Help Brighten the Lives of Children in Poverty

Christmas is a time of excitement and anticipation for children around the world.  For children living in poverty in San Ramon Costa Rica and for their parents and those who care for them, however, it is a time of challenge and potential disappointment. For single moms struggling to simply feed their children, migrant families who are living with hardly the barest of necessities, and orphanage/foster home staff who are trying to manage an ever-dwindling budget, being able to provide Christmas gifts for their children is a daunting task, too difficult to imagine.

This year as in previous years, CAA members and friends eagerly stepped in to help create Christmas for local children in need.  Individual members purchased soccer balls, toy trucks, dolls, craft kits, puzzles, stuffed animals, and games for boys and girls up to 10 years of age and others generously contributed funds toward the purchase of gifts.  Once the gifts were collected, a group of Christmas elves spent a day wrapping the gifts and enjoying each other’s company. And prior to Christmas, Santa’s helpers visited the designated families to deliver the gifts and create happy smiles on the faces of children and adults alike.  In addition, as a result of an unexpected financial gift from a group of CAA supporters in the United States, we were able to provide a special donation to each of the three social services agencies we support for use at their discretion to enhance the Christmas activities they wanted to provide for the children of their clients/program participants.

While a single Christmas gift does not erase the challenges children living in poverty face, it does, however, help them to feel special and know they are cared for by someone in the world around them. As a result, we offer a grateful thank you to all CAA members and friends whose generous gifts of time and dollars have allowed us to brighten the lives of children in poverty in this special season.

Our warmest wishes for a new year filled with good health, abundance, and many opportunities to be grateful. 

Hogarcito in San Ramon is home to 18-20 children ages 6 months to 12 years, who have been orphaned or are unable to be cared for by their families for various reasons. Over the past several years CAA has been an active partner in helping Hogarcito fulfill its mission to provide the love, care, protection, and security needed so these children can grow and thrive and ultimately make a positive contribution to society.

Through our Birthday Buddies program where each child has a traditional birthday party and special present chosen just for them, CAA makes sure each child feels acknowledged and special on their birthday. The financial support we provide to their food budget allows Hogarcito to expand the variety of nutritious foods the children are exposed to and to also provide some extra special treats like ice cream or pizza on their periodic outings.

CAA now has the exciting opportunity to expand our partnership even further. Recognizing the benefit of creativity and self-expression in a child’s development, Hogarcito has recently initiated some new activities to help the children explore their individual interests and talents and provide enrichment and enjoyment at the same time. Instructors from the local community come to Hogarcito on a weekly basis to offer workshops in music, art, physical education, and English. The children enjoy exploring new horizons in a relaxed and supportive environment and look forward to the weekly sessions. Since the cost of providing these activities is not covered by the government funding they receive, Hogarcito has to raise funds on their own for these important new activities. As a result of the generosity of our members and friends, CAA is now able to cover the cost of some of the workshop sessions. It is our hope that in the future, based on the ongoing generosity of our supporters, we will be able to make more generous regular contributions to help cover the cost of these workshops and continue to help make a significant difference in the lives of Hogarcito’s children.

We are grateful for your ongoing financial support and commitment.