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

Remembering Our Past

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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?!?!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.