Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ANNUAL
REPORT
PROGRESS
& OPPORTUNITY
ANNUAL
REPORT
2010
CONTENTS
1 Letter From the Chairman
2 Letter From the President
3 Introduction
4 ransitions: Stepping Stones Program
T
Fosters Primary School Retention
6 Todays Youth Are Preparing
for Tomorrows Challenges
10 The First Thousand Days: ChildFund Initiatives
Support Children During Their First Years of Life
12 Map: Where We Work
14 Financial Statements
16 ChildFund Around the World
ON THE COVER: For children like this young girl in Kenya, ChildFund implements
innovative solutions such as solar lighting so educationbecomes a reality and the
journeytoyoung adulthood can be filled with positive outcomesthat last a lifetime.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Nicole Duciaume, Leslie Knott, Mary Moran
www.ChildFund.org
2010 ChildFund International. All rights reserved.
Member of
Letter From the Chairman
Dear Friends,
My eight years of serving on ChildFund Internationals percent of the worlds population lives in countries where
Board of Directors has taught me a great deal about the income differentials are widening. So, ChildFund works
potential of children, and about what it takes to help that much harder to ensure efficient and effective delivery
them achieve it. Time and again, I have witnessed their of resources. At the same time, we also strive to shield
optimism, and it is powerful. the children, youth and communities we serve from the
One thing I admire about ChildFund is how it takes that economic crisiss effects. In fact, this year, we funneled an
optimism and turns it into action. Children and families even greater proportion of our overall funding directly into
living in poverty dream of better lives for themselves, and our programs directly to childrens benefit.
theyre willing to work for it. ChildFund gives them the tools I am thankful to be part of ChildFund. I know that helping
they need, whether in the form of vocational skills training, even one child leads to great things, and we are grateful for
health and nutritional support, microloans, educational your support of this amazing work. It is both meaningful and
opportunities or any of the many ways ChildFund helps. And tremendously appreciated.
they appreciate it so much. Ill never forget walking into one
familys small hut in Ethiopia to find the walls covered with
sponsor letters, cards and photos that theyd carefully saved
throughout the years.
Meantime, the effects of our struggling economy con-
tinue to filter down to the worlds most at-risk people, and Dr. Charles M. Caravati Jr.
the needs for our services continue to grow. More than 80 ChildFund Board Chairman
Every night, about a billion people around the world Earlier this year, as I traveled in Kenya, a police-
go to bed hungry. man pulled over our van. We werent speeding and
The number grows every day. In fact, the World Bank we werent somewhere we shouldnt have been. He
estimates that 89 million to 100 million people will have stopped us because he was a former sponsored child,
descended into poverty by the end of this year. Sub- and he had recognized the ChildFund logo on the van.
Saharan Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia He wanted to thank us.
are seeing some of the highest levels of need in recent Barako, who is now 37 and has a family of his own,
memory. Children are hit hardest. shared how he came from a very poor family. He told us
The continuing economic crisis presents an uphill that he wouldnt have had the opportunity for an educa-
battle for everyone for the children and families tion or the training to be a police officer without the
ChildFund serves, for our supporters, for all development 11 years of sponsorship support he received through
organizations struggling worldwide to reverse poverty. ChildFund.
In spite of this, Americans still believe it should be our On another day, I heard about an Ecuadorean girl,
nations top priority to help the worlds poorest chil- Monica, who grew up with assistance from Child-
dren, according to a survey ChildFund commissioned. Funds programs, went to college and now manages
Other research on behalf of the United Nations found a the credit union that helps grow small businesses in
similar trend when it showed participants the details of her community.
the U.N.s Millennium Development Goals, eight specific Later, I learned of Mintesnot, in Ethiopia, who
benchmarks for reversing extreme poverty by 2015. had asked his sponsor to transfer his sponsorship to
The desire to help the worlds poorest children a younger sister while he worked as a kindergarten
presents us with a great opportunity, one that our sup- teacher and pursued a degree in journalism. Hes now
porters have embraced in many ways. And I have seen married, a father of one and a senior editor at a govern-
firsthand the progress we are making together nearly ment radio station.
every day. Sponsorship reverberates. I believe deeply in the
power of our supporters caring to change lives and
for those individual lives to lead to enduring change.
ChildFund works in 31 countries, serving children
and family members in 895 communities. Yes, the dire
economic conditions have made it more difficult to
do this work, and the numbers above are stagger-
ing. Thats why it is all the more urgent that Child-
Fund continue its work, and to grow and innovate
one child at a time, one family at a time, one
community at a time.
