1.
The children we hope to impact:
In the community of Ravelo we are working
with 300 children. This is the number of children that were originally
registered for the child sponsorship program in 2002. Of the 300
children, 182 have sponsors.
These particular children were chosen because
they are of school age (between the ages of 5 and 19 years old)
and are from poor families. They, along with their parents, also
demonstrated a desire to improve their lives with the help of
FHI’s Child Development Program (CDP).
Our strategy for impacting the lives of
these children and their parents involves 3 levels of communication
– communication at the community level, communication within
target groups, and communication within personal one-on-one relationships.
By using these 3 levels of communication,
we hope to help participating children and parents develop healthy
lifestyles and eventually see their community transformed. Through
mass communication media such as informational campaigns, we aim
to reach all 300 registered children and their parents with information
about a specific theme, such as the importance of washing your
hands. Within the context of smaller groups of 20 to 30 children
we teach information about the specific theme at a deeper level,
such as how to wash your hands and when to wash your hands. Through
personal relationships that have been built via participation
in the mass communication events and small group classes, CDP
staff encourage the children and parents to apply their new knowledge.
For example, during a home visit the CDP staff may follow up on
the child’s habit of hand washing and might use the opportunity
to practice hand washing with the child in his home environment.
Our objective this year in Ravelo is to
obtain sponsors for all 300 children. Through mass communication
campaigns we hope to spread new knowledge and ideas that will
promote spiritual, educational, health, and social development.
At the group level we hope to impact 60
children, in 3 groups of 20 children each. Each group with participate
in “kids’ club” where they will learn at a deeper
level information that will promote spiritual, educational, health,
and social development.
At the personal relationship level we hope
to impact 30 children. As we interact with the child on an individual
basis through home visits, we encourage him to apply the ideas
he is learning in order to have a healthier lifestyle and further
develop in all areas.
Each year the children that are invited
to participate in the “kid’s club” and who receive
focused attention through personal relationships are rotated so
that eventually all of the children will be able to participate.
The CDP activities described above are
open to all of the children in the community. For annual activities
such as the distribution of school supplies and the distribution
of gifts to celebrate Children’s Day, we discussed with
community leaders the best way to distribute these materials without
creating division between sponsored and non-sponsored children.
2.
Needs
In Ravelo, very few children know Jesus
as their personal savior. The local culture is steeped in worship
of Mother Earth and celebrations that only reinforce their life
of poverty. Out of the 300 children, only 3% attend a Christian
church each week. Outside of CDP activities, the rest don’t
have any opportunity to hear about God. For this reason, one of
our goals is to increase church attendance among the children
we impact.
Children in Ravelo suffer from respiratory
illnesses and diarrhea at an extremely high rate. This is due
mainly to the poor hygiene habits practiced in the community.
For example, out of the 300 children, only 5% have an established
habit of washing their hands. Our goal this year is to promote
the habit of washing hands through “kids’ club”
classes and home visits.
Most families in Ravelo do not have a supportive
environment for healthy child development. Out of 153 families,
99% struggle with at least one problem, whether it be domestic
violence, alcoholism, or having enough food to feed the family.
Our goal this year is strengthen family relationships through
training sessions with parents and providing family counseling.
3.
Barriers
One of the principal barriers impeding
the children’s spiritual development is the lack of an established
church with a Sunday School program in the community of Ravelo.
The “church” as it stands is a group of 5 families
that meet together to share God’s Word. For this reason
the children of Ravelo have very limited opportunities to hear
about God.
Other barriers impede the children’s
physical development, specifically in the area of hygiene. One
is the lack of access to potable water. Very few families have
a water faucet bringing water directly into their home, and they
have to go to the public spigot or well for water, which may or
may not be safe for drinking. Because of the burden of carrying
water from a distance, water is usually used only for basic needs
(such as drinking and cooking) in the home, and not for cleaning.
Another barrier is the lack of hygiene habits, such as washing
hands and bathing. This barrier and the resulting traditional
practices causes children to get sick often.
The principal barrier affecting children’s
social development is the widespread consumption of alcohol. Traditionally,
fathers take advantage of any social opportunity (festivals, celebrations,
etc.) to drink. 78% of the families in Ravelo have struggle with
alcoholism. Understandably, this causes problems between family
members, domestic violence being the main one. This barrier prevents
children from having a supportive environment to grow up in.
4.
Expected results (our objectives)
The results we hope to achieve this year
are:
Church leaders initiate a Sunday school
program for children.
The children have a personal relationship with God and demonstrate
this in their lives.
The children adopt the habit of regularly
washing their hands.
Stronger family relationships that promote
a supportive environment for children’s development.
5.
Indicators (our goals)
The initiation of 1 Sunday School program
within the church.
Increase weekly church attendance among the 300 children from
3% to 5%.
Increase the percentage of children in
the habit of regularly washing their hands from 5% to 7%.
Decrease the incidence of domestic violence,
alcoholism, and not having enough food by increasing the percentage
of families with stronger relationships from 1% to 11%.
6.
Principal activities:
Train 60 children in Biblical foundations,
nutrition, and handwashing.
Train 30 parents in nutrition, handwashing, and ideas for strengthening
their families.
Hold 1 education campaign for community leaders and parents to
promote the value of children’s education in order to increase
school attendance.
Hold 1 health campaign to promote the habit of handwashing in
order to decrease the amount of illnesses.
Train 5 Sunday School teachers.
Train 15 community leaders in the value of a child’s life.
Distribute school material to 300 children in order to encourage
better school attendance and performance.
Personally visit each family of the 300 children 2 times this
year.
Through these activities we hope to help
the parents, church, and community leaders to better support and
care for the children of Ravelo. These activities will hopefully
generate a cyclical process of development in Ravelo, where the
children become agents of change in their own communities and
families. When we work directly with parents, churches, and community
leaders in the change process, we build a friendship with them
which helps them change how they think about the world, i.e. their
worldview. Ultimately, this results in a supportive environment
where the child can learn the Biblical worldview and grow holistically.
7.
Additional resources
In the community of Ravelo, other FHI programs,
such as Health and Income Generation/Agriculture, are working
with the financial aid of USAID (United States Agency for International
Development). These FHI programs work alongside CDP in the health
campaign, discipling church members, and strengthening families.
8.
Partnership Organizations
Local institutions that support our work:
The hospital performs annual medical check-ups for the children.
The municipal government supports the annual health campaign.
The local schools work alongside CDP to decrease school absenteeism
and improve child learning.
The government child protection agency works alongside CDP to
identify families with domestic violence and child abuse issues,
and support the families in solving these problems.
