2017 Fall Sponsorship Issue

CHILD SPONSORSHIP EDITION | FALL 2017

12 >> FEATURE STORY

THE DREAMERS

For children growing up in a garbage dump in Mongolia, school is a place to dream.

6 >> ISSUE FOCUS Empowering communities to prevent domestic violence.

24 >> PERSPECTIVES Seeing first-hand how sponsors change the lives of children.

8 >> WHERE ARE THEY NOW What seven years of sponsorship looks like for one young family in Thailand.

Holt International Sponsorship Magazine | Fall 2017

in this issue

6 8

6 Issue Focus How sponsors empower women and children to break free of domestic violence.

8 This Change Won’t Stop With Us

12

What seven years of sponsorship looks like for one family in Thailand.

12 The Dreamers For children growing up in a garbage dump in Mongolia, school is a place to dream.

18 A Real Connection What happens when one Holt donor sees first-hand the impact of sponsorship.

27 Ten Way to Get Kids Involved Sponsorship can be a great way to teach children about giving back.

28 Then and Now

18

One class of sponsored girls in India prepares for graduation.

27

28

Cover Photo: A student at the Red Stone School in Mongolia, 11-year-old Otgontugs and his family also received a new home this past summer as a gift from a visiting team of Holt donors. With the support of his sponsor, Otgontugs receives everything from nutritious meals and school supplies to clean uniforms and warm clothes, including the Holt sweatshirt he wears in this photo. Photo by Daniel Hespen.

Holt International seeks a world where every child has a loving and secure home. Since our founding in 1956, we have worked toward our vision through programs that strengthen and preserve families that are at risk of separation; by providing critical care and support to orphaned and vulnerable children; and by leading the global community in finding families for children who need them and providing the pre- and post-adoption support and resources they need to thrive. Always, we focus on each child’s unique needs — keeping the child’s best interest at the forefront of every decision. Visit holtinternational.org to learn more.

Holt International Magazine is produced in print and online by Holt International, a nonprofit child welfare organization founded on Christian principles. While Holt International is responsible for the content of Holt International Magazine, the viewpoints expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the organization. Copyright ©2017 by Holt International. ISSN 1047-764

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[ FROM THE PRESIDENT ]

Phil (left) joins Holt’s director of Mongolia programs (right) on a visit to a family in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

It is more of a blessing to give than to receive.

Every time I hear these words, I think of the joy that sponsorship has brought my family.

I think of how every time we receive updates about the two girls we sponsor in Vietnam and Cambodia, we read them together — eager to discover what new skills they’ve learned, and reassured to know that because of our monthly gifts, they continue to thrive in the loving care of their families.

In this issue of the Holt sponsorship magazine, several Holt sponsors share their stories, and they too use these familiar words to describe what inspires their ongoing commitment to love and care for an orphaned or vulnerable child.

As sponsors, we are so blessed to witness how our gifts create miracles in the lives of our sponsored children — to see the light return to their eyes, and to watch them grow healthy and lively and all the things a child should be.

As sponsor Tami Glasco says so perfectly on page 11, “If we are willing to give, we can share in that impact. We can experience the reality first hand that it truly IS more of a blessing to

give than to receive.”

Because you give, you share in the impact sponsorship has in the lives of children like Mew and Nan in Thailand, whose story on page 8 illustrates how seven consistent years of sponsor support can empower a struggling family to become a model of success in their community.

Because you give, you share in the impact sponsorship has in the life of a child like 9-yearold Munkhbold in Mongolia, whose story is featured on page 12. Munkhbold spent most of his childhood digging through garbage to help support his family, but because of sponsors like you, he is now in school — and loving every moment.

Because you give, you help women and children escape domestic violence — the topic of our issue focus — and you help at-risk girls graduate high school, like those featured on page 28.

Your sponsorship is powerful beyond belief.

And whether you are a new Holt sponsor, or have sponsored for many years, I hope and pray that you feel the same joy every time you receive an update about your sponsored child. I hope you feel truly blessed.

Phil Littleton | Adoptive Father of 3 | President & CEO

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” — Acts 20:35 3

before & after

STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

Once children are matched with sponsors who provide the resources for improved nutrition, hygiene and care, their transformation can be amazing!

age 3

age 6

age 4

age 6

age 7

age 9

ENKHZUL Mongolia

SHITA Ethiopia

In slum communities in Pune, India, space is at a premium. Many families live in less than 100 square feet, and their neighbors are stacked in single-room homes all around them. Communities of 200 or more people share a single water facet and public restroom area. Parents are eager to keep their children in sight, as children are often targeted in slum communities for trafficking and other forms of exploitation. Here, in a slum community where Holt sponsors support many chil-

BINH

dren and families, a group of boys and girls play a board game together under

Vietnam

the watchful eye of one boy’s mother.

WISH YOUR SPONSORED CHILD A MERRY CHRISTMAS! Find this package in your mailbox? This Christmas, bless your sponsored child with a personalized Christmas card, holiday gift, festive meal and celebration! Send in your card and gift by December 1.

YES!

T TO SHARE KIDS! HERE IS MY GIF SPONSORED TH NA ME/MY CHRISTM AS WI S GIFT FOR MY CHRISTMA ENCLOSED IS CHILDREN! SPONSORED NAME/YOUR

PMS 584c

PMS 583c

NAME/Y.S.C e Christmas for $XXX to provid red as for my sponso provide Christm sponsors! $____ _____ to who do not have other children child(ren) and

Donor Name ss Donor Addre Zip Donor City, State, PMS 7462c

BLACK

Source Code ID Donor ID BarCode# Fund

44 holtinternational.org

holtinternational.org/christmas

BARCODE holtint ernatio

nal.org/christ

mas

51-0732 Give online at: 97402 | 1-800-4 | Eugene, OR PO Box 2880

GIVE BY CREDIT

E SIDE

ATION ON REVERS

CARD INFORM

Dear Sponsors ARTWORK

Read the messages that Bilguun, Teddy and Wen Li wrote to their sponsors!*

by

N AT TA P O N G

Thailand, 5 years old

SPONSORED CHILDREN See what Nattapong in Thailand and Hai in Vietnam lovingly drew for their sponsors in the U.S.!

“

My name is Bilguun. I will be 18 years old soon and I study in 11th grade in public school. I enjoy reading books about science.

I have been living for 9 years in the center.

We are eating many kinds of food since Holt staff is assisting us. Thank you so much.”

Bilguun 18 years old | Mongolia

“

Dear sponsor, How are you? For me I am good. I am in top class. I am studying well.

I live with my grandparents at our home.

We have cows, goats and hens. We also have fruits. I like playing and singing. I play with my brother at home.”

HAI

Vietnam, 7 years old

Te d d y

WHY I SPONSOR

We are always curious what inspires sponsors to commit to caring for an orphaned or vulnerable child. Whatever your reason, thank you for making a huge difference in their lives!

“Because they deserve it. Because Jesus loves them and He gives me an opportunity to show them He loves them. If I can honestly make a difference in a child’s life who is less fortunate, then there’s no greater reward.”

SETH HUDGINS Tennessee

“We sponsor five boys from South Korea. They are all so precious and we just want to be a light in a world that can seem so dark for them, and give them a chance for a bright future.”

KRISTAL RUSH Virginia

“Because education is the most important thing a child can receive and I can’t imagine a child not having that because of lack of money. We sponsor a girl in India and recently paid for her school supplies and we send money monthly.

We have her picture on our refrigerator.”

RACHEL PACE Missouri

6 years old | Uganda

“

Dear Sponsor, I’m 14 years old and live with my grandmother and elder brother in a one-story house. I like to have Chinese lesson in school, which teaches me more knowledge and the truth of life. I like to listen to the music and read in spare time. I want to visit Beijing one day. I want to be a teacher when I grow up to deliver knowledge to more and more people. I go often to school by bus. I plan to learn in the technical school after I graduate.”

We n L i 15 years old | China *Letters lightly edited for clarity

5

ISSUE FOCUS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Helping Her Break Free Domestic violence is pervasive in many impoverished communities. But sponsors help moms and children restart their lives in safe, supportive environments.

L

aya’s husband abused her every night. With few job skills, education and no money, she fled from her home in Cebu to Manila to find work after she became pregnant with her third child.

