IMPACT FALL 2015
CONNECTING
with
TRADITION
Sending merry messages across the world
In a photo taken last year, staff members from Unbound’s Quezon office in the Philippines (from left, Andrea, Annie, Jeremy, Rannie and Flordeliza) prepare to send out their 2014 Christmas card.
IN THIS EDITION:
4 The journey of a Christmas card 7 A light through the darkness MORE STORIES AVAILABLE AT UNBOUND.ORG, INCLUDING:
PRAYING FOR A HOME If home is where the heart is, Beneranda’s home has always been the small patch of Nicaraguan farmland she inherited from her father. But for most of her adult life, it was a home without a house.
ON THE COVER:
Sponsored child Evelyn (left) and her sister Fabiola share the Christmas spirit at their home in Guatemala.
IN TOUCH WITH THE HOLIDAYS
E
xperiencing holiday traditions through our senses makes them all the more meaningful. The smell of roasting turkey, the sound of Christmas carols, prayers for loved ones, the rustle of paper when unwrapping that one favorite ornament — these are the things that connect us in ways beyond understanding to holidays past and to those with whom we have shared them. With this issue of Impact, we are tapping into the wisdom of the holidays in our never-ending quest to bring the world of Unbound into your home. We share with you the celebration of Diwali, so cherished by Hindu members of our community. As you read about this festival, you’ll practically smell the fireworks and feel the colorful sands of the rangoli on your fingertips. Our main story is about the journey of the Christmas cards that our sponsors receive every year from their sponsored friends. It is a journey of love from the farthest reaches of our programs to our staff in the field, to our Kansas City headquarters and, ultimately, to your home. Touched by human hands. Touched by human hearts. That is the Unbound way.
BEHIND THE MUSIC The Voices of Unbound: Madagascar CD takes you on a musical journey to the isolated island country off the coast of southeast Africa. The Malagasy people offered their own voices and cultural songs for this beautiful collection. Visit unbound.org/music to get your CD today. All proceeds support Unbound’s Education program.
Joy.
Hope.
WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE Need a great gift idea? Unbound has T-shirts, mugs, bags and other gear available for purchase. Show off your Unbound merchandise to help raise awareness of our work with sponsored friends around the world. Visit unbound.org/store today.
the journey of
A CHRISTMAS CARD IMPACT • 4
T
his holiday season, in cities and towns all over the U.S., Unbound sponsors will receive Christmas cards from their sponsored friends. A small expression of cheer, gratitude and creativity, these
cards have become a cherished Unbound tradition. But what sponsors may not realize is that when the cards arrive in their homes they are at the end of a very long journey. In most of the 20 countries where Unbound works, the process of creating Christmas cards begins in the summer. Following a few practical guidelines set by the Kansas City office, staffers in the various Unbound offices around the world form their plans. Some will create themes or design templates, while others set wider parameters that allow for more individual creativity. Last year in the Philippines, 11 works of art from sponsored children were selected to represent Unbound’s Quezon program. According to Rogelio de Vera, head of the correspondence department for Quezon, “Their work focuses on the customs and traditions in the Philippines.
Sponsored children in Guadalupe, Mexico, proudly display the artwork that will be included in individual Christmas cards to their sponsors.
