Compassion Friday

The annual cost of a small dog is $580.  The annual cost of a medium dog is $695.  The annual cost of a large dog is $875. (ASPCA)

For $1.25 a day ($456 annually) you can provide a CHILD with an opportunity to receive an education; an opportunity to be healthy; an opportunity to receive love, guidance, personal attention, etc. (Compassion International)

I'm not knockin' dogs.  I'm just sayin'...

Compassion Friday

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Compassion Friday

I'm switching Quick Facts Friday to Compassion Friday and in doing so, want to share the most recent letter we received from Magazi.

"Dear Mike Mauntel, Magazi salutes you "Shikamoo."  He says he is fine and doing well together with his family.  He says he is so grateful for the nice family gift you sent to him.  He says his parents are so grateful for the nice gift, for they were able to buy the following: One iron sheet, clothes for dad and mom, rice, sugar, beans, clothes (suit) for him and his sibling.  He also thanks you a lot for the nice photo, letters and stickers you sent to him.  He says he lives with his father, mother, and his sibling.  He says his past photo he had sent to you he took with his parents.  He says he, likes playing football game.  He says his best subjects are mathematics and handwriting.  Magazi hopes that Michael is born and grows well.  Hey says may you have a look at the photo he has sent to you when with his mother and sibling with all the gifts he bought.  He lastly says may you pray for his mother to know Jesus for he is of different denomination."

He also included this drawing.  Notice the stickers!

I thought Maddie would like to see the stickers on there since she LOVES stickers.  Unfortunately, she threw a fit.  "My tickers!"

I calmed her down, sat her on my lap, and tried to explain how Magazi lives in another country, is less fortunate that we are, etc.

Thinking I was getting through to her, she got up, turned around, looked at me and said, "No talk to me daddy."

Much like getting played, all I could do was laugh.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

The following is information from Compassion International specific to Tanzania, the country of sponsored child -- Magazi.

 "Although Tanzania is one of the most politically stable countries in Africa, it remains desperately poor.  The country hosts the largest refugee population in Africa because of conflicts in neighboring Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.  Refugee camps, which house thousands of children in Tanzania, have little access to clean water, sanitary conditions or education.

Nearly 90% of Tanzanians struggle to survive on less than $1.25 a day.  The country has few exports, and agriculture is the primary source of income.  Many regions, however, are plagued by drought."

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

I know it's Quick Facts Friday, but I wanted to share this video from Catalyst 2009.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is ENVIRONMENTAL.

• More than 3 million children under age 5 die each year from disease because of environment-related causes and conditions.
• Each year, acute respiratory infections kill approximately 2 million children under age 5.  Worldwide, 60% of acute respiratory infections are due to environmental conditions.
• Diarrheal diseases take the lives of almost 2 million children each year.  80% to 90% of these diseases are related to environmental conditions, specifically contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
• Nearly 1 million people die each year because of malaria.  Of these deaths, 80% are children under age 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.  Up to 90% of malaria cases are attributed to environmental factors.
• About 2.5 billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation -- roughly two-fifths of the world's population.
• About 1 million children each year are diagnosed with intestinal worms caused by the lack of water along with poor hygiene practices.  Studies show that an adequate water supply could reduce trachoma infections by 25%.
• More than 200 million people live in coastal flood zones, which would be dramatically impacted by rising waters.  While some 4 billion people -- 60% of the world's population -- live within 65 miles of a coast.
• At least 1.6 billion people globally do not have electricity in their homes, and approximately 54% of people in developing countries lack access to modern forms of energy.
• The number of people living in countries where cultivated land is critically scarce is project to increase from 448 million in 2005 to between 559 million and 7006 million in 2025.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is CHILD ABUSE.

• An estimated 300 million children worldwide are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse, including the worst forms of child labor in communities, schools and institutions.
• An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide every year.
• Children living in areas of extreme economic hardship and social disruption are at an increased risk for abuse, violence and exploitation.
• About 1.5 billion children live in 42 countries affected by violent conflict between 2002 and 2006.  Of 14.2 million refuges worldwide, 41% may be children under the age of 18.
• Worldwide, an estimated 40 million children under the age of 15 suffer from violence, abuse and neglect.
• An estimated 1.2 million children -- both boys and girls -- are trafficked each year into exploitative work, including sex mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is SOCIAL.

