Francisco's Fourth Letter

Francisco's Fourth Letter

Hi Sponsors of Francisco,

Today a new letter from Francisco's aunt arrived. I thought that the envelope contained his photos from one of his packages that has arrived, but it was a letter in response to a letter written to him. Was it you Lynn Marie, Barbara, or Melinda because his aunt mentions that he likes soccer too.

It's strange though because it also contained the little slip that says that his this letter was for his special needs gift and that photos were contained. I will check with Debbie or on Monday with the CI office to see what happened. When I checked last week, I learned that he has received 2 packages but that the CI office was waiting for a letters and photos from the field office.

Francisco's letter says:

Dear Sponsors,

I hope you are well. Let me tell you that Franciso is very happy to be your sponsored child and we are happy to write to you. Thanks for sponsoring him. He is going to school and he is in the second grade and your letter made him very happy and you have something in common with him; he likes soccer a lot too and he likes to watch cartoons in his free time. Thanks for all you do for him. Thanks for this opportunity.

God bless you,

Sincerely,

Francisco's aunt

*****************************************************
On the back of the letter, his aunt checked that he like beaches, goes out once a month and likes to eat chicken, beef, fish, and pork (all checked :) ) He connected dots on his picture.





If you want me to email a copy to you, just post. I will try to email it to everyone if I get a chance. Have a good weekend :)

Family Report Update

Hi everyone, today I checked Francisco's Family Report and now it shows that the family income has increased to $75 month. He also has an older brother listed on the report and his name is also Francisco. He is listed as 18 years old. I am wondering about the exact relationship because Francisco's mom seems to be pretty young to have a child this age. Anyway, I will check a little later on this. Francisco has gained 3 pounds and he has grown an inch :)

When I talked to a CI staff member recently, I learned that Francisco has received one package in November, so hopefully we will receive new photos of him with gifts soon :) God bless.

Delay in Gifts

Unfortunately Francisco has not yet received his gifts from Barbara. We are checking and hoping that all of of the beautiful birthday and Christmas gifts that she sent will make it! If you plan to send anything to Francisco, please post to the group or blog so that we can keep track of when he is receiving gifts. He should be receiving his MAC Christmas package soon as well as the Christmas cards. God bless.

Educational and Medical Reports

This week, I will put in a request for an educational and medical report for
Francisco. I especially want to see the medical report since he was so thin in
the group photo take a couple of years ago. I will post this as soon as it
arrives. Have a good day!

Fundraiser Goal Reached!

Thanks to many generous donations, Francisco's Fundraiser has been completed. The family will be able to get food and a blender. Francisco will receive new clothes, shoes, and bed sheets. A few days ago Debbie said that the family will receive the items in January. Thanks to everyone who contributed to make this fundraiser a big success!

Christmas Cards

I'm sending out Francisco's Christmas cards this weekend along with cards for
Evenlyn, Samy, Mom, Aunt Julia, and his neighbor Edwin who has written for
Francisco. Is anyone else sending Christmas cards to Francisco?

Francisco's Fundraising Goal Has Been Reached!! :)

Yaaaay!!1 Hi everyone, we have reached the First Giving fundraising goal for Francisco and his family. Thank you to everyone who participated. This will make a wonderful Christmas Gift!! I am so happy that this was finished before Christmas :) Photos of the items received by Francisco and his family will be posted here and on the Yahoo Group page. He will also be receiving MAC Christmas gifts soon. This should be a happy Christmas for this little fellow. God bless all!

http://www.firstgiving.com/franciscospage

Francisco's Fundraiser

Hi everyone, so far we have $135 towards Francisco's fundraiser. If you would like to contribute please visit his page. This would make a great Christmas gift for him and his family. Thank you!!


http://www.firstgiving.com/franciscospage

Payments

Hi everyone, Debbie thinks that 2 extra payments have been applied to Francisco's account. If you had made a payment for the year and you don't see your name in the contribution history section of his account, please send me an email. Thanks!

shanaraya@yahoo.com

Francisco's Third Letter

Francisco with First Package!

Francisco with First Package!

New Photos have Arrived!

Hi everyone, the photos of Francisco with his introductory gifts and photo album of his sponsors have arrived! I will post them into the photo album. He looks really cute and happy with his gifts. Don't you all just love his sharp haircut? :) Photos of 3 of his sponsors are displayed, so sorry if you don't want us to see your beautiful pic!! :) Here is the letter and I am not sure who it is written by, maybe his aunt but it has "mother" checked.

Dear S. Clyburn,

Cordial greetings to everybody. Francisco, me, and his mom, are very happy because we have this group of wonderful sponsors like you. We are well, he is going to school. He received the gift that you sent him, the photo album and the message is very beautiful, coloring book, the letter, 1 card, 1 puppet, 1 set of crayons, 3 pairs of socks, 3 sunglasses, 2 magic boards, 1 set of scratch and sketch, 2 sharpeners, 1 T-shirt, 1 stickers album, 1 set of pencils. Thank you for everything you do for me and my family. Good bye.

