us and our connection to Richmond, we want to hear from you. What do you want to know about us? Are you a sponsor and have a story you’d like to tell? What kind of blog entries would you like to see on this site? Please share your comments, ideas, suggestions and questions in the comments section below.

Click here to visit CCF's official Web site.

Start with the Children

2008-10-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

All day you’ve probably seen what people think of poverty, what they’re doing to help those in poverty and, like our blog today, you’ve probably seen many first-hand accounts of poverty. The United Nations has a goal to halve poverty in the world by 2015 as part of its Millennium Development Goals, but how can we really combat poverty?

The answer is what we’ve been hinting at all day – the battle begins with children.

“The biggest force for transforming a culture of poverty is the children who grow up poor and gain the skills and self-confidence to change their lives,” says Christian Children’s Fund President and CEO Anne Goddard.

Children are the biggest agents of change. CCF works every day in 32 countries around the globe implementing programs to help children become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities.

“Working with children is crucial because if you can lift a child out of poverty, that child becomes a force in moving others out,” Goddard says. “If you change the life of a child, you change the future for their children.”

Nobody said fighting poverty was going to be easy. With thousands of people participating in Blog Action Day, we hope that you are more aware of this global problem. Together we can all make a difference.

If you want to know more about CCF and its efforts to fight poverty, click here to access our Web site.

A Small Victory in a Big Fight

2008-10-15T13:45:00.000-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

The fight against poverty isn’t always about the bad news. Here’s a story on how one girl is living a better life because of Christian Children’s Fund.

Nine-year-old Celsia is now living a healthy life. It hasn’t always been this way. Celsia and her family, which includes three siblings, live in Timor Leste where 46 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, life expectancy is low and there’s a low education level.

In Celsia’s village, children lack access to health care, safe water and pre-primary education. In 2001, a partner affiliate of CCF Timor Leste started its service programs addressing the health, nutrition and pre-school needs of children younger than 6.

At 2 years old, a severely malnourished Celsia was a beneficiary of a supplementary feeding program.

When Celsia was 4, she joined the Early Childhood Development (ECD) activities of the partner affiliation. She learned the alphabet and numbers, as well as played and sang with her friends. The ECD activities prepared Celsia and her friends for their primary school education.

Now in her fourth grade, the ECD services continue to help Celsia through after-school tutorials. Celsia happily talks about the lessons, games and singing she has done through the ECD program. She says that the supplementary feeding program helped her to be healthy.

Celsia describes living in poverty as not having “the opportunity to have proper food, health care and school facilities.” Her parents remain determined to try their best to provide opportunities to Celsia, her siblings and the other children in their village.

Breaking the Circle of Poverty in Taiwan

2008-10-15T12:45:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Christian Children’s Fund is a member of the ChildFund Alliance, a family of 12 organizations that partner together to improve the lives of deprived, excluded and vulnerable children and their families in 56 countries. One of those organizations is Taiwan Fund for Children and Families (TFCF).

Through the Domestic Children Sponsorship Program, TFCF provides needy children with financial assistance and an opportunity to continue their education through sponsorship programs, scholarships and an emergency relief fund. Social workers track children’s situations with regular home visits and interviews.

In 2007, thousands of children and families received assistance through TFCF’s programs. More than 38,000 children received educational sponsorships; nearly 2,000 families encountering financial difficulties received money through the emergency relief fund; and about 800 children received medical care through a health insurance sponsorship program.

TFCF’s effort to break the circle of poverty also includes a family development program, a youth capacity building program and a head start program. For more information on TFCF, click here.

Poverty As Told Through Youth Voices

2008-10-15T10:34:00.001-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Adults can try their best to explain to you how poverty is such a bad thing, but do you really believe what you’re hearing? We can give you the statistics and results from a study, but what does that mean?

To understand poverty and to be moved to take action to fight poverty, you have to hear about it first hand. The quote we left you with earlier today is only a small part of what poverty does to children. Here is how a group of youth in a CCF program in Honduras views poverty.

Wilmer, 15
Poverty is a problem that has been going on for a long time. Poverty is most damaging to young people, leading them to drugs, alcohol and other vices. Poverty is something that has not been controlled in our municipality. We have seen how this situation causes damage to children and youth due to discrimination by not having a roof, food and a decent life for a human being.

Poverty is manifested through malnutrition. Malnutrition is something that has not been controlled due to lack of resources to combat it. Lack of education is another manifestation of poverty in our town. Education is something that can help us reduce the force of poverty, and hence contribute to the development of our region.

