Children of The Nations

Here are the Spring 2023 updates from COTN. I tend to send these on a quarterly basis. I’m looking forward to sharing in-person this September! Thank you for all the ways you have helped children!  Please share with your Rotary as you like.

 

 

 

As a child growing up in poverty in the Dominican Republic, life was hard for Yenson: “My childhood was very difficult since I didn’t have decent food, clothes to dress properly, or the possibility of attending school regularly. I had to work hard to help my mother since she was a single mother and I was the only boy she had at the time, which was very difficult for me,” he says. 

 

But things started to change when he joined the Children of the Nations ministry in Algodón. He started getting new opportunities in his education, such as being a part of the Children of the Nations GAP program where he prepared for university and became fluent in English. Today, Yenson is in his last year of university and is on his way to becoming a doctor! 

 

He says, “I plan to help my community in all that is within my reach, especially related to medicine. The greatest joy is serving my community and all my neighbors.” 

 

 

 

 

 

Two of our most important projects for the year, the preschool and Sou Ray ministry, are now funded thanks to donors! This means the Haitian staff can continue running their new preschool, ensuring children have access to early childhood education and the meals they get at school. Without you, we would not have the funds to keep the school open. 

 

This also means the Haitian staff can continue caring for the 50 children in the program from Sou Ray and give them nutritious food, clean water, and other necessities they otherwise wouldn’t have. 

 

At a time when food prices have doubled and the fees for school and basic necessities continue to rise, you are making a critical difference in children’s lives. 

 

 

 

Thanks to the generosity of supporters, our high school in Uganda will soon have new Advanced-level classrooms and dorms! The construction of the classrooms and one of the dorm buildings is already in progress.

 

In Uganda, Advanced-level classes are the two years of classes a student must take to qualify for university. Before, students had to attend more expensive and often lower-quality schools to take these classes. But now, after construction is complete, our Advanced-level students will get a high-quality education right on our ministry site surrounded by their Children of the Nations teachers and mentors.

 

The students have already received brand-new uniforms, which one staff member called “the best in Lira!”

 

 

 

 

Thanks to your investment, in April our local staff in Malawi brought 194 new children into the program! Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and each child in the program is chosen because they are the ones in the most desperate need of care. Your generosity is giving vulnerable children the opportunity to eat nutritious food, drink clean water, get quality medical care, and learn and grow in class. 

 

 

 

A new Children of the Nations alumni association has been formed in Sierra Leone! This group is being led by some of the older students and graduates of the program. 

 

One of the goals of this group is to support the younger students, which they plan to do through mentorship and by working with the high school in Sierra Leone, helping to provide quality education to current and future students. They are also helping each other as members of the association, creating new opportunities for development and career advancement for one another. 

 

We know that just like us, you’ll love seeing how passionate the new alumni association is about giving back to the younger generation and supporting their fellow graduates. They are on their way to becoming transformational role models in their community. 

  

 

Thank you for caring for children!

 

Andrea

 

Regional Advocate

Children of the Nations

Cell:  206-963-1534