Leonardo's Birthday DP Letter and Photos :)

Today Leonardo's birthday DP photos arrived along with the very first letter that he has written by himself! :) As you can see, he is holding up the picture of his sponsors and he looks very happy. The DP also contained gifts to his Yeimer and his little sister. I will post both photos, his letter, and the beautiful drawing that he made in the albums. He addresses his letter to Jessica :) He writes:

Dear Jessica,

I greet you with much respect. I am happy because you sent me this beautiful gift and my sibling are also happy with it. What I liked the most was the toy car and the coloring book. Everything is pretty. My siblings felt happy with the gifts that you sent to them. It is nice to have five sponsors who are attentive to my birthday.

I say goodbye,

Leonardo De La Hoz

Important Facts

Sharing some facts about families who are served by Children International in the city of Barranquilla where Leonardo lives:

"The families we serve in Barranquilla face a variety of daily challenges. parents often don't have steady jobs, and low wages mean they can't always provide nutritious food for their children-making malnutrition and other illnesses a real possibility. In order to work, some parents much leave their children at home during the day, exposing them to potential risks that come without parental supervision.

Far too often we find that the parents who didn't complete their education don't always understand the importance of keeping their own children in school. We do what we can to encourage attendance so that children find more positive ways to spend their time and avoid exposure to crime, drugs, and violence.

Some benefits of sponsorship:
Basic health care and medicine
Educational suppoort, such as school supplies, for those in school
New clothing and shoes

Family Record Updates

Hi everyone, Leonardo's New Family Report came today. It is on the Yahoo Group and it is on his personal CI account for sponsors. Some updates are that He is now 7 years old, weighs about 49 pounds and has grown to 4 ft. His favorite subjects are music and art and he enjoys sports. The family income has increased some which is good. Please visit his Yahoo group and account for more information and updates. Thank you and God bless.

Leonardo's Family Photo, July 2012

Today I received a photo of Leonardo with his family. A neighbor brought me the CI envelope which was mistakenly put in her mailbox! But guess who has the widest smile in the photo :) The other persons in the photo are his mom in the back, his niece Ema with the fuchsia dress with white spots, his brother, Yeimer, beside him, his little sister Milagro in the pink top in the front, his nephew, Oscar, beside her, and his neice Alejandra in the blue andwhite top.

What a good looking bunch of kids :)

Leonardo's Annual Photo, 2012

Yahoo Group

Leonardo also has a Yahoo group for his sponsors which will provide more information. If you are interested in helping out with this group sponsorship, please contact me and I will send you an invite to the group. Thanks!!


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FriendsforLeonardo/?yguid=228542414


Letters and more information will be posted on the blog soon.

Yeimer, Leonardo's Brother

Yeimer, one of Leonardo's brothers was also listed in the CI site as needing a sponsor, but I don't know if he has one yet. I plan to find out when I call to request photos of the family in May.

**UPDATE- Yeimer has a sponsor! :)