Farming can be a tough way to make a living. Harsh weather, drought, and quick changes in seasons can spell an early end to a year’s worth of work. In Kenya, farming and agriculture is a source of livelihood for many families. Many parents at our Baraka site are farmers, and can only work when the conditions are right. It can be difficult for parents without full-time work to budget and provide for their children year round. Many people take odd jobs throughout the year to try to make ends meet.

Family Circle members at our Baraka site, comprised of parents and guardians of sponsored children, meet regularly to discuss their family budgets. Many members began to discuss ways to supplement their income, and began researching different business ventures. They discovered that raising chickens, a very common practice in Baraka, can be turned into a profitable small business with a little extra effort. Chickens are easy to raise, provide extra nutrition for the family, and both chicks and eggs can be sold for a profit.

The families were all motivated to start their small businesses raising chicks, and were eager to get started. The biggest challenged they faced was that most members had difficulty accessing enough healthy chicks to get started.

Thanks to the support of our kind donors, the Family Circle members received a group incubator through our gift catalogue! They also received extra live chicks to help get them started. The incubator is able to hold 528 eggs. It takes about one month for the eggs to hatch, so that means up to an astounding 6,336 chicks can be hatched a year!

The incubator was installed at a central local farm for security and easy accessibility. Members from 23 Family Circles are able to bring their eggs for hatching for those who already have hens that are laying eggs, and live chicks were given to families just starting out. By the end of next year, it’s expected that the majority of the families at our Baraka site with have no less than 50 chickens on their farms! They will be in the position to earn extra income and to supplement their children’s nutrition with protein rich eggs.

Want to give the gift of chicks to a family in need? Chicks are one of our most popular items from our gift catalogue. Give a chick- help change a life. 

Khrystyna is a creative, smart and hardworking young lady from our Ternopil site in the Ukraine. She has endured many hardships from a young age. Her father passed away when she was very young, and shortly afterwards her mother was diagnosed with cancer. All of the family’s savings was spent on her mother’s treatments, and it was very difficult to make ends meet.

When Khrystyna was 11, she was accepted into Chalice’s sponsorship program and was chosen by a generous sponsor shortly after. Although Khrystyna’s life has been anything but easy, she continues to persevere. She’s incredibly motivated and has always shown a thirst for knowledge.

Thanks to the support of her kind sponsor, she was able to pursue her interest in art and discovered she had a special talent for it. For six years, she attended an art school and competed in various art competitions, winning several prizes for her work.

Khrystyna reached her educational goals and now studies at the National University in Ukraine, majoring in Fine Arts. She has written and published two scientific articles about art, and many of her paintings are now showcased in art galleries throughout Ternopil.

Khrystyna is looking forward towards the future and is incredibly thankful she was able to complete her education and pursue her talents. She believes she was able to achieve so much thanks to the support of sponsorship and her sponsor’s strong encouragement.

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Nutrition is the foundation to a healthy life. Kids who eat healthy, well-balanced meals every day have the fuel to excel. Nourished children learn better in class, and have the energy to laugh, run, and play. In communities near our CMAVIL site in Paraguay, healthy eating isn’t always common knowledge. Many parents come from a background where they never learned healthy eating habits. It can be hard for busy mothers to make sure their children get the proper nourishment, especially those without access to resources or education.

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Theresa, from Serenje, Zambia, had to leave her mother and father when she was very young. Theresa comes from a large family, and has three sisters and five brothers. Her parents, who work as farmers, cannot provide for all of their children, especially when rainfall is scarce and crops are poor. When Theresa’s older brother was old enough for a job of his own, he took Theresa and one of her sisters to live with him, his wife, and their child in another town.

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This September, we’ve heard many inspiring back-to-school stories from our sites. Kind donors have made it possible for many classrooms to be stocked with essential school supplies, and sponsorship allows children to attend school with the proper care and nourishment they need to thrive.

Our sites are dedicated to making sure every single child gets the support needed to shine in the classroom. For some children, this means extra study time and tutoring, or specific equipment needed for school. Site staff and teachers pay close attention to make sure students are successful!

Franco, 13, is from our Levetante Mujer site in Bolivia. For the past few years, Franco had been falling behind in his classes. He didn’t seem to understand material written on the board, and constantly complained of headaches and blurry vision. He was frustrated with his classes, and wasn’t excited to go to school in the mornings.

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