• In 2007, for the first time in history, the majority of people lived in urban areas.  Throughout most of the developing world, this results in larger slum populations.
• Nearly 30% of women worldwide give birth before age 18.
• Some 200 million women who wish to space or limit their childbearing lack access ton contraception.
• Nearly one in five parliamentary seats in 2008 were held by women, bringing the percentage to 18% -- with the highest percentages being in Europe and the Americas.  Out of 189 governments, women hold only 13 of the highest positions of state.
• Young peoples ages 15 to 24 represent close to half of the world's increasing number of jobless people -- estimated at 192 million in 2006.  This number is expected to increase by 50 million by the end of 2009.  In many countries, youth are more than three times as likely as adults to be seeking work.  This presents an especially urgent challenge for developing countries, home to 85% of the world's youth.
• Over one-third of all Internet users in the world live in developing countries, whose share of the world's "Internet population" grew by nearly 50% between 2000 and 2003.
• An estimated 20 million children worldwide have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on RELIGION.

• Religion around the world is broken down like this: 33% Christians; 21% Muslims; 13% Hindus; 6% Buddhists; 2.3% atheists; 0.4% Sikhs; 0.2% Jewish; 0.1% Baha'is; 12% other; 12% nonreligious.
• Brazil is the largest Catholic country in the world.
• Women make up 56% of the adult born-again population.
• Born-again Christians are more likely than the average adult to have volunteered their time to help their church in the past week (32% to 22%, respectively).
• Nearly half of all Americans who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior do so before reaching the age of 13 (43%), and two out of three born-again Christians(64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday.
• Approximately 69% of Americans believe that God is the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect Creator who rules the world today.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on CHARITABLE GIVING.

• In 1970, wealthy nations agreed to a goal of spending 0.7% of their gross national product on assistance to developing countries. Through 2007, the amount of aid has been around 0.2% to 0.4%.
• More than 92% of Americans participate at come level of charitable giving.
• Low-income working families are the most generous group in America, giving away about 4.5% of their income on average, compared with about 2.5% among the middle class, and 3.0% among high-income families.
• Top five reasons why people give: (1) Because they are asked to or are presented a giving opportunity; (2) Compassion for those in need; (3) Personally believe in the cause; (4) Affected by the cause; (5) To give back to their community.
• Total giving to charitable organizations increased to $306 billion in 2007, up 3.9% from 2006 (when adjusted for inflation). That accounted for 2.2% of U.S. domestic product.
• 32% of U.S. adults have less than positive feelings toward America's charitable organizations. And only one in 10 strongly agrees that charitable organization are honest and ethical in their use of donated funds.
• Younger donors are more likely to respond positively to messages that focus on the global impact of an organization's work, while older donors are more likely to give to groups that highlight services they provide that the government does not.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on EDUCATION.

• An estimated 130 million of the world's 15- to 24-year-olds cannot read or write.
• There are 781 million illiterate adults worldwide, and 64% of them are women.
• Nearly 75 million children worldwide are out of school. Some 55% of these children are girls, meaning that for every 90 boys out of school, 110 girls are in the same situation.
• Of the 22 countries where more than half the population is illiterate, 15 are in Africa.
• Only 4.4% of GDP per capita is spent by the public sector on education world wide.
• About 17% of children in developing countries never finish primary school. Household studies show that children are less likely to attend school when they come from poorer families.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on POVERTY.

• Children under age 18 make up 49% of the population of the world's least developed countries, compared with 21% of the population of the world's industrialized nations.
• More than 2 billion people lack access to electricity and modern forms of energy.
• More than 1 billion (one in five) live on less than $1 a day.
• Every day, 1,600 women and more than 10,000 newborns globally die due to complications that could have been prevented.
• The annual world economy breaks down like this: 37% Low Income ($825 or less), 38% Lower Middle Income ($826 to $3,255), 9% Upper Middle Income ($3,256 to $10,065) and 16% High Income ($10,066 or more).
• Approximately 143 million children in the developing world (one in 13) are orphans.
• More than 10 million children under 5 die each year. Two-thirds of these deaths -- more than 6 million deaths every year -- are preventable.
• Approximately 41% of the world's poor people live in India.

