Our new Small Projects Section features projects that cost $500 or under. Together with interested Children International sponsors, we aim to raise funds for things like beds, tables, chairs, supplies, and more for needy families around the world. If you have an idea for a future small project, please email Anastasia Yecke at ayecke@hotmail.com

Jesica Bajada Small Project #9 launched September 17, 2006: Project Completed 10/14/06. Thank You!

Emily and Juan Carlos are sponsored by Ellen Brown of New Zealand.

Ellen writes:

Meet Emily

Emily Xiloj Portillo turned six in January. She lives with her parents - Eduardo and Brenda - and younger siblings, her brother Diego and sister Dulce in very poor conditions in Guatemala City.

Emily has the gentle nature and sense of fun which is evident in her smile in her official Children International photograph. She loves to play with her dolls, sing, play hide-and-seek and go for walks with her Mom. Her favorite food is soup because it has lots of vegetables in it! Too young to write to me, her drawings are always full of flowers, happy sunshine, her church and cheerful heart shapes.

Brenda thanks me for being part of their lives, which I find very humbling. Eduardo is a carpenter, and Brenda keeps house. They do their very best for the children but are very impoverished. They do not have proper sanitation for their home, which is a simple one-room block house with a kitchen area. This extra assistance would help secure for the family a safe toilet area that could be kept clean. The money will be spent on a new toilet, a washbasin, 150 concrete blocks, 440 lbs of concrete, 220 lbs of iron, and various general household items.

150 concrete blocks +
440 lbs of concrete +
220 lbs of iron +
general household items = $250 total

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Meet Juan Carlos

Juan Carlos Orozco Tejeda is nine years old and lives in the Jalisco Project, Mexico. He is the eldest of six children. Their parents are Ana Silvia who looks after the home, and Benigno who is a bricklayer.Juan does not attend school; he is wait-listed to attend as his local school is at capacity. Juan has pets - he likes cats because they chase the mice! He was very pleased to hear that I had cats, too. He is clearly a special little boy, assisting his mother while his father is working. At home, his mother Ana says he is fun-loving and very helpful to her.Their home is a one-room construction with a kitchen area. The family would like to make their home more liveable and to build another room. The items needed for building include:

850 blocks = $185.00
2 bags of cement & lime mortar = $18.50
Food = $46.50
_____
$250 total