Unbound

I have been sponsoring children with Unbound since 1987. In 1989 I went to volunteer with one of the programs in Venezuela for a year. I was amazed to see that nearly every penny donated was used for the sponsored children and their families. So when I returned, I kept sponsoring. So much has changed as they have grown but the constant focus has been helping the communities in need all over the world. Unbound has stuck to their grass roots beginnings and sees those they help as people, not numbers.

I have been sponsoring for over 15 years. I went on a Mission Awareness Trip to meet my sponsored child and it was a life changing trip. Unbound is one of my favorite charities because they truly “ walk the talk”, with respectful simplicity, honoring the native peoples’ customs and culture.

Unbound is sponsorship on a deeply personal level. One can, and preferably does, correspond with the sponsored person. To read how dedicated, humble, and grateful these families are is grounding. They focus on what they have instead of what they do not have and teach us true love and dedication. I have sponsored about 20 children over 20 years (up to three at one time) and each child has a special place in my heart.

We have sponsored children for 25 years and love that we correspond 4 times a year. We have also been blessed to go on Mission Awareness trips where we spent a day with our sponsored child and their parents. This is always so touching and you hate to say goodbye at the end of the day. They also take us to villages to see how the people live. They love to entertain us which is great fun. Our donations mostly go to the families, 93%. We started with 1 child; he was going to be out of the program since he was 20, so we got 2 boys that are brothers. Last time we were there, we started sponsoring a little girl. We cannot say how impressed we are at the service Unbound gives their clients

Worked for Unbound for about 11 prime years of my work life from 2009 to 2020.

Unbound was more like a family than a work place.

Unbound is a dynamic organization that accepted positive change with open arms.

Unbound never compromised on its core values.

Thought me to be more professional.

Love you Unbound.

Unbound continues to impress me even after sponsoring for over 10 years. I've now visited my sponsored child 3 times and have been able to see in person that Unbound is a progressive, empowering and value-oriented organization. I feel confident encouraging my friends, family and local church to sponsor too!

Iam a widow,Iam the chairlady of a widows group by name starlight widows and orphans support group.Iam kenya kisumu city.Iam really intrested in this organization.keep it up. Thanks

I have been a sponsor for 10+ years and Unbound does incredible work. I have loved getting know my sponsored friends through letter writing, but have also had the opportunity to meet them by going on mission awareness trips to Honduras and Kenya. Sponsorship really does change their life as I was able to see firsthand! The in-country Unbound staff does a wonderful job working with sponsored friends in the country and making sure they receive the support they need to make life changing decisions with their sponsorship benefits. I cannot recommend this organization enough!

I have been a sponsor for over 8 years. Initially I took on one young girl in Guatemala. After visiting her thru an awareness trip I came to realize how important well managed Unbound was. Slowly I took on more youth and elders. I had the privilege of meeting my teen girl in India on another awareness trip. I love corresponding with my friends and learn more about their lives. I am impressed that each sponsored person is visited regularly to insure funds are being used correctly. I am also impressed the who,e family benefits from the support. My initial girl has left the program since the family is now better off. She attends school no helped her mom learn to read. I cannot recommend this organization enough. I believe we change one life at. Time through support in Unbound.

My husband and I became involved with Unbound when it was CFCA nearly ten years ago when we sponsored two children from Costa Rica. We delighted in the letters and pictures from them and finally were able to meet them during a Mission Awareness Trip to Costa Rica. I must say that visit is one of the highlights of my life. I will never forget the experience. I have been so impressed with the mission of Unbound and the high percentage of contributions that actually make it to the children. I later decided to sponsor another child, this time one from the Philippines.

I have also supported Unbound by being a sponsor advocate and bringing the message to local parishes. I even offered to help during a visit to Branson while on vacation.

The two children I originally supported are now approaching adulthood and I will continue to support them as long as they continue their education.

I highly recommend this non-profit organization for anyone wanting to reach out and help a child.

My WIfe Marlene and I have been sponsors with Unbound for 4 years now. We have been Blessed by God in so many ways. We have a house, 2 cars that run, food in our refrigerator and plenty of fresh drinking water, money in our pockets and in the bank, 9 grandchildren, we have our health, and most importantly we have our Faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus.

In the past history of the Bible they talked about tithing which is giving 10 percent of the first fruits of the field and flock. No where in the New testament does it still refer to this 10 percent of giving but Marlene and I want to give even more back to God by sharing the abundance with his less advantaged children and not only the physical gifts but that of our Spiritual gifts through our actions and prayer.