These illustrations were presented in one Christmas card with the program’s greetings. This is how the Quezon Christmas card was conceptualized.” Once the overall plans are made for each program, they are shared with various local communities. There the sponsored children, youth and elders gather to put their own personal touches on the cards. These gatherings are usually lively and fun-filled events
where local Unbound staff provide materials — paper, markers, scissors, glue and whatever else might be needed — and then let the children’s talents shine forth. Patrick Marinas, of the Manila program in the Philippines, says the cards are a labor of
love for the children. “Definitely, the children will have a sense of pride and accomplishment after they finish their Christmas greeting cards for their sponsors,” he said. “It is a way of showing their craftsmanship and creativity, and they do it with love.” The finished cards are collected in the local communities and sent to the respective program headquarters, in turn to be sent to Unbound’s Kansas City office. They begin to dribble in to Kansas City in the fall, and by early December every available inch of space in the mailroom has been filled with more than 300,000 Christmas cards — one from each sponsored person — reflecting the diversity of the Unbound world. IMPACT • 5
(continued)
FROM THE HEART OF YOUR SPONSORED FRIEND (continued from page 5)
Once in Kansas City, processing
large and small groups at various spaces
the cards takes time since each must
around the building for an hour here, an
be double-checked to make sure it is
hour there — however long it takes —
going to the right sponsor, combined
until the last card has gone out. As they
with a holiday greeting from Unbound
work, they visit with coworkers, smile
headquarters and placed in a pre-labeled
over the artwork of the children and
envelope. While Unbound’s dedicated
imagine what it will be like when Joe in
corps of volunteers works hard to get
Spokane or Martha in Richmond open
the cards out in a timely way, the sheer
their cards.
volume is more than they can handle.
By the time a sponsor receives an
This is where the Kansas City staff
Unbound Christmas card, many hands
comes in. No matter what department
have touched it. Some are small, active
each person works in, or what their
hands filled with crayons and glue sticks.
normal daily duties might be, at this
Some are large hands, calloused from
time of year all are pressed into service
lifting pallets filled with letters onto
like Santa’s elves. And they wouldn’t
trucks. And some are gentle, wrinkled
have it any other way!
hands that have known many blessings
With Christmas music in the
and seek now to pass them on.
background and hot mugs of cocoa at
Each hand adds its own loving touch,
the ready, Kansas City staffers gather in
and the final one is that of the sponsor.
Kansas City staff ready the cards to send to sponsors.
IMPACT • 6
light
A through the darkness T
he sounds of fireworks fill the air. Big booms accompany bursts of light against the sky. Smaller bursts sound off closer to the ground as children run about lighting fountains and firecrackers. Though a new moon hangs in the sky, the autumn night is lit by thousands of small clay lamps called diyas. For many in India, the noise and light signify one of their most important holidays. Diwali is a Hindu festival, also known as the festival of lights, and marks the Hindu New Year. In southern India, it celebrates the victory of light over darkness as seen in the story of Lord Krishna’s wife Satyabhama, who defeated the evil Narakasura. According to Bhavana Jayanthi, correspondence coordinator for Unbound in Hyderabad, India, “Diwali upholds the spirit of the warrior in a woman, which can confront evil and conquer it for the good of the world.” Diwali is a multi-day festival, but most celebrations take place during the new moon. “The day starts with burning firecrackers around 4 a.m.,” Bhavana said, “followed by
prayers, temple visits and eating delicious sweets the whole day. Then, in the evening as the sun sets, clay lamps are lit.” The light symbolizes knowledge and divinity and attracts wealth and prosperity to the home. In some neighborhoods, women have contests with each other to see who can create the best rangoli. A type of Indian artwork, rangoli is made on the ground using colored sand or other natural materials, and is featured during Hindu festivals such as Diwali. Diwali is also a time of gift giving. Many families purchase new clothes, household items, sweets, coins and jewelry to give as gifts. Bhavana keeps the memory of her grandmother alive through the collection of coins she received from her as Diwali gifts, one each year. Varun Bobbala, a young man formerly sponsored through Unbound, says family is the most important part of Diwali. “I lived in a boarding school for 11 years,” he shared. “We would get three days off for Diwali, and my favorite part was spending time with my family.”
IMPACT • 7
Sponsored child Archana in India lights the diyas (clay lamps) to celebrate Diwali.
In addition to representing the triumph of good over evil, the lighting of lamps during Diwali also represents dispelling ignorance with knowledge.
DID YOU KNOW? PAID
UNBOUND
FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED
1 El m w o o d A v e. Kansas C i ty, K S 6 6 1 03
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE