Photo Friday: Our top 5 “New Year’s Inspiration” Photos!

Welcome to Photo Friday! Each Friday, we share photo collections of our favourite shots from our sponsor sites around the world.

It’s 2021, and a new year has just begun! Many of us have made new year’s resolutions of all kinds; to get outdoors more often, to spend more time on hobbies, or to continue to spread God’s love and help others.

This week, we’re sharing a photo collection of children and families from our sites practicing healthy, positive habits! Many of these great habits were made possible thanks to the support of sponsorship and donations made to our other projects and programs. We hope these top 5 “New Year’s Inspiration” photos will motivate you to continue or adopt your own healthy habits this year!

#5: Get more physical activity!

These boys from our Santiago site in Chile love staying active with exercise equipment! They attend a school for children with motor and intellectual impairments. Equipment such as exercise balls help the children improve their motor skills in physical therapy. The support the school receives from donations through our gift catalogue and other programs has been essential for the success of their students.

#4: Eat more veggies!

At our CMAVIL site in Paraguay, sponsored children get their fill of fresh vegetables from the community center’s small garden! Children help tend to the garden and harvest the vegetables, which are incorporated into the meals served at the center’s daily lunch program. Delicious and nutritious!

#3: Learn a new skill!

We love seeing hard-working parents and guardians learn useful skills that will help them provide a better life for their families. Lourdes’ mother was skilled in the art of sewing traditional Bolivian women’s clothing, and passed down that skill to Lourdes. For many years, she ran her own business out of her home, sewing skirts and other garments by hand and with a small domestic sewing machine that was slow and overheated easily. It would take her three days to create one skirt.

Two years ago, Lourdes completed the ” Business for Life” entrepreneurship training program through our Guadalupe site. When she graduated, she invested her seed money into a larger, stronger sewing machine, and quickly learned to use it. Now, she can sew a skirt in two days!

#2: DIY- and save $!

“Growing our own food has helped me to save our own money,” says Junali, from our Assam site in India. In 2019, mothers of sponsored children were encouraged to start their own small gardens as a part of goal-setting in their Family Circles. In the beginning they were hesitant, but later, they felt accomplished! “I used my free time and it did not cost me much. I enjoy the fresh leaves and vegetables,” one mother says. Gita, another mother, explains that there are “no pesticides, its organic. I feel happy and I could save some money.“

#1: Get organized!

Sofiya lives with her mom, Luba, dad and three siblings near our Ternopil site in Ukraine. Her parents were so proud when they bought their own home, but their daily expenses prevented them from purchasing enough furniture. They could not afford a wardrobe, and so clothes were always folded on the floor. Despite their best efforts, the rooms never looked tidy.

Through gift catalogue donations, Chalice supporters “helped us fulfill a long cherished dream of getting a wardrobe for our family” writes Luba. The children each chose a shelf of their own, and even cleaned their shoes before putting them away. “They have learned to fold and hang their clothes. The room is always tidy and the children are very pleased!”

Follow Chalice on Facebook and Instagram for daily updates from our sponsor sites, impact stories, and more! Be sure to check back next week for another Photo Friday.