After taking a trip to Guatemala with Compassion, as a sponsor but more importantly as a ministry advocate, I felt a responsibility to protect all other sponsors from what I experienced.

You amazing sponsors out there who put your heart and soul into writing letters. I didn’t want anyone to hear this story and have it stop them from writing their sponsored child again. Let me explain …

I had been to Haiti to do medical missionary work and I thought I had seen poverty. I was confident after that experience I would not be affected by anything I saw in Guatemala. God didn’t agree and set me straight.

The home we visited was no home but two pitch-dark wood sheds. It was pouring that day and the rain seemed to just add to the feeling of despair that surrounded us. What hit me more than the physical structures the people were living in was the emotional wreckage I saw and heard as we asked them about their lives.

The mother was unable to speak after being raped by guerrilla soldiers years ago, two of her children had gone to gangs never to return again (or they would themselves be killed for leaving), and three small children looked up at us with such hollow eyes and empty hearts.

I always make a point to ask Compassion children I meet anywhere if they receive letters from their sponsors. I think this question is important for many reasons. To hear their feedback helps me to know what I need to do to get the word out to others that they must write more. And, it is good to hear out of their precious mouths why it’s so special.

So, I asked my question to this family as well. The response hit me like a knife going through my heart … literally.

I guess that’s just one of the reasons I burst into tears and felt so completely foolish. What right did I have to cry when they were the ones living like this?

The oldest little guy still at home, was — I’m guessing — maybe 8 or 9 years old. He responded.

“Yes, I have sponsors.”

He showed me only one letter. I asked him,

“Only one letter?”

He replied,

“This one is newer. I did have more but not now.”

Now? Why not now I’m wondering?

“They did send me letters, but my dad was an alcoholic. He died. After that, my mom had no money, no food. So we had to burn my letters to stay warm.”

I felt this rush of pain traveling from my brain down every nerve ending to my heart. It was so profound. At first, I just couldn’t stop the emotions as I hugged him and he was crying. We cried together.

But then, my own selfish fears kicked into gear silently like a train hitting me at full speed. What did he just REALLY say? Wait … what about my letters to all my children. What if?…

I have thought and thought about what I saw and heard, not sure if I should share. Thinking it could be so irresponsible of me as an advocate to tell sponsors this, knowing how wrapped up into letters everyone gets, including me.

A boy in Guatemala shows off a letter from his sponsor.

After awhile, we begin to crave those beautiful cream envelopes. Think of them so often, almost wanting to tackle the mail people before they even fill our mailboxes! We are sincere in our love, truly giving to our children that which brings us closer together when distance separates us.

The question I kept asking myself was, how can I relay this in a way that others can see the much, much more important message in this, rather than focusing on how the letters were burned and what if that happened to mine or yours.

Just as in our own families we treasure photos and letters of our time together, ultimately it is the memories of those events that no one can ever take away from us. When we receive a letter from a loved one, sponsored child, friend, we don’t forget … ever.

We hold the memories inside us like a time capsule and nothing can change that, not even a fire to stay warm.

What the sponsor family of that sweet little boy don’t know won’t hurt them. You know why? Because not only have they been supporting their little boy each month, but they also provide something they never could have guessed. They sent survival for a family, literally.

God protects and God provides, always. We really have no idea how much we are doing each and every time we send small gifts in our envelopes, letters and photos.

I never, ever, ever want what I have shared to deter anyone from writing more. Instead, I pray that it will in fact do just the opposite. When you send a letter, realize that you are doing so much more than simply writing because you are sharing your life with your child.

We cannot control what God plans and shouldn’t even try to. What we can do though is understand and allow God to use what we give of ourselves to help our children in ways we could never imagine.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Julie Berger sponsors seven children and is a correspondent sponsor to three additional children. She lives with her family in Pennsylvania where she works as a medical missions coordinator.

If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, we are happy to consider publishing it. Read our guest blog post guidelines.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

We began our ministry in the Dominican Republic in 1970 as a relief program donating food, medicine and money for children selected by the local churches.

This relief program transitioned into a school program in the 1980s. In this program, children in the Dominican Republic gained access to education through the local church. In 1994, we started our Child Sponsorship Program. The Leadership Development Program started in 2004, followed by the Child Survival Program in 2006.

In the Dominican Republic we have a strategic partnership with the Evangelical National University to offer higher education to our staff, Implementing Church Partner staff and church members in holistic child development and child advocacy in order to train leaders to be child advocates.

Country Director

Kleber Isaias Lora Bautista joined us as Country Director in 2005.

Prior to coming to our ministry he held various positions including Child Sponsorship Program Manager at Food for the Hungry and a consultant for the Institutional Strength Project.

Kleber graduated with a degree in computer engineering from INTEC Technological Institute of Santo Domingo in 1990. He also earned a masters of business administration from the University of Quebec, Montreal in 2004.

As a young person, Kleber was the founder of the Christian Church in his community and later became the youth pastor and a staff member of their Bible seminary.

Implementing Church Partners

Implementing Church Partners are local churches in the Dominican Republic with whom we work to deliver child development programs and frontline ministry in the field.

• Spiritual Climate
  The Dominican Republic is very open to the gospel and the church has a strong voice in the community. Youth delinquency is a major challenge in many communities; because of that the church is widely accepted and welcomed in the hope that the church will encourage and embrace the youth.

  As a result, the church in the Dominican Republic is experiencing numerical growth.



• Unique Challenges
  It can be challenging for churches to find and train professional staff as the quality of education in the Dominican Republic is quite low. Once they are trained, the market often offers better salaries and benefits than Implementing Church Partners can offer. Also, most churches must rent their space because land is expensive and neighborhoods are very crowded.
• Contributions
  Implementing Church Partners provide construction and labor for the facilities as well as volunteers who offer their time and service in their specific field of expertise, such as medicine or social work.
• Partner Development Activities
  We develop partners in the Dominican Republic through training in accountability and sponsorship processes as well as leadership meetings with pastors and project directors.

