Much has changed in the world since I was a child.

My amazing dad tells me he ran for miles behind my bike when I was about 7 or 8 years old before I learned how to balance enough to ride with no training wheels.

Today, a balance bike made it possible for my son to jump on a pedal bike, bigger than he was, before he was 3 1/2 years old and pedal right off with no training wheels.

Stopping, of course, was another issue. But no matter the 15 minutes it took him to learn to stop, I know my dad would have appreciated this brilliant invention.

Back when I was a kid we knew very little about brain development. Now every day there is more and more being learned pertaining to the impact environment has on brain development, even at the prenatal stage.

Some of the information is pretty elementary. Like, a child that does not have access to healthy food and clean water not only gets sick more but has a harder time keeping up in school, especially if the child’s mom didn’t have access to these things when she was pregnant.

It’s intuitive, it makes sense. But what about the less obvious stuff?

In a book called Born to Learn: Language, Reading and the Brain of the Child by Dr. Patricia Kuhl, the author points out,

“Infants code and remember the patterns they hear – before they speak their first words, before they understand any words. The brain is at work in early development analyzing language.”

In Mozart’s Brain and the Fighter Pilot, Dr. Richard Restak tells us,

“Included among the components of cognition are alertness, concentration, perceptual speed, learning, memory, problem solving, creativity and mental endurance. Each of these components of cognition has two things in common.

“First, each is dependent on how well our brain is functioning. Second, each can be improved by our own efforts.”

There are so many studies on the brain and so much can be confusing. But one thing is certain – our brains are amazing and what happens when we are young impacts our futures exponentially.

My heart aches for all the little ones that don’t have what they need. Their brains are living on the fumes of poverty.

Their moms didn’t have enough to eat when they were pregnant, let alone the nutrition they needed. The caregivers in their families are vulnerable, living in abusive and dangerous environments and many are still children themselves, unable to take care of themselves let alone others.

The environments these babies are growing up in train what brain they have to believe so many lies that it’s a miracle if they can and want to pay attention in school — if their families can scrape together the resources to send them.

I’m grateful today that God allows me to work with Him to protect these vulnerable lives through the Child Survival Program.

I love that local churches are making sure pregnant moms get the medical attention, nutrition and support they need, including access to a trained attendant during child birth.

I love knowing that God is using me and a local church not only to save these babies and make sure their brains have a chance to develop more fully, but to love these children’s families and impact the actual environment they are growing up in. It’s like adding more love, every day, in these baby’s lives.

I couldn’t ask for a better, more impactful place to give and I’m excited for the future. I know this world will have more, healthy, brilliant adults because we are taking care of them as babies!

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It was at the end of the rainy season in 2009 when our Child Survival Program opened its doors to 50 mothers in the small town of Armenia in El Salvador.

As daunting as poverty is here, violence is perhaps worse. Dangerous gangs wage war with each other. There are no hospitals, jails or job opportunities, and there are more liquor stores than schools.

The Elim Church in Armenia decided to reach out to mothers in the area with the Child Survival Program.

One of the first steps to establish a Child Survival Program is gathering basic information about families in the community. This step provides a way to track the program’s development and impact on specific lives.

On the first day, five mothers met with our staff to answer questions about their families, the economy of the town and their hopes and dreams about the Child Survival Program. One of those mothers was Zulma.

Zulma in 2009.

Zulma is short and chubby with sad eyes that change from honey to green, depending on the light. The first minutes of the interview are barely caught on the recording because she speaks so softly. She does not look into the interviewer’s eyes as she speaks. She tilts her head to the right, a sign of her shyness.

Despite her shyness, she is willing to open her home and heart.

Zulma lives outside the urban area of the town. It takes her about 30 minutes to come from her home to the church. She has an older daughter and two older boys too. Her daughter and one of the boys attend the Child Sponsorship Program.

Her baby, Luis, is enrolled in the Child Survival Program.

Zumla’s husband does not have steady income because he works in a brick factory and his income depends on demand.

She does all the work at home. Makes tortillas for lunch, gets water from the well, does the cleaning, feeds the chickens and washes clothes by hand for a family of six.

But the deepest hunger Zulma feels is spiritual.

The question that makes her look into the eyes of the interviewer is,

“What do you like about this program?”

