How You Can Help

Help Children Achieve Their Dreams

November 28, 2007

Dear Friend,

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.

Sometimes a dream is so powerful that it leads children to desperate choices. A girl from a broken home dreaming of being loved unconditionally for the first time in her life tries to get pregnant... a boy growing up in poverty dreaming of “being someone” gets involved in a violent gang. We’ve seen it happen, and we have been there to help for more than 20 years—with programs to guide teen mothers in giving their babies the care and nurturing they may not have had themselves, to prevent repeat pregnancies, to help young mothers return to school, and to offer gang-involved youth positive alternatives through life skills, job readiness and conflict resolution training, counseling, and one-on-one goal setting and mentoring.

What could be more rewarding than helping a child who may have known nothing but hardship until now achieve her dream? Or helping a struggling parent whose own dream is to provide a better life for his or her children? I ask you to join us as we work to achieve meaningful changes today that will echo across generations.

Through a continuum of programs beginning before birth, encompassing childhood and adolescence, and extending into the adult years, INMED is helping build the foundation of knowledge, skills and opportunities that will help thousands of children and families realize their dreams...

For the child in Brazil who dreams of being the first in her family to learn how to read, we prepare her teacher with the instructional skills to ensure that she gains this crucial skill.
For the mother in South Africa who dreams of the day her children don’t have to go to bed hungry, we provide training and materials for her to plant her own household vegetable garden.
For the teen in Jamaica who dreams that there’s more to life than the violence in the slum where he has grown up, we offer youth development activities and music training that cultivate self-esteem and a sense of self-worth.
For the incarcerated father in inner-city Los Angeles who dreams that his son will not follow in his footsteps, we link the youth with a mentor who provides a positive adult role model.
For the mother in Peru who dreams of keeping her newborn baby healthy when so many others around her have become sick or died, we conduct maternal and child health programs to control infectious disease and save lives.

For all of these vulnerable, disadvantaged children and families, we are helping them believe that there is hope for their future—and that they can realize their dreams.

Every time I visit our one of our project sites around the world, I hear heartfelt thanks from so many people who are grateful for the help, hope and opportunities our work has provided. But the thanks are not mine, nor INMED’s alone—they belong to people like you, who provide the support that make our efforts possible. They belong to our staff in the field, and to the families, schools and communities whose pride of ownership leads them to carry on the work in our place.

I’d like to include you among those who share in the “thank yous” from those we serve around the world. Please take a moment now to make a contribution of $25, $50, $100, $500 or whatever you can give to help a child or parent achieve their dreams of good health, enough to eat, basic education, a safe community—dreams that so many of us take for granted.

As always, we guarantee that your contribution will be invested responsibly and effectively in our programs. For the third consecutive year, INMED has earned Charity Navigator’s “exceptional” four-star rating, reflecting our commitment to sound fiscal management.

To make your tax-deductible contribution, click “Donate Now.” Thank you in advance for your generous contribution—and enjoy the reward of know that you are helping even more children achieve their dreams.

Warmest regards,

Linda Pfeiffer, Ph.D.
President and CEO