Sponsorship Builds Communities - Brick By Brick

In Haiti, life is a daily struggle. Some people may have a small amount of food in their home for a daily meal, but most don't. Each day is uncertain. Will they be able to find a way to earn some money today? Will their kids go hungry again?

Sponsorship gives parents a little security and peace of mind to know they can meet the basic needs of their family. Since the implementation of our family funding model of funds distribution, which deposits funds directly into the family's bank account, parents are learning how to budget and how to save a few Haitian gourdes each quarter. Understanding their finances gives parents the confidence to plan for their future.

Ange-Dala is a bright and positive sponsored girl in our Haiti North sponsor site. Before she was sponsored, her family struggled each day and life was full of uncertainty. Now every quarter her family receives her sponsorship benefits which are used for her school needs and food. A small sum is saved each quarter to buy cement and sand to make bricks. Over time, brick by brick, the family has turned their small, cramped two-room mud house into a four-room house that is safer and has enough room to accommodate her six-member family.

The house still isn't complete, but every quarter they grow closer to their goal. Once the house is finished they will work toward a new project or item which will continue to raise their quality of life.

Just like this house, the sponsorship program works together with other Chalice projects and programs to build up communities, brick by brick. A child is sponsored and they can go to school, or because their school needs are covered, their sibling can now go to school. The family can budget and purchase basic necessities, secure in the knowledge that the sponsorship money will be there again next quarter. Through membership in their Chalice family circle, they learn the importance of saving and how to start their own small business, which brings confidence and more security to the family. More businesses mean that community members can now get products and services in their own communities.

As we layer in other programs like school feeding, gift catalog, and projects that build safer homes, sanitary latrines, schools, wells, and community centers, the impact becomes exponential.

Brick by brick, with sponsorship at the core, lives are changed every day. Thank you for everything that you do, thank you for your support, thank you for bringing Christ to the poor and the poor to Christ.