She changes her face, and says,

“I like to read the Bible.”

Zulma enjoys reading the Bible even though she does not have much education and reading is not one of her strengths. She also enjoys meetings where she can sing and have Bible study.

One of the things Zulma appreciates most about the program is that she was given a Bible.

One reason her spiritual needs were unmet is because her husband does not like to go to church and he does not allow anyone else in the family to go to Sunday services, but he does allow Zulma and the children to be part of our program.

Two years after joining the Child Survival Program, Zulma is different than she was during that first interview. When she talks, she speaks loudly and she looks into the interviewer’s eyes.

Zulma today

When she talks about her family’s finances, she mentions that her husband works in the same factory, but she also helps to put food on the table.

When talking about what she enjoys the most about the program, she still says,

“I like to come and learn about the Bible.”

Zulma is a different woman today. The good news is, her story is not different for the other 49 mothers who started this journey with her. Each is a story, each is a dream and each is a gem that declares it is God Who makes the difference.

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UPDATED Nov. 12, 2012: We are sad to report that Dhanush passed away from Dengue fever. He is survived by his mother Indrani and brother, Dinesh. Dhanush will be greatly missed by all of us.

Sri Lanka is the newest member country of the “Compassion crew” and the Child Survival Program is now present in 18 local churches spreading over Sri Lanka’s western and central provinces.

35 moms and babies are registered in our program in Thotalanga, an area in Sri Lanka known for its poverty.

Indrani and her son, Dhanush attend the Child Survival Program in Thotalanga.

Dhanush is cross-eyed and he cannot speak well. He hits his head hard on the cement floor and he hits the cabinet wood panels with a strong fist. He is a special child.

This three year old is special for many reasons. He suffers from Down’s syndrome. But due to his premature birth and because he didn’t get enough nutrients during the first few months after birth, he also suffers from speech problems and he cannot walk like other children of the same age.

Dhanush has an older brother, Dinesh and they live with their mother in the back section of a main house.

Although this house belongs to Indrani, her brother has taken over that right from her. She is in no position to fight against him because he has money and she doesn’t.

So today she lives with her children in a dark, large room in the back of the house.

Indrani sells betel for a living. Chewing betel is a past time of many labors. It is a local version of chewing gum which leaves one’s mouth blood red in colour.

It is not healthy, but it is a habit that many are addicted to.

When his mother went out to sell betel, Dhanush was left at home, alone. Indrani tearfully shares,

“I didn’t have a choice, I had to go to work. I couldn’t take him with me. It’s hard to handle him.”

Indrani’s mother also lives with her and works as a security guard.

She doesn’t help out in the house or with Dhanush. Indrani must bare the entire brunt of helping the family survive.

She and her family sleep on the ground. They have no bed. They have no electricity, only two kerosene lamps.

When Dhanush first became part of the Child Survival Program, he couldn’t stand. He would lie down on the floor, just the way his mother would place him. He would bang his head hard on the ground and pound his fists against the hard cement ground. For our staff and for Indrani, it was heartache.

Today, Dhanush is one of the many children who are schooled at the Citra Lane School for the Special Child and Child Resource Centre. The Chitra Lane organization is an approved charity that was first started in 1968 as a day school for children with special needs.

This special school helps to educate children with learning disabilities and it also provides physiotherapy for children such as Dhanush. He goes to the school two times a week where he is taught simple motor skills. He is taught to recognize shapes and match them. He is also taught to walk, one small step at a time.

Malini, manager of the Child Survival Program tells us,

“We were lucky to be able to get Dhanush into this school. We received funds from the Complementary Interventions Program to help pay Dhanush’s fees.”

Indrani’s also tells us with a beautiful smile on her face,

“They promised me that they would help my Dhanush walk.”

This promise is coming true, slowly. Dhanush now walks holding on to household items. He understands things better and tries his best to communicate.

He makes eye contact, turning his head towards sounds. He doesn’t hit his head on the ground as much. Dhanush is on his way to improvement. As Indrani watches her son, it is clear that now her tears are of pride and love.

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Tere lives in a 13-by-13-square-foot cement home with thin layers of cardboard for a roof. She lives there with her three daughters while her husband, a mason, works doing construction in Mexico City.

He sends home about U.S.$50 every two weeks and the money needs to last until the next time he comes home or until she receives money from him again.