We are so grateful for your support that
makes progress in reversing poverty
possible.
Warm regards,
2 www.ChildFund.org
IF YOU KNOW CHILDFUND,
you know our long work to
eradicate poverty, one child at a
time. If you know ChildFund, you
know we reach children in 31
countries, including the United
States. You know we target our
support toward each stage of a
young persons life, from infancy
through childhood and into
young adulthood, because each
stage builds on the one before.
T
he high school dropout is a famil- children with skills for coping with change spent time in each others classrooms.
iar phenomenon. But an elemen- throughout their lives. Training for parents covered their roles,
tary school dropout? Transition is not a unilateral event, especially in identifying when children are
In developing countries, its not at all says Moran. How do you build the early under stress or having other difficulty, as
unusual. Your first-grade classroom may skills children need to move successfully well as in how to engage and interact with
have 135 kids in it, says Mary Moran, Child- among environments? teachers. Training for teachers included the
Fund program specialist in Early Childhood To start, look at the perspectives of all converse how to engage with parents
Development. Your second-grade class- involved. The child, coming from either the and families. All adults worked in concert
room has 60; and by the time you get to fifth home or one of ChildFunds child-centered, on behalf of the child.
grade, you may be in a class of 10 or 12. child-friendly Early Childhood Development While linkage among the constituencies
Why are these children unable to remain centers (ECD), is going into a teacher- is a central principle in Stepping Stones,
in the school environment where they centered, highly structured primary school it functions largely as support around the
should thrive? setting in which teaching is mainly by rote children as they learn lifelong skills that
In working with children and young recitation. There is little individual atten- will help them to be resilient, to adapt
people, ChildFund targets its programming tion, and there are few to no materials with to change and to recognize the dif-
based on three life stages infancy to which to work or play. The change is often fering expectations of people and
age 5, childhood (6 to 14) and youth (15 to a shock. environments. Teachers were
24) with core interventions tailored to all The primary school teacher, who will thus trained in social-emotional
three. But these stages do not begin or end have had little if any training in education learning strategies, from exer-
neatly; in fact, the transition from one stage methods or child development, may have cises that revealed to them differ-
to the next and within stages is critical, no sense of nor reason to consider ent learning styles to new ways to
and can make or break later success. The where the children have come from. structure their classrooms toward
transition from early childhood into primary Parents in these remote, rural villages may creating transition experiences.
school can be one of the most problematic. have had no school experience at all, which For example, desks or chairs might
Early grades attrition is a concrete manifes- means no understanding of the school be arranged in clusters rather than
tation of this difficulty. process or how to support their children in in rows, and the teacher might
ChildFunds Stepping Stones program, it. The trip to school may be as long as two work with one group of
which piloted in the Mumbwa region of rural hours each way. children while three other
Zambia last year, is designed to ease the In Stepping Stones, teachers from five groups engage with
shift between early childhood and primary ECD classes and four first-grade classes activity stations set up
school environments from several angles: collaborated on a plan for introducing around the room.
by bridging expectations across stakehold- their environments to each other, whether In the post-
ers various roles and environments; by cre- that meant groups of children visiting program evaluations,
ating linkages among teachers, parents and classrooms or having parents bring them one response was
children; and, most important, by equipping individually. The teachers from both settings typical of both ECD
4 www.ChildFund.org
and primary teachers: We now know how primary teachers as parents looked on. For childs teachers anticipated the difficulty
to ask questions of children. I thought my children, a particularly significant element and created a plan to smooth the change,
role was to make sure they know the infor- of the process was a graduation ceremony simply by allowing the parent to be present
mation, but now I see its more about how the adults arranged to honor the transition. at school as a quiet observer until the child
they access the information, what kinds of In one case, a child told us that graduation could fold in. It took only a handful of days.
ways they do things. Likewise, the teachers was really important because he had his The focus of Stepping Stones extends
reported that children are more apt to both first taste of cake, Moran laughs. Another beyond first or last days of school. Parents
ask for help and share their enthusiasm for told us that what was so important to her remain involved in their childrens schools.
learning. was that her community gave them a book Teachers continue to report successes in
Moran notes that teachers marveled to write in, and it was the first time she had their classrooms. And the primary school
at parents engagement about how their ever had a book. children are eager to move ahead. P
children were doing and how they could On the first day of primary school, only
help. Parents reported satisfaction in part- one of the 143 children cried, which is These Zambian children participate in
nering with teachers around their childrens actually an impressive measure of suc- ChildFunds Stepping Stones program,
development; some of the preschool teach- cess. More important, though, was the designed to ease the transition from early
ers literally handed the children over to the fact that the childs parent and both of the childhood to primary school.
