Dylan and I spent Thursday focused on the activities of Compassion International. We visited the headquarters of Compassion Ecuador where we were warmly welcomed. We also visited a project in Quito that has a Child Survival Program. And ended the day at dinner with 3 Leadership Development Program students.
Most people think of the Child Development Program (child sponsorship) when they think of Compassion International. Rightly so as that is Compassion's first and largest program. My family sponsors 10 children: 3 in Ecuador, 3 in El Salvador, 2 in Rwanda, and one each in India and Ethiopia. Once children reach the age of 4 they are eligible for sponsorship through programs run by local churches in country. Compassion does not send westerners to run the programs but joins with and supports local churches in this ministry.
Compassion Ecuador coordinates the work of Compassion in country and works with the central office in Colorado Springs to ensure that at least 80% of money donated goes directly to support the children - using 20% or less for overhead and marketing. Compassion is one of the most efficient charitable organizations you can support.
While visiting the corporate office we met with Fernando, the President of Compassion Ecuador. A civil engineer by training and former government ministry official, Fernando has dedicated over ten years to leading the efforts of Compassion in Ecuador.
Dylan and I were also fortunate to reconnect with Malena who was our family translator when we visited in 2003. Malena now works at Compasson Ecuador headquarters coordinating the translation of letters and materials sent to sponsored children. We presented her with a Butler Bulldogs t-shirt probably at the same time Butler was playing Old Dominion in the NCAA tournament. (The Dawgs won on a tip in at the buzzer I would later learn!)
Then it was time to head out to the project with the Child Survival Program.
The folks at Compassion International recognized a significant need for children under age 4, hence the development of the Child Survival Program. We were welcomed by roughly 30 participating mothers with their children. They were so beautiful, it made you want to take them all home! We learned that the participating mothers and their children come to the project twice a month and receive weekly visits from Compassion volunteers. The mothers learn about child nutrition and health, activities to help stimulate the child's physical and mental development, and even such seemingly simple things as the importance of keeping a clean home to provide a healthy environment for their children. The mothers also receive monthly food packages and babies are monitored for potential health and development issues.
Our group was divided into teams of five and we were invited by mothers to visit them in their homes. Carmen and her five month old baby, Vamelita (?), graciously invited us into her home. So after a 10 minute trip bouncing along on the back of a truck we arrived in a very poor section of Quito. It felt very rural despite being located in a major city. Pigs staked in some yards. Chickens roaming nearby. A few dogs curiously watching us.
Carmen's home consisted of two rooms. A bedroom with two beds, a light bulb in the middle of the ceiling (so they had electricity), and a clothes line strung diagonally across the room. The small kitchen had table with a propane stove. No indoor plumbing. The water was from a pump outside as was the bathroom. Both were shared with the landlord who lived next door. Carmen is 20, married for 1 year, and has only one child. She moved from a rural area 8 hours away by car to Quito at age 16 to work to help support her family. She worked as a waitress (below minimum wage with no tips) until she married. Her husband is a construction helper day laborer working whenever he can. When he works full time he earns $60 per week. But of course, it is very difficult to find work.
In our visit Carmen shared how much participating in the Child Survival Program has helped her learn to appropriately take care of her baby - information she has shared with her sister (her only family member in the area). One Valmelita reaches age 4, she will automatically be enrolled in the Compassion project and be eligible to be sponsored.
In the evening, we learned about Compassion's work at the other end of the age spectrum - the Leadership Development Program. Compassion children who excel academically can become part of the LDP. Sponsors can support them as they attend college and study in the field of their choice. We met three young women studying in Quito. One, Evelyn, was studying law. The other two were engineering students (Petroleum and Electrical). That caught Dylan's attention! He was able to chat with the two engineering students about his engineering studies as well as their studies. Great fun! All three LDP students had been sponsored children and connected with Compassion since they were 4 or 5 years old.
Fernando, President of Compassion Ecuador.
Dylan, Malena, Jay
Our Compassion Ecuador Adventure Team
One of the many beautiful children at the Child Survival Program.
Another beautiful child and mother in the CSP.
Carmen and Valmelita at the project
On the way to Carmen's home.
Our fearless leader, Becca, and I hanging on in the back of the truck!
Carmen and Valmelita at home. Note the propane stove in the small kitchen in the background. No furniture other than two beds to sit on and a wicker wardrobe.
So Thursday was a day when we saw the many ways that Compassion International works with sponsors to impact the lives of poor children around the world from the womb to college! Makes me proud to be a Compasson Sponsor.
I will post additional pictures in another blog post.