But, the sprawling city was more unforgiving than she expected. She found herself homeless and alone.

That’s when she found safety and support at the Nazareth Home, a shelter that Holt donors support in Manila, Philippines for single and expectant mothers.

Among Holt’s country programs and partnerships around the world, most are not specifically designed to help children and women in situations of domestic violence. But in many cases, they are particularly effective at helping families in crisis, especially single mothers struggling to support their children after leaving an abusive situation.

And sadly, in many of the communities where Holt has programs, physical and sexual violence against women and children is a crisis that is both pervasive and rarely talked about.

There are a number of reasons why — and those reasons vary from place to place. But, generally, many developing countries lack child welfare programs, community police forces or systems of reporting abuse. In some places, women can’t open bank accounts or buy property without their spouse.

There is little awareness education

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about physical and sexual violence so many women and children don’t even realize they have rights against their abuser. Even if they did, they may live in a very isolated region or have few or no ways to report the crime. And if they do report the crime, women or their children may face violent backlash or be shamed and blamed for falling victim in the first place.

Holt Senior Vice President of Programs Caryl García says that child sponsors help to combat the prevalence of domestic violence in impoverished communities.

“Because domestic violence is so pervasive, many of our staff and partners in the U.S. and abroad educate women and children about it,” Caryl says. “Holt provides counseling services and support to women who want to start a new life. Our social workers help children, women and families find safety and recover from abuse.

We also train other organizations to keep children and women safe from domestic abuse. This way, our child sponsors are a critical part of preventing domestic violence and helping women and children escape domestic violence.”

In some cases, Holt does provide direct support to organizations whose sole focus is preventing domestic violence. Last year, Holt donors began supporting a domestic violence shelter in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia — meeting essential

Social worker Eva Cubacub watches over three sleeping babies while their moms participate in a counseling session at the Nazareth Home.

BELOW: Through our partner BSSK in Pune, India, these sponsored girls are empowered to identify and report abuse.

needs for women and children, including medical care, nutritional assistance and school supplies for children, many of whom had to leave all of their belongings behind when they fled their abuser.

In Bangalore, India, the staff of Holt’s longtime partner, Vathsalya Charitable Trust, regularly asks children whether their parents are fighting and watches for issues that could indicate violence in the home.

Across India, sexual abuse is rampant, targeting girls as young as 3, and in several communities, Holt donors support education programs that empower school-aged girls and women with knowledge about their rights, and how to recognize and report abusive actions.

Holt’s India program manager, Bhumika Tulalwar, says that while national education and community conversations around rape are ris-

“Child sponsors are a critical part of preventing domestic violence and helping women and children escape domestic violence.” ing, they are still not widespread, so the education that our partners provide is very important for women.

“Although domestic violence occurs in all settings, abused women from the slums face distinct barriers in obtaining support and services,” Bhumika says, quoting a report from our partner Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK). “They are especially at risk of poor health outcomes.

Slum environments are characterized by low socio-economic status, unhealthy living conditions, and lack of basic services. These aspects play a role in women’s vulnerability to abuse and their inability to break free from abusive relationships.”

In other parts of India, Holt sponsors support children who live at a boarding school in Dehli — a safe haven for girls who come from violent

or unstable backgrounds — and in Pune, a community center run by our partner BSSK offers educational summer camps for children and teens that openly address gender-based violence, rape culture and abuse awareness as part of their activities.

Bhumika says teaching children about victim blaming is an important part of their curriculum.

“Women who are victims of domestic abuse feel that the abuse is their fault and she has made a mistake,” Bhumika says. “Broken marriages, single women and divorce are stigmatized in the Indian culture. Many women prefer to keep silence in the best interest of their children. But domestic abuse has far-reaching psychological effects on children. They may consider abuse ‘normal’ and are more likely to be abusive or abused in their marital relationships.”

Laya already had two children — a 4-year-old and a 5-year-old — when she sought refuge at Nazareth Home in Manila.

This shelter is one of very few for women facing unplanned pregnancies, and the shelter staff helped Laya receive some formal training to hone her skills as a beautician.

They connected her with additional social services, gave her a free place to stay while she got her feet back under her, and helped her make a parenting plan for her baby and two children. At Nazareth Home, Laya met Angelica, a young woman who ran away from home to escape her stepfather’s continuous abuse.

When Angelica found out she was pregnant, she didn’t know what to do or where to go, but Nazareth Home welcomed her with love and compassion. While Laya chose to parent her baby, Angelica made an adoption plan for her child.

In so many ways, Holt sponsors help women in hard situations.

These are just a few examples, because the programs you support are all unique to the community they are in. Because of you, women and children have more hopeful futures.

Billie Loewen | Creative Lead

holtinternational.org 7

Because of their Holt sponsors, Mew and Nan receive educational support and even get little gifts like these stuffed animals for their birthdays. But most importantly, support from their sponsors allowed them to remain in the care of their mom and dad.

THIS CHANGE

WON’T STOP WITH US What seven years of sponsorship looks like for one young family in Thailand.

T

wenty-eight-year-old Malee sits with ankles crossed behind her on the teal tiled floor of her home in southern Thailand.

Tears stream down her face as she speaks, while her youngest daughter sits in her lap, reaching up with a tissue to wipe away each of her mom’s tears as they fall.

“You have always been very caring and sincere, asking about our life and our children,” Malee says to her social worker, Mick, who sits on the floor with Malee and her family.

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“Others look at us as something unimportant, but we always feel very important when we are with you.”

Malee and her husband, Vit, first met Mick seven years ago, when they were referred to Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF) — an organization that Holt first partnered with over 40 years ago when we began serving vulnerable children and families in Thailand. Today, with the support of Holt sponsors and donors, HSF provides a broad range of services, from vocational training

to training foster families to caring for women and young couples who are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy and empowering them with the counsel and resources they need to plan for the future.

This was how HSF staff first met Malee and Vit. They weren’t yet married and it was Malee’s junior year at a local university when she could no longer keep her pregnancy a secret.

“Once my belly was bigger and bigger, my roommate told me that we

“Others look at us as something unimportant, but we always feel very important when we are with you.” cannot wait,” Malee says through tears.

“So when I was seven months pregnant, we went to see the social worker.”

It’s surreal to sit here on the floor as Malee and Vit tell their story, because as they do, their two beautiful daughters sit with them, snuggled up in their laps. Their home — the last in a row of bottom-floor apartments — is simple, but neat and clean. The four of them share one bed that completely fills the space in their one small bedroom. Stuffed animals are perfectly lined up on the top edge of their couch. Malee is a physical therapy assistant at the hospital, and Vit works at the same hospital, transferring patients to their rooms.

They are a stable, peaceful, content family of four.

But it almost didn’t turn out this way. When Malee got pregnant, neither she nor Vit — who is two years younger than Malee — had a steady job. They didn’t have any family support. In fact, their families didn’t

even know they were pregnant. They didn’t know how they could provide for a child. As in many countries where Holt works, a strong stigma against unwed pregnancy endures in Thailand, and Vit and Malee felt ashamed. Friends and family looked down on them, and offered them no support. They felt completely alone.

During this time, they regularly met with Mick, who showed them compassion as she walked them through each step of their pregnancy. With Mick’s counsel, Malee and Vit decided that placing their baby in temporary foster care was their best option.

But everything changed the moment their daughter was born.

“Once I saw her,” says Vit, “how could we leave our responsibility and have somebody else care for the baby?”

“He could not let the baby go,” Malee adds, remembering Vit as a new father.

Today, that baby — Mew— is 7 years old. Vit and Malee got mar-

ried, and two years later they had another daughter, Nan, who is now 5. Mew and Nan both have glossy black hair pulled partly back on each side by two yellow hair ties. They both wear outfits featuring the sister characters from Frozen. They are polite, quiet, sweet and offer shy, excited smiles to the visitors who have come to their home.

After Mew was born, HSF worked with Holt’s team in the U.S. to pair them with a sponsor whose monthly support would help them raise their daughter. They joined HSF’s formula program — a program for parents of children 2 years old and younger that provides baby essentials and infant formula for mothers who cannot breastfeed their babies either because they are new to our program and are malnourished themselves, or because they work during the day.