T
he size of the worlds youth popu- ChildFund has long worked to provide Throughout our 72-year history of working
lation is now an urgent matter. Or vocational training for young people living in to lift children out of poverty, we have seen
perhaps its a great opportunity. poverty. But in recent years, it has become again and again how what happens in the
ChildFund can see it only as both as clear that skills acquisition, the traditional first years of life is the cornerstone of healthy
an urgent opportunity, because we believe measure of success, is not enough to carry development. We also know that develop-
in the potential of children and youth to youths from dependence to employment. ment is multifaceted physical, cognitive
change the world. We owe this wisdom and even our and social and that our programs must
Young people between ages 15 and 24 ways of working to children and youth address all three. For youth in particular, our
now account for 18 percent of the worlds themselves. interventions are geared toward supporting
population, and 87 percent of them are in reproductive health knowledge and HIV/
developing countries, where 85 percent of WHEN WE ASKED CHILDREN HOW AIDS prevention, helping them prepare for
working people are self-employed. With an they experience poverty, our long-held, employment and fostering the skills neces-
unemployment rate nearly double that of widely accepted perception of poverty sary for engagement and leadership in
adults, youth are hardest hit by the ongoing as material deprivation expanded to their communities. While each of the three
global economic crisis as they struggle include two additional strands: exclusion interventions is valuable in itself, the value
to break into the job market and start a from opportunity and vulnerability to multiplies when all three are integrated.
productive life. circumstance. The three are intertwined,
and their effects vary according to where IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, NEARLY
children are developmentally and geo- 60 percent of girls will be mothers by age
VOICES graphically.
The disproportionate youth population
25. Their ability to make educated choices
and avail themselves of youth-friendly
I could see the difference in my presents a potentially devastating example health services can only increase their
parents attitude before and after I of how these three strands function. Most chances of becoming contributing
was active in the ChildFund Indo- of these young people live in developing members of society in a sense,
nesia organization. They used to countries. With few jobs available, the closing the door on reproductive
underestimate me because I was sheer numbers of youth exclude them from risk-taking in order to open doors
only a child to them, but now they opportunity, which compounds deprivation. to opportunity.
respect my opinions and even seek Thus, at loose ends, youth are vulnerable Youth association and civic
them. Im also changed because I to drug use, HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, engagement programs can
now understand that my voice needs recruitment as child soldiers and more. go a long way toward
to be heard, and if they dont want
to hear it, I should speak louder.
This group of Ecuadorean youth is acquiring skills in news reporting,
Desi, age 16, ChildFund Indonesia while at the same time gaining leadership abilities all part of an
initiative to provide viable methods of earning a living.
6 www.ChildFund.org
steering youth away from risky behaviors. of school attendance this increased always in the way we hope.
In Dominica, for example, a youth associa- school enrollment dramatically. In Zambia, Lloyd McCormick, ChildFunds Regional
tion collaborated to create an Internet a childrens committee took its concerns Technical AdviserYouth Development for
caf that provides not only a safe hub for about underage drinking in their community Africa, found one example of this in a recent
community gathering and socializing, but all the way to the areas Member of Parlia- large-scale youth survey ChildFund per-
also income that is funneled into activi- ment. Laws were changed. formed in 10 countries in Africa, eight in the
ties such as hiking and field trips. I really Americas and six in Asia. Youths maturity
appreciate the fact that ChildFund is help- WE SET A PRECEDENT FOR level on civic engagement and other issues
ing us channel our efforts and energy into ourselves by going to children to learn is surprising, but not about the economy
something positive to help our commu- about poverty. Since then, we have and their expectations for the future, he
nity, says Srey, 17, the groups treasurer continued asking young people about says. Employers we talk to say youth dont
and a college student. My parents are their experience of poverty, of our have a realistic expectation they dont
very proud and amazed at the fact that at programs, of their own successes. Some- realize that they have to work their way up.