Karina Cervantes

Francisco's Second Letter (Back)

This is the back of Francisco's letter. The section marked says that he likes the beaches most in Cartagena. He likes to eat pork and he goes out once a month. His best friend's name is Luis.

A new letter arrived from Francisco today and it was written by a neighbor named Edwin Torrenegra Rodondo. It says:

Dear Sponsors:

Cordial greetings and let me tell you that he is grateful for having sponsors like you. You are wonderful. He would like to see you and to be able to share with you many nice moments. He got your letter and he is very happy. With no more to tell, Francisco's neighbor.

Edwin Torrenegra Redondo

This is the front of the letter.

Francisco's Gift Package

These are gift packages ordered for Francisco from some of his sponsors. It was sent out this week through the Make a Change fundraiser site.

Christmas Gifts

Barbara plans to send these gifts to Francisco for Christmas!


1 small maroon coloured box
1 Puss in Boots colouring and activitiy book.
1 Gold coloured T-shirt for F.
1 Dark blue athletic T for Sammi
1 small revolving world globe so that he can see where his sponsors live
6 coloured highlighters
Small blue Xmas tin containing
1 small Mickey Mouse for Sammi
1 Olympic zip puller for Evelyn
1 U.S. spinning wand
1 light up yo-yo
1 light on blue plastic ball
1 small play-do
1 moose tipped pencil
1 Santa hat
plus 5 postcards and several

Francisco's SNG

Hi everyone, today the project field office report for Francisco's SNG arrived. A few of us had inquired about whether or not the family would benefit from an IGP. Here is the report:

After consulting with Franciso and his family, his field worker determined that it would not be feasible at this time to provide the family with an income generating project. They do not have any prior experience in this area and do not feel confident in running a successful business. However, the family does have the following needs at this time:

Clothing
Food
Set of bed sheets
Shoes
Blender


Total Cost: $200.00

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you would like to provide these items for Francisco, please attach a note to your gift stating your intentions. This will help ensure that your gift is used according to your wishes.

I want you to know that if you decide to provide for Francisco's special needs, I will ask that pictures be taken of your child with the items he receives so that you can share in his delight. Again, thank you for helping Francisco. Through sponsorship, you're making a lasting difference in his life.

Sincerely,
Bertha Mangum

______________________________________________________________



If anyone would like to contribute to this SNG, please post or send me an email. It might make a nice Christmas gift. If we can't do the $200, maybe we could do clothes, shoes, for Francisco, and some food. Remember that there are 12 people living in the home and we are sponsoring Francisco. God bless.

Francisco's First Letter

Francisco's First Letter

Francisco's first letter came today. He is sponsored by a group of CI sponsors. His aunt Julia wrote for him because he is too young to write. She says:



Dear Sponsors, I hope you are well in health. This is Julia, Francisco's aunt, he is too young (to write). Thanks for sponsoring him. He is very happy and he would like to know more about you. He is going to school and he is on a school break at the moment. He likes to play soccer on his vacations with his friends. He is a fan of the local soccer team, Real Cartagena. Now we say goodbye and thank you again for you support. With no more, Julia, Francisco's aunt.


On the back of the letter, Francisco wrote his number 5's. Boxes were checked which shows that his favorite music is Champeta. His favorite month is December; favorite sport is soccer; and his best friend's name is Reynaldo. We hope to be getting new photos of him soon

A Package Has Arrived

Hi everyone, I found out today that one package for Francisco has arrived. It is
the one that has the album of his sponsors. Whenever the photos and other papers
arrive, I will post them to the group. I hope that they take lots of photos! God
bless.

Just a Reminder

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder, when you send in a payment, please let me know or record it into the correct database on the Yahoo group so that I can forward this on to Debbie, and she can credit your account. You can make the contribution at any time. So far he is paid up for 3 months. Thanks!

Shana

Inquiries

Dear Sponsors,

Debbie has asked that if you have a SNG request or inquiry about Francisco and
family, please have it come to me and I will forward this to her. She says that
this will help to cut down on expenses. We have requested to see whether or not
Francisco's mother could participate in an IGP (income generating progject) to
see if this might help to improve the living arrangements/conditions. Another SNG was sent off to see what Francisco's immediate needs might be. I will post when the
information arrives. God bless.