As Malee returned to school to try and finish her degree and Vit stayed home with their new daughter, the CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

»

LEFT: Leaders of HSF’s teen parent group, Vit and Malee are glad for the opportunity to share what they have learned with other young parents.

BOTTOM: Nan (left) and Mew cherish each piece of mail they receive from their sponsors.

9

When Malee and Vit first learned they were pregnant with their oldest daughter, they didn’t think they’d have the resources to care for her. But then they began receiving support from Holt sponsors. Today, seven years later, they are a content and stable family of four.

support was exactly what they needed. But even more invaluable was the continued guidance they received, and still receive, from Mick.

“The most important thing is feeling supported and understood by my social worker,” Malee says.

“I feel like I can consult Mick about everything. For some issues, I could not turn to anybody else.”

But also invaluable is the support they receive from their Holt sponsors.

When we ask sisters Mew and Nan if they’ve kept any of the letters they’ve received from their sponsors over the years, their mom already has them on hand. She gives a small stack of letters to each of her girls.

“No, that one’s mine!” Nan says to her sister, excitedly exchanging her stack of letters with Mew’s.

Mick laughs. “They know exactly which one is their sponsor!” she says.

Among the letters are birthday and Christmas cards, as well as well wishes for back-to-school season.

The girls proceed to show us their stuffed animals and ride a small tricycle that they keep near the back door of their kitchen — toys they received because of the support of their sponsors.

In addition to providing these fun things, their sponsors are the ones who make it possible for Mew and Nan to go to school.

“Even though we both have permanent jobs,” Malee says, “our income is not very big. So the school uniforms and school supplies help lessen the burden.”

With emotional support from their HSF social worker, and support from their daughters’ sponsors, Malee and Vit have had the space and opportunity to mature — individually and as a family.

“I could see the changes in Vit,” Malee says, reflecting on the past several years. “Now he’s a lot stronger. He’s become a very proud leader of the family. He takes care of us.”

Vit validates what she says. “I used to feel I didn’t have good self-confidence,” he shares. “But now, I feel that I am a valuable person and that is very important for me and my self-esteem.”

Similarly, Vit has seen great growth in Malee. He’s seen her grow in patience and maturity. Malee says for her, this change was motivated by two desires: to have peace in the family, and keep their family together. But they don’t want to see this change and growth stop with them.

“Because of this, we are empowered to empower others,” Vit says.

Through HSF, Vit and Malee now lead an unplanned pregnancy and young parents group through HSF — supporting young women and cou-

Mew presses her hands together and dips her head, saying “thank you” to her guests. ples facing the same challenges they themselves faced seven years ago.

During the group, they answer questions from other parents, and act as a hopeful and encouraging example.

“We want our experience and our lessons learned to be useful for others,” Malee says. “We are so proud of ourselves. It’s self-empowering for us as well.”

As we are about to leave, Mick pulls Malee and Vit aside and asks them if they were at all embarrassed by our visit — for their neighbors and community to see that they receive help. Vit skirts the question; perhaps he is slightly embarrassed.

But even if Malee and Vit were uncomfortable with their neighbors knowing, they still invited us to come. Why? Because of Holt’s generous sponsors and donors.

“When I knew that you were coming,” Vit says, “we knew that Holt International supports HSF, and donors and sponsors would be happy with us to hear our story and to know that their support makes a big difference.”

A big difference indeed.

“Thank you for sharing your story with us,” we tell them through hugs and a tearful, heartfelt goodbye.

“I must thank you more,” Vit replies, “for seven years is a long time.”

WRITTEN BY MEGAN HERRIOTT | PHOTOS BY BRIAN CAMPBELL

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Why I Sponsor

Tami with her nine grandchildren.

Holt sponsor Tami Glasco shares why she sponsors nine children, and plans to add one more at the end of the year!

I

n August of 2009, our dear friends Dusty and Missy Robinson adopted a precious little boy through Holt. From the moment we met Owen, Holt International had our hearts.

My husband and I had sponsored children through other organizations when our three daughters were growing up. It was always important to us for our children to grow up understanding how important it is to see the needs around us and look for ways to meet those needs. We are blessed to be a blessing.

When we began to have grandchildren, we knew that we wanted to pass that same understanding on to them, so we committed to sponsor a child through Holt for every grandchild that was born. By 2014, we were sponsoring three children. In July of 2014, I lost my husband in a tragic accident. I knew that continuing to sponsor children was not only a way to instill a heart of giving into our grandchildren’s lives, but also a way to honor my husband’s legacy. He was the most generous man I have ever known.

As of today, I sponsor nine children, one for each grandchild. I give each grandchild the bookmark for the Holt child sponsored in their honor. I want these

children to become real to them. I want them to pray for these children and be excited to hear an update on them. I want them to understand that these are real children with real needs. I want them to learn to see beyond themselves and realize that there are needs all around them. That is a calling that the Lord has on each of our lives — see the needs and love enough to do something about it.

Teaching my grandchildren these valuable lessons will be a process because they are still so young. At this point, they enjoy sending a family picture to our sponsored children for Christmas and their birthdays.

As they become older, I hope that they will begin to write letters to them. My prayer is that my grandchildren will have hearts tender to the needs of others.

Holt International is having a huge impact on the lives of so many children and their families. If we are willing to give, we can share in that impact. We can experience the reality first hand that it truly IS more of a blessing to give than to receive.

I am not sure how many children I will end up sponsoring, but I can tell you this — #10 will be added by the end of this year!

Tami Glasco | Brenham, TX holtinternational.org 11

ABOVE: The Ulaanchuluut landfill in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where hundreds of families live and work.

Pg.13, LEFT: After escaping a life in the dump, Baasandorj Alagaa returned to found a school for other children like him.

RIGHT: For the first time last year, 9-year-old Munkhbold started going to school.

THE DREAMERS FOR CHILDREN LIVING IN A GARBAGE DUMP IN MONGOLIA, THE FUTURE HELD L I T T L E T O L O O K F O R WA R D T O U N T I L O N E D AY, O N E O F T H E I R O W N G R E W U P, AND OPENED A SCHOOL JUST FOR THEM. WRITTEN BY ROBIN MUNRO | PHOTOS BY DANIEL HESPEN

Y

ou smell, says the teacher. You can’t wear dirty clothes to school.

You can’t learn anything. You don’t belong here.

You belong to the garbage.

On the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, high above the city at the crest of a hill, a land of discarded waste sprawls over miles and miles, shrouded by a heavy cloud of toxic dust. This wasteland, this dumping ground for a million people’s garbage, is a living place, teeming with animals and people who pick through the refuse to gather whatever they can find to survive. A rotten loaf of bread. A bone with some meat on it. Plastic or glass or metal that can be recycled for money. To get first pick at the discarded food in the trucks that arrive at dawn, some people sleep here, using cardboard and old tires to block the icy night wind. To stay warm, they burn tires and trash, breathing noxious smoke into their lungs. In winter, when they climb up on the trucks, some of them slip and fall to their deaths. In summer, when it is hot and damp, some of them get life-threatening infections.

Some of them — a lot of them — have known no other life, no other place. They are just children, growing up in garbage.

“Most of the people who live in the garbage dump come from the countryside,” explains Baasandorj Alagaa, who two years ago founded a school — the Red Stone School — for the children growing up in the Ulaanchuluut, or “Red Stone,” landfill. “Either they have lost their livestock or simply they have no work. They come to the city with nothing. They can’t find a job. And their education is zero.

They eat from the garbage because that is the only place they can go. And the children are eating from the garbage, too.”

Baasandorj — “Baaska” — is a man in his early 40s, youthful looking in a leather bomber jacket and sunglasses beneath the brim of a New York Yankees cap. At first glance, he seems an unlikely person to have founded a nonprofit organization and an alternative school for children living in some of the worst poverty anyone can imagine. But Baaska’s story is their story.

He, too, grew up in garbage.

“I know their life,” he says. “I am one

of these children because I was orphaned and I grew up digging in the dump.” But then one day, after 10 years living in the dump, Baaska decided “that’s enough for me.” He started attending church, and with the help of missionaries, Baaska finished school and then college and ultimately, he earned a master’s degree in social work — hoping to help others who have lived the same hard life that he has.