What stands out most to me is the fact that more than 6 million children under 5 die each year from preventable causes.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on HIV/AIDS.

• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 67% of the total world HIV-positive population.
• Of the estimated 2 million children under 15 living with HIV, nearly 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Of the estimated 2.7 million people newly infected with HIV in 2007, some 370,000 were children under 15.
• In 2007, an estimated 2 million people died of AIDS-related causes. Approximately 290,000 of these were children under 15.
• Currently, less than 10% of HIV-positive children in need of treatment are being treated.
• About 45% of new infections occur among young people ages 15 to 24.
• Approximately 15 million children under age 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Of these, nearly 12 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Each day, about 1,000 children worldwide become infected with HIV, the vast majority of them newborns.
• To date about 65 million people have been infected with HIV, and AIDS has killed more than 25 million people since it was first recognized in 1981.
• About 1.5 million women comprise nearly half the total number of people living with HIV, and 77% (12 million) of women with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region in the world. Two-thirds of all people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa; in 2007, 22 million people there were living with HIV.
• In 2007, 33 million people were living with HIV. About 8% of those 33 million people living with HIV were from new infections -- and one-fifth of that 8% were children.
• Although about 33% of HIV-positive pregnant women receive drug therapies to prevent the transmission of HIV to their infants, only 11% of HIV-positive women in sub-Saharan who need antiretrovirals had access.
• More than 6,800 new HIV infections occur daily worldwide, and more than 5,700 people die of AIDS.
• Approximately 5.5 million young people, ages 15 to 24, are living with HIV.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on CHILD LABOR.

• One in six children 5 to 14 years old -- about 16% of all children in this age group -- is involved child labor in developing countries.
• In the least developed countries, 30% of all children are engaged in child labor.
• Worldwide, 126 million children work in hazardous conditions, often enduring beatings, humiliation and sexual violence by their employers.
• An estimated 1.2 million children -- both boys and girls -- are trafficked each year into exploitative work in agriculture, mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work.
• The highest proportion of child laborers is in sub-Sahara Africa, where 26% of children (49 million) are involved in work.

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

This week, the quick facts focus is on WATER.

• Depending on living conditions, including climate and physical activity, drinking-water needs for individuals vary, but the optimal amount is estimated at 2 quarts per day for a 130-pound person and 1 quart per day for a 22-pound child.
• Roughly 12% of the world's population, or 884 million people, do not have access to safe water.
• About 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to adequate sanitation -- roughly two-fifths of the world's population.
• Approximately 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. This is around 5,000 deaths a day.
• Diarrheal diseases can be reduced by more than 40% through the simple practice of washing hands with soap and water.
• Water-related diseases are the second biggest killer of children worldwide. Number one is acute respiratory infections, such as tuberculosis.
• Approximately 97.5% of the water on the earth is saltwater. If all the world's water could fit in an average bucket, only 1 teaspoon would be drinkable.
• Nearly 90% of water-related diseases are due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene; most victims are children in developing countries.
• The average person in the developing world uses a little more than 2.5 gallons of water each day for drinking, washing and cooking. Whereas the average person in the developed world uses 13 gallons per day only for toilet flushing.
• Agriculture uses more than 80% of the world's total water consumption.
• Worldwide, approximately 425 million children under 18 do not have safe water.

What stands out most to me is the fact that around 5,000 children die each day as a result of diseases caused by unclean drinking water.

As Herbert Hoover once said, "Children are our most valuable natural resource."

Please consider sponsoring a child through Compassion International today.

Quick Facts Friday

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I've joined Compassion International's Child Advocate Network in an effort to increase awareness (AND promote sponsorship). Quick Facts Friday is my attempt to provide you with "Quick Facts" pertaining to various issues as reported by Compassion. This week, the quick facts focus on HUNGER.

