Cross International

God’s love, transforming deepest need into thriving joy

Partner Highlight: Kupenda for the Children, Kenya

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When Cynthia Bauer, an American grad student, met Leonard Mbonani, a Kenyan special needs teacher in 1999, they never imagined that their partnership would lead to improved health and inclusion for thousands of disabled Kenyan children. But that’s exactly what has come to pass with the establishment of Kupenda for the Children.

Cynthia Bauer CEO and co-founder of Kupenda for the Children

Many people in Kenya believe that disabilities are caused by witchcraft or are a punishment from God. Kupenda for the Children’s mission is to fight against these harmful beliefs by training local pastors and community leaders to serve as advocates for children with disabilities. Today, in partnership with Cross International, Kupenda for the Children provides a series of tailored trainings on disability knowledge, family counseling, and abuse prevention. After that pastors go through a “Training of Trainers” program so that they are able to train their peers as well.

Young girl with Microcephaly
Kenyan mother holding her son
Kenyan mother holding her child

Thanks to your support of Cross International, Kupenda for the Children is helping to change and reverse the cultural stigmas around disabilities in Kenya and give these precious children the community support they need.

A Young Woman and Her Family Rise Out of Poverty

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Josefina was stuck. With four children to care for, Josefina and her husband, Santos, were struggling to find enough work to put food on the table. The pair mainly worked as day laborers in their hometown of El Milagro, Guatemala. Working for others, it was difficult for Josefina and Santos to get ahead. They wondered if they would ever break free of the cycle of poverty.

Little did they know God was about to bless them with a new opportunity.

Josefina was chosen by local Cross International partner, Hope of Life, to receive help starting a new business raising chickens for eggs. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Cross International donors like you, Josefina and her family received training on how to care for and maintain a flock as well as 40 hens and a coop of their own. Because Josefina is not literate, field staff enlisted the help of her eldest daughter to help with keeping track of egg production and sales.

Josefina Garcia showing the eggs produced by her chickens
Josefina Garcia showing the eggs produced by the chickens the family is raising
Josefina Garcia holding one of her chickens
Josefina holding one of her chickens

In the first year of the business, Josefina and her family worked diligently to make the most out of their new opportunity. Not only did they start earning a daily income, they were able to reinvest some of the profits in replenishing and expanding their flock. For Christmas, Josefina was able to purchase and raise a small flock of broiler chickens, and they all sold out!

 Josefina and her family feel blessed by God to be a part of this Cross International poultry project and they are very proud to have their own business and to be able to support their children.

A family in Guatemala stands with their chickens
Josefina with her husband Santos and their daughters Jesenia, Mary Ester, Karla and Cleidy

Thank you for making family agriculture projects like this one possible. You are giving hard-working people like Josefina the dignity and hope that comes from being able to reap the fruits of their labors and build a future for themselves and their kids.

If you want to support other families like Josefina’s, you can donate to the animal and agricultural fund or provide economic empowerment for small businesses in other communities in need.

Raising Chickens: Moving Beyond Poverty in Guatemala

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Escaping Poverty in Guatemala

Argelia never had the chance to go to school in Guatemala. Now 52 years old, she still cannot read or write. Even so, Argelia worked hard to provide for her children as best as she could, but with little opportunity the cards were stacked against her. Then, thanks to the faithfulness of Cross supporters, Argelia got connected with Hope of Life, Cross International’s partner in Guatemala. With the support of CI donors like you, Hope of Life is in the midst of a three-year community transformation project in Argelia’s village of El Milagro.

One of the core components of this community transformation project is to help individuals build thriving agriculture businesses in order to provide for their families and increase the availability of nutritious food in the village.

Argelia's Chickens in Guatemala

Raising Chickens

Because of her hard work, Argelia was chosen to receive help starting a chicken raising business. Argelia has been diligent in attending training sessions and now she has her own chicken coop and is able to harvest eggs for her family to eat and to sell at the market for extra income. Argelia is incredibly thankful to have been able to be a part of this Cross International poultry project in Guatemala. “No one receives if God does not give,” Argelia said. “God is great and powerful and I am so grateful for the benefit of these projects.”