God has given us many many gifts and we will share these gifts with others because we don't need them all just for ourselves. We may not have millions of dollars but will share what extra we have with others. Erma Bombeck once said; When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single but of talent left, and could say to God, I used everything you gave me. Thats the motto of the Clark family.

Unbound has given us the opportunity to help others that are not in our neighborhood or even our own country. There are people all over the world who need the help of those that God has given more and we intend on doing just that.

Unbound has allowed us to sponsor a child in Uganda. We write letters and send photos and receive letters and photos. We even get our 9 grandchildren involved in writing too. Its a Clark family effort all 17 of us.

Life is like a test. God gives us many gifts and watches what we do with them. Do we keep them all to ourselves or do we share as Jesus taught us.

God Bless Unbound for their efforts in allowing us to share our gifts with others.


Bob & Marlene Clark and Family , All 17 of us.

I have been a sponsor of Unbound (formerly CFCA) for over 10 years. I have also volunteered by visiting local parishes and helping sign up sponsors. My experience has been wholeheartedly positive and extremely rewarding. They have always been very responsive to any questions I've had, and considering the challenges in dealing with often rural communities in foreign countries, it has always surprised me just how responsive they have been. I'm fortunate enough to work for a company that matches my donations 2:1, which results in a sizable year-end lump sum. I've received phone calls asking how I'd like the funds utilized, and even helped purchase land and build a house for a family once. I received copies of invoices, photos, letters, it was absolutely extraordinary! If there's another charity that does this, I've yet to experience it. So to conclude, I would recommend this charity, they are getting donations directly to the sponsored child/elder person and improving lives!

I have been blessed to be a part of the Unbound experience for several years. We currently sponsor 3 children and 2 elderly in the Philippines, Costa Rica and Ecuador. We have established a very heartwarming bond with these individuals through letters, photos and personal visits in their homes through Awareness Trips sponsored by Unbound. The close bond we have been able to establish with these families is truly humbling. One of our elderly told me in a recent visit with her that because of our help, she can face each day a little better knowing that someone cares for her; and the children are always eager to do well in school and they work hard to achieve good grades so that we will be proud of them. The faith these families have in our Lord Jesus Christ in spite of their extreme hardships is truly inspiring. We give a small monetary amount to help to these people, but what we receive in return is a life-altering experience no amount of money can buy. We also include our grandchildren in this experience and they are looking forward to accompanying us on an Awareness Trip in the near future. The Unbound staff truly care for each and every one of these people, and they are a wonderful organization to work with.

I have been a sponsor through Unbound for 17 years. Unbound has given me the chance to actually see how much good my donations do. I have visited with the people who receive my help and see how much good it does. Before my visits to these children I got letters from them telling me what they felt from my caring for them. Without Unbound I would be giving my donations to an unnamed person somewhere in the world. I cannot say enough good about Unbound and the work they do for many, many people in a large part of the world of the poor.

I have previously written reviews for Unbound. You are free to use them in any of your PR and advertising efforts.

Anne F. Kriz, sponsor

My wife and I have been sponsors with UNBOUND (formerly known as CFCA) since 1998. Between 1998 and 2004 we sponsored two young girls in Mexico. Each of these sponsored children, for one reason or another, dropped out of the program. While this was initially disappointing, there can be many reasons for this - failure to co-operate with the program, moving to a different location where services cannot be provided, etc. In each case we were notified by CFCA/UNBOUND and given the option of suspending our contributions or selecting another child. We are so glad that we selected another child as that is when Sofia came into our lives; she was eight years old at the time. In 2008, after having corresponded for four years, we went on a mission awareness trip (MAT) to Mexico to meet Sofia and to see firsthand how this organization operated and how our funds were used. During our week in Mexico we met our adorable, shy Sofia (then 12 years old), and we have been forever changed. Over the next four years, as Sofia matured, her correspondence matured as well. Our relationship deepened, and we were so proud to call her our Godchild. We looked forward to another trip to visit her, but violence in the area of her project forced CFCA to suspend trips to that area of Mexico. Unfortunately in 2012, after 8 years of sponsorship, complications made it impossible for Sofia to continue in the program. We shed more than a few tears over that, but we know that we are better off for having known her, and she us. Sofia is still our Godchild; her picture still graces our home; she is still in our prayers. We know that God is looking after her.

Since that first MAT to Mexico in 2008, we have since made MAT's to Guatemala (4), Costa Rica (2), and Chile where we sponsor or have sponsored one or more children/youth. In both Guatemala and Costa Rica (because of our return trips) we have been able to see the changes in the lives of those we sponsor. It is gratifying to see that we can make a difference, and it is humbling to realize that we are receiving more than we can possibly give.

