Abebe and his family needed a new house. He and his parents and four siblings lived in a house in rural Uganda made of stacked sticks and mud. It leaked, causing everyone and everything inside to get damp and cold whenever it rained.

But Abebe’s family couldn’t afford a new home. His father worked as a cobbler, and his mother grew a garden to provide extra food for the family. But their family also has some unique challenges…

Abebe’s father is physically disabled, his mother is mentally disabled, and two of Abebe’s siblings are disabled as well. Life was especially difficult for them. A new home would be impossible…

But everything changed when they received your help and were able to join Holt Uganda’s family strengthening program!

Right away, Abebe received two new pairs of shoes, a comfortable mattress to sleep on and even a goat! But the even bigger gift was yet to come… when Holt donors built him and his family a new house!

The house is made of stable bricks and has a strong door, window coverings and a tin roof that won’t leak. There are even four bedrooms —  with enough space for the whole family!

Abebe says he feels so loved, blessed and full of confidence. He has even been bringing his friends by to visit on their walk home from school — he is so proud to show them his new house!

“We feel safer in the new house, have better quality sleep and feel proud of our new home,” Abebe’s family says. “When you trust in God, He chooses for you the right people who will never tire with their generosity.”

Thank you for generously helping to provide safe housing to Abebe and his family — and to many other children and families around the world.

Keep a Child Warm

You can help keep a child warm and healthy this winter! Just $52 provides a child with a much-needed warm coat and blanket.

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The post A Safe New Home appeared first on Holt International.

When Holt Mongolia staff met this family in August, they were immediately worried for them. The mother, father and two children lived on the edge of Mongolia’s largest garbage dump. Their home was made of thin scrap wood and cardboard that they had found amongst the garbage. 

Mongolia gets frigidly cold in the wintertime, with temperatures plummeting down to -40 degrees. Their home had zero insulation, and no way of keeping them warm. Winter was quickly approaching, and their lives were at stake… and they were expecting a new baby in November. Then thankfully, someone came to their rescue. 

Compassionate donors — people with big hearts like yours — heard about this family. And they immediately, generously decided to give them a new home. 

Right away, Holt Mongolia staff began building this family a ger. A ger is a traditional, circular Mongolian home. It has a stove in the middle and thick insulated walls. And it only takes one day to build! 

In just one day, this family’s life changed forever. They knew their children, including their newborn, would make it through the winter. 

“This family works hard to provide for their children,” says Paul Kim, Holt’s Mongolia program director. “But a warm and safe home was beyond their means. Now, they are so grateful. It meant so much to them to know that their children would be sheltered and warm.” 

Keep a Child Warm

You can help keep a child warm and healthy this winter! Just $52 provides a child with a much-needed warm coat and blanket.

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The post A New Home Keeps a Family Warm Through Mongolia’s Frigid Winter appeared first on Holt International.

In 2019, on a trip to Cambodia, one of our staff met a young girl named Linna and her family. 

They learned that if not for the help of a sponsor like you, covering the cost of fees, uniforms, books and supplies, Linna would have to drop out of school. And they soon experienced another critical, immediate way she needed help… 

While talking to her family, the winds picked up and the sky started to cloud over. A few drops of rain began to fall.

Her house had no walls or doors, and no real roof — just a series of tarps layered over metal slats to form a makeshift shelter. Her house also had no rooms or floor — just a series of raised wooden platforms set against a cement wall, and separated into partitions by sheets. Electric wires hung every which way, plugging into a single wall outlet. 

The rain started to pour. There was barely any room to crowd under Linna’s roof. The ground, moments ago so hard and dry, turned to mud.

Linna said it’s hard to sleep when it rains at night. She has to move around a lot to avoid getting wet from water dripping through the roof. She still got up the next day and went to school. But she was tired and tried to nap during breaks.

When I read this story about Linna in 2019, I felt so grateful that a sponsor stepped up to help her family, but so heartbroken by her living conditions. And I knew the compassionate members of our Holt family would feel the same way.

So that very same year, Holt sponsors and donors like you raised enough funds to help Linna’s family get a new roof — a real roof, made of sturdy tin, that keeps them dry and safe at night.

And just last month, our staff had the opportunity to see Linna again! Today, she is doing very well in school. She is 10^th in her class, but she is determined to become number one! She has dreams for her future and wants to become a lawyer when she grows up. Her father is currently saving money to buy land and build his family their own house.