“I started going to church in 1998, and my life started changing,” he says. “By going to church, I was able to believe in life, become confident, and that there are still people in this world who love me, who will protect me. While I was going to church, I studied at Ulaanbaatar University, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, and became a social worker. Since then, I established the Red Stone NGO.” Baaska is humble, and the way he quickly glosses over his educational achievements makes them sound like no big deal — like the only thing holding him back for so long was sheer lack of will. But for children who live and work in the dump, CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

»

13

ABOVE LEFT: Until recently, Munkhbold and his family lived inside a cramped and poorly insulated shed.

MIDDLE: In May, Holt donors traveled to Mongolia to build a new home, a traditional ger, for four vulnerable families, including Munkhbold’s family.

RIGHT: Munkhbold (far right) with his mom and three siblings.

Pg.15, TOP RIGHT: Children attend a special weekend activity at Red Stone School.

14 holtinternational.org

attending school is no easy feat. There are no yellow buses to come pick them up from the dump and drive them the three miles to the nearest school. Because many of their families migrated from the countryside, they can’t register to attend one of Ulaanbaatar’s public schools — schools that are already overcrowded, with kids attending in 4-hour shifts of 50 or 60 students to a class. Even if they could register their children, expenses like books, uniforms and supplies are well beyond the means of families who dig through trash for a living. Reliable shoes are another expense that parents can hardly afford, and in winter, when temperatures dip to 40 degrees below zero, they worry about their children getting frostbite on the long walk to school.

Some children overcome these obstacles, trudging through ice and snow in flimsy, filthy clothes just to get an education. But what they face inside the classroom is in some ways far worse than any of the other roadblocks that stood in their way.

“They get teased at school by the other kids,” explains Baaska. “They get teased because they smell, they do not wear nice clothes, their hair looks dirty or because of the supplies they use.

“And not only students, but the teachers sometimes say to the kids that they should not be going to school with dirty clothes.

They can’t learn. They belong,” he says, “to the garbage.”

A New Way of Life Munkhbold was nervous for his first day of school. He was 9 years old, but had never attended school before. Most days, he tagged along with his mom to the garbage dump and helped her dig through the trash — hoping to find food or recyclables, which would typically net them between 1200-1500 tugriks, or 60 to 75 cents, per day. For Munkhbold, his

parents, his three siblings and his grandma, home was a cramped summer shed, converted from an old wooden caravan, with uneven slats that let in daylight and dust and, in winter, frigid cold air.

“When I first heard about the school, I didn’t want to go,” says Munkhbold. “It was scary. I’d never been to school before.

But my mom said, ‘You’re going to school.’”

A woman in her 30s, Munkhbold’s mom grew up in the countryside before moving to Ulaanbaatar in search of work.

“I wanted to get a job,” she says, “but I couldn’t because I wasn’t qualified for anything.” Like many people coming of age in Mongolia after the fall of the Soviet Union, Munkhbold’s parents found themselves ill prepared to find work in the new market economy. They grew up expecting an altogether different way of life — a life in the country, herding livestock or working on collective farms subsidized by the Soviet Union. But after the Soviet collapse, subsidies ceased and communal structures broke down. When Munkhbold’s mom moved to Ulaanbaatar, the only place she could earn a daily wage was in the informal economy of the Red Stone landfill.

“I was 17 at the time, which was about 13 years ago,” she says of the day she moved to the dump.

The next year, she had a daughter. And then a son. And then two more children.

But only her eldest daughter attended school for a time, dropping out before the second grade. She’s 12 now, and last year, she started the first grade over at the Red Stone School.

“I went many places to find jobs and because of that, I moved my kids outside of regular school districts for some period of time,” says Munkhbold’s mom, a warm and earnest woman who closely resembles her 12-year-old daughter.

Munkhbold’s mom tells us that she has

an eighth grade education, while her husband, who occasionally works as a builder, finished seventh. Now that her kids have an opportunity to go to school, she is determined to give them an education beyond what she and her husband received. So on a day last September, instead of joining their mom at the dump — a place no child should ever be — Munkhbold and his sister nervously walked down the hill from their home to a place called the Red Stone School.

Generations of Change The Red Stone School sits inside an iron fence on a patch of land a half a mile from the dump. It looks out over low, rolling brown hills sliced by riverbeds that freeze over in winter, and build up trash in summer. Deforestation during the Soviet era stripped the hills of trees and plants, and in their place are thousands of plastic trash bags that floated down from the dump after being picked clean of their contents. When the winds kick up in late spring, the bags whip and spin through the air in colorful storms of smoke and dust. But on a still sunny day, through the barred windows of the Red Stone School, they glisten like diamonds on the hillsides.

On his first day of school, as Munkhbold walked along the edge of the trashstrewn ravines, he dreaded what it would

be like. Would the other kids be nice to him? What would he have to do? Would it be warm? But as he stepped inside the classroom, he began to feel differently about this place so different from anyplace he had ever been.

To his surprise, he loved everything about the Red Stone School.

“That was a great day. I made some new friends,” says Munkhbold, a stout guy with a charming smile and a birthmark on his chin that earned him the nickname “beard” among his new friends. At school, he ate lunch every day — a lunch he didn’t have to scavenge from the garbage dump, a lunch that just appeared before him, steaming hot and delicious. He learned about “recess” — a time designated just for play, with a basketball court and lots of games waiting for that very purpose.

Munkhbold already knew how to read, but for the first time, at school, he would learn how to write. He received a navy blue uniform, neat and pressed with a blazer and button-down shirt. He discovered that he really likes math, he says. And what he most looks forward to — his favorite day at school — is when they serve dumplings.

“When we were at the dump, we ate what we found. Some days we ate a lot,” says Munkhbold. “Some days, we didn’t eat at all.”

The promise of daily hot lunch is one of the biggest draws to the Red Stone School, and when we visit on an afternoon in early May, the children line up to fill their bowls full of chicken, rice and shredded carrots.

It’s a dry, 30-degree day outside, and the chill wafts in the hallway. But once inside, the heat from the furnace keeps the classroom toasty warm. The walls are lined with educational posters and artwork created by the children, and textbooks sit open on their desks.

When Baaska first opened the Red Stone School two years ago, only seven kids showed up for class. The school at the time consisted of two industrial shipping containers welded together, and his nonprofit couldn’t afford heat, regular meals or textbooks for the kids. When winter came, attendance quickly dropped off. But when the staff of Holt Mongolia learned about the Red Stone School, and what Baaska was trying to do for the children in this community, they immediately reached out to Paul Kim, Holt’s U.S. director of Korea and Mongolia programs.

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Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Red Stone Community

The Garbage Dump

• = Example of where a child may live

1/2 M

1 Mile

ile (1 5 Mi

n u te

Walk ) The Red Stone School

converted shipping containers. Baaska needs, but empower children in this com“This is why I love working in this country,” Paul says, as he surveys the grounds of munity to lift themselves and their families hopes to convert this structure into a library and another classroom, and wooden out of poverty — and out of the dump. the school. “There are so many individuals shelves now line the insides, waiting to be As Paul says, “Our partnership with the like [Baaska] who have the heart and drive, but don’t have the funding because Mongo- Red Stone School will impact children and filled with books.

“They haven’t been standing still,” Paul families in this community not only today, lia is a poor country. There is an amazing says. “They have kept working.” but will continue to ripple out through opportunity to create a huge impact here.”

Donors continue to raise funds to each successive generation that follows.”