Child Survival Program

• Caregiver Literacy
  Literacy is taught at the caregiver meetings once a week using an adult literacy method by ALFALIT. ALFALIT is an international Christian non-profit organization that specializes in eliminating literacy and offering education and development opportunities with the purpose of strengthening families in need.
• Income-generating Skills
  We offer a workshop once a week on various topics such as baking, jewelry making, hair dressing and beautician’s skills, and making pajamas and undergarments.

  These are skills that the caregivers can use in their homes while also taking care of their children.



• Health Care
  For vaccinations, medical consultations and follow-ups, mothers and babies go to public or private health centers that are located in their communities or nearby. We reimburse the Implementing Church Partners at various rates depending on whether the beneficiaries received care at a public hospital, semiprivate center or a private center.
• Nutritional Support
  Each month we assess which families are in need of nutritional support, then we deliver food and micronutrients for those families. Usually we do not deliver to the same families month after month, but occasionally that is needed for families living in very difficult conditions.

  We also provide an orientation on nutrition and subsequent follow-ups.

• Involvement of Fathers
  We encourage fathers to participate in group meetings and home visits. At the group meetings, we will often have a counseling professional come and talk to the couples about parenting and family dynamics.

  Implementing Church Partners also organize yearly retreats for Child Survival Program mothers and their husbands where they go away for three days and enjoy being together, meet new people and hear speakers teach on various topics.



• Transitioning Out of the Child Survival Program
  When children reach the age of 2, the Child Survival Program Implementers organize group activities where the children sit together around tables, draw and paint and have a nutritional meal together to help them get acquainted with the Child Sponsorship Program classroom and activities.
• Areas of Expansion for the Child Survival Program
  We would like to expand into the southern region of the Dominican Republic because that is the poorest area of the country.

Child Development Through Sponsorship

Your sponsorship of a child in the Dominican Republic provides a variety of benefits.

Based on our curriculum, this has been the most appropriate schedule for the children.

• Meeting Times:
• 3 to 5 year olds: 8 hours a week spread out over 2 to 3 days
• 6 to 8 year olds: 3 hours a day, 2 days a week
• 9 to 11 year olds: 3 hours a day, 2 days a week
• 12 to 14 year olds: 3 hours a day, 2 days a week
• 15 to 18 year olds: 2 hours a day, 2 days a week
• 19 +: 2 hours a day, 2 days a week



• Nutritional Support
  Each child receives a meal every day that they attend the child development center, which is about three times a week. A typical meal consists of rice and milk, wheat flour and milk, rice and chicken, oatmeal with bread, fruit juice and cookies, or cornflakes and milk.

  We give a meal or snack each time they attend the center because although the government schools do sometimes offer food, it is not consistent nor is it always safe and clean.



• Vaccinations
  Development center staff advises all parents to vaccinate their children. A health professional does an annual checkup and checks that these vaccines have been completed.

  In some cases, Implementing Church Partners have agreements with other non-governmental organizations or governmental agencies that provide vaccinations when needed.



• Extracurricular Activities or Community Service
  Children are able to participate regularly in sports, camps, arts, field days, museum visits, book fairs and field trips to historic sites, various companies and recreational places.
• Vocational Activities
  Vocational training in skills such as computers, handicrafts, driving, beauty, English, cooking, baking, welding, carpentry and sewing are offered depending on the local community. Many of the vocational training courses are certified, allowing the students to grow professionally in a given technical professional field.

  We also offer spiritual guidance and support, counseling, and opportunities for long-term development such as “My Plan for the Future” which is completed by each student.



• Parent Involvement
  We offer quarterly parenting classes on topics such as healthy parenting, family violence prevention, nutrition, literacy, vocational training and health.
• Areas of Expansion for the Child Sponsorship Program
  We would like to expand into the south and northeast regions of the Dominican Republic. The south is the most impoverished area in the country, and the northeast is a region where we do not currently have any church partners.

Leadership Development Program

• Universities Attended
  Leadership Development Program students attend governmental, private or Christian universities.
• Location of Universities
  Most of the universities are located in the capital city or in other large cities. There are several regional campuses spread throughout the country that offer a limited choice of degrees.
• Working Students
  There are a few Leadership Development Program students who do work, but generally these students are about to graduate.
• Service Opportunities
  Many students go back to their child development centers and churches to serve, while others serve at orphanages, nursing homes and schools or by doing community evangelism and missions.
• Leadership Development Program Meetings
  Leadership Development Program students hold an annual Advocacy Conference and an annual Youth Forum. The Advocacy Conference is a large meeting in which the students invite child development centers from various regions to bring their children and adolescents so the Leadership Development Program students can speak to them on specific topics related to child development.

  The Youth Forum is a forum where students invite leaders and professionals in various fields of social service to speak to them and other youth. They also meet quarterly in their Leadership Development Program care groups, which are smaller groups divided up by region; this is when they usually meet with the program specialist.



• Specialty Curriculum Topics or Resources
  When students enter the Leadership Development Program, they are required to complete the “Leadership Development Program Academy.” This is a one-month training program with specialized teachers in subjects such as math, writing, speed reading, and Christian worldview.
• Mentors
  Some of our staff members in the Dominican Republic are mentors for the students. They also assist other students in finding mentors through their connections with leaders from their churches.
• Career Placement Assistance
  We offer workshops to help the Leadership Development Program students choose their careers based on their interests and the labor market demands. We also give a vocational test administered by a psychologist to every student.

Complementary Interventions

Compassion’s core Child Sponsorship Program, while comprehensive, cannot address all obstacles to a child’s healthy development. Compassion’s Complementary Interventions program works in harmony with the holistic child development model to provide additional services as needed, such as the AIDS Initiative, Bibles for All Children, disaster relief and water projects.