Linna wanted to express her gratitude to Holt supporters like you. She is so happy because she has school materials and pocket money. And she is incredibly grateful to Holt in-country social workers for always encouraging her to work hard in school and continue her education.

I love getting updates like these from children in Holt’s programs. It is such a sweet reminder of the reason why we do all of the work we do at Holt — work made possible through your generosity. Together with you, we are working to make a difference for children and families around the world — changing their lives forever.

For the Children,
Phil Littleton, Holt President & CEO

The post An Update on Linna in Cambodia, 3 Years Later appeared first on Holt International.

Chimgee’s home did nothing to keep out the bitterly cold Mongolian winter. 

Constructed from roughly-cut boards and scrap wood, it was drafty and had zero insulation. Chimgee and her children dreaded winter. And in Mongolia, winter can be deadly — with temperatures reaching as low as 40 degrees below zero. 

But Chimgee is a single mother and can’t work because of her health. Her shack was home to six of her children, and her one grandchild. Sometimes her older teenage sons picked pine nuts in the mountains and sold them for a small profit to support the family. But there would never be enough money to repair their home… 

But then Holt donors helped do something amazing for Chimgee and her family — by building them a brand new yurt! 

It’s called a “ger” in Mongolia, and it’s a traditional Mongolian home that’s insulated, sturdy and has space for a wood-burning stove in the middle. Not only is the new ger warm, but it’s so much more spacious than their old house. 

Chimgee’s ger sits on the same land as their old house, just feet away. So every day, as they see their old shack contrasted with their beautiful new ger, they’re reminded of your incredible generosity. 

Thank you for giving such a life-altering gift to Chimgee and her family. Because of you, they are staying warm and safe this winter. 

Give a cold weather rescue pack, and keep a child warm this winter!

The post A New Home to Keep Out the Cold appeared first on Holt International.

Because of your incredible generosity, 10 of the most vulnerable and impoverished families in Prey Veng, Cambodia, received new homes or significant and seriously needed renovations. The families and their villages helped with construction, but Holt donors provided all the tools and materials.

There are no greater words of gratitude than from the families who received homes themselves!

One family who received a home wrote, “We never hoped we could have a strong, safe house. Without your support, we might live in our damaged house with leaks and no window for our whole life. We earn only enough to survive day to day. How could we repair or rebuild a safe house? From now on, our children and us have a dry place for sleeping and learning. Before, when it rained and we had strong wind, we got wet and couldn’t sleep the whole night. Our children couldn’t do homework at all. How awful of a life we had before. Now, we have a beautiful life. We will never forget your great humanitarian action. You supported us to be safe. We thank you very much for your very kind support and pray for your GOOD LUCK and BEST SUCCESS.”

“We never hoped we could have a strong, safe house. Without your support, we might live in our damaged house with leaks and no window for our whole life.”

Another family wrote to you, “Because our old house had lots of leaks and we got wet during the rainy season, we were always sick with flu. We never had enough to eat because we had to pay for medicine. We were always scared of our damaged old house falling down on our children. Life was so bad and not safe for the children. With support from donors, we can have this day. Now we have an appropriate house, and our children can sleep well and not get wet when it rains. They can study well. Our biggest thank you can’t be measured. We will never forget your support in our whole life.”

The post Your Generosity Is Keeping Them Safe and Warm! appeared first on Holt International.

“Warmest greetings from Holt Uganda!

On behalf of Yasin and his family, I want to extend their heartfelt thanks to you for the gift of $500 you sent to him. The entire family was excited to receive it. His grandmother says it was the greatest gift they have received in her entire life.

When the gift landed in their hands what came to them was a house of their own. The family have been staying in a house given to them by a community well-wisher after being chased from the land on which they were squatters for so long. Yasin’s uncle, who provides casual labour in the community, had bought for the family a small plot of land and started building a house but got stuck at wall level.

With the gift, they were able to buy timber, iron sheets, doors and windows to complete the house. Yasin and the entire family are very excited. In you they see God restoring their Joy. They never cease to pray for you.

In the words of his mother as translated, ‘I thank God for the sponsor of Yasin for loving and supporting him. I thank her for this big gift. It has changed our lives and as a family we pray that God may richly bless her.’

Thank you again. May God bless you.”

Although she chose to remain anonymous, Yasin’s sponsor shared her reaction to receiving the letter and photos.

“I am coming to realize that my ‘gift’ is my ability to share my financial blessings where I can,” she wrote. “I look at the photo of Yasin and his family in front of their little home, which gives them such security and joy, and I feel truly blessed that I could be a part of making that a reality for them.”