For years, Holt Mongolia has worked to provide more for the kids, and during our empower families living in Ulaanbaatar’s trip, we deliver a washing machine, dish The Impact of Sponsors most impoverished district — a district cabinet and lockers for the kids to store In October 2016, Holt sponsors began home to around 65,000 people, including their belongings. those who live in and around the Red Stone supporting Red Stone students through “I am very, very happy and so thankful monthly donations that would cover the dump. In these communities, monthly to Holt sponsors and the organization for cost of books, school supplies, salaries donations from Holt sponsors have helped helping all our kids,” Baaska says when we for teachers, daily hot meals and, most struggling parents, often single mothers, visit, alongside a team of Holt donors who critically, heat. With support from sponmeet the most critical needs of their chiltraveled with us to build new homes for sors and donors in the U.S., Baaska and dren. For these most vulnerable families — some of the most vulnerable children and his team built a two-room schoolhouse, families who have in many cases migrated families in the Red Stone community — combined the shipping containers into a to the city after losing their livelihood in including Munkhbold and his family, who large room, installed a furnace and will the country — Holt sponsors now provide now no longer live in a wooden shed. soon build an enclosed shower and toilet the safety net that disappeared along with With this group of donors, Baaska so that the children can take hot showers their traditional way of life. shares that he feels like “Mongolia is tradihe can finally relax now tionally a communal that he has so many culture,” explains Paul, “The children who grow up in the garbage “brothers and sisters” to who has worked with don’t have any dreams. But if we can educate them, help care for these chilHolt’s Mongolia program dren — children who he since it formally began they can dream big.” and all the teachers and in 2000. “Extended staff at Red Stone love families and nomadic like their own family. When Baaska came — a luxury that many of them have never groups would support members of their down with a life-threatening illness a few before experienced. communities, and provide care for any years ago and could not afford the expenIn this, the poorest district in Ulaanperson or family in need. However, with sive treatment, he tells us that the children baatar, families will often go months at a urbanization, those traditional safety nets came together to collect recyclables so they time without bathing. Public baths often are gone, and the government does not could save his life. have the funding or the systems in place to deny service to families from the dump, “When they gave me the money, it provide care to these children and families and many of the children suffered from amounted to about $3.70,” he says. “My chronic lice, ticks or skin issues when they in need.” eyes were filled with tears. That they love first came to the Red Stone School. But on This year, with the support of Holt me as much as their parents was beautiful.” the cold day in May when we visit, they sponsors and donors, over 1,000 children Inspired by the children, Baaska eventulook like the healthiest, most beautiful in nearly 400 families in Mongolia will ally raised the funds to cover his medical children in the world — a change that is in receive food, shelter and warmth — basic costs and today, he is more motivated than no small part due to the compassion and support that helps keep families together, ever to continue growing the school. He is and provides a stable foundation to rebuild generosity of their sponsors. not content to stand still.

“With the help of sponsors, we can see their lives. But in every country where Holt “Next to the dump there is a large gravewith our eyes the progress we are making works, we never work alone. Always, we yard and children live there, too,” he says. in providing education to these children, seek opportunities to partner with local “My dream is someday we have a school which encourages us all,” says Baaska. leaders who know their communities best. big enough for all the children from both “Such generous help and support gives us “Throughout the history of our organithe garbage dump and the graveyard. Why zation, our most successful programs have a belief that anything is possible for these can’t we build a school for over 1,000 chilchildren.” been built upon collaboration with local dren or more? That’s the size of my dream.

Much like the public schools in Ulaanpartners and governments,” says Paul.

We don’t have the funds for that. Not yet. baatar, Red Stone can only accommodate “They are the most aware of the places But I can dream.” a limited number of children at a time. At with the greatest need, which are frepresent, 40 children attend the Red Stone quently hidden from the eyes of outsiders, What The Future Holds and just as importantly, they know of what School in two shifts of a little longer than During our visit, we ask Baaska what four hours each day. But the school is open is in the hearts of those we would serve.” sort of future the children who graduate every day of the week, with special weekBy partnering with a local leader like from the Red Stone School will have to end activities for the kids held inside their Baaska, we not only meet immediate 16 holtinternational.org

look forward to. They will have an education, but will they have opportunities?

Before responding, he looks down and thinks for a moment, holding his Yankees cap in his hands.

“I have a chat with the kids a lot, tell them my life story,” he says. “They all ask me, ‘How can I become like you?’ But I tell them that they can be better than me.”

Although Red Stone is not a certified school, the children can graduate with a GED. And once they do, they are eligible to enroll in college. The cost is high, but Baaska has already connected with local universities and several have expressed interest in providing scholarships for Red Stone graduates.

“I have lived this hard life, and I had this opportunity to provide these kids with education,” he says.

Seeing how his life changed, Baaska has faith that here now, in this sanctuary of hope and peace amid a land of wasted dreams, are future scientists, presidents and scholars. For these children — children who Baaska once feared would not live to see their 20s, children who are now so loved and protected by all of their brothers and sisters in Mongolia and in the U.S. — anything is achievable.

“The children who grow up in the garbage don’t have any dreams,” he says.

“But if we can educate them, they can dream big.”

TOP: For many children, the lunch they eat at the Red Stone School is their only guaranteed meal of the day.

LEFT: Students listen to a lesson, dressed in the uniforms they received from their sponsors.

RIGHT: Munkhbold, his mom and his sister hold a message for their sponsors.

Munkhbold’s mom wears a jacket a donor gave her when he came to build her family a new home.

17 17

A REAL CONNECTION WHILE TRAVELING IN MONGOLIA, HOLT DONOR MARY BUCKLEY SEES FIRST-HAND HOW SPONSORS CHANGE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN — INSPIRING HER TO BECOME A SPONSOR, TOO.

M

y husband, Mike, and I adopted our children from Korea through Holt. Our son, Christian, came in 1988 at 13 months old, and our daughter, Kim, followed in 1990 at 8 months old. At 2 years old, Christian was diagnosed with a cleft palate, requiring corrective surgery and speech therapy for many years. Kim arrived with previously undiagnosed medical conditions, including Turner syndrome.

At a time when most children were coming home to their adoptive families in as few as three months, we also sponsored children in Korea. It seemed that as quickly as we put a photo on the fridge, that child would be adopted. Updated information was rare because of the rapid turnaround, and we did not have the opportunity for a closer connection.

Mike and I had our hands full tending to our children’s medical issues, our careers and graduate school. We had to cut back on expenses, and Holt sponsorship was one expense that we trimmed.

In the years since, I have been

18 holtinternational.org

fortunate to travel with Holt to Korea three times — in 1994, 2010 and 2016. I have enjoyed seeing Holt-supported programs in Korea, and I obviously have a strong family connection to Korea. However, I did not sponsor again, perhaps because I never connected enough with a specific child to resume sponsorship.

But after all those years, that was about to change.

In December 2016, on a Holt Gift Team trip to Korea, I had the pleasure of meeting David Kaufman, another team member. A jovial man with a New York accent who loves to get down on the floor and play with kids, he is an instant magnet for children. I loved watching him interact with children wherever we went. A few months later, in New York, I met up with David again and over dinner, he shared more details about his sponsorships for children in Holt’s care. I heard about his extended stays in Korea to visit and advocate for children, saw his photos of the kids, and I heard how he keeps up with the children’s progress. He

truly loves these children as if they were his own, and after dinner, I found myself thinking, “Wow, you can really go places with sponsorship beyond just putting the child’s photo on the fridge.” My conversation with David convinced me that, unlike the days when the fast adoption timeframes for sponsored kids left no chance of a real connection, it was now possible to do just that.

Today, in fact, most children in Holt sponsorship live in the care of their birth families. Sponsors support these children for months, sometimes years, while their families work toward stability and self-reliance.

A few weeks later, in May 2017, David and I traveled together to Mongolia as part of a Holt vision trip. We donated funds to provide “gers” — traditional Mongolian homes — for vulnerable families, and even helped build the gers.

Meeting the families and spending a day building a ger for them was an experience like no other. That is, until the day we visited the Red Stone School bordering the city dump and

BEFORE

Pg.18, LEFT: Mary’s sponsored child, Erhi.

AFTER

RIGHT: Mary visits children at a care center Holt supports in Mongolia.

Pg.19, LEFT: When Mary met Gerel and her daughter, Gerel was six months pregnant and severely malnourished.

RIGHT: After receiving treatment at a Holt-supported medical care center, Gerel delivered a healthy girl. Here, the young family stands beside a Holt Mongolia social worker inside their new home, provided by another Holt donor.

the destitute families living nearby.

We walked on a cold day near a ravine strewn with trash and entered a lone ger to visit a family identified as one who might benefit from Holt’s support. Inside, we met Gerel*, a malnourished woman in her 20s.

She told us how she lives there with Erhi*, her tiny, 3-year-old daughter, three brothers and an abusive boyfriend. I was amazed how easily Gerel told the details of her difficult life to a group of foreigners who gathered in her ger. We heard how she was six months pregnant, which seemed unbelievable as there was no sign of even the tiniest baby bump on her frail body. As she spoke, I recognized something familiar about her speech — the same nasal speech and difficulty with sounds as our son, Christian. Turns out she, too, had a cleft palate.