Fast Facts About Colombia Brochure

Francisco's sponsorship packet arrived today. It explained the reason why his last name is different from his sister's. Her father is unknown and she has the name of her mother and grandmother. Francisco has the name of his father. The Fast Facts About Colombia brochure has been posted on the Yahoo Group for anyone to read who does not have a child in Colombia. God bless

Update on Family Report

Yesterday I received an updated Family Record Report. It was updated on June 24 and the changes that I see are that instead of there being a concrete floor, the floor is described as dirt. The home description includes a bathroom, kitchen, and one bedroom, instead of bathroom, bedroom and multipurpose room. There are 4 wooden beds. It has not been posted to his account yet. I could not get it formatted so that you could see it better.

Updates

Yesterday we had one more sponsor added to Francisco's group with brings the total to 12 :) Welcome to Silke!

We will be checking again with CI to see if we can get a SNG for home repairs.

God bless.

Group Letter Sent to Francisco on July 2, 2010

Here is the group letter sent to Francisco sent along with some of his birthday gifts. It was sent to him in Spanish.


July 1, 2010

Dear Francisco,

Hello, how are you? How is your family? We are your new sponsors! Some of us
live in the USA. One of us lives in Canada and some of us live in Germany. One
of us lives in Libya and one of us lives on the island of Cyprus in the
Mediterranean Sea! We are so happy to be your sponsors and we are your friends.
We hope that you will write to us and let us know how you are doing. Do you like
school? Here are some gifts for your birthday, Francisco. Have a wonderful
birthday!! Some of the gifts are for your brother Samy and your sister, Evelyn.
Please give Samy the puppy puppet, the Spiderman socks and a pair of sunglasses.
Please give Evelyn the striped socks, the Pony tablet and one pair of
sunglasses. The other gifts are yours. We hope that you like them. One of the
gifts is a little picture album of our pictures. There is something about us on
the back of our pictures. Please tell your mother and the rest of your family
that we say hello. Be good and write soon!

Lots of love,
Tus Madrinas"


Querido Francisco,

¿Hola cómo estás? ¿Cómo es tu familia? Somos tus nuevos patrocinadores! Algunos
de nosotros viven en los Estados Unidos. Uno de nosotros vive en Canadá y
algunos de nosotros viven en Alemania. Uno de nosotros vive en Libia y uno de
nosotros vive en la isla de Chipre, en el mar Mediterráneo! Estamos tan
contentos de ser tus patrocinadores y somos tus amigos. Esperamos que usted
escribir para nosotros y háganos saber cómo estás haciendo. ¿Te gusta la
escuela? A continuación presentamos algunos regalos para tu cumpleaños,
Francisco. Tienen un cumpleaños maravilloso!!!! Algunos de los regalos son para
Samy de su hermano y su hermana, Evelyn. Por favor, da Samy la marioneta de
cachorro, los calcetines de Spiderman y un par de gafas de sol. Por favor, da a
Evelyn los calcetines con rayas, la tableta de Pony y un par de gafas de sol.
Los otros regalos son los suyos. Esperamos que gusta. Uno de los regalos es un
álbum de imagen pequeña de nuestras imágenes. Hay algo sobre nosotros en la
parte posterior de nuestras imágenes. Por favor diga tu madre y el resto de su
familia que decir Hola. Ser bueno y escribir pronto!

Lotes del amor,
Tus Madrinas"

Francisco's Gifts and Letters

Example of how the mini album sponsor pages look

'

.

Map that shows where his sponsors live

Gifts for Francisco and his siblings

Birthday card inside, with a mask he can wear

Birthday card outside

Mini album of sponsors




First Group Letter to Francisco

Letters and Gifts Sent Off!

After a slight ordeal at the post office, I was able to send the package off
with his group letter and birthday cards. I added a small map to the inside of
the photo album which shows the continents we are located on. I wrote in
Spanish:

"This is a map of the world. You live in Colombia which is on the continent of
South America. Your sponsors live were the stars are located."

Then I put a little arrow showing where he is located.

When you send off anything, you are welcome to post it into the album on the Yahoo Group or make your own album. Please update the database when you send anything off to Francisco and let me know so we can record the items in the Files Section to avoid duplications. Thanks again and God bless.

Gifts Being Sent - June 2010

June 2010

Hi everyone, here are some gifts that are being sent to Francisco. I will also
post them into the database and File Section so that we can't avoid duplicating.
I am not sure of the specific clothing for some gifts.

1 set of hot wheels
clothes (not sure of the type the sponsor is sending)
1 dinosaur coloring book/crayons
1 drawing pad/ froggy and lizard pencils
2 small pencil sharpeners
1 blue Mario Brothers T-shirt
1 pair Toy Story socks
1 Lime green Olympic jacket
1 Small Teddy bear in a Canadian sport's jacket.
1 book in Spanish 'El Gato con botas' i.e. Puss in Boots.
1 paper Canadian flag
1 Winter Olympic mascot zip-puller
1 Spiderman tooth brush and cap set
1 small Colgate toothpaste
1 pair of white briefs
Birthday cards
1 mini-photo album containing several photos and two postcards from a sponsor
1 Little Pony eraser slate for Evelyn
1 pair of colorful socks for Evelyn
1 small puppy puppet for brother, Samy
1 pair of Spiderman socks for Samy
3 pairs of toy sunglasses
Stickers for all children to share
1 Group photo album.

