I'm Thankful For...

the many friends I have at Kaya and for the teachers who care for me. I also like reading and there are lots of books in the library. -- Jimena

How Far Does Your Money Go?

Why do you give to Kaya Children International? Whatever your reason, we are so grateful for your generosity! Your support means that we will be able to continue to provide long-term, quality care for our children. Some of you may be wondering what it costs for Kaya to provide the services that it does and how far your money goes. We have said earlier that $500 will pay a teacher's salary for a month; $1000 will pay a house parent's salary for 2 months; and $5000 will cover the annual school fees for 40 children. Here are some other numbers to get you thinking:

• $25 provides meals and snacks for 1 child at the Kaya Center for a month.
• $50 covers basic health care for 25 kids for a month.
• $100 covers special activities and field trips for all kids in the Kaya Center for a month.
• $150 provides clinical services to a child for a year (ex. counseling, case management, crisis support, family support and counseling, assessment, etc.).
• $375 pays one psychologist working with 30 kids for a month.

Beyond the numbers, your support means that the children in Kaya are able to spend their days in a safe environment, where they are loved, where they are able to dream big, and where they are able to just be kids.

What Are You Thankful For?

Taking a note from the Thanksgiving season, the theme for this year's Kaya Challenge is "Thankfulness." As we take the Challenge together, we encourage you to think about what you are thankful for and how you can give others things to be thankful for as well.

We here at Kaya are extremely thankful for all of our wonderful friends and supporters. We are also thankful for the fantastic staff we have in Bolivia, who have dedicated their lives to helping and promoting justice for street children!

The Kaya Challenge Beings!

Are you ready to take the Challenge?

We hope you are...because the second annual Kaya Challenge begins today!

This time leading up to Thanksgiving is a natural time for gratitude and generosity, and the Kaya Challenge offers an opportunity for increased generosity and gratitude in a fun and creative way. The Kaya Challenge is for you, as a friend of Kaya, to spend time reaching out to your personal networks to share about the good work that Kaya is doing and to help us raise funds and friends. Whether you are a longtime friend to Kaya or just someone with a healthy competitive streak, we've made it very easy and fun to take the Challenge. Just follow the three simple steps below:

1. Set a goal: You can raise funds individually or on a team of friends and/or coworkers! Set a financial goal. Any amount is a great help, but here are some numbers to get you thinking: $500 will pay a teacher's salary for a month; $1000 will pay a house parent's salary for 2 months; and $5000 will cover the annual school fees for 40 children.
2. Create a personal online fundraising page: Go to https://kaya.myetap.org/fundraiser/KayaChallenge/.
3. Spread the word: Tell your friends and family that you are taking the Kaya Challenge to help raise money for street children in Bolivia. Share stories that explain why you are supporting Kaya and what the work that Kaya does mean to you. Email, update your Facebook, Twitter or even try good old-fashioned phone calls. Small donations add up quickly and make a big impact!

As the Kaya Challenge continues, keep visiting this blog for daily updates and stories from our kids in Bolivia. We also encourage you to go on over to our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kaya-Children-International/264721063556376) and "like" us. We hope you will join us this month to help make a difference in the lives of many children!

Ready? Get set. Go!

Kaya Founder Featured in the August ACP Hospitalist

Kaya Founder, Dr. Chi Huang, sits down to talk about medicine, his career, his favorite way to spend free time, and Kaya Children International.

From the August ACP Hospitalist, by Jessica Berthold.

Chi-Cheng Huang, ACP Member.

Occupation: Chairperson, Department of Hospital Medicine, Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Burlington, Mass.

Age: 39.

Current residence: Lincoln, Mass.

Hometown: College Station, Texas.

Family: Married with three daughters.

Medical school: Harvard Medical School.

Residency: Harvard Combined Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics Residency Program.

Specialty: Hospital medicine in internal medicine. I still moonlight sometimes in pediatrics at a walk-in clinic in East Boston.

Something I wish I'd learned in medical school: The interpersonal bedside management skills with patients and families that are required to be a caring physician. You might be the most intelligent physician in the world and not be able to get to “yes” to take care of a patient's needs, without these skills.

