Children International

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Children International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization dedicated to bettering the lives of impoverished children, their families and communities.

The organization achieves its goals primarily through child sponsorship, which unites impoverished children with individual sponsors who wish to address the children's immediate and basic needs. Sponsorship aims to give poor children the tools and opportunities necessary for success by providing benefits and supporting programs for each child – primarily in the areas of education and health.

The Children International Sponsorship Program currently benefits more than 300,000 impoverished children and their families in 11 countries, including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, the United States and Zambia.

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[edit] Sponsorship

Sponsorship is a personal way for individuals to improve the lives of needy children. Through regular contributions, sponsors help provide impoverished children with basic necessities, such as medical and dental care, educational assistance, clothing and shoes, improved living conditions and more.

[edit] What Sponsorship Provides

[edit] Medical Care

Through the Children International Sponsorship Program, children ages 11 and under receive an annual medical checkup. Those with medical conditions are treated promptly, given any necessary tests and medication, and referred to specialists as needed. Ongoing care is provided at the sponsorship center medical clinics, which treat everything from common respiratory infections to chicken pox.

[edit] Education

Children eligible to enter school are provided with benefits intended to help their parents overcome the financial restrictions that might prevent their children from enrolling in school – items such as school fees, backpacks and other supplies, and even school uniforms and shoes in some cases.

Children who are not yet enrolled in school have access to sponsorship centers, which are often equipped with developmental games and toys and age-appropriate books they can use.

[edit] Clothing and Other Material Benefits

Sponsorship provides children with material benefits like new clothing, shoes and household goods. When items like clothing and shoes become too small for the sponsored children, they often pass them on to younger siblings.

[edit] Youth Program

The Children International Youth Program gives children ages 12 and older the chance to focus on leadership, life skills, community service, civic involvement and other social values. The program aims to involve youth in positive activities that boost their self-esteem and social competence, while creating visible change among their communities and peers.

Youth also have the chance to take part in fun events and activities such as athletics, theater, music and educational field trips.

[edit] Dental Care

Impoverished families often go without quality dental care in order to pay for more pressing needs like food and housing. Sometimes, dental care isn’t even available in their communities.

Dental clinics can be found at most Children International sponsorship centers. Providing dental services isn’t just about keeping children’s teeth and gums clean; it’s crucial to proper nutrition, overall health and good self-esteem. Regular dental screenings and appropriate follow-up care provide key health benefits for many sponsored children.

In locations without a regular dental program, medical staff monitor for potential problems and frequently refer children to dentists or specialists when treatment is needed.

[edit] Nutritional Aid

Children International checks all sponsored children for signs of malnutrition during their routine medical checkups. Those who are seriously malnourished are enrolled in the Children International Nutrition Program, where they may be provided with emergency food, vitamins and other support. Children, their parents and other family members may also receive dietary guidance such as food-handling and preparation classes, nutrition games and materials, and even instruction on how to grow healthy gardens.

[edit] Family Assistance

Children International helps ensure families have access to a network of support during disasters, emergencies or in those cases when serious life events threaten families’ well-being. Food, clothing and other emergency relief is often available, along with counseling assistance and crisis management. The goal is to create long-term stability for sponsored families, so several sponsorship centers offer opportunities like micro-enterprise loans, skills training and community awareness programs to help families improve their economic situations.

[edit] Affiliates

Aura's House works with Children International on Small Scale, Doable Projects.
Lift One Project For sponsors with the desire to inspire, create your very own webpage to recruit sponsors to help more children.

[edit] External links

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