Argelia happy showing a carton of eggs produced by her chickens
Argelia, happy showing a carton of eggs produced by her chickens

Thank you for blessing hard-working people like Argelia with the means to build a better life for themselves and their children!

If you want to support other families like Argelia’s, you can donate to the animal and agricultural fund or provide economic empowerment for small businesses in other communities in need.

A Baby Nursed Back to Health in Guatemala

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A Malnourished Infant from a Poor Guatemalan Family

Malnourished baby rescued from small village
Baby Vilma Before

Little Vilma weighed just 4 pounds. At 22 days old, she was already dangerously underweight. Baby Vilma was suffering from severe malnourishment in Guatemala. Her family is from the small village of El Barrial where they live in a dilapidated adobe hut with a tin roof and a dirt floor. 

Her family is from the small village of El Barrial where they live in a dilapidated adobe hut with a tin roof and a dirt floor. They have no electricity and no running water. In fact, the only water source the family has is a small stream a 40-minute walk from their home.

Nutrition Help in Guatemala

Cross International friends sent a nutritional rescue team from Hope for Life, a Cross International partner in Guatemala, to help baby Vilma. When the team arrived, they realized just how fragile she was. 

They took Vilma back to the Nutrition Recovery Center where the little girl responded beautifully to the child nutrition plan they put in place. Vilma began to overcome malnutrition and hunger in Guatemala. In less than two months baby Vilma had gained enough weight to return home to her family.

Baby Vilma recovered and resting in an adult's arms
Baby Vilma after

Nutrition Education for Mom

Wilma’s mother received help too. Thanks to Cross International and Hope for Life, she received education on how to fight malnutrition so that she can make sure that Vilma will continue to grow healthy and strong. She will also be taking Vilma to all of her follow-up appointments so that Hope for Life can continue to monitor Vilma’s health. Cross International supporters also gave Vilma’s mom nutrients and formulas that will help her continue to feed Vilma all that she needs.

Vilma’s parents see the care they received from Cross International and Hope for Life as their own little miracle. They are so thankful to God and to Cross International supporters like YOU for helping to heal their daughter.

Hope for a Haitian Child

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Life in Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, can be very hard—especially for children. There are many orphans in Haiti, and Haiti child trafficking is a tragic reality. Other problems abound including malnutrition, lack of education in Haiti, limited access to medical care, and much more. But one particular situation that many Haitian children face is, if not endemic to Haiti, still so common that they have a special word for it—restavèk. The word restavèk literally means “to stay with” in Creole, but the reality behind the word is far more sinister.

Children on the streets, Haiti
Poverty in Haiti

Child Trafficking in Haiti

The word restavèk refers to a child that lives with a family that is not their own. The child may be an orphan in Haiti, or, more commonly, their parents simply cannot afford to support them. They are sent to live with another family to do household chores in exchange for meals, shelter, and, hopefully, the chance to go to school. Unfortunately, all too often, the truth is that restavèk is just another word for Haiti child trafficking. While child trafficking statistics in Haiti are hard to come by, those living as restavèk are often victims of child slavery.

Hope for a Child Victim

Nine-year-old Christopher* lives as a restavèk, or a child slave, in Haiti. His “host” family consists of a man named Leon*, his wife, and their five children. Christopher works hard helping Leon in the pastures and in the family’s home. When he was caught playing with his friends in the neighborhood, Christopher was seriously beaten. Sometimes Leon’s wife claims that Christopher hit one of her children and refuses to feed him.

Christopher dreamed of going to school, but Leon cannot pay his school fees. Thankfully, Christopher’s life began to change for the better when a local pastor helped get him enrolled in a literacy center run by Cross International partner the Evangelical Baptist Mission of South Haiti. Thanks to the faithfulness of Cross International friends like you, Christopher’s dream of an education in Haiti is starting to come true. Christopher loves school, he has a good teacher, and he has made friends in class. He also enjoys receiving school lunches and shared with school staff that sometimes the school lunch is his only meal of the day. Even though he has lots of chores to do at Leon’s home, Christopher works hard to make time for his homework, too. Most joyous of all, Christopher has even accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior!

Sadly, like so many other victims of child trafficking in Haiti, Christopher’s situation remains difficult. But, with Cross International’s support, school staff are working to provide more food and assistance to him. Christopher even asks that we continue to find ways to help other children who live in situations like his.

Students praying before taking lunch at school
Children praying before eating lunch at MEBSH school

Orphan and Child Care in Haiti

Through the generosity of our compassionate partners, Cross International is able to come alongside and support our partner organizations in Haiti who are working so hard to help victims of child trafficking and slavery like Christopher.

*Names changed to protect identity.

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Help Children With Disabilities

The UN estimates that between 93 and 150 million children worldwide live with a disability. In developing countries, these children are often unable to attend school, play outside or access specialized resources. Negative stigma or superstition among their parents, neighbors and community leaders often reinforce these barriers.

This year, we’re providing $60,000 worth of medical equipment to Kupenda for the Children in Kenya. This is a very remote location, and your gift will help cover the shipping costs to this very worthy medical outreach.

This gift will benefit: Kenya

Recommended Gift

  • $243 would provide a wheelchair to a remote facility
  • $950 would provide 60 pairs of youth crutches to a remote facility
  • $2,430 would provide 10 wheelchairs to a remote facility

Heal the Sick

In developed countries, basic medical supplies such as gauze, wraps, bandages, and syringes are commonplace. Unfortunately, that is often not the case in the developing world. Christian doctors and volunteers in developing countries frequently run low on these supplies, and they also lack the funds to keep large inventories on hand.

This year, we’re providing $84 million worth of medicines and medical supplies. Your gift will help cover the shipping costs to medical outreaches in some of the most remote areas of the globe

This gift will benefit: Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kenya

Recommended Gift

  • $866 provides $100,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies
  • $4,328 provides $500,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies
  • $8,656 provides $1 million worth of medicines and medical supplies

Build a Family a Home

A gift of a safe, secure home is tangible affirmation of God’s love for a desperate family — it brings hope, health, stability and opportunity. Most poor families must settle for much less. Mired in poverty, they are forced to live in unsafe shacks fashioned from mud and thatch.

You can provide the life-changing gift of a safe, storm-resistant new home with Cross partners Ambuya Development Center in Malawi and Hope of Life in Guatemala. A new home will ease the family’s burdens, protect them from the wind and rain, and help them achieve their dreams.

This gift will benefit: Guatemala, Malawi

Recommended Gift

  • $1,881 will install an eco-stove, for safe, economical and healthy cooking
  • $8,900 will finance the construction of a safe, sturdy concrete- block home

Education

The gift of an education is an investment that reaps long-term dividends for a child’s future. By opening doors for the children of the poor to enroll in Christian schools and get the same educational opportunities as their more economically well-off peers, you are giving not just a hand-out but a “hand-up.”

Your gift will fund Christian education to nurture vulnerable children mentally and spiritually — for thriving futures that will transform hopeless places.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Ecuador, Uganda

Recommended Gift

  • $515 provides Christian primary school scholarships to 10 children
  • $1,030 provides Christian primary school scholarships for 20 children
  • $1,240 provides one week of Vacation Bible School for 100 children
  • $3,300 provides one year of vocational school scholarships for 60 girls
  • $3,660 enables 30 adults to attend a Christian adult literacy program

Rescue Women and Children in Crisis

Through emergency child rescue services, vocational training, anti-trafficking programs and Bible literacy classes, Cross International is helping vulnerable women and children reclaim their lives. Inspired by Jesus’ love, we work shoulder to shoulder with our in-country partners, empowering them to create change that lasts so that those who need help will eventually be able to stand confidently on their own. Be a part of this good news and make a life-saving gift part of your holidays.

Your gift will help protect victims of gender-based violence and also help save marginalized women and children from harm.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua

Recommended Gift

  • $891 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for 3 months
  • $1,782 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for 6 months
  • $3,564 supports a family rescued from trafficking or abuse for one year

Provide Clean, Safe Water

Our ministry partner, the Kachere Development Center, has an ambitious plan to install 20 wells, providing 5,160 adults and 8,414 children with clean water. Our goal is to finance the drilling and installation of one well – part of an entire community water system, which includes training to maintain the well, and sanitation and hygiene training for improved health.

One borehole can provide 2,800 gallons of safe, life-sustaining water every day. Help us bring clean, safe water to one of these villages today — in a way that will last for generations.

This gift will benefit: Zambia

Recommended Gift

  • $3,105 will train the community for water care system and use
  • $10,755 will finance the cost of drilling the well
  • $18,975 will finance the cost of installing a community water system

Give Tools for Sustainable Farming

One of nine people worldwide survive on less than $1.90 a day. Without training and supplies to grow moneymaking crops and breed profitable livestock, poor farmers stay locked in the cycle of poverty.

By supporting this fund, you’ll help families break free of poverty — transforming lives for generations. When families get the training and tools they need, it means bountiful harvests and small animals that produce income for a sustainable business model.

This gift will benefit: Guatemala, Nicaragua

Recommended Gift

  • $495 provides training, tools and assistance for one farming family
  • $990 helps provide training, tools and assistance for 2 farming families
  • $1,840 will provide 10 goats for children to raise for breeding
  • $8,500 provides a family with a chicken coop, 40 hens & feed, plus small business & animal husbandry training. Creates $1.20 family income/day – a 60% increase!

Feed Hungry Children

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 811 million in the world suffer from under-nourishment. By providing the gift of food, you will save the lives of thousands of hungry children and their families in developing countries.

Your gift will provide meals for ministry partners such as Divine Shelter Schools in Haiti and Hope of Life in Guatemala. A generous donation during this season of giving will change lives forever.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi

Recommended Gift

  • $146 will feed 10 children for a month
  • $292 will feed 20 children for a month
  • $584 will feed 40 children for a month
  • $2,336 will feed 160 children for a month
  • $4,672 will feed 320 children for a month
  • $9,334 will feed 640 children for a month

Most Urgent Needs

Inspired by the love of Jesus, we work shoulder to shoulder with local leaders overseas, equipping families with the resources they need to thrive – basics like food, clean water and healthcare, as well as longer-term community transformation projects that will ensure lasting change.

By giving to our Thriving Kids Initiative, you’re not only meeting children’s Most Urgent Needs, you’re also helping lift their families – even entire communities – out of poverty.

This gift will benefit: Africa, The Caribbean, Central America, South America

Recommended Gift

  • $1,000 helps lift 9 kids out of poverty
  • $2,500 helps lift 23 kids out of poverty
  • $5,000 helps lift 46 kids out of poverty
  • $10,000 helps lift 92 kids out of poverty
  • $20,000 helps lift 184 kids out of poverty

Feed Hungry Children

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 811 million in the world suffer from under-nourishment. By providing the gift of food, you will save the lives of thousands of hungry children and their families in developing countries like Haiti, Malawi, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

Your gift will support the provision of meals and other basic services that are essential for survival. A generous donation during this season of giving will change lives forever.

This gift will benefit: Haiti, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Malawi

Recommended Gift
$1,000 will feed 30 children for a month | $5,000 will feed 80 children for a month | $10,000 will feed 92 children for a month | $20,000 will feed 184 children for a month

Donate to Cross International’s Thriving Kids Initiative