Unemployment is also a product of poverty. By not having work, the person responsible for the household is not able to bring food to his or her family

Edgardo, 13
Poverty is a different condition that drives poor people to seek outlets in life. This continues to be the most humiliated condition by society. Poor people live in conditions in which they lack food, housing, clothes and health. By not having the opportunity to have what the rich have, poor people, and most of all young people, seek refuge in gangs and even steal to support their families. Children suffer when they become ill because there is no money to buy medicine.

Poverty is manifested by not having an education because of lack of money. Malnutrition is what most concerns because there is no food. People suffer because of ignorance in their minds, which brands them for life.

Idania, 14
Poverty is one of the things that greatly affects children, young people and adults. It is everywhere and limits the development of the communities. Poverty obstructs education, health and our way of life. Poverty makes you think that you are not the same as the others. Opportunities for the poor are also fewer.

In my municipality you can see that children have no clothes; their food is not good; there is no adequate medicine; there are no jobs; children sell vegetables on the street in order to make some money and not endure hunger; and children are malnourished.

Delmy, 14
I believe that poverty does not allow us to be better – it denies us the opportunity to be better people. It makes us live hungry, with no clothes and no medicine. That makes the non-poor see us as rare and that we don’t belong to society.

Poverty is seen in people that do no have adequate and safe housing. People eat a little so that the rest of the family can eat. Some don’t have the opportunity to learn to read and write. Sometimes people are forced to steal because of the difficult situation.

You Can't Deny the Facts

2008-10-15T09:32:00.000-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

Poverty is a global problem affecting billions of people. In 2002, Christian Children’s Fund conducted a comprehensive study on the experience and impact of poverty on children and youth.

As part of Blog Action Day, we wanted to share with you the major findings of the study. Later today we will share with you stories from children and youth detailing how poverty impacts them. Then we’ll close out the day with a post on our thoughts on how to combat poverty.

Here are the key findings from the 2002 study:
* Children understand poverty as a deeply physical, emotional and social experience. Many children in CCF programs prioritize the psychological and social experience of poverty, such as humiliation, as being more significant than any material deprivation.

* Children are more sensitive to and affected by poverty than adults realize. Children are aware of poverty’s divisive nature and feel its effects in terms of changing and constraining their relationships with family and friends.

* Children experience poverty as a continuously changing condition. This is due to the interaction of several processes at the personal, family, communal and structural level. For example, during times of conflict, distinctions such as those based on gender and ethnicity often grow for children who feel the least valued. “You feel lonely, you feel ashamed,” a 16-year-old girl from Kenya said during the study.

* Children are active contributors to their own well-being. In most circumstances, children do have options and make choices that impact their situation.

* Lastly, the range of experiences felt by children in poverty can be classified into three interrelated dimensions: deprivation (lack of essential material conditions), exclusion (on the basis of age, gender, class, etc.) and vulnerability (with regard to the changing array of threats in their environments).

To understand how poverty affects children, you have to hear it directly from those impacted. While the CCF study was taking place, here’s what one 17-year-old girl said: “Poverty means unequal relationships with others. If you are poor, you suffer from stigma. Others look at you in a certain way like you’re worthless. Feeling unimportant: No one will listen to me, no one cares for me … I’m poor, I don’t count, I’m a piece of dirt.”

Blog Action Day, Here We Come

2008-10-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

By David Hylton, Public Relations Specialist

“Poverty isn’t something you can fully convey in a photo,” says Christian Children’s Fund President and CEO Anne Goddard. “It is overwhelming. It is massive.”

In an attempt to more fully convey the impact of poverty, CCF will join Internet bloggers worldwide on Oct. 15 to take part in Blog Action Day.

Blog Action Day is a nonprofit event started by volunteers in 2007 to unite the world’s bloggers, podcasters and videocasters to post blog entries about the same issue on the same day. Last year more than 20,000 blogs participated in the event, which focused on the environment. This year’s theme focuses on poverty, which is an issue CCF tackles every day.

We’ll share with you details of a CCF poverty study from a few years ago, but the big highlight will be how the world’s youth view poverty.

For more information on visit Blog Action Day.

CCF at the Children's Museum of Richmond for World Water Day

2008-03-22T05:51:00.001-04:00

By Stephanie Kulenguski, CCF Web Content Editor

The sound of children laughing echoed through the open lobby area of the Children’s Museum of Richmond today. Sunlight poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows and illuminated the water structure (made out of water jugs) precariously built to resemble a big whale and a small goldfish.

The goldfish and the whale symbolized how much water the average American uses (80 gallons a day) compared to what a Kenyan family uses (5 gallons a day).

Christian Children's Fund worked closely with the Children’s Museum of Richmond to create an activity to engage children in water issues around the world such as water scarcity, conserving water and what other children around the world have to go through to obtain water.