a young age we can manage all this. times what we learn surprises us, and not Because most unemployed youth in
When youth work together, its good
for them and for their communities. One
ChildFund-supported committee of children
and youth in India went door to door in
their village, reaching out to parents and
talking up the importance
developing countries reside in rural areas, training in Uganda. We found six young Friends thought she was a little crazy when
where there is little if any formal employment women sitting in the village with their sewing they saw her walking through rain to go to
structure, they must become entrepreneurs. machines, waiting for people to come to training. Now, she says, Others are asking
But the ability to produce something does them, he says. Nobody had worked with when will be the next training, because they
not a business person make. McCormick them on how to promote their business and want to be part of the program.
recalls visiting some graduates of vocational provide good customer service. ChildFund Senegal has piloted a JA
Once again, an integrated approach is program as well. In Ecuador, Kenya and The
key. McCormick cites one of ChildFunds Gambia, ChildFund partners with the non-
8 www.ChildFund.org
conducted by youth but guided by mentors,
technical skills training and production
support, basic business skills training, life
skills training and extended mentoring and
follow-up. A unique factor is that the young
people are placed in producer groups in
which individuals all produce the same
item. In short, they develop microenter-
prises that generate an aggregate volume
of a size and quality to attract a bulk buyer, Sending youth into the world with a viable skill is critical. These youth are learning
which gives them a point of entry into the business skills in selling charcoal, a product much in demand in Senegal.
local value chain. Group members are paid
individually according to the proportion of package it, she says. By having all of the If you can help an 18- or 19-year-old
the total that they produce. group produce, it makes it profitable to have develop the skills they need to become
Dev Miller, ChildFunds senior special- the buyer maybe its an exporter in the economically active, says Miller, you have
ist in microenterprise development, who capital city send a truck to the region and influenced some 40 years of a productive
crafted the program model with McCormick, pick up a volume shipment of quality honey. work life. So its a good investment, and its
describes how this could play out once the The group mentor facilitates market link- also the right thing to do.
market analysis has helped the group settle ages, identifies potential buyers and helps Now look back at the numbers cited at
on an activity likely to produce income, such the youth negotiate price. Group members the beginning of this report, and multiply
as honey. You might train youth to build maintain the relationship with the buyer and by 40. The potential is enormous, and
honey hives, and then bring in an expert to get a far better price than they would if they ChildFund is working to actualize it at every
show them how to render the honey and were to go individually to the local market. opportunity. P
A
lot can happen in a thousand days. A pregnancy
can begin, a child can be born, and that child can
reach his or her second birthday. Or not.
Every year, more than 3.5 million children die from malnu-
trition. To an organization such as ChildFund, whose stated
purpose is to empower children toward becoming leaders of
enduring change, those numbers represent an unthinkable
loss of potential.
Through its 72 years of serving children, ChildFund has
become known for its contributions in nutrition and child health.
We ensure that children get what they need through our many
community-based nutrition programs and partnerships.
In Honduras, mother support groups track childrens
growth monthly. When a child is not achieving growth bench-
marks, the mothers respond immediately by changing prac-
tices or taking the child to a Health Hut for help. This monthly
structure and the engagement of these mothers stops
malnutrition before it starts.
10 www.ChildFund.org
This Ecuadorean mother is learning that a healthy start in life means being aware and involved in her childs early
growth and development.
Mothers of moderately malnourished children in India and mothers about culturally appropriate development stimu-
Indonesia learn to improve their feeding practices and pro- lation. The MOH provides medical care as well as food
mote preventive health behaviors through culturally sensitive supplements and micronutrients to malnourished children.
programming provided in group educational sessions. In Senegal, ChildFund community health workers promote
Malnourished children who are orphaned or otherwise healthy growth among children age 2 and younger during
vulnerable due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic receive food supple- monthly promotion sessions with mothers at health huts.
ments through ChildFund initiatives in Kenya and Ethiopia Mothers of malnourished children receive intensive counsel-
funded by PEPFAR (the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS ing and follow-up, and their children are referred to local
Relief). Families receive support through home-based ser- health clinics for medical treatment and food supplements.
vices, including regular home visits from community-based ChildFund Senegal leads a consortium of humanitarian orga-
organizations and volunteers. nizations to provide these services nationwide.