“One of my inspirational friends, who runs a faith-based non-profit, recently said ‘giving is a compulsion,’” she continued. “I guess I feel that way as well, and it’s a gift back to me to see how my donation is used in such a wonderful way.”

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  1 Peter 4:10

Because of one sponsor’s kind gift, Yasin and his family now have a safe, stable home of their own.

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The post Restoring Their Joy: One Sponsor’s Gift to Her Sponsored Child appeared first on Holt International.

In the last months of 2020, we shared about some of the greatest, most urgent needs children around the world were facing as part of our President’s Top Priority Campaign for Children 2020. After such a difficult year, from stay-at-home orders to lost income to schools closing, children were truly in crisis.

The top needs Holt staff around the world identified were: malnutrition in Ethiopia, overcrowded orphanages, children living and working in the garbage dump in Mongolia, and children and families who were homeless or on the brink of homelessness. Each need came to life through a child and his or her story. These children were Liya in Ethiopia, Cam in Vietnam, Purev in Mongolia and Guneet in India.

While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will be long-lasting, Holt donors responded generously, providing help to these children who needed it the very most. It’s only been a month since the President’s Top Priority Campaign for Children 2020 concluded, but already children are starting to get the help they need.

Here are the latest updates we’ve received about Liya, Cam, Purev and Guneet since they began receiving help!

*Children’s names changed to protect their confidentiality

Malnutrition in Ethiopia: Liya

Liya was one of 3,754 children in rural Ethiopia whom Holt community health teams diagnosed with acute malnutrition last year.

Taking one look at Liya, you could tell she was dangerously thin. Her ribs stuck out of her tiny body, and she acted too lethargic for a child her age. When her food supply suddenly plummeted due to increased poverty because of the pandemic, she began to deteriorate quickly. She didn’t even act hungry anymore.

But with support from Holt donors, Liya was admitted to the nutritional rehabilitation center at the Holt-supported Mother and Child Hospital. She stayed there with her mother and began to receive the vital nutrition she needed — expertly administered as to not overwhelm her frail body.

“Kids can catch up pretty fast,” says Emily DeLacey, director of Holt’s nutrition and health programs. “Weight is the fastest thing to respond to nutrition therapy.”

“Kids can catch up pretty fast. Weight is the fastest thing to respond to nutrition therapy.”

Emily DeLacey, director of Holt’s nutrition and health programs

That’s why, already, Liya is looking so much better.

Her weight and measurements are back within a healthy range, and has her normal 2-year-old energy back! Her family and Holt staff in Ethiopia continue to monitor her. But you helped her make it through the dangerous season of malnutrition!

Children in Orphanages Due to COVID-19: Cam

All around the world, parents have felt forced to place their children in orphanages out of desperation caused by poverty and the effects of COVID-19. And now, orphanages are overcrowded and under-resourced.

When Cam’s mom lost her income because of COVID-19 lockdowns in Vietnam, she made the only choice she felt she had. Unable to feed and provide for all of her children — especially in light of having a new baby — she made a heartbreaking decision. She sent 13-year-old Cam to live in an orphanage.

At Holt, we believe that families should stay together, and that the best place for every child is in a family. That’s why family reunification is such a big part of the work Holt donors support. But the solution is never simple.

Today, Cam is still living in an orphanage. While this is still not ideal, she is receiving the nutritious food and education that she would not receive if living with her family right now. Most importantly, Cam is maintaining a strong connection with her mother. Her mother promises to bring Cam home each weekend and during school holiday breaks.

The long-term goal for Cam and her family is for them to be reunified — permanently. And because of support from Holt donors, there is hope.

In the meantime, Cam’s mother will continue to receive the support she needs to independently provide for her children, through income generating support and counseling. We pray that someday soon they can all live safely, together, under one roof.

Children Living in the Garbage Dump in Mongolia: Purev

Purev lives with her single mother and five other siblings in Mongolia. She attends the Red Stone School, a special informal school for children whose families work in or live near the city’s largest garbage dump. But when the pandemic began, her life became even more difficult.

Purev’s mom could no longer collect recyclables from the garbage dump to sell for an income, and the Red Stone School was forced to close. Purev and her family suddenly had no income. And they stopped receiving the daily meals she and her siblings used to eat at school. They needed help.

“I can’t thank enough for the support Holt gives us each month. I promise I’ll take good care of the children and pay attention to their health and education.”

