The children we serve know what it’s like to go without or hold back on dreams. But thanks to our global community of Child Champions, these same children now know what it’s like to rest in God’s promises and rise above their circumstances. While the COVID-19 pandemic intensified the lack that many poor families already face, Child Champions in the 14 countries where OneChild works dug deep and quickly mobilized to safeguard children, provide relief, and deliver hope in their hard places.
Hygiene Training in the Dominican Republic
Wherever OneChild serves, Child Champions help children and families prevent and reduce the spread of a host of illnesses. Here, a girl sanitizes her hands with supplies from her Hope Center.
Staying Connected Online in the Philippines
Child Champions managed social media groups to maintain strong communication with children and their families. Families shared photos and videos of their kids completing their Hope Center lessons and participating in virtual games. Other Child Champions created a Sunday school program for the kids on a YouTube channel. Here, a sponsored child proudly shows the assignments she completed at home.
Sponsored During Quarantine
Nothing — not even a year of COVID-19 — can darken the smiles of these two Honduran sisters, Cleymi and Yesli. The girls were sponsored this year and are two of the nearly 42,000 kids supported by OneChild worldwide. Even in the challenging times of 2020, sponsors’ generosity and prayers helped OneChild open eight additional Hope Centers and register 1,500 new kids!
Nurture and Nourishment for Babies in Kenya
During the height of the pandemic, the dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and staff at New Life Children’s Home for abandoned babies in Nairobi chose not to return to their own families so they could provide 24/7 care to the center’s vulnerable babies.
Reaching Out with Phone Calls in Honduras
When they couldn’t meet in person, Child Champions encouraged and prayed with their children through regular phone calls. When 7-year-old Lester lost his father, Child Champions provided him and his mother, Mercedes, with food relief and connected him with Orfa, a psychologist who counseled the family by phone.
Thank You Generous Sponsors and Donors
In many countries, the coronavirus crisis devastated incomes for daily wage earners such as construction workers, food vendors, and transportation workers. In Lebanon, the situation has been even more devastating. Unrest and protests from 2019 intensified issues in 2020. An explosion that rocked Beirut in 2020 led to near civil war as protesters continued to demand a new government, and the country’s currency collapsed, making it even harder for families to buy basics like bread and milk with their hard-earned wages. Generous sponsors and donors stepped up and donated to the Children’s Crisis Fund, which allowed Child Champions in all 14 countries where OneChild works to purchase, package, and deliver emergency supplies to at-risk families. Supplies were customized for each country and included items like rice, vegetables, cooking oil, dried fish, beans, eggs, milk, vitamins, soap, and hand sanitizer.