The Children’s Museum set up a table for us in their Art Studio, and we brought unused water jugs -- donated by Marva Maid and CCF staff -- to the museum for children to decorate in remembrance of World Water Day. We handed out pamphlets to parents with child-friendly activities and stories about water usage in Ecuador, Zambia and the Philippines. One mother asked her son, “Do we use water to grow plants?” The mother went on to talk about how they use water at home for brushing their teeth, filling up the bathtub and washing their hands. Another mother read her daughters, Kaitelyn and Rian, a short story from the World Water Day pamphlet while the girls decorated their jug.

Each child's water jug was unique -- some used paint, others used glue, fabric, markers and assorted materials donated to the museum. One child made sure his mother put his name on his water jug; it was easy to tell that they enjoyed this project and wanted ownership of their masterpieces.

CCF President and CEO, Anne Lynam Goddard, was present at the event. She interacted with the children in the Art Studio and answered media questions from the local NBC news crew that aired the story on the evening news.

About 450 children and parents came to the museum during the exhibit which lasted four hours. CCF’s message was heard loud and clear: clean water is important, not only for us here in the United States, but for people all over the world and we need to work together to find ways to ensure that clean, safe water is available for everyone, no matter where they live.

2008-03-14T01:43:00.000-04:00

From Danielle, Tiger Den Leader, Auburn, Alabama

Our Cub Scout pack in Auburn, Alabama discussed World Water Day tonight. The boys were ages 6 to 9, and we also had two younger siblings present, both age 5. We started the activity by looking at the gallon jugs we pre-decorated with some basic facts about clean water. Then, we looked at info from the World Water Day (WWD) resource booklet and pictures from the WaterAid.org resource. One boy read the Zambia story out loud for everyone to hear the story in a child's voice. Seeing the muddy water being used was really eye opening for the boys. We read the water facts from CCF's World Water Day resource for children, and discussed each point and how we'd feel if it affected us this way. The older boys explained the harder words to the younger ones, particularly sanitation and hygiene. (We also emphasized why it's important to properly wash hands after bathroom breaks, which is always important to remind our kids.)

The boys were really surprised at how little clean water there is on the planet (1 tablespoon out of a gallon) with the rest being saltwater or muddy water. One fact that really stuck out for the boys is that someone dies every 15 seconds from water borne illnesses. One boy counted to 15 and was surprised at how many people were dying while we were talking. The boys were also really concerned about how long it would take to get water in African countries, and how far the people have to go to get it. The boys discussed missing out on school, learning new things, playing sports, having fun with friends and being too tired to do anything else. The boys asked why there wasn't clean water close to them, and how people could clean their water. The leaders and parents explained how chlorine and filters can clean the water making it safer to drink. We also emphasized how we can conserve our own water, by not filling up the bath tub as if it were a swimming pool, and turning the water off when we brush our teeth.

Next, we allowed the boys to take turns walking around the large meeting room with the gallon of water propped on their heads. While two boys were walking around at a time, the others talked about how tiring it was. They noticed their heads hurt from the weight of the bottle, some water was dripping on them, and their arms were tired. This was only a room the size of 1/2 a basketball court, and took under 5 minutes to walk around. They couldn't believe kids their age do this for 3 to 4 hours at a time!

We focused on some of our discussions and created a poster about ways we use water in our daily lives, and how people in Africa use water the same way we do. We imagined how hard it would be to get enough water to do all the things we normally do, from bathing and cooking to toilets and brushing our teeth. The boys were really imaginative, thinking of some great ways we use water. Some of these were more obvious, like washing clothes and cooking, while a few were truly out of my mind, like using water to make cement and bricks for construction. The boys were very proud of their poster, and each one added some drawings and helped make the list of water uses. We will certainly use this program in the future, as it directly relates to the Cub Scout focus on water conservation.

Highlights:
Taking laps around the large fellowship hall with a gallon of water on their heads. (No racing, since boys would go wild and crash!)
Discussing dirty water and how gross it is to drink.
Discussing how many miles and hours it takes to get water in Africa and other countries, and the things we'd miss out on (school, playtime, games).
Counting to 15 seconds to signify how often someone dies from water borne illnesses.
Drawing a poster about ways we use water.
Talking about how we can conserve water.
Discussing what is being done in other countries to get clean water. (new wells, filtration, chlorine)

What our Poster Says:
Ways We Use Water
Drinking, showering, toilet, brush teeth, bath, cooking, cleaning, washing hands after bathroom, water for our animals, water for our plants, make baby formula
(The boys also included several drawings, including a toilet overflowing onto the hand (poor sanitation) and needing to use soap and clean water to prevent illnesses.)