I was so mesmerized listening to Gerel that I did not interact with Erhi. But I was next to another team member who did, and little Erhi entertained us with her smiles and laughed as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

Gerel agreed to leave with Erhi and receive care at a medical facility Holt partners with in Ulaanbaatar.

I knew immediately that Erhi was a child that I must sponsor. As soon as we left, I said to David, “I want to sponsor that little girl.” David said, “Talk to Courtney. Today. She will make it happen.”

I couldn’t wait any longer. I left David and asked Courtney, a Holt staff member on the trip, if I could sponsor Erhi. I was beyond thrilled when she said yes, because finally I had the sponsorship connection with a child that I had always hoped for.

As it turned out, our team had also donated enough funds to provide a new home for Gerel, while David and I teamed up to provide furnishings — ensuring Gerel and her daughter would never have to return to her abusive situation.

When my sponsorship packet arrived, there were photos, a magnetic fridge frame and so much more information than what I used to receive. The packet cemented the relationship. Now, it is official that I

am responsible for this child, and I know first-hand that the sponsorship will go a long way to meet her needs.

Not long after, I learned that another teammate came forward to sponsor Gerel’s new baby — creating yet another connection as I now share the bond of helping this family with my fellow teammate. We have emailed each other about how important it was to us to have been there, seen the family, and to know the desperate situation first-hand.

Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to travel to the countries where Holt works and personally choose a child to sponsor or hear from social workers and caregivers how greatly sponsors are valued.

In most cases, an online photo is all that is available. So I encourage everyone to spend a little time with the photos, read whatever information is available about the child, the program and the country, and know that sponsors are appreciated beyond belief. * names changed

Mary Buckley | Omaha, Nebraska 19

A DAY

Birhanesh and her mom (center) stand in front of their home in the rural farming community of Wallana in southern Ethiopia. The morning session at Wallana Kindergarten has just let out, and children have come to see the excitement at Birhanesh’s house.

W R I T T E N BY R O B I N M U N R O |

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Math and English are Birhanesh’s favorite subjects, and in the center left photo, Birhanesh stands proud after writing the word “OK” on the chalkboard. For the 260 students at Wallana Kindergarten, Holt sponsors help to provide everything from uniforms and supplies to teacher salaries and special events like the annual International Day of the Child celebration, which this year included T-shirts that the children still wear.

wo years ago, Birhanesh had to strain to read the words on the chalkboard at school.

A student at Wallana Kindergarten — a school Holt sponsors support in southern Ethiopia — Birhanesh loved to sing songs and play games outside with the other kids. But she had an undiagnosed eye condition, and some days, her eyes burned so bad that she stayed home. Her parents struggled to manage her condition with frequent rinses and trips to a nearby clinic. But to see a specialist, they would have to travel to Addis — a 200-mile journey from the rural farming village where they live, and an expense they could never afford on their limited income.

Hearing about Birhanesh, an anonymous Holt donor stepped up to cover her travel and treatment costs – including two pairs of glasses, one for daily use and one as a back-up just in case.

In Ethiopia, only 77 girls for every 100 boys attend primary school, and when Wallana Kindergarten opened in 2010, many parents hesitated to send their daughters to school. But soon, parents saw the value of an education — including Birhanesh’s parents, who encourage their daughters to study after school. Birhanesh does have one daily chore, however. Every day, she fetches water from a nearby river.

| P H OTO S BY B R I A N C A M P B E L L

Birhanesh is now 7, and is excelling in the KG3 class at Wallana! She studies both English and Amharic, and can now do simple math equations.

Like most families in Wallana, Birhanesh’s parents are subsistence farmers — living on what they cultivate from their small plot of land. They grow corn, taro root and teff — a grain used to make injera, the spongy bread that is a staple of the Ethiopian diet. They earn very little from what they produce, but with the support of Holt sponsors, they can send Birhanesh and her sister to school — where Birhanesh no longer strains to see lessons on the chalkboard.

For all that Holt sponsors and donors have done for Birhanesh, her family is truly grateful.

Read the photo captions to learn more about what life is like for one sponsored child and her family in rural Ethiopia.

Birhanesh stands beside her mom and dad inside their home — a traditional round hut made of mud and eucalyptus.

Two cows, a goat and several chickens share living space with Birhanesh and her family.

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LEFT: The Grubbs play with children at the White Cross Children’s Home in Manila.

RIGHT: “What I remember most about her,” Pam says about this mother in Quezon City, “was the weariness of poverty and the joy of hope emanating simultaneously on her face.”

E

ONE BY ONE

ven two years later, when Frank Grubbs shares about a moment from a trip to see Holt programs in the Philippines, the emotion is evident in his voice…

“We met Rosalie in one of the villages,” says Frank. “I asked her, ‘If your daughter wasn’t sponsored, what would your life look like?’ She started crying.”

For the Grubbs, this moment confirmed everything they believed about Holt child sponsorship: one sponsor, changing the world one child and family at a time.

For the past five years, Frank and Pam Grubbs have worked alongside Holt — advocating for children who need sponsors as part of Holt’s Christian artist program. Frank is a singer-songwriter who performs in churches across the U.S., sharing a message about serving God and caring for the vulnerable all across the world. Pam follows his performance with a compelling message about Holt sponsorship — how Holt sponsors have the opportunity to keep children with their families and care for those who are waiting to join a permanent, loving family through adoption.

22 holtinternational.org

For Frank and Pam Grubbs, advocating for children through sponsorship is inspired by their Christian faith, the intense needs of children around the world, and the incredible joy that comes from giving.

“What really drew us to Holt is that they’re trying to keep children in families,” Pam says. “To be a child in poverty and not have a family to be there to support you emotionally or care for you? Wow. I can’t think of anybody in greater need. We like that Holt cares for the poorest of the poor and those who Jesus has a heart for.”

Before Frank and Pam joined Holt’s Christian artist program, they were Holt sponsors themselves — an experience that showed them how one individual can make all the difference for one child and family.

“I think it’s great that people can reach out one by one to make a difference,” Frank says. In fact, “One by One” is the title of one of Frank’s most popular songs, and its lyrics tell about one of the first children they ever sponsored.

“We have a picture on our wall of a little girl who lives in a war-torn town in another part of the world. But she’s a part of our family, though she’s 2,000 miles away. God, please watch over her. Protect her now, we pray.”

Frank and Pam’s tremendous compassion for children drives them to travel around the country advocating for orphaned and vulnerable children.

But as devout Christians, they share an even greater motivation — their deep and abiding faith in Christ, and their belief in His love and care for all people.

“[God] wants you to reach the world,” Pam says. And while sponsorship certainly isn’t the only way to reach those in need, the Grubbs see it is a simple, efficient and dynamic way to take action. “That,” Pam says, “is why we’re so excited about it.”

In aligning themselves with God’s heart in caring for the vulnerable, they’ve also experienced amazing passion and joy.

“One of the things that motivates me is that I want others to experience the joy of obeying the Lord like that, and the joy from seeing the difference they can make in the life of a child,” Pam says. “I really feel like I am giving someone the opportunity not only to bless and help a child, but to bless and help themselves.”

Megan Herriott | Staff Writer

Frank and Pam would love to share about Holt sponsorship in your church or community!

Visit holtinternational.org/grubbs to learn more.

SOMETHING LARGER THAN ME When Dawn Tilley signed up to

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n February of 2017, I had the pleasure of attending a life-changing concert and sermon experience known as Winter Jam. I had heard about it from friends of mine many times, but continually found myself unable to go until this year. As a volunteer enthusiast, I came across the incredible opportunity to volunteer while experiencing Winter Jam for the first time, and was obviously unable to turn down the chance to be involved. I immediately signed up and convinced a friend, one who just so happens to be adopted, to join me.

Going into the night, I was slightly nervous, but I was confident that God would lead me in the right direction.

When I arrived, I immediately realized that I would remember that night for the rest of my life. As I write this, six months after the concert, I’m still overwhelmed by the waves of emotions from that night: the absolute joy, the feeling of love, and the serenity of God. However, had you asked me at the beginning of the night if I was planning to sponsor a child, I would have told you no. I was

advocate for Holt sponsorship as a volunteer at Winter Jam, she had no intention of becoming a sponsor herself. But as the night went on, she had a change in outlook, and a change of heart.

not trying to be hypocritical or to remain removed from the situation; I was simply a high school student who had recently started working and had a limited supply of financial resources. Nevertheless, as the night went on, I learned more about the sponsorship process through advocating, and that decision quickly changed.