Tere was pregnant when she was first invited to be part of the Child Survival Program. Her daughter Perla was born just before this program started in Mexico.

Although Perla is only 4 months old, she is experiencing her mother’s love and the care of this team actively involved in her development.

On home visits, Child Survival Program staff members talk to Tere about her baby’s different needs and help her identify reasons why her baby cries.

They have also talked to her about the importance of showing the baby that she is loved by holding and massaging her, singing to her, using different tones of voice, playing simple games, and rocking her.

Before they pray and bring their time with Tere to an end, the young mother shares,

“Your visits are very helpful. Since you started coming, Perla has started to play with those around her, including her sisters. Now, she giggles or smiles when she is spoken to, and it’s clear that she is happy.”

Florencia is another mom in the Child Survival Program. She is 19 and has two children, a boy and a girl.

On the day our staff is scheduled to visit, Florencia’s husband decides to stay home to see how the meeting goes.

Normally, he is out in the fields gathering wood to sell, but today, he decides to work at home and meet our staff.

Florencia begins her day at 6 a.m. by starting the fire to heat some water for coffee. She then walks to the mill and makes fresh tortillas for her family, including for her husband’s lunch.

Before the Child Survival Program started she didn’t know how to write her name, but now she is working on a few letters from the alphabet.

Since she completed only the first year of elementary school, part of our visit is dedicated to literacy.

The final visit our staff has this day is not a pleasant one.

We follow up on a mother whose baby died. This mother was registered when she was pregnant, but unfortunately, only a couple of months after the program started in Mexico, she suffered from preeclampsia and her baby girl died at birth.

As hard as this loss is to this mother, and as much as the Child Survival Program workers wanted to help, we unable to save this life.

All there is to do now is provide support and comfort to this hurting mother.

For our staff, there are no words to express adequately the feelings of impotence and rage against the consequences of poverty.

Still, the Child Survival Program is oriented to protect children in one of the most vulnerable stages of life. Mothers and families in Mexico urgently need this program.

And now that the Child Survival Program is a reality in Mexico, things have started to change. Today, Mexico rejoices to have this program, but everyone is also very aware of the difficult situations mothers and young children face as they struggle to survive.

In remembrance of this baby who died, we will continue to rescue many more little ones from the deadly trap of poverty.

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Clementine lives with her husband and four children in a small house made of mud in Kigali, Rwanda.

She used to illegally sell roasted maize on the streets for 400 Rwandan francs (66 cents) a day. The local authorities would chase off the street vendors, urging them to form associations and set up shops for their businesses.

But Clementine did not have money to join an association. Her husband, Jean Marie, is sickly and suffers from regular nose bleeds and a cough. He digs toilet pits for 2000 Rwf ($3.30) every once in a while but can go for months without a job offer. Discouraged, he once abandoned his family for a month.

Clementine was worried abut how her children were going to survive.

“My neighbor used to feed my children when I had nothing to eat until my third born got very ill. When you would apply pressure on his arms or legs, his body would remain indented. The doctors said he had only water in his body.”

The local government paid for the family’s health insurance because Clementine’s family was among the poorest in the community. When her son was diagnosed with kwashiorkor, a form of malnutrition, they were transferred to the health center so they could get at least one meal per day.

Clementine was six months pregnant at that time. She used to spend the whole day at the health center, volunteering to clean so she could take a little food home to her family.

“I had lost all hope. I used to wonder how I was going to give birth to this child, what she would wear or where I would get health insurance. I used to cry to my husband and he would ask me, ‘What do you want me to do as you can see I have no money?’”

When Clementine became part of the Child Survival Program, she was immediately given food supplements because of her condition.

“Life changed after Compassion. My children now have food to eat. The ministry even called a taxicab to take me to the hospital for the delivery of my daughter. And my baby and I were given something to wear.”

In the morning, Clementine prepares breakfast for her family. She washes clothes for her neighbors for 1000 Rwf ($1.65) per family as her oldest daughter prepares lunch. Later in the afternoon, Clementine either puts her baby down for a nap or leaves her with her father and then heads to tailoring classes.

Twelve mothers attend these classes. And in one month, Clementine learned how to sew a shirt and a skirt. She now knows how to make designs on cloth and how to sew elastic onto a dress or a skirt. Her classes end in the evenings, and when she returns home, she looks at her future with eagerness.