Typical Complementary Interventions in the Dominican Republic include vocational training, reliable water using water purification systems, dental care, promotion of sports practices and major medical interventions

Highly Vulnerable Children

The primary needs in our Highly Vulnerable Children population are nutrition, hygiene and reliable water. It has been shown that focusing on prevention is the most efficient way to address the needs of Highly Vulnerable Children.

As a result, we concentrate our efforts within the Child Survival Program to improve and promote care and hygiene in newborns, infants and mothers. Child Survival and Child Sponsorship Program beneficiaries are eligible for medical support through Complementary Interventions.

In some cases of severe malnutrition, help and food is provided regularly. Funds are also used for adult literacy and nutrition/health education. In the event of a disaster, food, water and other resources are available for Highly Vulnerable Children.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

The property now housing the Simonette Child Development Center used to be a “peristil,” or Voodoo temple, where a well-known Voodoo priest named Sore ruled for several decades.

Sore was such a famous Voodoo priest that people from different regions in the country came to see him every day for different reasons. Pastor Monas had to face fierce opposition from Sore when he was called by God to start his ministry there 21 years ago.

Just a few months after Pastor Monas began his ministry in that area, Sore, the Voodoo priest, gave his life to Jesus. Many of his followers also turned over their lives to Christ. Before he passed away, Sore dedicated the property to the Lord for the local church and different ministries, including the school.

Currently, Simonette Christian Church is the first partner to benefit from the ministry’s reconstruction program after the 2010 earthquake that destroyed the inadequate school infrastructure that existed.

Pastor Monas shares,

“I give thanks to God that among the 44 projects that were destroyed by the earthquake, Simonette is the first one that benefits from the reconstruction. I have been facing big challenges in my ministry here during the last 21 years, but I can now testify that our partnership with Compassion (10 years) has opened the door to long-term development for our community.”

Before Pastor Monas’ ministries started in Simonette, none of the children in that area had the chance to reach the seventh grade. The reason for that was the location of existing schools. It took some children three hours to walk to the nearest town for school.

The Simonette school has made a great difference in the community as it allows more than 300 children, 280 of them sponsored, to benefit from the best education.

“Before I started my ministry in Simonette, the whole community was under the domination of Satan. As a result, many children died before reaching grade six. Because of the gospel, the devil has now no power over the children and their parents.”

Parents and children were brokenhearted when the earthquake destroyed the only school in the community. This new construction with 12 classrooms and other infrastructure brings hope again, as it will allow more children to benefit from a better education.

Ricardy is an orphan who became sponsored at 5 years old. Now, at age 15, he is in grade nine and has big dreams for the future because of our ministry’s help. Ricardy tells us,

“I like Compassion very much because were it not for its assistance, I would never been able to go to school since I have no mother and no father.

“I like my school because it is near my house. During recess time, I go to my house, eat a little something, and come back to class. If it was far away from my home, my grandmother would not be able to find transportation money to send me.

“After the earthquake, we were gathering under a tent for class. Right now I am proud of my school because it is the most beautiful school in the whole community.”

Pastor Monas is proud to see that his vision is being accomplished through the years. The reputation of the church is increasing every day because of the quality of our program. The academic performance of sponsored children is higher than the national average.

In the latest statistics, our students ranked an average of 74% in the grade 12 final exams compared with the 50% country average, and 86.11% in grade 13 final exams compared with the 86% country average.

Pastor Monas ultimate’s goal is to see that all of the children from his community have the chance to attend school and become accomplished adults. He also would like to see the whole Simonette population turn their lives to Jesus before he passes away.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

I love superheroes. Not sure why, but since I was a kid I’ve been enthralled by Superman, Spiderman, Batman and the like. I have a collection of old comic books, action figures (don’t call them dolls!) and other superhero related knick-knacks in my office and at home.

But as I’ve grown older, I’ve learned that not all heroes wear capes. Nor do they fly through the air, spin webs, leap tall buildings or race trains. Heroes look like you and me. And our super power isn’t some phenomenal feat of strength. It’s compassion.

It’s caring enough about our fellow human beings that we are willing to do whatever it takes to end suffering.

On Jan. 12, 2010, the earth violently shook in Haiti. It destroyed cities, claimed lives, and separated families. We watched the harrowing images on our televisions. We read about it in the newspapers and listened to the story unfold on radio programs.

And, like heroes, we responded.

Money. Prayers. Mission trips. Donated goods. We saw needs and met them.

Sometimes, heroes rise up from the rubble. Our staff in Haiti and volunteers spent tireless hours caring for and reaching out to victims — even as they, themselves, lost so much in the quake.

They tracked down sponsored children and their families. They provided shelter, clean water, medicines and food. Our church partners became safe havens for families whose homes were destroyed.

One of the heroes in Haiti is a former sponsored child. His name is Sony Fleurancier.

Sony was not only a sponsored child; he was also a Leadership Development Program student who received a degree in Civil Engineering. Now, he’s using those skills to help Compassion rebuild schools in Haiti. The quake wiped out much of the nation’s infrastructure, including its schools.

As you know, our program takes place in church-based schools. Without them, most of our sponsored children would not be able to receive an education at all. By the end of this year, we hope to have six new schools built, with a long-term plan to construct 30 schools in all.

And yes, because of Sony’s expertise and that of others, those buildings will be built to international seismic standards, providing safe facilities for children while meeting the needs of our church partners.

Sony is a hero. No cape. No flying. Just answering the call. Meeting the need. And while he’s not leaping tall buildings, he’s definitely helping us build stronger ones to keep our kids safe.

Here’s to the heroes who are helping rebuild a devastated country. Rebuilding an entire country. Now that does sound superhero-ish, doesn’t it?