Purev’s mother

But because of generous Holt donors, they’ve received the critical help they needed in this difficult time.

Holt staff distributed emergency food boxes of flour, rice, cooking oil, and even meat to Purev and her family. They also received sanitation items like soap, hand sanitizers and masks to keep them and other families in their community safe from COVID-19.

In this photo, Purev holds a sign, expressing her thanks: “Dear sponsors [donors], you are helping me get through of COVID-19. You are helping to keep us fed and nourished. Thank you!”

Her mother also wished to convey her thanks.

“I can’t thank enough for the support Holt gives us each month,” she says. “I promise I’ll take good care of the children and pay attention to their health and education.”

Children Without a Home: Guneet

For families already living in poverty, the effects of the pandemic were devastating. Children and families in India were among those hit the very hardest. Just like Guneet and his family.

When India began its two-month-long lockdown, Guneet’s mom could no longer go to work. His family suddenly had zero income. They didn’t have any money for food, let alone for rent.

Guneet’s family, and families like his, experienced one of the most critical needs we presented to Holt donors at the end of 2020. And right away, you responded.

Guneet and his family immediately enrolled in a special new program by Holt’s partner organization in Delhi, Shishu Sangopan Griha (SSG). Now, they receive funds each month to help cover their rent and whatever other basic costs they needed help meeting.

Thanks to the support from Holt, Guneet was able to re-enroll in online school. He and his family began eating nutritious meals every day. They no longer fear missing rent payment and having to live on the streets.

“I am thankful for the help that made me overcome those extreme moments for bare survival.”

Guneet’s mother

“The impact that has happened in my life during this crucial time has made me realize how fragile and difficult life can be,” says Guneet’s mom. “And yet I am thankful for the help that made me overcome those extreme moments for bare survival.”

Thank you, Holt donors, for helping children to survive and rise above these most urgent needs of 2020! We are honored to continue serving children with you in 2021. 

Help a Child in Greatest Need

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The post How You Helped These Four Children at Year’s End appeared first on Holt International.

There wasn’t any fuel to warm the Red Stone School in Mongolia this winter, but you provided just what kids needed to get warm!

It’s wintertime in Mongolia, where on the worst days temperatures can drop to 40 degrees below zero. These low temperatures are dangerous — deadly, even — to the children who live here.

The Holt-donor supported Red Stone School is a shelter from the cold for 52 of these precious children. It’s a special informal school just for them — children who live and work near the city’s largest garbage dump.

But this year, as winter approached, teachers and Holt staff didn’t know how children would stay warm. Even though the children could come to school each day, they didn’t have any fuel to heat the school building.

They needed coal. But coal is expensive, especially this year due to rising costs because of the coronavirus crisis. And for a building the size of the Red Stone School, they’d need at least one bag of coal a day to keep the room warm. November is the beginning of the coldest months in Mongolia, and time was running out…

But right in time, in early fall, Holt donors sent a shipment of $1,000 worth of coal to the Red Stone School! That’s enough to last three months! A huge shipment of coal was delivered straight to the school, just before the coldest time of the year.

Thanks to generous Holt donors, all 52 children at the Red Stone School stayed warm at school on the coldest of Mongolian winter days. They learned without shivering and wrote without their fingers going numb. They’re staying healthy, and school continues to be a safe and comfortable place.

UPDATE: Ulaanbaatar is currently undergoing another phase of city-wide lockdowns to curb the spread of COVID-19. While children are not in school currently, this safe — and well-heated — learning environment will be waiting for them as soon as school is allowed to resume!

Give a Gift of Hope

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The post A Warm Place to Learn appeared first on Holt International.

Whether a makeshift shelter beside the garbage dump in Mongolia, a house with a rotted roof in Cambodia or crowded room in a slum building in India, so many children around the world don’t have a safe place to sleep.

But as the pandemic has exacerbated poverty around the world this year, children are in danger of even losing these homes, and ending up on the streets. Children like Guneet.

Guneet’s Story

Guneet lives in a shack in Delhi, India. He lives with his two siblings and his mother. His father recently passed away. Guneet’s mother works as a maid in a wealthy family’s home, but she doesn’t make enough to feed and support them all.

To try and support her children, Guneet’s mother learned how to sew and began selling what she made to earn a small additional income.

“This family is highly motivated toward positive development,” says Shishu Sangopan Griha (SSG), Holt’s partner organization in Delhi.

But even the most hardworking and inspiring families were devastated by the pandemic and resulting lockdowns in India.

