IMPACT SPRING 2015
CELEBRATING
LOVE
that transforms
From left: Alejandro; Bob Hentzen, Unbound’s late co-founder; and Rosa embrace each other in friendship in this photo from Unbound’s archives.
IN THIS EDITION:
4 Do everything with love 6 Healed by letters MORE STORIES AVAILABLE AT UNBOUND.ORG, INCLUDING:
CELEBRATING LOVE THAT TRANSFORMS LIVES
T
his issue of Impact focuses on love, a topic as old as creation itself yet forever fresh and young. In one way or another, love is at the heart of every story that emerges from the
Unbound world. We celebrate the friendship between sponsors and
NICARAGUAN MIGRANTS IN COSTA RICA FACE ISOLATION
sponsored friends, the sacrifices made by parents for
A little more than a third of the sponsored friends and their families in Costa Rica are migrants from Nicaragua. As migrants, they face isolation, blame for crime and difficulty getting jobs in addition to extreme poverty.
between sponsored elders. These expressions of love
the sake of their children, and the tender affection define our community and we are pleased to share them with you. One especially heartwarming story is that of Alejandro and Rosa. Married more than 40 years, the couple struggled through tremendous hardships as they raised their family. Now, because of sponsorship, they are able to enjoy their later years in the embrace of their community in El Salvador.
ON THE COVER:
Evir, his wife, Rosita, and their son Alexis are part of Unbound in Peru. See page 6 for Rosita’s story of a community being transformed by love.
Alejandro and Rosa personify qualities sacred to Unbound — loyalty, perseverance, gratitude and deep affection. Their lives testify to a truth modeled by our founders more than 33 years ago and one we have tried to honor every day since we first set up shop: love matters most when it is put into action.
A WALK ON THE GIVING SIDE Warmer weather inspires outdoor activities like walking and running. You can turn these good-for-you activities into doing good. Jennifer in Colorado created the Walk for Water event to raise awareness and funds for Unbound. To get involved and see what you can do, visit unboundtrailblazers.org
TARGET YOUR DONATIONS Sponsorship is one way you can support Unbound. Donations are another. Beyond general donations, Unbound offers several areas for donors to direct their contributions. Visit unbound.org/donate to learn more about each option.
•• EDUCATION •• HEALTH •• HOMES •• MICROFUNDING •• DISASTER RESPONSE •• MOST NEEDED
Do everything with
A
LOVE
s the music CD spins, so do the women. Their traditional Salvadoran ruffled skirts swirl as their feet move in step to the music. Alejandro takes his wife Rosa’s hand and raises it near his face, taking the
lead as they dance. The lines around his eyes deepen when he smiles at his wife. Rosa gazes at him and gives a little laugh. She twirls again, as she holds his hand. The couple continues to dance along with the other sponsored elders at the Unbound center in El Salvador. Sponsored elders meet once, sometimes twice a week to dance to traditional Salvadoran music. The dancing gives Rosa and Alejandro an
IMPACT • 4
opportunity to exercise and has helped Rosa with arthritis and back pain. “When we came to this group I could hardly walk,” Rosa said. “Through the dance and exercise I feel relief. Now I feel better. I have a lot of movement of my body.” Rosa is sponsored through Unbound but Alejandro is not. He joins her at the center because he, too, enjoys the camaraderie and exercise. “I have three loves in my life,” Alejandro Alejandro and Rosa in the
said. “My first love is for God, the second
ir youth.
is for my family and my third love is Unbound. … I feel this love because I saw how she [Rosa] feels better.”
consecration of their life together. They didn’t have much in the way of finances but had an abundance of love,
TRUE LOVE
which they shared with their children.
Rosa and Alejandro have been
Both Alejandro and Rosa had rough
together since 1972, but Alejandro
childhoods. Alejandro began working
noticed his future wife well before that.
when he was only 12, and Rosa left an
Rosa’s neighbor used to sell tamales,
abusive home when she was 14. Both
bread and coffee. Alejandro would visit
have been fighting against poverty their
her store frequently hoping to catch a
whole lives.
glimpse of Rosa, who had no idea he
“I finally found happiness,” Rosa said
was even interested in her.
as she pointed to Alejandro. “I found it
Two years later Alejandro’s niece
by his side.”
tragically passed away. At the funeral
Rosa and Alejandro are proof that
service Rosa visited with Alejandro, and
being by someone’s side over a long
ever since then they have been a source
period of time creates real change.
of support for each other.
The love Rosa’s sponsor showed by
“She put her arm on my shoulder, and
supporting Rosa made it possible for her
from that day to now I still have that arm
to participate in the elder program, and
on my shoulder,” Alejandro said.
that love has extended to Alejandro and
Although they couldn’t afford much, their wedding was a happy occasion.
the community of elders. “I would like to add, for those that
They gave rice pudding to their guests
read this message,” Alejandro said, “that
after the ceremony to symbolize the
everything you do, do it with love.”
IMPACT • 5
Rosita with her daughter Milagro and son Alexis.
HEALED BY LETTERS
I
t’s a long trek up to Rosita’s house
Rosita and other mothers on getting the
on the side of a mountain in Lima,
sponsored children to open up about their
Peru. A steep walk brings you to
lives. Through a special letter-writing
her humble home overlooking the
activity, the children could share about issues at home or school that the social
Manchay region below. Her 7-year-old son Alexis is sponsored
workers or mothers needed to address. “We have learned we can read and see
by Rocio from Las Vegas. Rosita works with the Unbound social workers and
what’s going on in the children’s lives,”
other mothers of sponsored children to
Rosita said. What they found, however, was not
help families in her community. “I’ve learned we need to support each
what they had expected. The children wrote letters to their
other as women,” Rosita said. “If we talk about our problems, we can help each
mothers. Some drew pictures of their
other.”
family or home, and some just wrote
She got involved with Unbound after
small notes. But when they gathered the
a neighbor told her about the program.
children’s creations they discovered each
Since then, she’s been part of the mothers
one was more loving than the last. “Dear Mom: Thank you for food and for
group in the area. Unbound social workers coached
washing my clothes. I love you very much.
IMPACT • 6
“I’VE LEARNED WE NEED TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER AS WOMEN.” — Rosita Rosita reads letters the children in her group wrote to their mothers.
With all my love …”
them transformed. The moms discovered
In this neighborhood, where instability
that hearing those three words, especially
and struggle seem constant, what the
from a parent, can be a sentiment that
children reflected was love.
sends a child’s confidence soaring. The moms wrote back. Each one told
P.S. I love you
their child, “I love you,” and gave words
Reading words of love written by little
of encouragement. It strengthened their
hands inspired the mothers to write back.
bonds. It gave the children confidence and
It was an emotional moment. For many, it
a sense of security.
was the first time they told their child, “I love you.”
What started as a way to discover the unknown, quickly turned into a way of
Love may be shown through putting
discovering the good.
food on the table or long hours spent
Many sponsors have begun
working for the next meal. When fighting
sponsorship with the intent to help
against poverty on a daily basis, trying
a person challenged by poverty.
to meet a child’s basic needs always
Somewhere along the way, though,
comes first. That’s how these parents
a connection is made and both lives
expressed their love. But when they
are changed. And what emerges is a
received these letters, something inside
beautiful discovery for everyone.
IMPACT • 7
Your sponsored friend wants to know what you look like, so why not send a photo next time you write? You can also attach a photo to an eLetter, just visit unbound.org/eletter
MORE THAN WORDS
The Appelhanz family sponsors Yorleni and David from Honduras.
PAID
UNBOUND
FORWARDING SERVICE REQUESTED
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