We encourage you to join us as sponsors through UNBOUND.

Steve

My wife and I have been a sponsors for 6 years and the experience has lead us to sponsor 6 children at this time. While participating in Mission Awareness Trips in the Philippines and India, I have seen first hand Unbound's amazing work which provides the children and their families a hand-up and not a hand-out. Unbound focuses on keeping the children in school and assisting the mothers, through mother's groups, to be confident in helping improve their environment developing small businesses which brings in more income. While in India, I met at least 20 alumni who were former sponsored children who now college graduates. There was a lawyer, several nurses (one with a Master's degree) engineers software developers, a priest, a motivational speaker and other good careers. I readily endorse Unbound and encourage others to sponsor child, youth or aging who are in need of a hand-up.

I have been a sponsor through CFCA since 1999 and have found it to be a very rewarding experience. Through the years, I got to know my girls through letter writing and the exchange of photos, and then in July of 2011, I took my first trip to Nicaragua (on a CFCA Mission Awareness Trip) to meet them in person!

I saw firsthand how my small donation each month is making a difference in the lives of these girls, their families, and their communities. Sponsored friends and their families are so grateful!

When I returned from that trip, I was passionate about increasing my commitment to CFCA and to my girls. I began returning their letters more faithfully and frequently, and I signed up as a volunteer in order to get the word out and give others the wonderful opportunity to sponsor a child, teenager, or elderly person.

I have an outreach page on the CFCA website, where I can direct family & friends to, so that they can browse profiles of those who are awaiting sponsorship. I am the contact person in my parish for those interested in sponsorship, and have begun hosting a sponsorship table at our annual ministry fair. I also arranged for CFCA to send one of their priest volunteers for a sponsorship weekend at my church, where he was the main celebrant and was able to tie sponsorship into the homily. We signed up more than 50 new sponsors that weekend!

For these kinds of events, CFCA sends nice picture profiles of those awaiting sponsorship, along with brochures, and everything needed for an attractive display. The staff at the Kansas City office are most helpful, and have bent over backward to help me accomplish the above, and are always courteous and available to assist me with any questions. On several occasions, they have communicated with my girls' projects and social workers, in order to determine the families' greatest needs or to answer any question or concern. They are responsive to the needs of both sponsors and those who are sponsored, and are passionate about what they are doing and the people they serve.
I saw this same kind of passion and commitment among the staff in Nicaragua.

CFCA also offers a translation service in order to aid communication between those of us who sponsor and our friends around the globe. I would recommend sponsorship, and specifically CFCA to anybody, and am honored to be a part of the CFCA family.

My husband and I have been sponsors with CFCA for over 9 years. We currently sponsor 8 children and 2 aging in Nicaragua and Kenya. The CFCA website says "Sponsor a child, change a Life". They should add "there's a potential to change your life as well". We have had the opportunity to meet all of our sponsored friends in both Nicaragua and Kenya and have seen CFCA in action. They are the "real deal." We share letters and photos and learn about each others family, friends, school, hopes and dreams for the future. They have become part of our extended family. I love that in Nicaragua they refer to us as their padrinos. Our greatest success story to share is about our dear Ruth. At age 9 she was the oldest child of 8 siblings and relatives being raised by a sickly grandmother. When we met her, Ruth was the surrogate mother due to the grandmother's health. She told us that she wanted to be a doctor. However, she had missed so much school to care for the younger children that it was doubtful that she would get beyond the 3rd grade. Sponsorship gave her the determination she needed. And despite multiple hardships including the death of her grandmother and losing her home in 2010 due to the flooding of Lake Managua Ruth never gave up on her dream. She was accepted at a private Catholic high school on scholarship and for the past two years has been 2nd in her class. We are pleased to say that my husband and I will be traveling to Managua in November, 2013 to be in attendance when our Ruth will be the first in her family to graduate high school. She has also been accepted at the University of Managua. The principal of her high school believes that she has the drive and determination to continue on to medical school.

I have been sponsoring a child in Bolivia with CFCA since 2007 and visited my child in 2009 with a group of sponsors on a Mission Awareness trip. This trip coincided with my birthday and it was the best gift that I have ever received.

Meeting my child, Kevin, was a very beautiful and moving experience. When we hugged, my eyes filled with tears of joy and thanksgiving for the gift of sponsorship of this beautiful child. We spent three days together with the group visiting homes and the different projects funded by CFCA.