Starting in March, all of India shut down in an enforced two-month lockdown.

“The medicine’s costs, the rent of the house they are living in, and the daily expenses have become a Herculean task for the mother to carry alone.”

During the lockdown all home workers, including maids like Guneet’s mom, suddenly lost their jobs — forced to stay home in order to prevent spread of the virus.

Suddenly, Guneet’s family had almost zero income. They didn’t have any money for food, let alone for rent.

They began to receive emergency food distributions from the government, but this poorly cooked food made Guneet seriously sick. His family had to purchase an expensive and lifesaving medicine for him.

“The medicine’s costs, the rent of the house they are living in, and the daily expenses have become a Herculean task for the mother to carry alone,” says SSG.

So now, Guneet and his family are about to be homeless. All four of them live in a shack, and they’re in danger of losing even that. Soon, they will be on the streets.

How You Can Help

When you give to the President’s Top Priority Fund Campaign for Children 2020, you will help provide the following (and more) to homeless children in India and children in need all around the world:

• Critical rent support for families on the brink of homelessness
• Emergency food distributions to hungry children and families

Give a Gift of Hope

Give a lifesaving or life-changing tangible gift to a child or family in need. And this holiday season, give in honor of a loved one and they’ll receive a free card!

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The post 2020 Year End Top Priority: Children Without a Home appeared first on Holt International.

After sponsoring children for years, Jeff and Lettie Bisely decided to do something different this year and give a ger as a Gift of Hope to a child and family in need in Mongolia!

Jeff and Lettie Bisely have a true heart for helping children in need.

You can tell because they sponsor seven children through Holt — giving them the education, food, safety, care and stability that they need to thrive. Over the years they’ve sponsored children from the Philippines, Cambodia, India and more — helping children all around the world.

“It’s just exciting,” Jeff says. “To watch them develop. Sometimes they get adopted, sometimes they get [stabilized with their families] back home — it’s been really encouraging.”

The Biselys live in Morro Bay, California, and every year a Holt representative comes to their church to share about sponsorship – and how individuals can change the life of a child living in poverty.

But this year, Jeff and Lettie decided to do something additional, something different than normal. They decided to give a Gift of Hope — a ger.

A ger is a traditional home in Mongolia that is similar to what many in the U.S. know as a yurt. Gers are round, made of thick canvas and insulation and have a stove in the middle as a heat source. They are a safe and warm home for families living in one of the coldest places on earth.

On the worst Mongolian winter days, temperatures can drop to -40 degrees. This is unbearably and dangerously cold, especially for the children and families living in poverty near Ulaanbaatar’s largest garbage dump. These children and families live in the very worst of poverty. They live in makeshift homes, burn items from the dump for fuel to keep warm and rummage through the refuse to find recyclables to sell for an income.

But when temperatures drop so low, it becomes all about survival. Children and families here desperately need a home — a warm and safe place to sleep. And that’s exactly how the Biselys wanted to help.

“I grew up in upstate New York, so I used to shovel show and it probably got down to zero [degrees] occasionally,” Jeff says. “But I can’t even fathom negative degrees! Especially without 18 layers of Columbia down jackets and winter gear! Unfortunately, I doubt they have adequate clothing as well.”

So in October, as the cold weather began here in the U.S. as well as in Mongolia, Jeff and Lettie gave a ger as a Gift of Hope.

“They need to survive the winter,” Jeff says about the children and family who received their gift. “To be healthy and try to stay alive.” And that’s exactly what their gift is achieving.

Jeff says that anyone who wants to give a Gift of Hope should start by asking what they’re most passionate about.

“If I was a local farmer here in Morro Bay, I’m pretty sure I’d be giving goats and chickens and other things that I know,” Jeff says. “And the homeless population here in California is really significant.” Another reason why giving a home to a child and family felt so meaningful to him and his wife.

Whether you give livestock or medical care or a gift to help a child go to school, there are so many meaningful Gifts of Hope that will change a child’s life forever. And now is the best season of all to give.

“It’s Christmastime,” Jeff says, “and this time of year it’s always pretty easy to find some love for others.”

You can give a ger to provide safe shelter to a child in Mongolia this winter!

Give a Gift of Hope

Give a lifesaving or life-changing tangible gift to a child or family in need. And this holiday season, give in honor of a loved one and they’ll receive a free card!

Shop now

The post Longtime Sponsors Give Ger as a Gift of Hope appeared first on Holt International.