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

 Our Child Survival Program (CSP) not only helps young children survive the vulnerable first four years of their lives; it also provides mothers an opportunity to be trained in vocational skills so they can help increase their family income.

In the Dominican Republic, participating churches encourage mothers to go back to school to learn to read and write and to take vocational training courses that range from hairdressing to computers.

In most cases, these mothers are single moms. In others, their spouses are unemployed or have informal part-time jobs with very low pay.

This is the case of 33-year-old CSP mother Marcia from the community of Manganagua in Dominican Republic. She has been in the program since she was two months pregnant with her daughter Neidi, who is now 4 years old.

Marcia witnessed how Neidi’s development was faster than that of her two older children. In fact, Neidi began walking when she was just 8 months old; her siblings had not walked until after they were a year old.

In the last four years, through the CSP program, Marcia has received medical help for her daughter when needed, along with other regular benefits of the program.

Nevertheless, the cost of raising three children has made it necessary for Marcia to leave her children in care of her sister next door so Marcia can work. Marcia cleans a house in another community, for which she is paid RD$3,000.00 (US$81.00) a month.

But with house rent of RD$3,500.00 (US$92.00) plus the cost of food and other needs, it’s challenging for Marcia and her husband to make ends meet. Marcia’s husband, Jose, is an agricultural worker at a farm with a salary of RD$6,000.00 (US$162.00).

Marcia longs for a chance to help her family improve their living conditions.

She first saw an opportunity for change when she began to participate in the sewing course at Iglesia Comunitaria Monte de Sion Church. There she learned how to repair clothes. At the end of the training, Marcia received a surprise gift.

“After I took the sewing course, the church chose some mothers to give sewing machines to. I was one of the chosen mothers. I have my own sewing machine now.”

Even though she doesn’t have a shop yet, Marcia has begun to repair some torn items of clothing that her neighbors have brought to her.

“I have repaired clothes for my neighbors and, in return, they have given me some money, which I have used to buy the chicken to feed to my children.”

Marcia is happy to be able to do things for herself and her family that she used to have to pay someone else to do.

“I have learned to repair my trousers and to make curtains and cushions. I have repaired skirts and blouses of my daughter. And I have repaired and made Bermuda shorts for my boys.”

Monte de Sion Community Center is now preparing to provide further training to Marcia and other mothers who have learned the basics of sewing.

“I am waiting for the vocational course on clothes design and cutting so I can learn to make clothes.”

Marcia is starting to see a new opportunity to generate income without having to be away from her children the whole day.

“If I have a sewing shop at home, I won’t have the need of going outside for work. As a dressmaker, I could work right at home.”

Monte de Sion Community Church is serving a total of 100 mothers in its Child Survival Program; nearly half of them have already participated in vocational training courses. Sewing, making decorative candles, cooking, upholstery, baking and computer basics are among the skills taught to the mothers at the center.

Every CSP center in the Dominican Republic provides vocational training opportunities to the mothers in the program so they can generate income to help their families.

In a community like Padre Las Casas in the province of Azua, in the south of the country, the mothers participating at the CSP center have begun training in hairdressing and sewing, among other skills.

If the mothers don’t have their own equipment when they complete their training course, the local church arranges a schedule for them to meet their customers at the vocational training center. The mothers are allowed to use the center’s equipment to do the work and begin generating an income.

The goal is for them to earn enough money to buy their own equipment and set up their own shops.

This sincere love and concern expressed by our church partners toward people in need help convey the gospel of Christ in a powerful manner.

Marcia received Jesus as her Savior and she has seen how the Lord has changed her own life and her home.

“I have changed a lot. I am living in a better home condition. My lifestyle and way of being have changed a lot. I have learned how to treat my children.”

Children in the CSP program receive the biggest benefit of all; young Neidi is ready to continue her development through Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program .

Irene, director of the CSP at the Luz de Esperanza Student Center in Manganagua, shares with us,

“It’s always very rewarding to me to see the children who finish the Child Survival Program. They are used to being in all the activities. They have learned to love the child development center. It’s completely different from those children who come directly from the community without coming through the Child Survival Program.”

Marcia is grateful for the change that has taken place in her life since joining the Child Survival Program:

“As I’ve been in church, things in my life have been being corrected slowly. I have changed a lot. I give thanks to God for everything. I have changed for better. I live more in peace. God has given me a lot and I am thankful to Him.”

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

It’s been nearly two years since the devastating earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.

In the months following the disaster, we received lots of donations to help rebuild and support the families and children affected. In all, we received over $30 million.

After receiving the donations, we began work on 21 strategies to address Haiti’s needs. Some of these needs were more immediate, while others are longer-term strategies.

Needs varied from food, temporary shelters, trauma counseling and medical care, to rebuilding Implementing Church Partner (ICP) buildings and income generation projects.

We still have four strategies in process or ongoing to maintain the support and needs of our ICPs, children, and their families.

1. Pastor Encouragement and Vision Casting: Post trauma counseling training for pastors of church partners and non-church partners, as well as hosting a conference on integrity, justice, and stewardship for Haitian leaders as they rebuild.
2. Child Protection: Provide school fee assistance, prosthesis and physical therapy, as well as monthly support for more highly vulnerable children.
3. Income Generation: Provide training and opportunities for parents and caregivers of our beneficiaries to begin or expand a business, which improves their economic position and provides jobs within the community.
4. ICP Facilities Reconstruction: We have faced some challenges that have delayed reconstruction but have identified solutions allowing us to build, safe, seismically sound facilities for our church partners.
• Quality Building Blocks: All blocks to rebuild the ICPs failed quality testing. We identifed a vendor to produce blocks that met the strength test needed for construction that is seismically acceptable.