As the speakers analyzed the amazing things God has done and will do for us, I began to confront just how fortunate I was. Although I may have had a low monetary supply, I still had mountains more than many people in the world. I was blessed with a home, a loving family, and a meal every day. So, when the intermission came and it was time to hand out child sponsorship folders, it soon became evident that God had given a

Dawn (lower right) with her friends at Winter Jam! Dawn volunteered for Holt with her friend McKenzie (center).

push to His followers that night to take the next step. No sooner had I stood up than all of the folders that I and many other volunteers had been given were taken by people in the crowd. Many volunteers returned to the main tables to gather more folders to hand out.

As the intermission continued, I had found someone who was considering sponsorship for all but one of my folders. When the intermission came to an end and Togtokhjargal remained in my hands, I knew that he was the boy I was meant to sponsor.

Now, each time I see the withdrawal from my account meant for Togtokhjargal, I am reminded that I am a part of something larger than myself. He is a little boy in Mongolia who now holds a deep part of my heart.

Very little can match the joy of receiving pictures from him in the mail, and I am very happy to be able to have the chance to make a difference in his life.

Dawn Tilley | Fountaintown, IN

Dawn is currently a freshman at Purdue University and she plans to volunteer for Holt again at Winter Jam in 2018!

Visit holtinternational.org/winterjam

to learn more about volunteer opportunities.

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wo hours’ drive from Phnom Penh, on Highway 1 and three hours from Saigon, Vietnam, Cambodia’s Trapaing Sre Village is one of the poorest communities in one of the poorest countries. There are no grocery stores, no hospitals and no gas stations for miles. Because of the extreme level of poverty in this village, child traffickers often come here to lure children away from their schools and families with the promise of jobs.

Working-aged people are also visibly absent here. Often, moms and dads are forced to leave their children with grandparents or other family members while they migrate for work in Phnom Penh or a neighboring country.

Because most families survive on what they grow, they are extremely vulnerable to hunger, malnutrition and losing their entire livelihood if there is too much or not enough rain. Every year, land mines left behind during the Vietnam War claim the lives of farmers, playing children or land developers.

Of the 2,469 people who live in Trapaing Sre Village, Holt sponsors support 150 children from the poorest, female-headed families. Sponsors keep children in school and with their families.

In addition to covering the cost of school fees, sponsors also help to provide mothers with job skills training, financial education and microloans so they can start small businesses instead of being forced to migrate for work. While life in this area is not easy, there is hope.

Read how your support is helping families in this region.

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It Takes A Village TO KEEP CHILDREN IN SCHOOL

“In our village, about 20 children are peer education leaders.

They meet with children at a community member’s home and teach children about their rights — the right to protection and the right to participate in school and other activities, no matter what.”

— Kong Chatha (left), 15, teaches 1st through 4th graders

“I used to work in a garment factory, but it was far away.

Being at home with my children and raising chickens and ducks is better than working in the garment factory. When I was there, my kids weren’t told they had to go to school. Now, I can make sure they go every day.” – Yai, 34, mother of a 13-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter

“We want to see children live free from exploitation. Kids in sponsorship stay in school longer and drop out less, and are less likely to be victims of trafficking or exploitation. Now, the children here can dream about what they want to be.”

— Buth Saman, director of Holt’s partner organization, Child and Life Association

“I want to help my parents or be a doctor. Thank you, my sponsor, for supporting me.” — Sreymao

Pelly borrowed $100 from a Holt donor-funded community savings bank to buy a pig. Two years later, she’s re-payed the debt and now she makes about $200 every time her pigs have a litter of piglets. “I used to go to Thailand to work on farms. My daughters lived with their grandma, but they fell behind in school. My oldest daughter fell a full grade behind, and she was very angry. But now, I don’t have to travel to find work. I want one of my kids to be a doctor and one to be a teacher, at least.”

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THE M&M’S CHALLENGE HOW ONE SPIRITED YOUTH GROUP IN FLORIDA RAISED THE FUNDS TO SPONSOR A CHILD.

The kids in John and Donna Bartz’s youth group felt inspired to sponsor Quyen (far right) after reading her story at a Winter Jam concert.

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“M&M’s Minis can change a child’s life!”

That was the message we told our youth group as we passed out tubes of mini M&M’s. “Together, we can change Quyen’s life.”

Sponsoring a child through Holt International is new to us. Then again, everything about our youth group is new. My wife is the youth leader, and I am the pastor. Together, we serve New Beginnings Community Church in Palm City, Florida. Our church never had a youth program until a year ago, when we launched a middle school youth discipleship program called “Anchor” for kids ages 11-14.

We were only a few months into our Anchor program when we attended the Winter Jam concert in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. During the concert, Holt gave a presentation about how sponsorship can change a child’s life, and before the presentation was over, Shelby — a 14-year-old in our youth group — was making her way down to the arena floor to find a child to sponsor from among the sponsorship packets displayed on the Holt table. She returned with a card and picture of Quyen from Vietnam, eager to show her off to the others in our group.

Quyen is 9 years old and lives with her grandmother.

Her mother left her, and her two sisters, in the care of their grandmother when Quyen was only a year old. When we read Quyen’s story, we agreed that we would sponsor Quyen as an Anchor youth group.

My wife and I felt it was important for our youth to take responsibility and stewardship of their sponsored child. We didn’t want our sponsored

child to be another mission that the church supported. Rather, we wanted Quyen to be “our mission.” So, after a few months of encouraging our youth to bring in a few dollars every time we met, we decided to give them the M&M’s Challenge.

We can’t remember where we got the idea, but we knew it to be an effective fundraiser from when we had used it with a previous youth group. We gave each of the kids in our youth group three plastic tubes of M&M’s Minis, which they snacked on while we discussed our lesson. Then we gave them the challenge — to fill the empty M&M’s tubes with quarters. Each tube can hold 20 dollars in quarters. Three tubes of quarters can sponsor a child for two months.

“That’s two months Quyen will be able to enjoy the basic things of life that we take for granted,” we told them.

We encouraged them to go home and collect quarters from their parents, friends, school teachers and neighbors. My wife and I made copies of Quyen’s picture and info so our youth could go door to door in their neighborhood asking for quarters to support their sponsored child. Even now, I have two M&M’s tubes on my desk, one filled with quarters, another with dollar bills. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that our youth are discovering the blessing of sponsoring a child, and that through their combined efforts, they are truly changing a child’s life.

Pastor John & Donna Bartz | Palm City, Florida

10 WAYS TO GET KIDS

Involved in Sponsorship!

Sponsoring a child is a great way to teach your kids or grandkids about cultural diversity, the importance of helping others and the challenges children face in other parts of the world.

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Encourage your child to contribute to your monthly sponsorship donation! Whether by mowing lawns, selling lemonade or some other creative entrepreneurial venture, donating their own hard-earned money will make the concept of sponsorship more real to your child and will help foster a greater understanding of charity and sacrifice.

When you receive updates about your sponsored child, read them together as a family.

Ask questions to get your children thinking about the differences between your sponsored child’s life and their own lives.

Use Google Maps to pinpoint where your sponsored child lives! Start a conversation about all the places where children live and how their lives might be different in different parts of the world.

Celebrate your sponsored child’s birthday!

When a card comes in the mail to fill out for your sponsored child, write a special birthday message together and affix a family photo. Talk with your child about how children growing up in poverty or in orphanages may not always get to celebrate their birthdays.

Attend a Winter Jam concert together! Listen to Holt’s Christian artist partners speak about Holt child sponsorship – or better yet, volunteer to help sign up new sponsors! Visit holtinternational.org/winterjam to register.

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Write a letter to your sponsored child! Encourage your child to share about their life and interests and ask your sponsored child questions about what they like to do, what they study in school and what life is like where they live.

Consider adding a photo or other flat items, like stickers.

Read a book together that’s set in the country where your sponsored child lives! Take this opportunity to start a conversation about your sponsored child’s heritage and culture.

Take a walk together that’s the same distance as your sponsored child walks to school. In many of the communities where Holt works, children walk sometimes miles to get to and from school every day.

