Special Appeals from the President

Join us in inspiring hope and transforming children’s futures

December 1, 2009

Deep in the Amazon jungle, a young woman holds her stillborn infant and cries, consumed by the thought that he might have survived if she lived closer to a doctor.

A child in South Africa opens the kitchen cupboard with the hope that it is still not empty. It is.

Swings and slides in a southern California city park stand unused. Children don’t play there, fearing the gang violence that has taken over their neighborhood.

Just outside the nation’s capital, a father heads home after losing his job. He has yet to figure out how to tell his wife and children that they might also lose their home.

These are the realities of our time. It’s not one woman, one man, one child, but millions across the world, connected by one seemingly hopeless situation to the next. Does history repeat itself if nothing ever changed in between the past, the present and the future? Or is the loss of hope inevitable?

We at INMED Partnerships for Children know first-hand that change is possible, that hope is retrievable, that children can be rescued from the grip of hunger, disease and violence.

We know it because we have done it. But we would not have succeeded without donors like you. Whether you have donated to us in the past or might for the first time, you make these changes possible. Thank you. Even in the face of the impossible, you have made such a significant difference in the lives of so many children.

You still can. We’re proud to announce that any gift made by December 31, 2009 will be matched dollar for dollar—up to a total of $55,000—by a team of committed donors, magnifying the impact of your tax-deductible donation. I hope we can count on you to send your contribution today, either by mail or right here online.

Please read on to learn about some of the lives that have been transformed thanks to the support and generosity of people like you, and how you can continue to help.

“Gifts and Bequests to Charity Increase.”

December 15, 2008

That was a New York Times headline – no, not in 2005, when our economy was booming, but in 1937, right in the midst of The Great Depression.

If we are not in a depression now, it sure feels like it. When was the last day you haven’t heard of another major corporation cutting 10, 12, 20 thousand jobs? What will tomorrow bring?

Charities are also suffering, most recently when some had to turn away thousands of people because there was not enough food for everyone in need during the Thanksgiving season. Charities face the undesirable task of now having to serve more people while faced with shrinking resources.

We at INMED Partnerships for Children also feel the pain and are challenged to do more with less. Clearly, we recognize these are indeed difficult if not frightening times for us all. Sadly, for far too many children, every day is frightening whether the world is in good or bad economic times.

What will tomorrow bring? Far too many children will die from causes that we can prevent: starvation, disease, violence. Every day, 29,000 children under the age of five die from these and other preventable causes. Add in those older than five, and the yearly death toll is staggering: in the millions.

Help Parents Cultivate the Seed of Their Children’s Potential

April 22, 2008

One of my favorite rites of spring is planting gardens in my back yard. Whether fruits, vegetables or flowers, I never tire of watching the amazing process as a seed first reveals the hint of an emerging stem that supports its gradually developing leaves, eventually reaching maturity and productivity, and contributing beauty and nourishment to the world around it. Like my garden, children need a combination of elements to grow and thrive: the warmth of a nurturing family, clean water, nutritious food and a stable environment to help them achieve the full promise of their potential.

Just like the evolution of my garden each year, I see the process of transformation among families within the communities where INMED works. And just as all the right elements must be present for a garden to grow successfully from seeds to plants—sun, water, nutrients, a healthy environment and careful cultivation—a similar continuum of care is needed to help children develop into strong, healthy contributors to their families and communities.

Help Children Achieve Their Dreams

November 28, 2007

The other day, I spoke with one of our donors and asked him why he chose to support us. He didn’t hesitate in his answer: “Because you help children achieve their dreams,” he told me. I admit that wasn’t the response I expected. Most supporters tell me that they’re interested in improving children’s health, nutrition, education, violence prevention, strengthening families, or community development, some with a preference for a certain part of the world.

All of these things are critical to improving the lives and opportunities of those we serve around the world, both today and over the long term. But what do they mean to the children? Looking back on his own troubled childhood of poverty, abuse, abandonment, food insecurity, lack of education and homelessness, our donor has the answer. When a child’s daily life is defined by suffering and sadness, unfulfilled needs and wishes, a dream may be his only spark of hope for the future.

A Mother’s Day Message

March 26, 2007

With Mother’s Day approaching, like many people, I am making plans to celebrate with my mother on her special day. Yet my thoughts are also drawn to the mothers around the world for whom this day sadly brings little occasion for celebration.

Consider some of the mothers whose stories I have come to know:

“Anna,” a pregnant teen abandoned by her drug-abusing parents and left homeless on the inner-city streets of Compton, California
“Mayua,” an expectant mother in the Peruvian Amazon who has no choice but to deliver her baby in her remote mountain home, but who fears the risks, knowing that mothers and their infants often die from infection or lack of medical attention shortly after birth
“Esperanza,” a Virginia mother of medically fragile twins born three months premature, who risks losing her sons to the child protective system because she doesn’t speak English and therefore can’t understand her doctor’s instructions for using the babies’ oxygen monitors
“Sarita,” a desperately poor young Indian mother who brought her severely malnourished infant son to the local health post, reporting that she regularly fed the baby tea because she feared she did not have enough breastmilk to fill his stomach
“Julia,” a mother who has escaped years of violent abuse at the hands of her partner but is now overwhelmed by the responsibility and challenges of raising her children on her own

Ready more about these mothers and their children...