• Qualified Engineers: We could not find engineers in Haiti who knew and understood how to build according to seismic codes, so we had to recruit trainers from El Salvador to oversee the building of each ICP and closely monitor each step of the building process.
• Design and Budget:The original design the team of engineers produced exceeded the allowable budget for the rebuild project. This set the project back three months.
• Pace of Building: We can only build one ICP at a time due to the close supervision and training needed for the Haitian construction team by the El Salvadorian trainers. Our plan is to increase building to two to three ICP facilities at the same time once an expanded number of construction teams have been trained and can demonstrate skill and adherence to acceptable building standards.

As we receive information on the progress of these efforts we will publish more updates.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

As a 5-year-old sponsored child growing up in Haiti, Beguens Theus dreamed of what life could be. Now, as a member of Haiti’s parliament Beguens is determined to see the dreams of every child in Haiti realized.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

We began our ministry in Haiti in 1968 with the Child Sponsorship Program. In 1996, the Leadership Development Program began, and in 2003, we started the Child Survival Program.

In 2008, we celebrated our 40th anniversary in Haiti. During 40 years of ministry, we have transformed school projects into child development centers. We have also networked with other nongovernmental organizations in Haiti and have raised awareness within the church and community about the need to be involved in issues affecting children.

Country Director

In 1997, Guilbaud Saint-Cyr joined the ministry in Haiti as a program facilitator and became the operations coordinator in 1999. He was appointed country director in 2003. Before coming to our ministry, Guilbaud was a certified public accountant and the founder of the accounting firm COGEFISC Plus, which promotes financial integrity and accountability within various nongovernmental organizations and private businesses.

Guilbaud taught management in various vocational institutions and helped launch several child advocacy agencies, including ROCHEPE, a Christian organization for child development. He serves as president of the Evangelical Press Council, is a board member of the Micah Challenge and currently serves as a Sunday school teacher and itinerant preacher.

Holding a bachelor of arts degree in business management and a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the State University of Haiti, Port-au-Prince, Guilbaud also has a diploma in Advanced Leadership from Haggai Institute of Singapore and a diploma in Micro-enterprise Management. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Azusa Pacific University, California.

Implementing Church Partners

Implementing Church Partners are local churches in Haiti with whom we work to deliver child development programs and ministry in the field.

• Spiritual Climate
  The influence of Voodoo is still strong in Haiti. Christian leaders live in constant spiritual warfare. Churches are growing numerically, but not necessarily in terms of spiritual growth because of the combining of the Christian faith with Voodoo and other cultural influences.
• Unique Challenges
  One challenge unique for implementing church partners in Haiti is how to set up their budgets in order to address children’s need for formal schooling. In Haiti, 5 percent of schools are public and 95 percent are private, meaning the cost of schooling is higher.

  Another challenge for church partners is sanitation. Often the church infrastructure is not sound. Also, the government does not provide health services. Therefore, we are obliged to use about 20 percent of sponsorship funds for health and the physical aspect of development in the Child Sponsorship Program and 30 percent for the Child Survival Program.

• Contributions
  Implementing church partners take care of the facilities and the maintenance of the buildings. They are responsible for the construction costs for any needed facilities. They also contribute to the health care of children from the elementary schools associated with the child development centers.

  Some denominations in the southern and northern areas of Haiti and the city of La Gonave have medical centers, which provide health care for children in need.

• Partner Development Activities
  Compassion Haiti develops partners through training, regional conferences, facilitation, and networking.

Child Survival Program

• Caregiver Literacy
  Through Child Survival Program, we evaluate the literacy level of the mothers. In response to this, we establish each mother in an implementing church partner literacy class.

  These classes include writing, reading and simple math skills. The classes are held twice a week.



• Income-Generating Skills
  Generally, we organize sewing, cooking, and craft classes for mothers twice a week for two hours.
• Health Care
  For the prenatal period, mothers go to the hospital for a consultation and laboratory tests. Twice a year, each child development center organizes a mobile medical clinic with a pediatrician, an internist and a medical practitioner or an obstetric doctor. Most of the mothers deliver at a small local hospital.

  For special health cases, we recommend them to a specialized medical center. The child development center staff covers the expense, and then the Compassion office reimburses 80 percent of the expense on a monthly basis.

  For immunization, children receive some vaccines from the State Health Department for free. But other vaccines, such as hepatitis B, typhoid, pneumonia 23, and meningitis, are provided by us, as they are expensive but crucial for safe child development.

  For health screening, we have a health implementer who received training from the Child Survival Program specialist and from the State Health Department. The health implementer is responsible for monthly health screenings and submits reports to the Child Survival Program specialist for appropriate follow-up.



• Nutritional Support
  Once a month, each mother receives a dry food kit containing rice, beans, sugar, milk, oil, spaghetti, etc. Most of these moms live in a family of at least seven people, so this kit only lasts for two days.

  Because of this we have established income-generating activities for 20 Child Survival Programs in order to help provide food to these families and help them become economically self-supporting.



• Involvement of Fathers
  In general, fathers participate in the graduation ceremony, training on family planning, annual spiritual retreats and birthday celebrations. In some cases, if the mother isn’t available to participate in regular activities, the fathers will attend meetings.
• Transitioning Out of the Child Survival Program
  Implementing church partners evaluate the development of each child based on the four areas and indicators of the Child Survival Program manual. This information is submitted in a report to the Child Survival Program specialist for appropriate follow-up.

  Based on this evaluation and on three years of accomplishment in the program, we decide whether or not they will graduate. Then, the Child Survival Program implementer fills out the appropriate form and sends it to our office for follow-up. After this, the mothers and children participate in a graduation ceremony.

• Areas of Expansion for the Child Survival Program
  We will open additional Child Survival Programs throughout areas of Haiti that are more prone to flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes. Also, children in these areas are vulnerable to potentially fatal but preventable diseases, such as malaria, typhoid, diarrhea, intestinal parasites and tuberculosis.