We could see the wonderful work and results of CFCA’s sponsorship everywhere and we felt the effects that sponsorship had on us. The people touched our hearts and we learned from their love and generosity. Everywhere we went, we were met with welcoming banners, music and dances, handmade gifts and flowers, and the wonderful warmth and love of the people.

My child and my Bolivian friends have a very special place in my heart. Their faith, love, and hope inspired me during my visit and continue to inspire me.

Because I believe in the mission and goals of CFCA and have seen first hand the difference that CFCA sponsorship is making in the lives of our sponsored friends and in our own lives, I am helping to do outreach for more sponsors to share in this wonderful work.
Shirley Foley

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I can't say enough about this organization. My family has been sponsoring a child from the Philippines for the last four years. My daughter loves corresponding with this child and hearing news from her life there. CFCA is an easy and trustworthy way to contribute to the Christian global community. For a dollar a day, you transform the life of a child and family in need.

WE have sponsored 12 children/and seniors in the past 8 years. We have had the opportunity to visit our sponsored friends in Guatemala, Bolivia, Kenya, India, and Honduras. That was a wonderful way to connect. We were also able to see first hand how the projects work and meet the staff who are doing the "boots on the ground" work in these communities. We support many non-profits, but feel that CFCA gives us the best opportunity to connect directly with those we support. We have also been able to "tell our story" by assisting priests at weekend presentations at parishes in Wisconsin. The staff and volunteers at CFCA could not be more helpful@

I have been a CFCA sponsor for 13 years. I have sponsored 4 children in Venezuela and 1 in Guatemala. I have traveled on 6 trips with CFCA to visit my sponsored children. The trips are very affordable and a wonderful way to be immersed in the culture of the country. The CFCA staff in Kansas City and in visited country are very available and attentive to any needs. I really discovered how far the money I pay each months goes when I visited the countries and saw the programs that CFCA has put in place to help the sponsored children and elderly and also the families. In addition to the benefits the sponsored person receives I saw how they work with mothers groups to empower them in their communities to have a voice in making a better life for the family. Families are encouraged to become self sustainable through programs and also with help to get projects going such as receiving a sewing machine and other means by which they might be able to receive income for their families.
I specifically remember one mother who had received assistance from her chllds sponsors to build a liveable home. She said that she felt like it was a gift from God and she needed to give back. She opened up her home for after school tutoring since so many of the children get a late start in school. I cite this as an example of the principles of CFCA of encouraging families to also give back as they become able.
I meet young adults who grew up as a sponsored child and are now giving back some of what they received by working for CFCA . Sponsored teenagers are volunteering their time to work with CFCA programs.
I feel like my life has been immensely enriched by being able to be part of CFCA.
I cherish the letters and pictures I received from my sponsored children.
I have great respect for the privacy policies of CFCA. I feel the children and families receive the same privacy as I do since all communications go through the CFCA office

As a volunteer both Internationally and Locally, I have had the opportunity to meet one of the founders and understand the mission in the field. I have also recruited one thousand families to join our mission in helping the poor of the world. We have been sposoring for 10 years and sponsored a second family 8 years ago after I travelled to Nicaragua and see the good works this organization does. I even volunteered in Mexico on my last trip.

We had a priest that came to our church to talk about CFCA. He handed out brochures with kids pictures to look at. I looked at my husband and said she is the one. We have been a sponsor for10+ years and have sponsored another since. We have a boy and a girl and my husband has been able to go on four different trips to meet with our children. He was able to spend time with our sponsored child. You hear about these other organizations and you never get to meet your child. Not CFCA, we have been blessed with a girl from Nicaragua and a boy from Mexico. We receive great letters and send letters and they are translated for us so we can communicate with them. Great organization and we also have helped in promoting sponsoring kids at other local churches besides our own.
Kyle Stack
Trenton, Michigan

We have sponsored an 11 year old girl in India for more than a year. My 10 year old daughter has developed a wonderful connection with her through the regular exchange of letters. These letters have not only enabled us to see how our money is changing a child in India's life, but also the life of our own daughter. Her previously numerous "I want..." requests have transformed into "I need..." as she has realized how different those two notions are when you live in poverty. She has gained an understanding of how fortunate she is. I know about 95 cents of every dollar I give go directly to supporting this child. I volunteer also at the KC offices and the staff are the most dedicated and honest you can ever meet. I know my money and the education of my sponsored child are secure in their hands.