“I know I will have a happy life because I have a way to earn money. Compassion has given me hope and faith. Our lives have changed. We are no longer how we used to be!”

This Monday, July 30, 7:00 PM eastern time, we are having a Twitter party with Tanzania blogger Amy Lupold Bair aka Resourceful Mommy! This event will raise awareness for babies and moms worldwide. Please join us!

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Many girls from Ethiopia’s rural areas move to the cities, lured by the idea of securing well-paying jobs. Their biggest desire is to live better lives and bring themselves, as well as their families, out of poverty. While only a few of them find something close to what they desired, many end up endangering their well-being.

Etagegn was 14 when she came to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital and its largest city, with a population of about 3 million. Like many girls from her village, she wished to find a job that would make it possible for her to realize her dream of attending school and making a living.

Girls like Etagegn often start as housemaids, work Etagegn had no trouble finding.

“My family was poor. There was hardly any food in the house. Sending me or my siblings to school was a luxury. When I saw the girls from my village who went to work in the city, I wished I could be like them. They send money home and wear nice clothes.”

After working for a year and a half, Etagegn married a man she met in her village. But the man she thought was going to love her forever and support her soon opposed everything she did, including Christianity.

“I thought I was lucky to find love and a husband to support me. But I was wrong. Once he married me, he became a different person. He forced me to choose between him and Christianity. I was pregnant at that time and was afraid to lose him. So I chose him over my religion.”

Life became harsh for the then 15-year-old, who had no one to depend on when her husband abandoned her.

Seven months pregnant at the time, she had no money for rent and nowhere to go. The girl who came out of her family home with high expectations was forced to live on the streets, begging for her daily meal.

“I hated life. I was confused, because I didn’t know how I was going to deliver my baby on the streets and how I was going to raise him if we both survived.

“I prayed daily, asking God to forgive me for betraying Him, and begged Him to rescue me and my baby. By far, those days were the lowest points of my life.”

The Lord answered Etagegn’s prayer when an old woman approached her on the streets, asking her what she was doing there so close to her due date. When the woman heard her story, she took Etagegn home, and told her she could live there until she delivered the baby.

Soon after, Etagegn delivered a healthy baby boy.

“When the old lady approached me, I felt like I was forgiven. I thanked God for not forgetting about me.

“She took me home and gave me a corner to sleep in. I delivered my baby in the hospital and came back to her home.

“Since I was the one who cooked for us, when I came back from the hospital there was no one to give us food.

“Though I was happy not to give birth on the streets, I was sad to not be able to take care of all of us.”

It was during that time that a woman who came to visit the old lady also brought good news to Etagen.

She told her of an organization helping mothers and children in poverty and Etagegn was registered with our Child Survival Program three days after she gave birth to her baby boy, Yohannes.

Etagegn was in a desperate need when she came to the church. She didn’t have anything to eat and couldn’t nurse her baby because of the lack of food. In addition, she was unable to give her baby a bath and he was in a state of poor hygiene.

“God made it possible for me to live again. He rescued me and my son from the grips of death. My health is back, my beauty is back, I have a son who is healthy, I have been favored by God. For me, the Child Survival Program is where my life began to change.”

It has been a year since Etagegn and Yohannes joined the Child Survival Program. They receive various forms of support, including food supplies, clothing, medical care, hygiene materials and various trainings.

“It’s amazing what has changed in our life within the past year. My son is growing up with all his needs being met.

“My neighbors say that he seems to be from a rich family with all the care he gets. The trainings I get on parenting, hygiene and work ethics are invaluable. The Child Survival Program staff have shown me love and they accept me just as I am.”

The change in Etagegn’s life that is most important to her, though, is the fact that she has made things right with God.

Etagegn used to be a singer and sometimes taught the word of God in her hometown church. Today she is on the right track in her spiritual life with the Child Survival Program staff teaching her the Bible and praying with her.

She hopes to be an evangelist in the future, and she wants to be a role model to her son concerning his spiritual life.

In addition, Etagegn recently started to learn how to read and write for the first time.

“The Child Survival Program has made it possible for me to realize my dreams of attending school. They are teaching me how to read and write and I’m eager to join a formal school and continue my education.”