Child Sponsorship Program

Your sponsorship of a child in Haiti provides a variety of benefits.

• Meeting Times
  The child development program schedule depends on the needs for each particular center. Below is a typical schedule for the child development centers in Haiti.
  • 3 to 5 year olds: 1 hour a day, from Monday through Friday, and 3 hours on Saturday
  • 6 to 8 year olds: 2 to 4 hours after school and 4 hours on Saturday, adding up to 6 to 8 hours a week
  • 9 to 11 year olds: 2 to 4 hours after school, and 4 hours on Saturday, adding up to 6 to 8 hours a week
  • 12 to 14 year olds: 2 to 4 hours after school, and 4 hours on Saturday, adding up to 6 to 8 hours a week
  • 15 to 18 year olds: 2 to 4 hours after school, and 4 hours on Saturday, adding up to 6 to 8 hours a week
  • 19 +: 2 to 4 hours after school, and 4 hours on Saturday, adding up to 6 to 8 hours a week

  

• Nutritional Support
  When attending child development center activities, each child receives a snack, such as sandwiches and juice or milk, during the week, or a hot meal, which consists of spaghetti or rice, beans, vegetables, meat and juice.

  Often, children come to the center without having eaten, so we feed them to help them learn well. Some centers provide hot food during weekly activities, some don’t. That depends on the financial capacity of the each center. We have a special nutritional approach for malnourished and the neediest children.

• Vaccinations
  We make sure that each child benefits from basic vaccines given by the State Health Department. Unfortunately, the implementing church partners can’t afford all of the expensive vaccines for the children, such as hepatitis, typhoid and meningitis.
• Extracurricular Activities or Community Service
  There is a special program held during the summer in which groups of children from different centers participate in a knowledge competition. We hold spiritual retreats during Carnival and Easter time.

  We also have spiritual decision day on special occasions and have musical bands perform for the children at special events, such as graduations, funerals, etc.

• Vocational Activities
  Student clubs are held each Saturday from 9 to 12 or 1 to 5 p.m. Vocational activities available are based on the local child development center. These activities can include painting, crafts, sewing, computer, music, photography, videography, cooking, foreign language classes, etc.

  The choice of programming for adolescents depends on the resources available in the community and in the interest of the children.



• Child Sponsorship Program Alumni Activities
  The alumni group has existed since August 2000. Members are involved in our ministry doing things such as talent shows, knowledge competitions and art contests. They also help with disaster recovery, regional training and conferences.

  Many alumni helped in the disaster recovery process in Haiti after hurricanes and after the January 2010 earthquake.

• Parent Involvement
  Once a week we have parenting classes, parents’ club, and income-generating activities for the neediest parents.
• Areas of Expansion for Child Sponsorship Program
  We would like to expand in the northern, western, southern, and central plateau areas of Haiti. These are the neediest areas and we have many potential partners in these regions.

Leadership Development Program

• Types of Universities
  The students attend both private and government universities.
• Location of Universities
  The universities are located in the capital city of Port-au-Prince.
• Working Students
  Students do not typically work, but sometimes those who are about to graduate have a part-time job.
• Service Opportunities
  Many students go back to their child development center to serve the children and give technical assistance to center staff. They also make special visits to hospitals, prisons, and camps for disabled people.
• Leadership Development Program Meetings
  Usually, the larger Leadership Development Program group meets at least three times a year.

  This includes an annual retreat, camp and conference.



• Specialty Curriculum
  We cover the following topics based on the Haitian reality: infectious diseases, vision, mission and dream setting, change management, and planning and setting priorities.
• Mentors
  When necessary, we help students find mentors through networking, mentor referral, mentors’ meetings, dinner, or face-to-face.

Complementary Interventions

Our core child sponsorship program, while comprehensive, does not address all obstacles to a child’s healthy development. The Complementary Interventions program was created to work with our holistic child development model to provide additional services, such as our AIDS Initiative, Bibles for all children, disaster relief and water projects.

Some of the Complementary Interventions we offer in Haiti are:

• Education
  Nonformal education, vocational training for the Child Sponsorship Program, and pre-university training for Leadership Development Program
• Health
  Educational sanitary training, health care and prevention, and water wells purification and treatment
• Recapitalization
  Micro-credit, small retail trade, pig or goat distribution, and hen houses
• Infrastructure
  Computer laboratory centers, osmosis inverse water system, school buildings, and latrines

Highly Vulnerable Children

In our context, we have educational and vocational training for the needs of highly vulnerable children. In order to meet these needs in a sustainable manner, we intend to create a semi-industrial center where the children can learn to produce goods for the market and we will find new markets for them.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Before the sun rose on a small Haitian mountain community, Ismene Alexis got up, took the water jar, and headed to the village pump for water.

A Haitian girl brings water home to her family.

Although it was still dark, Ismene had no trouble finding the pump. She’d walked these streets a thousand times. On returning, Ismene found her grandparents awake. Grandma was cooking breakfast.

“Good morning, Ismene,” Grandma said, smiling.

“Good morning, Grandma. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, although I had an odd dream. You and I were working in the garden. I looked up and saw a man standing at the gate. I greeted him, and he told me he had special news. So I invited him into our house for tea. While we were sitting together, the man started to say something about you, Ismene, but then my dream ended,” said Grandma.

“That is an odd dream,” said Ismene. “What do you think he was going to say?”

Grandma shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Pondering her grandmother’s dream, Ismene swept the floor and straightened the blankets on the straw pallets that served as beds. When she came to her sister’s pallet, her sister was still sleeping.

“Get up, Nicole!” Ismene said, pulling her sister’s pillow out from under her.

Thwap! Ismene thwapped Nicole over the head before Nicole jumped up and grabbed the pillow from her. Giggling, the two girls wrestled for the pillow until Grandma told them to finish their chores.

