How are you helping multiply loaves of change?

By Jorge Méndez Rheineck, country director, Paraguay

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I(l to r) Teresa Martínez, Paraguay’s minister of childhood and adolescence; Mario Abdo Benítez, Paraguay’s President; and Jorge Mendez, coordinator of the Front for Childhood and Adolescence, sign 20 commitments to support children’s well-being

(l to r) Teresa Martínez, Paraguay’s minister of childhood and adolescence; Mario Abdo Benítez, Paraguay’s President; and Jorge Mendez, coordinator of the Front for Childhood and Adolescence, sign 20 commitments to support children’s well-being

Our country director in Paraguay explains how a donor’s gifts, combined with our networks and alliances, widen impact

Did you know we receive loaves from each donor that we multiply to accomplish our mission to support the world’s most vulnerable children? Let me explain.

This magic is a daily chain reaction that makes it possible to accomplish incredible feats. Namely, when we combine a donor’s loving gift with Children Believe’s passion for building coalitions, alliances and partnerships, we form many loaves.

See how different groups of people work together to help children dream of brighter futures…

The support of individual donors

The first and seminal multiplying force is our alliance with donors. Nothing is possible without this act of joining together, which is motivational and material in value.

The support of local partners

Our alliances with partners in our countries of operation, prestigious and top-level local non-governmental organizations, are the most important and strategic relationships outside Canada. These local partners establish their alliances with community organizations, local governments and other indigenous stakeholders, which establish their own alliances and which all contribute to the realization of a shared vision.

The support of national and international civil-society organizations

We develop alliances with national and international civil-society organizations to create more robust program and project implementation, influence public policy and expand our social impact.

In Paraguay, we lead two coalitions of children-centered national and international non-governmental organizations. One is to promote the President of the country’s signature on 20 commitments in favour of childhood and adolescence and monitor the compliance of them. Those commitments become the blueprint for the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence’s strategies and plans. The other coalition we lead is to support government in the design and implementation of the national early childhood plan.

We’ve also worked with Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages and ChildFund Alliance (a global network of 11 child-centred organizations of which we are a part) to organize international events to include young people in the conversation about ending violence against children.

The support of regional and national governments

In Paraguay, through our alliance with the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence, we successfully lobbied for the inclusion of the eradication of violence against children target (16.2) in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) to be achieved by 2030. Within this alliance, we succeeded in advocating for Paraguay to become a pathfinder country in a global initiative to accelerate the achievement of the SDG 16.2.

Thanks to these alliances, the impact of our programs and influence initiatives are exponential, benefiting children globally through education, health, nutrition and protection. Just think, we’re lobbying to influence the national public budget for education in Paraguay to improve children’s lives in schools across the country!

Thousands of loaves are emerging from the initial single loaf of one donor.

We hope donors see Children Believe’s passion, commitment and ability to multiply their gifts, through many alliances so — together — we can change the lives of millions of children around the world!

To learn more about our work, visit childrenbelieve.ca/about-us/what-we-do.

About Children Believe

Children Believe works globally to empower children to dream fearlessly, stand up for what they believe in — and be heard. For 60+ years, we’ve brought together brave young dreamers, caring supporters and partners, and unabashed idealists. Together, we’re driven by a common belief: creating access to education — inside and outside of classrooms — is the most powerful tool children can use to change their world.

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