Chile

Approximately two-thirds of Chile’s people are mestizo, people of mixed Indian and European ancestry. Most speak Spanish with the exception of some Indians who have retained their own languages. About 87 percent of the population lives in urban settings, while 13 percent reside in rural areas. According to UNICEF, 1.5 million children live in poverty and about 70 percent suffer physical and/or psychological maltreatment. Most Chilean families live in the central region of the country. Many of them work in the service industry or commerce. Agriculture and fishing predominate in rural areas. Almost one-fourth of Chile’s families are headed by single mothers, who face great difficulty in providing for their children. They often work as fruit pickers, maids, or artisans and earn only meager wages. Farming is the way of life for most families in sponsorship communities. They have small plots of land that barely grow enough food to feed their children and rarely have crops left over to sell for income. You can help work alongside these families teaching them agricultural techniques that will help increase their harvests. Child sponsorship offers new hope for families as they seek to improve their lives.

Chile is noted for extremes in terrain and climate. A thin ribbon of land, Chile extends 2,700 miles from north to south but is no wider than 250 miles at any point. The east has snow-capped mountains, the west is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the extreme south is cold and stormy with glaciers and fjords, and the north has deserts. The second highest peak in the western hemisphere, the volcano Ojos de Salado rises to 22,516 feet in Chile’s central region.

Government assistance programs for poor families are very limited. Therefore, private organizations have stepped in to help families create more opportunities for their children. Though Chile’s literacy rate is high, many poor children are unable to attend school. Sponsorship offers them a good education and the hope of escaping the cycle of poverty.

During the rainy season, Chilean roads are often flooded. As a result, many rural villages are virtually cut off from food supplies and medical aid. At such times, correspondence with your sponsored child could be affected.

Child sponsors are providing life-changing hope for boys and girls in Chile, offering improved living conditions, education, health care, and opportunities for parents to learn skills to increase family incomes.

• Pray that your sponsored child might respond to God’s love and grace.
• Ask God to guide your sponsored child as he or she learns, grows, and moves toward a future full of hope and possibilities.
• Pray for God to protect the health of your sponsored child and his or her family.