Nicole went outside to feed the animals with Grandpa while Ismene finished making the beds. Grandma set breakfast on the table and the family gathered around to pray. After thanking God for the meal, Ismene and Nicole gathered their schoolbooks and left for school.

The sun was rising now, spreading golden light on the huts and houses. Nicole and Ismene chased each other between the houses until they arrived, breathless, at their school. After catching their breath, they went inside and sat down.

Ismene loved school. She loved learning how to work math problems. She loved learning how to combine letters together to make words. She had been so excited the day she read her first sentence.

Classroom in Haiti

But Ismene was worried. Her grandparents might not make enough money to buy food and keep her in school. Then either Nicole or Ismene would have to quit school.

I’ll enjoy school as long as I can, Ismene thought, then banished the thought of having to leave school. The girls sat down on the floor just as the teacher, Miss Lillian, entered. Then the rest of the students arrived and took their places. Miss Lillian prayed to God for a good school day, and class began.

When the sun was high in the sky and boiling hot, Ismene and Nicole trudged home from school. When they arrived home, they found Grandma working in the garden. Nicole took Ismene’s books inside while Ismene knelt and helped Grandma with weeding.

“How was school?” asked Grandma.

“I loved it,” said Ismene. “I got an A in math.”

“Very good,” said Grandma, tugging at an especially deeply rooted weed.

For a while they pulled weeds in silence. Ismene was about to say something when there was a polite “Ahem!” from the gate. Looking up, she saw a man standing at the garden gate.

“Grandma,” said Ismene.

Grandma had seen the man, yet she wasn’t getting up to greet him. What’s wrong with her? Ismene wondered. Then she realized this was just like Grandma’s dream!

“Grandma!” said Ismene, a little louder. Her grandmother got up and went to the gate.

“Yes?” she asked.

“Is this the home of the Ismene Alexis?” asked the man.

“Yes,” Grandma said. “I am her grandmother. Do you need to speak with her?”

“I have some special news for Ismene.”

“Come in then,” said Grandma, opening the gate. “I’ll make some tea.”

Grandma and the man entered the house, and Ismene followed. All Ismene could think was, Maybe now we’ll know what the man was going to say about me! Ismene went in and found Nicole. When the tea was ready, Grandma, Nicole, and Ismene all sat down at the table.

“Now what’s this news about Ismene?” asked Grandma.

The man, who introduced himself as John, answered, “You know that Ismene is a child of Compassion International, right?”

Grandma nodded.

“A family in the United States wanted to sponsor a Compassion child, and they picked Ismene,” said John.

Ismene jumped up and screamed. Then she started laughing. Grabbing Nicole, Ismene and her sister danced around the room.

“Now I don’t ever have to worry about being taken out of school!”

At last Nicole and Ismene sat down, and John asked Grandma to sign some papers. Then John told them what Compassion would do for Ismene.

Compassion International is a worldwide organization that enables people to sponsor children in poverty-stricken countries. When children are sponsored they can go to school, received healthy food at their child development center, and get medical care if needed.

When the shadows began to lengthen, John said goodbye and left Ismene and her family.

“Oh, I’m so happy for you,” said Grandma to Ismene after John left. Grandma spread her arms and hugged the two girls.

“You’re not jealous, are you?” Ismene whispered to Nicole that night as they lay on their straw pallets. Grandma and Grandpa were already asleep, but Nicole and Ismene were talking about everything that had happened.

“No, of course not,” said Nicole. “I’m not jealous. I’m happy for you, Ismene. Now that Compassion’s paying for you to go to school, Grandma and Grandpa will only have to pay for me. I’ll be able to stay in school too. It works out for both of us.’

“Oh, good,” said Ismene. “Good night.”

“Good night. I love you,” whispered Nicole.

Ismene turned over on her side, said a quick prayer of thanks to God, and fell asleep.

A week after first being sponsored, Ismene received her first letter from her sponsor family. The family’s name was the Dodges. They asked her about how she and her grandparents were, what her day was like, and if she had any siblings. Along with the letter, the Dodges sent a photo of their family. There was a mother, a father without much hair, and two dark-haired girls.

L to R: Jasmine (adopted after Ismene was sponsored), Liz, Danielle, Brent and Yani

I hope I get to meet them face-to-face one day, Ismene thought.

Ismene

When Ismene finished reading the letter and inspecting the photo, she got her own paper to write back. The Dodges wrote once a month.

It took a long time for the letters to reach Ismene because they first had to be translated and then delivered all the way to her mountain village. It took a while for her letters to reach her sponsor family too.

When the other families in the village heard that Ismene had been sponsored, they, too, signed their children up for Compassion International. Soon many more children got sponsored.

Two Years Later

Folding up the letter, Ismene took it to the special box where she kept all of her letters from the Dodges. Grandpa had built the box for her and by now it was getting very full. The lid could hardly close.

“How many letters do you have now?” asked Grandma as Ismene returned to the table.

Ismene smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know. Lots and lots,” she said.

“The Lord has been so good,” said Grandpa as he held out his hand to Ismene.

The whole family held hands and bowed their heads while Grandpa thanked God for another letter from Ismene’s sponsors. He prayed that her sponsor family was in good health and that God would watch over them and bless them.

Thanks, God, so much for all your blessings, Ismene prayed silently as Grandpa spoke.

“Amen,” Grandpa finished.

“Amen,” the rest of the family echoed. Grandma got up and went to the stove to start cooking dinner.

“Girls, please collect the chicken eggs,” Grandma said. “I need another egg to make dinner.”

The girls went to the chicken house and gathered the eggs from the nests. As they were starting back to the house, Ismene thought she felt the ground shake. It was a tiny tremble, so Ismene thought she’d imagined it.

