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Dear friends and family,
We hope that you are safe and well.
2022 is a big year for IT Tender. Our plan is to add 50 new sponsor children to the program this year. That means that 50 more children in extreme poverty in Manila could have the opportunity to go to school, if we can find donors to support them.
You likely already know (and may even support) IT Tender's wholistic sponsorship program that provides an education and a brighter future for children by providing daily transportation to school, school supplies, uniforms, medical check-ups, computer and internet access, nutrition monitoring and feeding programs, tutoring, and leadership development. And all of this only costs $1/day ($30/month) for the donor sponsoring the child!
Child sponsorship through IT Tender transforms at-risk children from the slums into educated leaders and responsible examples in their community. But don't just take our word for it. Let's listen to the voices of the youth themselves who grew up in IT Tender's program.
In this video, our youth share their gratitude to God for their sponsors and for IT Tender. Listen to the youth share their stories from growing up in the slums with little hope for an education or a future, until a compassionate sponsor changed that trajectory. The stories/interviews begin at the 3:30 minute mark in the video (*click "CC" in the video to turn on English subtitles).
The hope, transformation, and success that these youth have experienced is made possible thanks to supporters like you who invest in them and their education from childhood. This is why we want to challenge you to consider multiplying your impact to help more children overcome poverty and complete their education.
If you are already sponsoring children through IT Tender, we want to challenge you to consider adding another sponsor child at just $1/day ($30/month). If you have a friend or relative who would appreciate the opportunity to change the life of a child in poverty, we encourage you to share the above video with them. Donors and potential donors can email John Coffey at john.coffey@iteams.ca to receive the profiles of the children at the top of our waiting list in need of a sponsor to be able to go to school. Thank you for your life-changing support and for helping us reach our goal to send another 50 children to school.
In other news, we want to thank all of our supporters and friends for giving generously to our Christmas gift-and-grocery-giving drive to wrap of 2021. Thanks to your support, even the 50 children on our waiting list in need of a sponsor received a package of groceries and gifts for their families! In fact, hundreds of families were blessed with gifts and practical relief goods during another pandemic Christmas.
Besides thanking our incredible, individual donors, we also want to give special mention to our partners at Extreme Response, Halcyon, The Ben Canlas "Courage To Be Kind" Foundation, U-Happy, ACDC Learning Center, College of St. Benilde NSTP Students, our annonymous "donation matching" sponsor, and the board members of IT Tender for your generous contributions to our Christmas gifts and groceries.
In spite of the pandemic, the holiday season was special for the families we serve. We're also thankful for the wisdom that allowed us to support the livelihoods of the families through this Christmas giveaway. Prior to the gift-giving event, IT Tender trained mothers in the community to make and sell dish soap and laundry detergent. These mothers were then hired to provide their handmade products for each of the gift packs we gave out.
Thank you so much for reading our newsletter, and thank you for all your compassionate support! Below are the current prayers and praises of our team in Manila.
- The Tender Team