.....

Most meaningful non-medical accomplishment: Being a husband and father, and then the nonprofit organization I founded, Kaya Children International, which helps assist Bolivian Street Children.

Read the rest of the interview here.

A Kaya Children De Nuevo

Written in Bolivia by Stephanie Kuei, Communications Officer with Kaya Children.

Coming back to Bolivia to work with Kaya Children again has been such a tremendous blessing for me! When I came two years ago, I honestly had no idea what to expect nor what I was getting myself into, but I ended up spending a beautiful summer falling in love with a new culture and with all the kids at Kaya Children.

When I left Bolivia two years ago, the kids asked me to stay, or at least return to visit them again. I promised I would return, but did not know when I actually would be able to. Imagine my excitement when I realized I would be able to fulfill the promise I made to the kids!

When I arrived at the Kaya Center on my first day of work, I was greeted by the smiling face of Luis Angel, one of the boys who came to Kaya Children on my last day at the Kaya Center two years ago. He immediately ran up to me and gave me a huge hug, all the while exclaiming, “You’re back! You’re back! You promised to come to visit us again the last time you were here, and here you are! You kept your promise!”

The rest of the day was spent reuniting with all the kids I met the last time – after they got over the initial surprise of seeing me again – and meeting all the new kids in the expanded Kaya Center program. It was awesome to see just how many more children are now able to benefit from Kaya Children’s programs and the dedication of all the staff to the kids. It is truly a wonderful place full of amazing people.

The past two months I have spent with Kaya Children have gone by very quickly, and it is hard to believe that I now find myself at the end of my time in Bolivia. I am going to miss helping kids with their homework, playing random games throughout the day with the kids, waiting in the dining hall for one of the younger kids to finish up her one-and-a-half hour lunch, the constant sound of chattering voices, the millions of hugs that I give and receive every day. I will miss my Bolivian family.

The past few days, the kids have been trying to convince me to stay. “No te vayas, mami, no te vayas!” – “Don’t leave, mommy, don’t leave!” And even though I will be leaving tomorrow, I know that leaving does not mark the end of my time with Kaya Children. The memories I have from these two months will continue to stay with me, and I know that I will be coming back again in the future.

One of Lincoln, Nebraska’s churches travels to La Paz, Bolivia to do mission work.

As reported by Jessica Fitch

Kaya Children International is a nonprofit organization who works with street children and getting them off the streets and into a stable environment. These children come from abused families, sexually and physically. Kaya hopes that one day no child has to call the streets home.

Pastor John Eggen led Sheridan Lutheran church on a six-day trip and brought school supplies for each child. We have been partnering with Kaya for the past several years. For more information about Kaya or to meet some of the children, see www.kayachildren.org or to read more from this trip visit www.sheridanlutheran.org

In Genesis 1:26-27 we read about how God created humanity in His image and declared it to be good. I believe each individual is created with inherent dignity. Each child and adult we saw on our visit around La Paz deserves the same level of respect as those most revered.

Yet we know, even though Jesus even tells us we serve him when we serve those in need, it is rarely the case they are well cared for. Extreme poverty tends to make us uncomfortable about ourselves, about our possession, and can leave us feeling helpless. In these places there is darkness, a darkness that exists because of the collective sin of the world, what some call institutional sin.

As much as talking about 12-year-old prostitutes makes us uncomfortable, it is the reality of our world. What’s needed isn’t for us to ignore this reality but confronting it with the hope of the Gospel and an attitude of service, humility, care and dignity.

We were able to see one of the ways that happens through the Kaya Center, a place where we focus on dignity, individual children, and the innocence of childhood. Their goals: living the love and grace of Christ, and returning childhood to these children with a hope for a better future.

We live in a dark world, but I still believe in the power of Christ’s body, the Church to overcome this darkness.

About the author: Jessica Fitch, 26, is a four-year member of Sheridan Lutheran Church. She works as an ultrasound technician at an imaging center in Lincoln.