Also if you are unable to contribute to DP's now or want to give later when
there is not so much attention or whenever you can this is fine. I don't want
anyone to feel pressured into giving DP's or SNG's. If and when you can
contribute, this is great! The main thing is providing for the basic benefits
that he will receive from CI through our group sponsorship contributions.

Thank you again for your help and support. God bless.

Address for Sending Packages

Here is the address for sending packages to Francisco. Please be sure to write his full name and I.D. on the inside:



Director: Sra. Nidia Monterrosa

Office Name: Fundacion Amigos de los Ninos

Address: Barrio Espana, Calle Cadiz, Carrera 45#29-49

Cartagena, Colombia

Francisco's Age and Birthday

After checking Francisco's account today I see that he is actually 7 years old and his actual birthday is Oct. 27, 2002 :) Everything looks like it is the same. Some of us wanted to try to do home repairs but since there are several different relatives living in the home, the CI staff believe that this would create conflict. I had this happen to me with another child who was living with grandparents or the home was shared by cousins, aunts, uncles, ect. If the child moved, then they would not continue to receive the improvements made to the home , so we can think about doing and DP's, SNG's. I will contact CI soon to see what some of the special needs might be. Have a great day!

A Sad Time

Francisco can be seen in this video of his family and Evelyn's sponsor when her sponsor is preparing to leave.

Francisco and Evelyn

Francisco and Evelyn having a ball!

Francisco and Samy

Here is Francisco with his little brother, Samy. Samy is two years old and he also had a chance to have fun times with Evelyn's sponsor.

Fun Times

Francisco and his sister Evelyn were able to visit the mall with Evelyn's sponsor this past April. They had a great time!

How Did We Learn About Francisco?

Francisco's older sister, Evelyn, was visited by her sponsor in late April. During her visit her sponsor had the opportunity to take photos and videos of her and her family. Francisco kept popping up in the photos and on the video camera. He seems like a sweet little guy. When some of us saw the sad living condtions of the family, we wanted to help :) Here is Francisco with a new top that his sister's sponsor bought him :)

How Old is Francisco?

An interesting thing that we have learned is that Francisco is listed as being nine years old, having been born 6 weeks after Evelyln, his older sister, who is the same age. This may mean that Francisco is her step brother, a cousin, or maybe the age is incorrect. CI staff is going to check on this but if he is nine, he seems to be small for his age. This photo was taken in 2009 and Francisco is the child on the far left:

Family Report- Updated 6/25/10

Today, after almost two months of waiting, we finally found out that Francisco had been enrolled into the CI program. His full name is Francisco De Jesus Herrera Cervantes, a big name for a little guy! His family lives in very poor living conditions and Francisco will benefit from the services provided by Children International.

Here is his family report:

FAMILY RECORD Child ID # 1150571

Date Completed 6/10/2010 3:59:00 PM Project Cartagena

Sub-Project CAR3104 Country Colombia

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD:

1. Child's Full Name: Francisco De Jesus Herrera Cervantes

First Last Name
Francisco De Jesus Herrera Cervantes

Age: 7 Sex: M Date of Birth: 10/27/2002

Height: 3 Feet 7 Inches Weight: 37 Pounds Hair Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown

2. Attends School: Yes

3. Favorite School Subjects: Art

Favorite Pastimes: Playing soccer

Chores at Home: Running errands

Talents or Hobbies: Drawing

Languages Spoken: Spanish

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S FAMILY:

4. Approximate monthly income for the family (in U.S. Dollars): $50.00

5. Name of Father: Pedro Nel Occupation:

(If not present, why?) Abandoned family

6. Name of Mother: Karina Occupation: Homemaker

(If not present, why?)

7. Brothers and Sisters:

Name: Evelyn Paola Age: 9 Sex: F Name: Samy Alberto Age: 2 Sex: M

8. Child lives with: Mother

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S HOME:

9. Description of Home: Bathroom, One Bedroom, One multi-use room

Construction: Walls: Wood Roof: Corrugated metal Floor: Concrete

Cooking Facilities: Electric burner

Sleeping Accommodations: Wooden beds


10. Facilities and Services:

Water Source: Running water in home

Electricity: Regulated use

Sanitary Facility: Toilet

Francisco's Home

Who is Francisco?

Francisco is a little boy who lives in Cartagena, Colombia with his mother, older sister, baby brother, and nine other relatives. His father abandoned the family. Francisco likes to draw and play soccer. A big thank you to all who are helping to improve the life of this little boy and his family.