Currently, Etagegn is staying with her friend since the money she earns washing clothes is not enough for her to rent her own place.

“Thanks to the Child Survival Program, my son and I sleep with a full stomach. I feel loved and protected because I know the Child Survival Program staff will be there for me. I only see bright future concerning my son and our life.

“The fact that I have accepted my Lord again means so much for me because that is my foundation. God chose Yohannes, my son, from the womb and gave me the means to properly raise him. He rescued me from the streets so that I can serve Him again.

“God used the Child Survival Program and transformed our lives.”

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Amin is married and the father of two children. When he shared his thoughts about his involvement with the Child Survival Program, joy radiated from his face.

“Before my wife and child were registered with the Child Survival Program, our lives were very tough. Economically we were even poorer than we are today.

“I remember the day my wife shared with me that some people came to our home and said that they wanted to support our child. I didn’t understand much about how this was going to be a sustainable thing, but I agreed to it.

“I did not think that there would be anything good to come out of this program, but I wanted to give it time and see how things would work out.

“I agreed to let my wife go with our child to the center, thinking that Compassion was just another organization that wanted to take advantage of our situation.”

But Amin was surprised by what he experienced with our program.

“I have seen a great change since my child was registered with the Child Survival Program. They have proved me wrong!

“Our lives were so low. We often would go without meal, and I remember I could not even afford to build a house for my family.

“But when we joined the program, my wife and I were supported through a loan Compassion extended to us. Through this loan we improved our paddy farming and built a house and a toilet facility for our family.”

Since joining the Child Survival Program, Amin’s family has grown very close and he feels more supportive of them. He earns some income through his work, and his wife has been working at a flower farm for the past 10 years.

This has also helped support the family income and made them more united. And through program seminars, they receive the Word of God and information on how to raise their children.

Because of the close support from Child Survival Program implementers and close, careful follow-up, the family is able to address any challenges they face. Amin is involved with these program seminars and it is important to him that his wife is able to attend the meetings.

“I will stay home with the children and let my wife attend Child Survival Program events so that we don’t miss them. This is part of my support for the program, because if I cannot let my wife go by staying home with the children, it means we have lost an opportunity to learn.”

Amin is also appreciative of the relationship between the our staff and the parents in the program.

“The Child Survival Program implementer has always been there when we needed her, and I will always be there when the office calls us. I go when they need me, regardless of the circumstances, and have often left work to attend to a call at the center because this is very crucial for my family.

“What we have received from the Child Survival Program is more than material support. The seminars have been very helpful not only in raising our child, but we have applied what we have learned to many family situations.

“And, we can even share what we have learned with our neighbors. The benefits are endless.”

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The most devastating words Sandra remembers ever saying were,

“If it wasn’t for the Child Survival Program, I would have killed myself.”

Sandra lives in Ecuador. La flaca, Spanish for skinny, is her nickname in the neighborhood. She lives in an area where there’s a lot of violence.

When she was 17 she got involved in her first serious relationship with a man who was older than her. They had two children. Because he hit and mistreated her, they separated.

This wasn’t Sandra’s only bad experience. She met another man and got pregnant. This man would never recognize the child as his.

Years later, Sandra had almost given up the possibility of having a new relationship when she met someone else and had two daughters with him. Her five children had three different fathers, but she was young and started to feel hopeful again.

However, she faced mistreatment and physical abuse a third time. In addition, this man was addicted to marijuana.

Sandra’s dreams were shattered.

“Every time I asked (my partner) to give me some money, he hit me. One day, he got home completely high and hit me. It was awful. It felt like my entire body was about to faint.”

Sandra’s two oldest children had not lived with her since her first separation, and she was under the constant fear of being abused in her third relationship. She and her three youngest children were imprisoned by suffering, panic and scarcity. She was overwhelmed.

“I had no strength at all. All I did was cry and cry.”

Sandra thought the only way out was to disappear. She didn’t want to see, feel or fight anymore. She felt despondent and defeated.

“I kept on asking God to take me with Him because I couldn’t stand my life anymore.”

She thought seriously about putting an end to her life and confessed to her mother that she no longer wanted to live. Sandra was planning to commit suicide.

“During the rainy season, I was waiting for the river to become deeper so I could throw myself in it.”