This is a great charity. I sponsor 3 children in mexico. Its good to know that the 30.00 I send for each of these children are used wisely so that it benefits the children in a tremendous way. I also volunteer to attend a table with sponsoring material to be given to all who are interested in sponsoring at the local churches. Its one of the most rewarding things I ever done. I am very glad I got involved with CFCA!

My wife and I have been sponsoring children for sometime, I think it was 2008 we were able to go to Honduras for a mission and sponsorship visit. Rita and I were both overwhelmed at the way we were recieved, never have I recieved so many hugs and kisses of love out poured just for being a sponsor. I pray that some one will se this reveiw and be apart of this great mission. We had met our child that we had sponsored for 6 yrs' and when we got back a year or so later the mission informed us that they could no longer sponsor in this area because of crime, we" lost" this child but we know that our sponsor ship had greatly impacted this childs life this is not the first one we had "lost" but we had visited this one in her home and met her family and knew she was a part of us. we are currently sponsoring 2 children and we will continue to sponsor as long as we have some form of income. My wife and I got to see how this mission operates, it maintains the dignity of its recipients and succeeds in restoring hope to an under privileged society, I give CFCA an A+ on accountibility

My husband and I have sponsored six different people (four children and two aged) over the past 20 years with CFCA (currently sponsoring three). My sister and I have personally visited their programs in Cuernavaca and in Guatemala. It is impossible to overstate my admiration for this organization. They train, enable, employ local people to build communities based on the solidest humanitarian principles. They are THE BEST! Sheila C. Cullen

My husband and I have sponsored the sisters in one family for many years. We greatly enjoy receiving their letters and stories about their lives. We send them birthday and Christmas greetings and small presents. The work of CFCA has been impressive and is making a real difference in the lives of these individuals.

We sponsor a girl in Guatemala and one in Honduras and also sponsor two boys in Guetamala on behalf or our two daughters (they each have a sponsored friend to write to). The relationship developed through our letters has been great, but it was magnified many times over when our whole family went to Guatemala on a mission awareness trip and met our three Guatemalan children. I can't desrcirbe the feelings encountered when meeting our sponsored children and their families. Suffice it to say that they are memories and emoitions that will stay with us for the rest of our lives. The sense of connection between different cultures and different families reinforces our belief how we are all God's children and we can all help each other. Our sponsored children and their families gave us great gifts - the gift of their spirit of family, their smiles and hugs, and of the lovethey showed for strangers they had never met. Our lives are better because of the relationships we have developeed through CFCA. Plus, we were able to be with Bob Hentzen when he started his amazing 8,000 mile walk from Guatemala to Chile to visit hs CFCA projects and sponsored children and aging. Since then we have been volunteering at churches in hopes of encouraging others to join the CFCA family.

I had an incredible experience on a mission trip in El Salvador through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. It was difficult to see some of the extreme situations of poverty that these people lived in, but serving them and building new houses for them brought a lot of joy as well. In all of the communities we visited during our trip, we were constantly surrounded by so much joy and love! I loved playing with the children because they are very cute and so open to strangers. It is not like it is in the US, where kids are afraid to go up to people they don't know. the children and adults alike are just so ready to love others even though they may not know them at all. Also, I was impressed by how simply the people in El Salvador live their lives. They are not as attached to material things as many people are in the US. They are not caught up in technology all the time and many do not even know all these little gadgets and gizmos exist! Even the simplest device like a digital camera, is fascinating to them. Once they figured out that their face showed up on the screen they wanted a million pictures taken of each one of them. Those children are precious and I miss their happiness, joy, love, and laughter! I learned so much more than I expected to while on this trip and I am so glad I took the steps to be able to attend! It was an absolutely life changing adventure and I would recommended it to anyone who truly wants to serve those in need.

For years I dragged my feet when considering sponsoring a child. A lot of the charities doing that seemed manipulative to me. Then, a priest came to my church to describe CFCA and his experience with it. I was sold. My family and I sponsored a child immediately.
Although my first sponsored child had to leave the programs for reasons of his own, we took on another child with no hesitation.
My family and I look forward to the letters from our sponsored child. I also enjoy the email updates I get. They come fairly often, but don't overwhelm me like some email lists I belong to.

I have travelled to Nicaragua to share the special blessing that only CFCA provides, meeting your sponsored child, observe how the organization works in other countries and then come back to the United States to volunteer, recruit sponsors and share what I have seen. The organization builds brotherhood around the world by building bonds between those who can afford to sponsor and those who need a sponsor in 25 countries. I have been blessed with great support from the offices in Kansas City. Their call centers have always supplied me with answers if I didn't know something. I have met the founder and he lives out his words through actions and words.