Childrens Initiative Inc

TO PROVIDE SUPPORT AND SERVICES TO POOR, RURAL VILLAGES IN ASIA AND AFRICA. THE ACTIVITIES ARE DEDICATED AND FOCUSED ON IMPROVING THE CURRENT AND FUTURE STANDARDS OF LIVING FOR THE CHILDREN IN THESE AREAS. SPECIFIC FOCUS INCLUDES SUPPLEMENTING THE INADEQUATE HEALTH AND EDUCATION INFASTRUCTURE IN THESE AREAS.

AFTER THE CATASTROPHIC AMERICAN WAR, VIETNAM ENTERED A 20-YEAR DARK AGE. WHEN TCI FIRST STARTED WORKING IN VIETNAM IN 1991- STARVATION WAS RAMPANT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, THE ECONOMY HAD COLLAPSED; LIFE WAS, IN SHORT, BRUTAL FOR MOST OF THE POPULATION. MORE THAN TWENTY NINE YEARS LATER, VIETNAM IS UNRECOGNIZABLE: THE ECONOMY IS BOOMING, THE PEOPLE ARE OPTIMISTIC, AND WHILE STILL A POLICE STATE, THE COUNTRY A MUCH IMPROVED SENSE OF ORDER, PURPOSE, AND LAW. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING IN CATDANG, Y YEN DISTRICT, FOR 27+ YEARS. OVER THE YEARS CATDANG HAS GROWN INTO A MORE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY BUT IT IS STILL EXTREMELY POOR. FORTUNATELY FOR TCI, THE PEOPLE OF CATDANG HAVE UNDERSTOOD AND RESPECTED OUR INVESTMENTS, AND PARTNERED WITH US TO MAKE TCIS MISSION FEASIBLE. WE HAVE MADE LIFELONG FRIENDS WITH OUR VIETNAMESE PARTNERS: COMMUNIST OFFICIALS, SCHOOL HEADS, TEACHERS, THE WOMENS UNION, AND ASSORTED AGENCIES. OVER THE YEARS, TCI HAS POWERFULLY CHANGED THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN CATDANG AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. CHILDREN ARE EDUCATED; ADULTS FIND MORE PROFITABLE WORK; FOOD SECURITY IS ASSURED; CAPITAL IS CREATED. BUT PERHAPS MORE THAN ANYTHING, TCI HAS BUILT CONFIDENCE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE WE WORK, A CONFIDENCE THAT THE FUTURE WILL BE BRIGHTER FOR CHILDREN. HERE ARE A FEW OF OUR MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: MICROLENDING LIKE IN HONDURAS, THERE IS NO LENDING/BANKING STRUCTURE TO PROVIDE LIQUIDITY. AT PRESENT WE HAVE 10 VILLAGERS WITH 250 LOANS TO BE PAID BACK AT 4% ANNUM. WE WOULD LIKE TO QUADRUPLE THIS PLAN. ALL LOANS ARE COLLATERALIZED BY PROPERTY, ALL LOANS ADMINISTERED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS. WE HAVE A VARIETY OF SUCCESSES TO SHARE: PIG HUSBANDRY, CARPENTRY TOOLS, AND LUMBER ACCESS, BAMBOO CUTTING MACHINES, SHRIMP PONDS, ETC. WE CAN NOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH HOW A LENDING SYSTEM REVOLUTIONIZES THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN VILLAGES LIKE CATDANG. SCHOOL WITH AN EXPLOSIVE GROWTH RATE, OUR COMMITMENT TO SCHOLARSHIPS (50 A STUDENT PER YEAR) IS TAXING. YET WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE POOREST FAMILIES, WE WILL CONTINUE TO DEWORM AND GIVE YEARLY HEALTH CHECKUPS TO ALL STUDENTS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THE WOMENS LEAGUE OF VIETNAM TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO CHILDREN REGARDING THE DANGERS OF ALCOHOL, DRUGS, ABUSE, BULLYING, AND SUCH. WE ARE VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEWEST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LIBRARY, AND THE ONGOING WORK IN OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE PLAN TO BUILD PROGRAMS MORE AGGRESSIVELY IN THE ARTS, EDUCATION, SOCIAL WELFARE, AS WELL AS PROVIDING A FUN PLACE FOR MOVIES AND STORYTELLING. PARTNERSHIPS OUR PARTNERSHIPS WITH H2H AND CHOICE HAVE BEEN HUGE SUCCESSES. HAVING YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TEACH ENGLISH, SWIMMING, VOLLEYBALL, DEBATE, TRACK SPORTS, AND BRAIN GAMES HAS BEEN A HUGE BOOST TO THE MORALE OF TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALIKE. PERHAPS OUR MOST IMPORTANT CURRENT PROJECT IN VIETNAM IS FINDING OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE, OR PROFESSIONALS, WHO ARE LOOKING FOR A STABLE, BUCOLIC ENVIRONMENT TO DO GOOD WITH A VERY APPRECIATIVE COMMUNITY.