Working with Bolivias Ministry of Health (MOH), Child- Nearly one-third of the worlds children suffered from
Fund carefully monitors and supports children during their chronic malnutrition before the 2008 food crisis sent prices
first two years of life to ensure normal growth and develop- soaring. ChildFund continues to push back by mobilizing com-
ment. Community-based health workers visit mothers in munities to rally around their youngest members. When com-
their homes to reinforce effective feeding and to educate munities nourish their children, they nurture their future. P
Latvia
Lithuania
Belarus
Ukraine
Moldova
Serbia
Albania
United States
Mexico
Jamaica Dominica Cape Verde Mali
Honduras St. Vincent Senegal
Guatemala The Gambia Burkina Faso Chad
Nicaragua Guinea Benin
Sierra Leone Ghana Ethiopia
Cameroon
Liberia Togo Uganda
Rwanda Kenya
Ecuador Republic
of the Congo Burundi
Tanzania
Peru Zambia
Brazil
Angola
Bolivia Mozambique
Paraguay
South Africa
Color Key
ChildFund Alliance Program Countries
ChildFund International and ChildFund Alliance Countries
12 www.ChildFund.org
ChildFund
Program Expenses
Africa
Angola $ 5,468,265
Chad* 190,811
Ethiopia 9,481,006
The Gambia 4,296,639
Guinea 2,300,916
Kenya 13,578,289
Liberia 2,403,681
Mozambique 2,287,299
Senegal 11,646,958
Sierra Leone 3,016,064
Togo 209,411
Uganda 8,049,987
Zambia 7,629,461
Africa Total $ 70,558,787
Asia
Afghanistan $ 2,055,959
Cambodia 192,283
India 13,004,312
Mongolia Indonesia 8,215,464
Philippines 8,637,974
Sri Lanka 5,347,408
China South Korea Thailand 7,193,681
Afghanistan
Timor Leste 2,983,779
Nepal
Vietnam 858,699
Taiwan Asia Total $ 48,489,559
India Laos
Thailand Vietnam Philippines Eastern Europe
Cambodia Belarus $ 596,099
Eastern Europe Total $ 596,099
Sri Lanka
Indonesia
Latin America
Papua New Guinea
Bolivia $ 5,304,017
Timor Leste Brazil 16,096,896
Ecuador 5,758,450
Guatemala 5,289,346
Honduras 7,543,599
Mexico 8,049,216
Latin America Total $ 48,041,523
Caribbean
Dominica
St. Vincent
Caribbean Total $ 1,813,333
ChildFund International helps deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have
the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, United States
parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities. United States Total $ 3,102,206
We promote societies whose individuals and institutions participate in valuing,
protecting and advancing the worth and rights of children.
Total Program $172,601,507
Working in 31 countries, ChildFund assists 15.2 million children and family members,
according to our 2007 survey. ChildFund is currently introducing a more rigorous meth- * ChildFund International works in 31
odology for counting children and families served, and this data will be shared in 2011. countries but also assisted in Chad
For further information, visit our website at www.ChildFund.org with emergency needs.
Sincerely,
James Tuite
Vice President, Finance & Operations/Chief
Financial Officer
14 www.ChildFund.org
Financial Statements
2010 2009
PUBLIC SUPPORT
Sponsorships $162,002,551 $164,542,642
Contributions 23,520,383 24,439,594
Grants 27,388,754 27,000,516
TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT 212,911,688 215,982,752
Other revenue 3,064,367 2,055,963
TOTAL PUBLIC SUPPORT & REVENUE 215,976,055 218,038,715
Fundraising Management & General
11% ($23.4 Million)
EXPENSES 7.9% ($16.8 Million)
Program
Education 61,535,166 58,616,056
Health and Sanitation 44,145,849 41,134,358
Nutrition 14,688,825 15,192,853
Early Childhood Development 19,958,484 20,235,844
Micro-Enterprise (Family Income Generation) 20,408,024 19,022,823
Areas of Assistance to
Emergencies 11,865,159 11,919,192
TOTAL PROGRAM 172,601,507 166,121,126
Children and Families
Fundraising 23,420,237 21,888,780
Management and General 16,849,426 17,268,244 Education Health & Sanitation
35.7% ($61.5 Million) 25.6% ($44.1 Million)
TOTAL EXPENSES FROM OPERATIONS 212,871,170 205,278,150
Change in Net Assets from Operations 3,104,885 12,760,565
16 www.ChildFund.org
ChildFund Around the World
ANGOLA
Benjamin Tchiyevo
National Director
Developing early
childhood social and
cognitive skills offers chil-
dren a strong foundation
as they transition into their
primary school years.
Member of Alliance