ALIVE !THE NEWSLETTER OF KIDS ALIVE® INTERNATIONALSUMMER 2021

In our last newsletter we shared Kids Alive’s four global goals desiring that every child in our care will:

n Enjoy a vibrant, life-changing relationship with Godn Experience emotional and physical well-beingn Be equipped for a life of independence and servicen Live life in family and community, free of fear

and violence

But just how does all this happen? Your gifts and prayers are helping Kids Alive accomplish these goals by how we focus our ministry programs. Our ministry intervenes in the lives of children at different levels to meet their needs:

Ministering to the whole child:Kids Alive’s Global Goals and Intervention Strategies

n Preventive Programs provide quality education, meet physical needs, and offer discipleship for a healthy life, preventing abuse, poverty, and exploitation.

In Dominican Republic: Seven Kids Alive schools are educating nearly 2,000 students and providing a path out of poverty, while our Independence Fund supports our graduates as they prepare for careers.

n Family and Community Strengthening Programs provide change for children at high risk of abuse through community awareness/networking, social services and therapy.

In Lebanon: Our family programs are making a difference for refugee children and their parents, many of whom lack food and shelter and are at high risk for abuse and early marriage.

n Restorative Programs provide care when a child is legally removed from family, reclaiming their rights, restoring their heart, and finding a path to permanent family.

In Zambia: Kids Alive is launching a program for babies and children incarcerated with their mothers in Zambian prisons by providing improved care while with their mothers, and safe alternative homes outside the penal system.

n Systems Programs work with local governments and other organizations to create more just child protection systems and reduce violence and exploitation.

In Guatemala and Peru: We are developing new paths for children to be placed in foster families as well as working with local governments to better care for young victims of sexual abuse.

As these examples demonstrate, Kids Alive continues to seek and implement the very best evidence-based approaches to making a better world for children – always informed and guided by Biblical principles of justice and compassion.

“ I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” Jer. 32:27 (NIV)

Perhaps the most overused phrase in our lifetimes: “2020 was an unprecedented year!” Overused perhaps, but true – and though we’re now nine months beyond that extraordinary year, we’d like to share with you some of what made it so incredible. YOU!

We want to thank you for the difference your gifts made as we ministered to a frightened and broken world with the love of Jesus.

The year certainly refined us, in ways that only crisis can, and led us to distill and sharpen our focus in many areas, helping ensure that every child in our care will:

Annual Ministry Update for 2020: Giving thanks

Enjoy a vibrant, life-changing relationship with God When children first enter our care, it is our ultimate goal for them to know Jesus. It’s the one goal that runs through all the others, giving eternal importance to every earthly endeavor.

Most of the ministries and activities of Kids Alive – education, trauma care, home visits, court dates – were affected by lockdowns and travel restrictions. But this often increased the time available for spiritual pursuits such as Bible studies, prayer, and the modeling of selfless living as we worked through challenges together.

Some of the greatest blessings were the opportunities we had to make new spiritual connections with families as well as kids. Our staff worldwide spent countless hours writing and sharing devotional materials with the families of our kids, transmitting them through WhatsApp, phone videos, and home visits.

In some areas where religious barriers and cultural differences make it difficult to bridge divides, we were privileged to pray with and for hurting families and scared children. The life-giving food we were able to distribute because of your gifts also gave us a platform to share the Bread of Life.

“ The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” John 10:10 (TLB)

Experience emotional and physical well-being Poverty and trauma have undeniable effects on a child’s physical and emotional health. 2020 brought even more intensity, especially among already underserved children:

n Sudden unemployment brought families even closer to the edge of starvation.

n Even where jobs were preserved, inflation put many basics out of reach.

n Normally treatable or preventable illnesses went untreated because of overwhelmed healthcare systems.

n Loss of regular connection with friends, teachers, and co-workers made it easier to despair.

n Children out of school and confined to tiny, crowded houses were at increased risk for abuse.

Much of our effort in 2020 centered on addressing the isolation and the fear brought by the pandemic. Kids already suffering from abuse, abandonment, war, and severe poverty were at much greater risk of further emotional damage, and we went into “emergency mode” immediately to address every facet of care.

In each of our countries, we distributed food, hygiene supplies, health advice, and in some cases cooked meals to families in desperate need. Our donors’ compassionate responses meant the needs were met and provisions received by grateful, often tearful, families.