HONDURAS IS THE SECOND POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. FAMILY INCOME AVERAGES ABOUT 500 A YEAR IN THE COUNTRYSIDE WHERE A MAJORITY OF HONDURANS LIVE. THE COUNTRY IS WRACKED BY DRUG WARS, CORRUPTION, VERY HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT, AND A GENERAL LAWLESSNESS THAT PERVADES ALL ASPECTS OF SOCIETY. IT HAS THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA MURDER RATE OF ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. OTHER THAN MULTINATIONAL FOOD COMPANIES AND A GROWING GARMENT INDUSTRY, HONDURAS PRODUCES LITTLE FOR EXPORT. EXACERBATING THE DIRE SITUATION ARE INCREASINGLY INCONSISTENT RAINY SEASONS THAT PUT SUBSISTENCE FARM FAMILIES AT TREMENDOUS RISK. TCIS MISSION STATEMENT POSITIONS US AS MAKING LONG TERM, SYSTEMIC INVESTMENT IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. INVESTMENT IS THE KEY WORD. WE DONT GIVE, DONATE, OR SPEND ON THINGS THAT WONT HAVE A RETURN. WE TRY TO BE STRATEGIC, BUT HUMAN AT THE SAME TIME GENEROUS, BUT NOT NAIVE OR EASY. HERE ARE THE BULLET POINTS IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER OF VALUE, COST, OR IMPACT. REFORESTATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HONDURAN GOVERNMENT AND THE EU, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN 10,000 VALUABLE MAHOGANY SEEDLINGS TO PLANT IN THE EL ROSARIO VALLEY. THE POSITIVE ECOLOGICAL IMPACT ASIDE, THE INCOME GENERATED BY THE CLEARING, PLANTING, AND MAINTAINING OF THESE TREES WILL PRODUCE A SECONDARY INCOME TO VERY POOR FARM FAMILIES BETWEEN THE PLANTING AND HARVESTING SEASONS. WHILE TCI HAS PLANTED MORE THAN 5,000 TREES WITH THE RESULTING HARVEST GOING DIRECTLY TO LANDOWNERS FOR THOSE TREES PLANTED ON PRIVATELY OWNED PLOTS. CASH CROPS THE MAIN ECONOMY OF RURAL HONDURAS IS SUBSISTENCE FARMING, MOSTLY IN CORN AND BEANS. THIS YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR IN MEMORY THAT THE RAINY SEASON DIDNT ARRIVE, PUTTING MANY FAMILIES AT FOOD RISK. WE ARE CONTEMPLATING WAYS TO STORE CORN AND BEANS AGAINST THE HARD TIMES, BUT MEANWHILE WE ARE ENCOURAGING FARMERS TO PLANT COFFEE, CACAO, AND FRUIT TREES AS A HEDGE AGAINST AN EVEN MORE SEVERE DROUGHT. IN THE PAST YEAR, SEVEN FARMERS HAVE BEGUN PLANTING COFFEE/CACAO. TCI CO-FOUNDER CHARLIE MILLER HAS ALSO INVESTED IN A SMALL COFFEE PLANTATION WHICH PROVIDES YEAR AROUND WORK FOR VERY POOR FAMILIES THROUGH CLEARING, TRIMMING, FERTILIZING, FENCE MAINTENANCE. WITH A RECENTLY ACQUIRED TRUCK, WELL BE ABLE TO GET COFFEE TO A MUCH BETTER MARKET THAN WHAT HAS BEEN THE CASE. SCHOOL MAINTENANCE WE HAVE ENROLLED 120 STUDENTS IN THE MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL. EACH OF THESE STUDENTS RECEIVES THE 40 SCHOLARSHIP THAT COVERS UNIFORM, BOOKS, AND SCHOOL FEES, AS WELL AS MANDATORY BLOOD WORK, DEWORMING, AND A GENERAL HEALTH CHECK UP. AS OUR PROGRAMMING MATURES, MORE DEMANDS WILL ARRIVE FOR MORE SOPHISTICATED TOOLS: A MICROSCOPE, ATLASES, TEXTBOOKS, AND THE LIKE. WE RECENTLY BUILT A CANTINA/KITCHEN/RECREATIONAL AREA AT THE SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS RUN BY TEACHERS AND PARENTS. LIBRARY TCI BUILT, ALONG WITH THE SCHOOL, A LARGE LIBRARY THAT ACTS AS A MEETING HALL, A CIVIC CENTER, A PERFORMANCE HALL, A MOVIE THEATER. THEY HAVE BEEN A GREAT SUCCESS, BUT NEED MORE MATERIALS TO WORK WITH. AN ENGLISH PROGRAM RUN BY A LOCAL TEACHER HAS ATTRACTED 24 STUDENTS. PARTNERSHIPS WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO BRING MUSICIANS, STORY WRITERS, AND BUSINESS PEOPLE TO EL ROSARIO TO WORK WITH STUDENTS AND CHILDREN ALIKE. THESE VISITS HAVE BEEN VERY IMPORTANT GIVEN THE ISOLATION OF LOCOMAPA VALLEY. A CURRENT PROJECT, AND AN EXPENSIVE ONE, IS GETTING MORE SKILLED PEOPLE IN EDUCATION, THE ARTS, THE ECONOMY TO VISIT AND SHARE THEIR EXPERTISE.