While Sandra suffered from hopelessness, God was closer than she imagined. He heard her distress. But His answer to her prayers was very different from what she expected.

God was putting all the pieces together and finding the right people to rescue Sandra and her children.

The situation between Sandra and her partner got worse, so she and her children ran away from the house. The violence continued and Sandra was afraid their lives were in serious danger.

The only refuge she found was the Child Survival Program and the church. They offered Sandra and her children food and a place where they could be safe.

Child Survival Program staff member Mercedes tells us,

“Poor thing! She was hiding when she came here because he was looking for her like crazy.”

Sandra clung to God and the Child Survival Program as her only hope. She was given shelter and protection, as well as food for both body and spirit. Her life began to take a different turn, little by little.

Today, Sandra speaks with hope and has found in God the love and happiness she desperately tried to find through all the wrong paths.

Furthermore, thanks to the constant prayers of this woman of faith, her abusive partner is changing.

He quit hitting Sandra, found a job, and greatly reduced his drug use due to treatment he received in a rehab clinic.

Sandra is now generating income for her family by selling jewelry and shoes. She also sells cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products she learned to make at the Child Survival Program workshops.

She sells these items in a tiny grocery store at home. The profit is just a few dollars a day, but sometimes that’s enough to meet small needs.

The Child Survival Program has truly transformed Sandra’s life in ways that wouldn’t have been possible without the financial contribution of generous donors, who are like God’s arms that save lives like Sandra’s.

Today, her testimony has no trace of doubt.

“If it wasn’t for the Child Survival Program, I would have found a way to kill myself and my children would be suffering so much. I’m so grateful and I think I will never be able to find the words to truly thank you for all this.”

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In a small rural hospital in Udon Thani, a region known for being the poorest in Thailand, Wongduan, a young pregnant mother, waited anxiously for word from her doctor. The day’s heat was bearing down on her.

She wiped beads of perspiration from her brow, rested her hands on her swollen abdomen, and leaned her head against the wall. Feeling nauseated, she closed her eyes, hoping to rest, but the memory of her two earlier miscarriages was haunting her.

When Wongduan was a thin 25-year-old she married the love of her life, a farm boy from another village. The young couple was happy and wanted to build a big family together.

So, after two years of marriage, Wongduan stopped taking birth control pills.

But on a hot summer afternoon, as Wongduan bent down to transplant rice sprouts into the wet soil of a rice paddy, she felt a sudden, strong cramp in her abdomen.

“I didn’t know I was pregnant until I saw blood running down my leg. I was horrified.”

To her dismay, Wongduan was informed by her doctor that the baby had died. After treatment, the doctor ordered bed rest in order for her to regain strength and prepare herself for the next pregnancy.

A few months later, Wongduan became pregnant again. She and her husband were hopeful. But another storm loomed.

Wongduan weighed 103 lbs before her second pregnancy. She weighed the same four months after conception. The news was alarming — she had an ectopic pregnancy. The only way to save her life was to induce labor immediately.

After receiving a labor-inducing drug, the battle began. Wongduan endured contraction after contraction for two days.

At 3:00 a.m. on the second day, Wongduan pushed until she delivered a stillborn baby, whose heart was outside of its chest. Wongduan and her husband were devastated again.

Now, waiting in the doctor’s office, Wongduan was startled when the nurse called her name. She followed the nurse and sat down nervously as the doctor smiled and broke the news, “Congratulations, your baby is normal and looks healthy.”

Relieved, Wongduan thanked the doctor and walked out to meet her husband.

“I was very afraid that there would be a repeated history. My husband and I were so distressed that we couldn’t handle any more bad news.”

With the good news, Wongduan took great care to stay healthy and look after her baby as she prepared to be a parent. She had only babysat her nieces and nephews, not raised a child of her own. She wasn’t sure what to do.

One day, Pipat, a Compassion Child Survival Program coordinator from Na Riang Church, visited Wongduan’s older sister, who was already registered in the program.

Pipat learned of Wongduan’s traumatic experiences and decided to register her into the program.

“We put her into the program as soon as we could. Her doctor said that it was almost impossible for her to have another child. And if she ever did, it would come with great risks.”

The hope of every Child Survival Program staff member is to see every mother and baby healthy, self-reliant, exhibiting continual development and, most importantly, trusting in God.