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19 (ESV)

Be equipped for a life of independence and service Kids Alive believes strongly in equipping God’s children to do the work He has created them to do. For many of our children, this means being part of a Kids Alive school; for others it means having their education supported at care centers, through mentoring, and by house parents who also serve as tutors.

Of all the logistical issues that challenged us during 2020, none were more demanding and time-consuming than the shifts in education. How did we bridge the gaps?

n Country Directors, national staff, and teachers strategized and fellowshipped via WhatsApp and Zoom to begin immediate adjustments in our academic and social structures.

n Teachers stretched their skills as never before, creating, delivering, collecting, grading, and providing feedback on lesson packets.

n In cases where it was possible to use online learning, we provided electronic devices (often supported by data plans) to our kids’ homes, with instructions on how to manage the shift to distance learning.

n We collaborated with local governments to make sure kids in their “exam years” had what they needed to move forward.

n Our skills training and occupational workshops moved by leaps and bounds as we prepared kids and families to be self-sustaining in the midst of uncertainty.

The vulnerable children we serve are God’s handiwork, and He has prepared good works for them. Your gifts in 2020 helped us prepare them to do those good works and to live lives of service and successful independence.

“ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Eph. 2:10 (NIV)

Live life in family and community, free of fear and violenceWe believe that one of a child’s deepest needs, second only to the need for a secure eternal life, is the need for a family. Children in our care come from a variety of circumstances. Some are orphans or have been abandoned. Others have been abused, exploited, or otherwise betrayed by their parents, making a normal, healthy family impossible. In any of these cases, growing up inside a strong, healthy family can seem like a distant and unlikely dream. Your support allows us to work to restore families for these children.

Only 15% of our children are in residential homes, and we consider this care transitional. On each of our fields we have professional teams working to strengthen their family of origin, find and prepare a member of their extended family, or find and prepare an alternative family recruited from a local church – all with the goal that children can be safely restored to a life in family. Our co-laborers in this work include:

n Psychologists and counselors who walk with wounded kids toward healing

n Social workers who locate, evaluate, prepare, and follow up with biological and alternative families

n Lawyers and paralegals who help place kids in families and who navigate the justice system for those who have been harmed

n Judges and government officials who work with us to improve child protection systems

n Partner NGOs who walk the road with us, bringing resources, expertise, and learning

Though some of this work looked different or moved more slowly in 2020 than in a “normal” year, no virus can thwart God’s purposes. He has called us to be a “repairer of the breach,” and with your help we move ahead in restoring homes and communities for His glory.

“ …you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.” Is. 58:12b (ESV)

for blessings in “The Year of COVID”

2006 $4.3M 2007 $4.8M 2008 $5.4M 2009 $5.2M 2010 $6.4M

2011 $7.6M 2012 $7.9M 2013 $9.1M 2014 $10.8M 2015 $11.5M

2016 $12.9M 2017 $13.4M 2018 $13.7M 2019 $13.7M 2020 $14.2M

Note: Revenue includes all income sources including gifts-in-kind. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Annual Revenue 2006-2020

Revenues Private contributions $13,411,003 Gifts-in-kind (non-cash contributions) $11,652 Other revenue $758,708Total Revenues $14,181,363

Operating Expenses Ministry Program Services $9,525,156 Management and General $1,566,323 Fundraising $1,546,944Total Expenses $12,638,423

2020 Revenues and Expenses Stewardship

Ending Net Assets (12/31/20) $13,384,241

Program Services for Children – 75.4% Management and General – 12.4% Fundraising – 12.2%

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“Where your treasure is…”cru·ci·ble (n.) a very difficult and trying experience, that acts as a refining process; a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

For many of us, the uncertainties of health, the economy, and work in the past year and a half have served as a crucible for re-evaluating our priorities.

Perhaps it’s a time when you’ve given less thought to storing up treasure on earth and more to what you can store in heaven.

Have you considered establishing a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) as a way of leaving part of your estate to the causes you care about? A DAF is one form of legacy gift, a giving account established at a public charity. It allows you to make a contribution as often as you like, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants from the fund over time.

As soon as your DAF is established and funded, you can recommend grants to Kids Alive and other charitable work. You can make single or recurring grants, either with recognition or anonymously. Any investment growth is tax-free, giving the potential to create even more philanthropic capital.

If the “crucible” of 2020/2021 has left you pondering how to structure your assets for the future, we’d love to talk with you. If you’ve already made the decision and need help setting this in motion, please call us at 1-800-KIDS-330. We’ll help you make sure that what you leave behind continues to bless children who need you!