HAITI IS THE POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE, AND ONE OF THE POOREST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. ALTHOUGH MUCH INTERNATIONAL AID AND NUMEROUS NGOS FLOODED THE COUNTRY FOLLOWING THE MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE IN 2010 AND SUBSEQUENT HURRICANES, THE COUNTRY STILL STRUGGLES WITH BASIC ISSUES OF GOVERNANCE, INADEQUATE RESOURCES, A POOR ECONOMY AND EXTREME POVERTY. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE IN THE NEGLECTED NORTHEAST WHERE GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AID EFFORTS ARE ALL BUT NON-EXISTENT. PHAETON WE ARE ACTIVE IN PHAETON, A SMALL VILLAGE OF APPROXIMATELY 3,000 LOCATED ALONG THE NORTHEAST COAST OF THE COUNTRY. SINCE THE CLOSE OF A SISAL PLANTATION IN THE 1980S, THERE HAS BEEN NO INDUSTRY, LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR EMPLOYMENT, AND PEOPLE SUBSIST ON A VARIETY OF SMALL SCALE INFORMAL COMMERCE AND FISHING. THERE IS NO ELECTRICITY, NO RELIABLE WATER SYSTEM, OR DECENT SANITATION. THE VILLAGE EXISTS IN SEVERE POVERTY, WITH 70% LIVING ON UNDER 1.00 US PER DAY, AND ALTHOUGH OVER HALF THE POPULATION IS UNDER 24, THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO ORGANIZED SCHOOLING, JOB TRAINING, OR SOCIAL PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS: WE JOINED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY TO ESTABLISH NOAHS ARK, A SMALL SCHOOL NOW SERVING APPROXIMATELY NINETY STUDENTS AGE 3 TO 12. CURRENTLY, WE PROVIDE BASIC SCHOOLING AND A HOT LUNCH WHICH REPRESENTS THE ONLY SUBSTANTIAL FEEDING FOR MOST OF THE CHILDREN. IN COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL LEADERS WHO ARE DEDICATED TO CREATING BETTER OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR CHILDREN, TCI IS WORKING TO IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS AND EXPAND THE SCHOOL POPULATION TO SERVE MORE CHILDREN IN NEED. WE RECENTLY GRADUATED OUR FIRST 6TH GRADE CLASS OF THREE STUDENTS NOW ATTENDING PRIVATE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN TERRIER ROUGE WITH TCIS ONGOING SUPPORT. PLANS REMAIN ONGOING TO INCREASE CLASSROOMS TO MAKE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR MORE STUDENTS. WE RECOGNIZE THAT CHILDREN CANNOT PROSPER IF THEY AND THEIR PARENTS ARE MALNOURISHED, HAVE NO RELIABLE SOURCE OF CLEAN WATER, RECEIVE NO BASIC MEDICAL CARE, AND LIVE IN UNSANITARY CONDITIONS. AND SO WE PARTNER WITH OTHER NGOS WHO BRING CAPABILITIES TO ADDRESS THESE CHALLENGES. ESTABLISHED AND ARE NOW EXPANDING A DYNAMIC SCHOOL GARDEN. WORKED WITH A LOCAL DOCTOR TO ADDRESS THE VILLAGE MEDICAL NEEDS BY SUPPORTING HIS CLINIC AND COORDINATING MEDICAL MISSIONS. A SMALL MEDICAL CLINIC HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED IN PHAETON, HAITI. LIKE ANY OTHER PLACE IN THE WORLD, THE PEOPLE OF PHAETON WANT BETTER LIVES FOR THEIR CHILDREN. BY EMPOWERING, COLLABORATING AND SUPPORTING THE LOCAL POPULATION AND ITS LEADERS, TCI IS HELPING SECURE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THIS COMMUNITY AND ITS CHILDREN.

TO PROVIDE SUPPLIES, SUPPORT, AND TRAVEL FOR PRIMARY EXEMPT PURPOSE.