“I’ll race you back to the house and we’ll see who’s really the fastest,” said Nicole.

Ismene burst into a run but she’d only taken a few steps when another tremor shook the ground hard enough to make both girls fall.

“What was that?” asked Nicole, picking herself up. “Oh, my eggs broke.”

Ismene stood up and looked around.

“I think it might be…an earthquake,” she said.

“We need to get home then,” said Nicole.

The two girls took off running. Ismene expected another tremor to shake the ground any moment and knock them down again.

“Are you all right?” asked Grandma when they rushed back to the house.

“We’re fine,” said Ismene. But in her hand her own eggs were broken. She’d been so frightened she hadn’t even noticed.

“I’m sorry, Grandma,” she said. “All the eggs cracked.”

“That’s all right. We can make do with one less egg,” said Grandma.

Just as Ismene had finished washing the egg off her hands, another tremor shook the house. Everyone gathered together on a straw pallet. Grandpa started to pray for their safety.

While he was praying, Ismene prayed silently: Please, God. We know that you’re the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Will you watch over us and protect us from this earthquake? Please keep our family — no, our village — safe from harm.

Tremors kept on shaking the ground, great big tremors that knocked things off the shelves. Pots and pans clattered to the ground. The water jar fell on its side and broke. Chairs tipped over. The table shook and Ismene and Nicole’s schoolbooks fell off.

Ismene shut her eyes and tried to calm her fear. She mentally quoted a Bible verse that she had memorized just that day. Psalm 23:4. “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”

Gradually the tremors began to decrease in strength and ferocity.

At last Grandpa said, “I think its over.”

The family quietly stood and began to clean up the house. Ismene grabbed her broom and swept up the remains of the water jar. Nicole sat the chairs up. She gathered up their school books and put them back on the table.

Then the family went outside and visited their neighbors to see if they needed help. Over the next few days news trickled in about the earthquake. It turned out that the center of the earthquake’s destruction had been in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.

Whenever Ismene and her family gathered to pray at each meal, they prayed for the people in Port-au-Prince.

As the months passed, the count of those killed by the earthquake rose higher and higher. The death toll was as high as 316,000. The injured and homeless were even more numerous.

Earthquake devastation in Haiti

Compassion International families who sponsored children in Haiti were all frantically writing letters and sending emails, trying to find out if their children were all right. When the Dodges received a letter from Ismene, they were so relieved to know she was safe.

Although relief workers flooded Port-au-Prince, the healing of Haiti will take a long time. Yet there is much to be thankful for even in the face of this darkness and death. Both families –Ismene’s family and the Dodges – are thankful to God that through Compassion International, Ismene has an opportunity to succeed in life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Danielle Dodge is 13 years old and wrote this story when she was 12. Danielle’s semi-fictional story won second place in her local library’s annual writing contest and first place in VisionForum’s webinar, “Mrs. Morecraft’s Ps & Qs of Proper Writing.”

If you’re interested in writing a guest blog post, we are happy to consider publishing it. Read our guest blog post guidelines.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Remember when Val Bure and Katia Gordeeva won the Battle of the Blades? Val donated his award money to Compassion — and mothers and babies in Moca, Dominican Republic, are now receiving health care, nutritional support and a whole lot of love thanks to his mad ice skills.

Last month, Val and his wife, Candace Cameron-Bure, had a chance to visit the program in the Dominican Republic with their three kids — Natasha, 12, Lev, 11, and Maks, 9.

On our Compassion tours, parents often bring their teenagers but rarely their younger children. Which raises the question: When should we start teaching our children about poverty and exposing them to the needs in the world around them?

For Val and Candace, it wasn’t even a question.

Val grew up in Moscow. Because his father was an athlete, his family had more provisions than many of his neighbors, but Val still knew what it was to go hungry. At times, his mom worked three jobs just to try to feed her kids. More than once, Val, his brother and his mother shared a single apple for a meal. So when Val and Candace visited the Dominican Republic, he felt like he was home; he could relate to so many of the children’s experiences with poverty.

For Val, shielding his kids from poverty simply didn’t make sense — to him this was life, this was reality. And Candace, who had observed poverty firsthand on a previous mission trip, wanted God to use the tour experience to plant a seed in her children’s hearts.

“Because we’re very fortunate with our jobs, our kids haven’t really had much experience with poverty. They haven’t seen how a lot of people live. We wanted them to see what it’s like and take something away, to come back appreciating what they have.”

Some people are hesitant to expose their young children to extreme poverty — unsure if it will be too much for them. Candace says she and Val were very sensitive to their kids, listening to and encouraging them when some things seemed overwhelming.

Now that they’ve been back for a couple of weeks, they see the difference in their children. Natasha is more willing to help wash the dishes and has a better attitude toward those dreaded chores in general.

Maks, their 9-year-old who had gotten mad at his dad at one point during their visit, saw children who didn’t have a dad and realized how thankful he was that he has a dad who loves him.

Lev saw how happy the kids were with what little they had, and he realized that he needed to not complain but be thankful for what he has.

Candace trusts that God will use this experience to impact her kids.

“I don’t think any child is too young to go see and experience poverty. It broadens your point of view, and I don’t think there’s a difference between a 9-year-old and a 29-year-old.

“My 9-year-old won’t forget that experience. It has planted a seed in my kids’ hearts to help the needy, to help the poor, and to do whatever it is that God has called them to.”

Not all of us have a chance to go on a trip to the developing world with our children. But there are many ways to begin teaching our kids about poverty and about God’s heart for those in need. You can talk to your kids about the child you sponsor and pray together for him or her. You can have your kids write letters to your sponsored child and ask questions about their daily lives.

Or check out our other resources for kids at our Kids Corner.

What about you? What have you done to teach your kids about the needs around the world? What changes have you noticed in your children as a result?

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates