Child Empowerment International

Success in Wakitaka, Jinja!

Sun, 09 Jun 2013 09:20:56 -0700

This is a story of an orphaned girl named Ruth Namukasa. She grew up in a remote little village by a river in Masaka district, Uganda. Her father died of AIDS when she was very young and the leaders of the tribe of her deceased father chased her mother out of the village. Her mother was forced to remarry a farmer in a neighboring village. Ruth was mistreated by her stepfather, she was made to do the chores at home, she always went to bed late and had to complete all the house work before she left to school. Her grades in school began to drop while she was still in grade one and her stepfather decided he could not longer support her and pay her fees or allow her to go to school since she was not performing well. Little Ruth had to stay at home and helped her stepfather on the farm while in saddens she would watch her friends go to school everyday. Shortly after she was pulled out of school her mother also passed as a result of her illness and struggle with AIDS. Ruth continued to live with her stepfather who could not afford to work on the farm and take care of his family. They moved to a village close to Jinja where the stepfather had hoped he could find a better job and raise his family, unfortunately, this was not the case. He did not want Ruth and so he found her grandmother and left her there. Ruth’s grandmother sadly was also in a financial situation and was unable to take care of Ruth. Her grandmother was fond of Ruth but as a farmer herself, she was dependent on the annual crops which gave her little or no income at times. Ruth sometimes had no food for days when she lived with her grandmother. She was then taken to her aunt’s house where her life became worse. Ruth’s aunt mistreated this little girl, made her do house chores and domestic work around the house and in the yard and she would not let Ruth go to school because she wanted Ruth to take care of her baby. In 2010, a team from Child Empowerment International found Ruth and registered her in the CEI sponsorship program. She was one of the first children in the village of Wakitaka to be sponsored under the CEI program. Ruth started to go back to school since she was financially supported and she loved it! Unfortunately, Ruth continued to be mistreated at home; her aunt would take away all her school material and stationery provided by CEI and give it to her own children leaving only a few items for Ruth. However, through sponsor contributions and support CEI have been able to place Ruth in a boarding school where she can now concentrate on her academics, eat healthy meals and make friends. Although, she still returns to her aunt for the school vacation she has hope of returning to school no matter how hard life can be for her, she is happy. Ruth is so loved and cared for at school and this has improved her grades and she is a high performer at school.

Think about how you can help a child in need of hope, love and care …

A sponsor hand-made these wonderful tote bags for the girls in...

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 17:53:09 -0700

A sponsor hand-made these wonderful tote bags for the girls in our CEI projects in Jinja, Uganda… — in Jinja, Uganda.

One Sponsor at a time ...

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:55:07 -0700

Gift lives in Wakitaka village in Uganda. Many families in this area have only a small plot of land on which they grow some food like yam and beans. Many parents survive by working as day laborers that receive a very low income of less than US $ 2 per day. Nine-year-old Gift’s father works hard to support his family but still their basic needs are not met. He works in a brick-making factory. CEI has been able to give Gift the right to go to school, where she enjoys learning English and she makes every effort to learn the language so that she can become a doctor. Your sponsorship can help her receive a quality education, including ESL classes to support her career goals.

photo/graphic via Half the Sky It’s #GivingTuesday! A day...

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:51:26 -0800

photo/graphic via Half the Sky

It’s #GivingTuesday! A day to celebrate with gifts that give back. Why not sponsor a child in the name of a friend or loved one this holiday season? It’s a gift that ensures that a child receives a quality education which means opportunities for their future. A perfect gift for the person on your list that has everything. Visit our website or call our office to select a child to sponsor: http://www.childempowerment.org/sponsorship or (831) 622-9416

halftheskymovement: Google marks Universal Children’s Day with...

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:09:43 -0800

halftheskymovement:

Google marks Universal Children’s Day with a doodle

On December 14, 1954 the United Nations’ General Assembly suggested each country adopt a Universal Children’s Day, and today, November 20, is the day in the US.

The day also marks the date the UN’s Assembly enacted the Declaration of the Rights of a Child in 1959 and the Convention on the rights of the Child in 1989.

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Jeyaruth

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 10:30:48 -0800

CEI Sri Lanka photo: During lessons, Pussellawa School

This Day of the Girl Success Story comes from Jeyaruth, in her own words:

I’m Miss T. Jeyaruth Krishnaveni and I benefited from the project in Pussellawa. There are five members in my family including myself. My father is a day worker and my mother is a housewife. I have a brother and a sister. I’m the eldest in my family. My brother and sister also studied in the project and now they are also in a good position. My sister is a teacher and my brother works in a bank. I’m a science teacher. We live in Wahugapitiya.

I studied in this project for nearly five years. I learned a lot through this project. I improved my English knowledge and now I’m continuing my higher studies (B.Sc.) in English Medium in an Open University. The knowledge I gained from this project is very useful to my life and my studies. My school fees were paid for me and it was a great help to me to improve other subjects as well as English.

My aim is to be a good teacher and to transfer my knowledge to all of my students. I like to help all the poor children as much as possible. I like to help the AED project (CEI in Sri Lanka) with pleasure. Thank you for giving me this unmeasureable, valuable education.

Yours faithfully, Jeyaruth

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Children playing at the Pussellawa School

Diwali is popularly known as the “festival of...

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:33:43 -0800

Diwali is popularly known as the “festival of lights”. It is an official holiday in two countries where we work, Sri Lanka & Nepal. The festival holds special religious significance to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.

halftheskymovement:

Happy Diwali!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Julakshika

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:30:42 -0800

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Julakshika doing her homework

Julakshika is from a remote area, Batticaloa, which is one of the areas badly affected by civil war, violence, the 2004 tsunami and other natural disasters. She is a very intelligent girl who excels academically, especially in English, and she is very interested in learning more of the language. She has proven her ambition by joining the Calsda Institute for English and performing well in a speech competition where she achieved 100% and was awarded with a trophy. She has also participated in many general knowledge quiz competitions where she was the best performer at the national level and awarded a gold medal.

She enjoys sports activities too, she plays badminton very well and likes to be competitive. She spends her free time playing with the younger children and teaching them English, passing on her knowledge. Julakshika is now in 2nd grade and she values the support extended by AED’s (CEI in Sri Lanka) sponsorship of her education. She knows that with this support, she can achieve her goal of becoming a teacher when she grows up so that she can be “helpful to others” like herself.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our #DayoftheGirl Success Stories that we’ve shared on the blog inspired by the First International Day of the Girl that was celebrated on October 11, 2012. If you missed reading about any of the girls, just click on “older posts” to find the rest of the series. Also, anytime is a good time to become a part of one of our children’s success stories but sponsoring a child’s education on behalf of someone you love this holiday season is an especially great time. Become a sponsor today!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Prasangika

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 10:30:37 -0800

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Prasangika enjoying an opportunity to learn in a supplemental class provided by the Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy in the newly completed Lance Berkman Learning Center.

In spite of her difficult past and having to live away from her family, Prasangika has a pleasant disposition and a friendly smile. Her mother is a housemaid and her father is a fisherman. Both are unable to maintain a steady income because of limited job opportunities. Her family’s situation would have had a permanent impact on her development so Prasangika was brought to live at Samudra Sri Leadership Academy.

She is a very intelligent and talented girl. She has won first place at both Science and History quiz competitions and second place at an English news reading competition. She excels in learning English which earns her good grades in the subject. Also Prasangika has earned the top position in her class because of her performance in the last school-wide examination. She has also been given the honor of being the class monitor this year. Prasangika also has a natural talent for drawing. She has participated in an art competition where she was selected as a winner.

Prasangika is a natural athlete. She is on the track team where she participates in the 100m sprint event, high jump and long jump events and she has won first place for these events in her school’s Inter House Athletic meets. She is also an active member on her school cricket team.

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Prasangika cheerfully helping to serve after-school snacks at the Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy

Thirteen year old Prasangika is now an eighth grader who works hard to balance her studies & extra curricular activities. Her future goal is to be an athlete so that she can bring glory to her motherland, Sri Lanka.

We have no doubt that she will achieve her goals because she will have the support of a quality education behind her. Keep smiling, Prasangika!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Birunda

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:30:53 -0700

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Birunda practicing her Sinhala

In her own words:

My name is Birunda Nallaiya from Chenkalady, it’s a remote area in Batticaloa which is one of the badly affected areas by civil war, violence and tsunami and other natural disasters. I study at Chenkalady Central College. Our area is not industrial or any trade based so the people here move on with their livelihood with greatest difficulty, we have a peaceful surrounding now and the educational support extended by AED (what CEI is called in Sri Lanka) is showing new meaning to our life.

I was successful in General Certificate of Ordinary Level which is conducted by the Department of Education. I became the best performer in the debate competition organized for the celebration of Tamil day and awarded the 1^st place as well. I also won the second place in stage performance at the same event. I have participated in the leadership program conducted by Kalkuda Education Center and was awarded for being a good leader.

I like to learn English and Sinhala, as it is very important to all Sri Lankans. I want to learn Computing and Information Technology as well, to advance my knowledge as my desire is to become a journalist and a presenter. I have ambition and I want work hard towards achieving my goal. I have chosen Arts subjects in General Certificate of Advanced Level and I’m very positive that I will be very successful.

We are too, Birunda! Remember, you can be a part of Birunda’s and other girls success stories. Become a CEI sponsor today!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Promodya

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 10:30:45 -0700

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Promodya out on Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy’s new basketball court

Promodya was just a bright nine-year-old when she came to live at Samudra Sri Leadership Academy, a CEI/AED facility for children in need, orphans as a result of Sri Lanka’s civil war, poverty and natural disaster. She is from a very poor village called Inginiyagala – Ampara. Her mother had abandoned the family and her father was unable to take care of her due to his disability as he is partially paralyzed.

Promodya is extremely intelligent, she is one of the brightest students in her school. Out of all the candidates from her school she achieved the best results for General Certificate of Ordinary Level in 2010 which is conducted by Department of Education in Sri Lanka. For our American audience: O-Levels, taken from the British system of education, this test marks the end of compulsory education and by passing this test students can then go on to studying for the Advanced Levels (A-Levels) which gets them ready for college.

Promodya was also the head girl of her school in 2010. She has also won first place in the Literature quiz at school and prizes for English copy writing and dictation competitions. In addition to schoolwork, she is also very creative, a natural artist. She makes beautiful greeting cards and bookmarks in her spare time. She works hard in her studies and is a dedicated athlete, too. Promodya has won track medals in the 100m and 100x4 events. She is also a member of her school’s volleyball and basketball teams, and has won prizes in these two sports.

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Promodya being studious

Now Promodya is eighteen and currently studying in grade thirteen. She is the secretary of her school’s Red Cross Society. Her future ambition is to become a primary school teacher and spend her time educating small children. She is getting some good practice for her future career by helping the younger kids at Samudra Sri with their homework each day after school.

Congratulations, Promodya! We are so proud of your many achievements. None of Promodya’s story could have been possible without the sponsorship of children living at CEI’s Leadership Academies. Our thanks to sponsors & donors for their continued support. If you aren’t already, become a sponsor today and support education for every girl!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 09:50:27 -0700

In celebration of the world’s first annual International Day of the Girl, we thought that we would bring you five impressive stories this month of five impressive young women who are succeeding in CEI’s education projects in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, CEI is AED or, Asiana Education Development and our dedicated staff there have been preparing for this historical day through an in-country awareness campaign to educate communities about the importance of educating girls and what their education can mean to their families and communities. Check their outreach materials on our facebook page & on Pinterest!

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Children in class at AED Ranvirugama school

Let our #humblebragging begin! We are pleased to bring you the story of Chathuni from the Ranvirugama village, an AED school which has seen immense growth in attendance recently. Almost all the children who attend are very academic and successful in their schoolwork. Though most of the parent’s occupations revolve around manual labor in the tea and rubber industry, they display a positive attitude towards the program and they encourage their children to be more involved in school activities.

Chatuni is a 12 year old girl who has been involved with this AED project for nearly 6 years. She is very talented in various activities such as speech, drama, dancing and computing. She specializes in playing Piano. She has participated in Drama Competitions and Spoken English Competitions and won medals for both. She has also succeeded in these same events at the national level too. She is very talented in her studies as well. She has proven that by passing the grade 05 Scholarship Examination which is conducted by the Department of Education in Sri Lanka in 2010. Out of 240 candidates from her school, she placed seventh by earning 169/200 marks, a passing grade is 142/200.

Chathuni is a member of her school chess team and she placed third in the school chess championship. Also she has won so many certificates for Essay, Drama, Singing and Drill competitions. Here are some of her special achievements:

· Certificate for the Speech and Drama Competition (2007).

· First place from the District Piano Competition (2008).

· First place in All Island Drill competition (2009).

· First place from the Sabaragamuwa Province Sunday School test (2008 and 2010).

· Gold Medalist for the All island Piano Competition (2009).

· Certificate of ‘A’ grade for Piano Competition (2010).

· Certificate for the Bible Quiz Competition (2009 &2010)

· Grade 05 Scholarship Examination (2010)

Apart from these awards, Chathuni was a recipient of a special gift that was awarded to her from the Department of Education, an award for proper handling and maintaining of school text books that are given to students free of charge. She takes a lot of pride in this award and is grateful for the recognition she received from the Education Board.

As you can probably tell, Chathuni is a well-mannered and disciplined young girl at school and thus the favorite student of many teachers. At home, she helps to care for her younger brother, helping him with his schoolwork and she helps her mother with many household chores. She is also a very compassionate and generous, in the future she aspires to be a doctor so that she can save human lives.

“When I reach my goal of becoming a doctor I will help the poor children who are studying at AED schools”.

These were the words that came from her heart. Congratulations, Chathuni on all of your achievements! Due to the support given by CEI/AED through our sponsorship program, Chathuni was able to be successful and become an example of what can happen when girls are given opportunities to thrive and access to education.

Uganda Golden Jubilee Celebrations: Children entertaining...

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 11:00:35 -0700

Uganda Golden Jubilee Celebrations: Children entertaining guests at Kololo Independence grounds where the jubilee celebrations for Uganda are taking place right now, October 9th 2012. (Photograph by Isaac Kasamani for The Daily Monitor)

Uganda's 50th a Golden Jubilee celebration of independence - Not Everyone Will Party

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:55:37 -0700

Uganda's 50th a Golden Jubilee celebration of independence - Not Everyone Will Party:

Uganda is busy putting final touches on the country’s Golden Jubilee to be celebrated on Tuesday. As many as 15 heads of state are expected; the Kololo stadium, constructed for the occasion, is ready; at this very moment, Kampala is still being embellished. But not everyone in the country is sharing that party atmosphere.

“What is there to celebrate?” asks Erin Nagaba, in her late twenties. “Our country has no jobs. I’ve been looking for employment for years, but I fail to find it. Now I help out my mother in her shop.” Nagaba says she won’t go to town on Tuesday to celebrate. “I’d rather keep my shop open to earn the money we need to survive,” she says. The country is struggling to cope with a population growth of 1.2 million people every year, causing a severe lack of schools, health centers and job opportunities.

Today is World Teacher Day! Did you know that there are 65.2...

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:00:42 -0700

Today is World Teacher Day! Did you know that there are 65.2 million educators around the world today? We want to thank all of CEI’s teachers and staff without whom there would be no schools and no learning opportunities for the more than 6,000 children that benefit from CEI’s education programs in Sri Lanka, Uganda & Nepal. We would love to hear from you about what special teachers have had an impact on your lives.

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Computer class in the Bryant & Kristin Young Computer Lab on the campus of Kalapuwa Sri

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 12:45:29 -0700

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Part 2 airs tonight on PBS 9pm/8c. In case you missed Part 1 :)

halftheskymovement:

“It is a moral failure that 200 million girls in the developing world woke up this morning and didn’t go to school. By the time that I die, I would like us to start every sentence with the words like, ‘every girl goes to school’, ‘every child is literate’, ‘every child has access to reading materials.’ And no child should ever be told you were born in the wrong place at the wrong time and you didn’t get educated. That — that whole idea just belongs in the dustbin of history.” –John Wood (Room to Read)

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide premieres tonight at 9pm/8c on PBS

It’s officially fall! Personally, it’s my favorite...

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 10:28:04 -0700

It’s officially fall! Personally, it’s my favorite time of year mostly because of the crisp air and hearty recipes. If you have been following the blog lately, we’ve been talking about child nutrition and more specifically, a development project featuring the delicious sweet potato. It just so happens that The ONE Campaign is talking about them too! In addition to sponsoring a child’s education, nutrition & health through Child Empowerment International, The ONE Campaign has a great way to get involved in improving child nutrition around the world. Check it out!

Innovations like the orange-fleshed sweet potato are flipping malnutrition on its head, but farmers in the developing world need the support of world leaders to make these and other nutrient-rich crops more widespread. And that’s precisely why we’re calling on them to make a measurable, meaningful commitment to reduce chronic child malnutrition for 25 million kids by 2016. So take action now. Sign our petition today.

Signed our petition and want to do more? Great — because there’s lots more you can do to help make the humble sweet potato a star:

1) Submit a recipe for a healthy sweet potato dish in our digital cookbook. Go to http://recipe4change.tumblr.com and click on the submit button on the lefthand side of the page. Write up your recipe (it doesn’t have to be original — you can take it from your favorite cooking blog) and upload a photo if you’d like, then click submit. We’ll review it then post it to the site for other ONE members to check out when the campaign goes out. At the end of each week, we’ll give the user with the most total loves and comments on their recipe a ONE goody bag.

2) Post a photo of a sweet potato dish (or anything, really) to Instagram. Make sure you tag it with #recipe4change. We’ll post a feed of your Instagram photos on our petition page for ONE members to like, comment and share. More details here.

3) Repin ONE members’ sweet potato recipes on Pinterest. Check out our Sweet Potato board and get pinning.

4) Help us generate heat on World Food Day, October 16th. Download our toolkit here to learn more.

By putting sweet potatoes on your menu, you’ll be helping to get nutrition on the development agenda and more importantly giving 25 million children a brighter future.

Women with Initiative: Agnes Apea

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 10:12:04 -0700

Agnes Apea, an inspirational voice from Uganda. She was able to get an education and come back to strengthen her community with the organization that she founded in 2009, The Hope Development Initiative.

Even though she made this choice and knew the importance of education she continued to face obstacles. “Everyone just wanted me to marry, not listening that I wanted to go to school. No one believed that I could go to school and that it would be worthwhile.”

internationalwomensinitiative:

You have no doubt heard of Joseph Kony; the conflict in Northern Uganda and the lives which have been impacted has been the subject of many debates in the last year. Yet this conflict has been raging for over twenty years and this was not the beginning of the struggle. Agnes Apea was born into the reign of Idi Amin – she grew up with conflict. She saw people being forced to flee their homes tolive in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. Their faces wore their hardship…They had given up.

Agnes, however, never gave up. She notes, “I grew up in this environment that really discriminated against women. It was a patriarchal society where girls have no value except for what you can get when married off.” Yet, from a young age she wanted to show everyone that being a woman does not make you less; that she could have a future as more than a wife.

Read More

Everyday all over the world, children eat together at school. No...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:28:24 -0700

Everyday all over the world, children eat together at school. No matter where they live, kids need a healthy meal to help fuel their growing brains and bodies. But school lunch can also be so much more. As an incentive to send kids to school, it can mean increased opportunities for families and communities. CEI and so many others think of it as an investment in the future and the facts seem to agree! In sub-Saharan Africa, the provision of school meals led to a 28% rise in the number of girls attending school & a 22% rise in the number of boys. Be sure to zoom in on this great infographic for more interesting stats on the benefits of school lunch.

(Photo & recipe via Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat: Food from Home:...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:01:32 -0700

(Photo & recipe via Eat, Spin, Run, Repeat: Food from Home: Indian Dahl)

While visiting some of our schools and the Leadership Academies in Sri Lanka this February, I got to eat with the kids and share some delicious & colorful meals. A staple of Sri Lankan cuisine is dahl, a thick and spicy stew of lentils and vegetables. In Sri Lanka, dahl is usually eaten with rice and is a great source of protein that also happens to be vegan and gluten-free. Try out this easy recipe for yourself and send us your pictures of the final yummy product!

Ingredients (6 servings)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp each ground cumin and cinnamon
1/4 tsp each ground cardamom and cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth + ½ cup water
2 cups dry red lentils (be sure to spread the lentils out and remove anything that doesn’t look like a lentil! Sometimes small stones manage to find their way in to the package.)
1 bay leaf
1 3/4 cups chopped tomatoes, with their juice
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped (seeds removed)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions:

Pour oil into a large pot and place it on the stove over medium heat. Chop the onion, garlic, and carrots, and sautee until the onions become almost translucent, about 2 mins.
Add all spices (turmeric through ginger) and stir for 2 mins to coat the vegetables.
Reduce heat to low. Add all remaining ingredients except for the cilantro. Stir to combine, then cover the pot with a lid and allow the lentils to absorb the liquid. This should take 10-15 minutes.
When liquid has disappeared, remove the bay leaf. Stir in half of the cilantro.
Ladle the dahl into bowls and top with remaining cilantro. Serve hot.

Nutrition per serving: 305 calories, 4g fat (1g saturated), 0mg cholesterol, 53mg sodium, 49g carbs, 22g fiber, 6g sugar, 20g protein.