Contact Holt’s sponsorship department to request info about children who are still waiting for sponsors and team up with your child to recruit sponsors for them! Often, finding the words to express why children need sponsors is the best way to fully understand the need yourself.

Last but not least, pray. Together with your child, pray for your sponsored child’s health, happiness and that all their hopes and dreams may come true.

For more ideas about how to engage your kids in the sponsorship experience, contact us at sponsorship@holtinternational.org. holtinternational.org 27

TOP LEFT: Anshul in August 2017.

TOP RIGHT: A hostel resident stands by her bunk bed.

BOTTOM LEFT: From left to right, Niharika, Sweeti, a friend, Anshul, Toshiba, Preeti and Sagarika in 2015.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Preeti in red pants outside her room at the hostel in 2015.

Then and Now

Ready for Life After Sponsorship G I R L S I N I N D I A P R E PA R E F O R G R A D U AT I O N

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n early 2015, we met Anshul at a boarding school in Delhi, India. At this school, girls from impoverished communities who are also facing crisis or hardship can find safety and temporary or semi-permanent refuge.

Eighty girls between 5-18 years old live at Shishu Sangopan Griha (SSG), a long-time partner of Holt, and each of them has a sponsor whose monthly support provides everything they need to succeed. Each girl is there for a different reason — sometimes after the loss of one or both parents, sometimes because they are fleeing abuse, sometimes because they have endured unspeakable pain or have nowhere else to go.

With big, brown eyes and a charming, sweet disposition, Anshul spoke

room on the ground floor.

Some girls live at the hostel Monday through Friday for school, some girls stay temporarily while their parents work to get their feet on the ground, and some live here permanently.

Anshul began living at the hostel during the school week after a tiger killed her father on their rural farm.

Anshul and her mother moved to Delhi so her mom could take a job as a domestic servant for a wealthy family.

Without her husband’s income, she struggled to pay for Anshul’s school fees, uniforms and supplies, but as a woman who never learned to read, Anshul’s mom wanted wholeheartedly to keep her only daughter in school.

Anshul was welcomed to the hostel so she could receive school support,

Now, as 12th graders, they are reaching an important landmark — high school graduation.

For a group of five girls, all of whom have battled the hurdles of poverty and additional hardships, this is an incredible accomplishment, and the fact that they’ve all made it is a strong testament to the power of sponsorship and the power of their friendship and support for each other.

They are reaching adulthood. And, with the challenges of adulthood looming, they’ve come to savor and deeply appreciate the support they’ve received from their sponsors — support that allowed them to study and play and grow up without fear.

“My dreams are changing,” Sagarika says. “I used to want to be a fashion

“ I s a y t h a n k y o u t o m y s p o n s o r. Yo u a r e s u p p o r t i n g m e and my needs and I am forever grateful to you.” softly but passionately about her dream to become a social worker.

“Thank you for supporting us,” Anshul said, intending the message for her sponsor. “You give us so many things we need.”

At 14 years old, she was smart, mature and maternal to the younger children. Dressed in a bright pink and white outfit, she showed us to her second-story room.

“I sleep here,” she said, gesturing with her whole hand to one of the iron-framed bunk beds in a concrete-floored, dimly lit space. “I keep my stuff in this trunk, and a locker outside.” She walked outside to an open-air hallway that wrapped the internal, square perimeter of the building and looked down into an open, brick courtyard. She stopped at an old vanity with a mirror and a row of small, square lockers. “I keep my toothbrush and things in here.” Without stopping, she added politely, “Please excuse me, I have some studying to do,” and disappeared down a stairwell to the study

but she still visits her mother whenever possible on the weekend.

At the hostel, she soon made four close friends — natural leader Niharika, kind and loving Preeti, talkative and outgoing Sagarika and hard-working, independent Toshiba — and the tightknit group spent most of their waking moments together. All close in age, they bunked in the same room, went to the same school, worked on homework together, supported each other in their studies and all helped to care for and mentor the younger girls in the hostel.

In 2015, as 14 and 15 year olds, they dreamed of being a singer, a police officer, a college professor and a fashion designer.

Smart, polite and beyond conversational in English, each young woman left a lasting impression.

But, we also had to accept the truth.

For a girl from a poor family to stay in school through graduation, it takes tremendous perseverance, support and consistency — things that kids in crisis don’t always have.

designer, but then when I researched programs for fashion design, I realized how expensive it was. Now, I want to be a police officer.”

Anshul still has the same kind eyes and warm smile. She is thinner now, and looks older. She still clings to her dream, but wonders how she will go to college.

“I want to work in social work in the future, but I think it might not be possible,” Anshul says. “I think after I graduate, I will need to help my mother. After 12th grade, I want to do some courses to become a social worker, but my mother has no money for classes.”

However, with a high school degree, Anshul will have already attained a level of education beyond what most girls growing up in poverty in India achieve.

And with the confidence she’s gained overcoming many challenges, she’s looking to her future with great hope.

“I say thank you to my sponsor,” Anshul says. “You are supporting me and my needs, and I am forever grateful to you.”

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“Every good and perfect the

gift

is from above, coming down from of the heavenly lights...” —James 1:17

Father

This Christmas, give gifts that celebrate the TRUE meaning of the season.

GiftS of HOPE Shop the 2017 Online Catalog of Lifesaving Gifts for Orphaned Children and Vulnerable Families!

ho ltinter natio nal.o r g /g if ts T 541.687.2202 T T

Give a Gift of Hope in honor of a loved one and we’ll send them a beautiful, free card!

Give $100 in gifts and we’ll send you a free 2018 calendar. T

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STORY BEHIND THE PHOTO

While visiting Holt sponsor-supported programs in Thailand this spring, I attended what is perhaps the cutest of all our programs there: a support group for families with twins and triplets — of which there are a surprisingly high number in southern Thailand.

As I observed the 40-or-so parents and children gathered to learn parenting strategies and build community, 2-year-old Hansa

hope peace

and Yindee immediately adorable “May the stood Godoutofto me with theirfill you purple polka dot capris, pink ruffled shirts and little top ponytails.

I asked their father, Niran, what it’s like raising two girls as a single parent, what he is gaining from this group, and what his

with joy and

hopes and dreams are for his daughters.

as you trust

Him, so that overflow I in learned that Niran spendsyou nearlymay all of his time caring forwith his girls and isn’t able to work. But when he contacted Holt Saha-

Holy Spirit.

” by he the power ofnutritional the support for his daughters. thaihope Foundation, began receiving And someday soon, when Hansa and Yindee attend preschool with help from their sponsors, -James 1:17Niran may also receive a Holt microloan, which will empower him to start a small business and provide independently for his family.

As he spoke, Niran kept returning to his unwavering dedication to Hansa and Yindee. “Family,” he said, “is the most important thing for each child.”

WRITTEN BY MEGAN HERRIOTT | PHOTO BY BRIAN CAMPBELL

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NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID EUGENE, OR PERMIT NO. 291

Post Of fice Box 2880 E u g e n e , O R 9 74 0 2

Change Ser vice Requested

“Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.” — Matthew 18:5

Children Who Need Sponsors Here are just two of the many children who are waiting for a sponsor.

Tai

Shao

3 years old, Vietnam

9 years old, China

Tai’s father was in a motorbike accident and cannot work, so his mother is the sole provider for their family of five. But her income alone cannot cover her children’s school fees and their other basic needs. Tai loves mimicking his brother when they play, and is determined and purposeful when he draws and colors. With a sponsor, Tai can attend preschool — and later primary school — where he’ll get the education he needs. If Tai is sponsored, this also means that his family will receive a microloan to raise chickens for additional income.

Sensible. Friendly. Helpful. Always good. These are just some of the words adults in Shao’s life use to describe her. She helps elderly people carry heavy things and helps her classmates to understand their schoolwork. Shao is a wonderful girl, but she has had a hard start to life. Her father died when she was young, and her mother left shortly after.

She and her younger brother are being raised by their uncle.

But they are very poor, and their uncle has difficulty meeting their needs. A sponsor will ensure that Shao continues to go to school and has the opportunities she needs and deserves.

When you sponsor a child, you will also uplift their family and community.

To sponsor one of these children, email sponsorship@ho ltinternational.org.