Another Child Survival Program coordinator shares,

“Currently, there are 30 out of 800 families living in the communities we serve that are Christians; and only six out of 35 mothers in this Child Survival Program. The rest are Buddhists, including Wongduan.”

When Wongduan joined the Child Survival Program, she was eight months’ pregnant. She immediately received nutritional help and gained more weight. She enjoyed the fellowship and interaction with the other mothers.

“I enjoy coming to the [program] a lot because the staff always teaches me new songs. Singing makes me happy.

“I also get to exchange ideas and experiences with other moms, who are more experienced than I am.

“One thing I learned there is how to control my emotion caused by hormonal changes. Because of the two miscarriages, I never experienced the mood swings. Now I know how to deal with myself.”

She learned about calcium in small fish and vitamins in local vegetables to keep herself healthy. In the near future she will be learning new income-generating skills, such as weaving baskets.

“My life would be different if I hadn’t been a part of the Child Survival Program. I would have stayed at home with my limited knowledge and learned nothing new. Now, I have teachers who not only teach but encourage me in my living.”

Wongduan gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl, Tien, a Thai name translated as “candle.” Tien was born strong, stubborn and kicking her way into this world.

Child Survival Program staff have helped provide basic needs such as milk, eggs and clothes for Wongduan and her baby, which has helped to reduce expenses. Wongduan has also received financial support to pay for transportation and food when she has to go to town to see her doctor.

Today, a warm, sunny day, Wongduan holds her newborn baby and celebrates life.

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Vasantha lives in a humble wooden house that has been painted a light sky-blue shade to match the clear blue Sri Lankan sky. Vasantha is the mother of two little boys.

Vasantha is a leading example in the area of self-development. Her accomplishments have been mentioned many times to encourage other mothers in the Child Survival Program.

Today she is involved in more than three trades, through which she helps her husband in providing an income for the home.

Vasantha and her husband, Ranjith, were not always this happy. Before the Child Survival Program came to Inigodawela, they fought constantly. Ranjith was addicted to alcohol and was missing from home most of the time. He didn’t have a proper job, which made it hard for Vasantha and her children.

“When the Child Survival Program came to our village, everything changed. I was able to control my anger. My husband changed completely, he took on more responsibility. Our lives — that of my husband and I — changed so much, I cannot express it in words.”

Recently, Vasantha was among a group of 34 mothers listening intently to an agricultural officer speak to them about home gardening. This was the beginning of Vasantha’s journey towards self-development and satisfaction. Guided by the agricultural officer, Vasantha started a small gardening project in her front yard.

But she didn’t stop there.

Iresha, manager of the Child Survival Program in Inigodawela, conducted a few sessions on making brooms and carpets, and encouraged mothers to find out what they like and are able to do. Vasantha took on this challenge and she received a few raw materials to help her to start making brooms.

Yet again, Vasantha didn’t stop there. She got in touch with a local organization that publishes books on self-employment opportunities.

“I wrote to them and in no time they sent me a book with ideas to make an income. I went through the book and decided to make popsicles, brooms and coconut oil.

“It is not easy to do this with the little ones at home, but Miss Iresha kept on encouraging me during home visits.”

Bringing out the popsicles she made, Vasantha expressed that she is finding it hard to match the need in the village.

“I put around 30 popsicles into the fridge at night. My fridge cannot hold more than 30. In the morning people come and buy. All the popsicles are gone before half of the morning is over.

“I also work on making coconut oil. I have to dry the coconuts and with the rain it’s a little hard. I have not been able to get the broomsticks as yet, but I will get them soon with the help of my husband.”

Vasantha reminisced about the time before the Child Survival Program came into her life.

“We were in debt. I had even pawned all the gold jewelry that I had. But today we have been able to pay off more than 80 percent of our debt!”

But this is not all that this persevering mother has achieved. She shows off her beautiful earrings.

“These were pawned along with all my gold jewelry. Today after 15 years I am able to wear them again. I get goose bumps each time I think of it.”

Vasantha is not alone in her efforts to transform her family’s livelihood. Almost all of the other mothers in this Child Survival Program have started some sort of income-generating project, whether it be vegetable gardening or rearing chickens or making hand-woven carpets or clothes.

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