• One person in seven battles hunger every day.
• Approximately 963 million people across the world are hungry.
• More than 9 million children under age 5 die every year, and malnutrition accounts for more than one-third of these deaths. Most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• About 5.6 million deaths of children worldwide are related to under-nutrition. This accounts for 53% of the total deaths for children under 5.
• More than 140 million or 25% of all children in developing countries are underweight and at risk from the long-term effects of malnourishment.
• Nearly 15% of babies in developing countries are born with low birth weight compared with 7% of babies in industrialized countries.
• More than 6 million children die from malnutrition each year.
• Worldwide, 161 million preschool children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
• Already 923 million people are undernourished, and there are more than 9 million deaths related to hunger each year.
  

What stands out most to me is the fact that under-nutrition, defined by UNICEF as the outcome of insufficient food intake (hunger) and infectious diseases, accounts for over half of the total deaths of children under 5.

Can you imagine holding your child, grandchild, niece or nephew in your arms as they starve to death?

Mother Teresa once said, "When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed."

Your sponsorship will not only provide a child with supplementary food (if necessary), but the opportunity to learn about Jesus; regular Christian training; educational opportunities and help; health care and hygiene; a caring and safe Christian environment to grow in self-confidence and social skills; personal attention, guidance and love.

Please consider sponsoring a child today.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18

How it all started...

I've recently joined Compassion International's Child Advocate Network in an effort to increase awareness. I envision regular postings related to Compassion in the future, but for now I'd like to share how it all started:

I've always been touched by the photos and statistics of children living in poverty, but was never more touched until we had Maddie. There are a multitude of of statistics, but the thought that children just like mine die every 7 seconds from hunger-related causes is unfathomable. Maddie made those statistics tangible -- REAL tangible.

Shortly after Maddie was born, I was reading Francis Chan's Crazy Love. I had mentioned to Emily my desire to sponsor a child. We had talked about it in the past, but never followed through. This time didn't seem any different -- we were trying to figure out whether or not she could quit her job and the goal was to REDUCE spending. I'm pretty sure Dave Ramsey would have suggested holding off.

One day I found myself sitting on the couch reading Francis' chapter on lukewarm people.

"Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it's safe to give, they do so."

That's when it hit me -- If we give up ESPN, maybe we can use the money we save switching programming packages to sponsor a child! And that's what we did.

It wasn't easy -- I experienced a tightness in my chest as I called Dish to switch. A sports-friendly household without ESPN? I felt so un-American. But I knew every time I was missing Monday Night Football I'd be reminded of WHY I was missing it -- for the sake of a child who has SIGNIFICANTLY less than I do.

Now I'm in no way suggesting sports are the devil. In fact, my Troy Polamalu jersey arrived yesterday! It's just that for us, giving up ESPN was a way we could make it happen.

For more information, Email me or check out Compassion International today!

Magazi Update

It's been almost six months since my last Magazi post, so I wanted to share a recent picture of him and his family. They recently purchased the field in the background and are hoping to build a house (i.e. dirt floor, brick/block/cement walls and tin/corrugated iron roof). He sent his "report card" and appears to be doing fairly well in school. One of our favorite things he sends is his drawings. One even include stickers we sent to him!

Mail from Africa!

We've received our first letter from Magazi! For those of you who missed the post, Emily and I decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Also included was a drawing (of a cup, orange and flower) and a picture (he's on the right).

Magazi lives with his "mum" and dad, and has a on-year-old sibling named Abdalah. He was thankful for our sponsorship and, among other things, said our sponsorship will allow him to "get treatments once he gets sick." What does that mean? I know he lives in an HIV/AIDS-affected area. Is he sick? Does he assume he'll get sick? I could be reading into things, but with sub-Saharan Africa being home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population (more statistics), I may not be.

Regardless of his circumstances, he seems to be a happy - and appreciative - little boy. We look forward to sharing this experience with you!

The least of these...

Emily and I have decided to sponsor a child through Compassion International. As a parent, it breaks my heart to know there are children around the world living in extreme poverty and it only takes a small sacrifice on our part to make a difference.

Magazi is from Tanzania and was waiting over six months for sponsorship. It'll be a week before we receive his information pack; however, we do know today's Magazi's birthday!

We look forward to sharing our experience of sponsoring Magazi with you.

"To me, a faith in Jesus Christ that is not aligned with the poor...it's nothing" -Bono, lead singer of U2