Thanks to your help, Children’s Care International (CCI/AIPE) is able to continue its fight against the exploitation of children throughout the world.

This newsletter is CCI’s way of keeping you up to date with its operations, as well as thanking you for your continued support in the pursuit of its mission.

Urgent !

CCI is actively in search of a volunteer graphic designer.

This volunteer will participate in drafting the organisation’s next annual report.  We are seeking someone ready to donate a few hours per week from home.

CCI News

Opening of the Santikham-Mathieu-Lafond Centre in Thailand

The Santikham Centre officially opened in December 2009.

Its principal goal is to care for illegal children and their parents. The difficulties they face are two-fold:  a very low-paying and precarious job but also living in permanent fear of being expulsed to their home country. 

Working more often than not in very tough conditions, these children are moreover victims of all sorts of exploitation.  It is not rare to see them toiling in two jobs to help their families survive, which prevents them from ever going to school (less than one in ten manage to do so).

The Centre therefore represents not only a place to chill-out, as it offers various fun activities, but it also allows the children and their parents to benefit from some basic instructions on how to deal with certain social issues...

This project exists thanks to the precious collaboration of the Mathieu Lafond Foundation.

News from India

Christine Durocher, CCI Chairperson, has just returned from a stay in India, and shared with us her experience in the field as well as the high points of her visit. 

In particular, she returns from seeing young Apiyamma again, who was once a boarder at the Rainbow Centre, and who took sewing lessons thanks to CCI’s support.  Last year, we found her a sewing machine with which she is now able to earn a good living. 

She also told us about the link created between children in India and in Quebec thanks to a language common to all children of the world:  art.  «I am bringing back to Montreal piles of charming letters in which these children from fishing villages tell their new pen pals in Quebec about how they enjoy the many religious holidays, about fun times on the beach, etc ....»

 Read what Christine has to say here.

What's been happening...

An evening in honour of our ambassadors

On March 25th, CCI organised an evening meeting for all to meet those persons who actively support our projects. 

This event, facilitated by Roxana Robin (founder and executive director) was an opportunity to talk about CCI’s projects in India and Thailand, which triggered many reactions from people in the audience such as:  «I was very touched by the comments made by children saved from indentured slavery» and «I realise that CCI intervenes not only on behalf of the children but also of their parents. »

An added plus to the evening were talks given by our two Young Leaders, Arnaud Vanier and Sonny Bastrash, who are very active in promoting CCI.   

The CCI team wishes to wholeheartedly express its gratitude to all those who took the time to attend this event.

Become a CCI ambassador !

The gift of one’s self, another way of helping

A CCI ambassador’s principal mission consists of promoting the organisation by reaching out to the public.

The ambassador’s contribution serves not only to boost CCI’s projects, but also to reinforce its efforts in defending children’s rights.

Moreover, he/she enjoys several privileges, conferring on this person a special status compared with other donors.

Would you like to become a CCI ambassador?

Read all about it  here

Become a Young Leader !

A commitment made by young Canadian citizens

The Young Leader programme is a way to promote CCI’s work through the efforts of young Canadians within their own social network. 

This mutual commitment made by a Young Leader and CCI facilitates certain concrete actions such as the organisation of conferences and fund-raising activities, and the creation of committees made up of young students in schools. 

All these efforts make it easier to sensitise a wider public to the importance of combating child labour.

Sonny Bastrash and Arnaud Vanier, our first Young Leaders

Would you like to become a Young Leader?

Discover what it is all about here.

What's new within CCI...

CCI is proud to introduce four new team members :

Mélanie Quellier, an intern from École des Sciences Politiques in Paris :  «As a student at ‘Sciences Po Paris’, I was given the opportunity of a long-term internship.  I opted to apply to join CCI’s team as an intern because of its philosophy and mission.  This decision enriched my life as much on the personal as on the professional side. »

Sylvain Roux, an intern from École des Sciences Politiques in Paris: «Within the framework of my university studies, I chose to undertake an 11-month internship within CCI where I was seeking a social and human dynamic around education.  Because of its energy and goals, the organisation was able to come up to my expectations, and I am responsible for tasks as diverse as stimulating!»

Karine Cloutier, Acting Executive Director, replacing Roxana Robin who is off on maternity leave:  «For 10 years, I traveled in some 20 developing countries, bearing witness to solidarity efforts between peoples.  Within CCI, I wish to fight for a world in which no one will force a child, girl or boy, to work to the detriment of her or his health, development and dignity.»

Murielle Lolot, Administrative Assistant: «After having been involved in various ways with non-profit organisations, I wanted to sign on with a humanitarian team that espoused the same views as I.  Working within CCI gives me the opportunity to join with others in facing a two-fold challenge of great importance to me:  to bring the plight of exploited children to the awareness of all, and change the course of these children’s existence.

From left to right:  Murielle Lolot, Karine Cloutier, Sylvain Roux, Mélanie Quellier

A quick look at...

World Day Against Child Labour – June 12, 2010

For a second consecutive year, CCI intends to highlight World Day Against Child Labour by organising an essay and a video contest.  The aim is to bring down the wall of silence which too often surrounds child exploitation.   

The aim is to bring down the wall of silence which too often surrounds child exploitation.

These contests are an ideal opportunity to participate in bringing the fight against child labour to the awareness of all..

The winner of the essay contest (youth category) will be invited to read her or his text as part of  Radio-Canada’s radio shows « 275-Allô » and« Ados-Radio» to be aired on June 9.   

The deadline for sending in essays and videos is May 1, 2010.  So take up your keyboards and cameras!

For more information you can consult our website: http://www.aipe-cci.org/concours/.

World Conference on Child Labour – The Hague (May 10-11, 2010)

As part of the 10th anniversary of the coming into force of the Convention on the worst forms of child labour, the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment will organise, on May 10 and 11, 2010, a world conference on child labour in The Hague, The Netherlands.

The elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016 is one of the primordial goals to be reached by means of this conference. 

To learn more about this, visit the ILO website. 

The AVAAZ campaign against the rape trade

The on-line worldwide movement AVAAZ.ORG tackles urgent global issues such as the respect of human rights, corruption and the trade of human beings.

This network fights against, namely, the international sex trade and is conducting an awareness campaign to denounce this practice.

It is important to remember that millions of young women and girls are kidnapped each year by sex traffickers.  They are then terrorised into submission and sold in order to be raped.  

To learn more about this and take part in the fight against the rape trade, consult AVAAZ’s website.

Follow-up on the photo exhibit

The photo exhibit showing real children freed from servitude, and real life in Indian communities, can presently be seen at the restaurant « La faim du monde » in the Plateau Mont-Royal.The perfect opportunity to discover exclusive photographs taken in the field !

La Faim du monde
4110 St-Denis street
Montréal, Qc. H2W 2M5
(514) 510-4244

Another way to help... How ?

Get rid of your old jewellery !

CCI salvages pieces of old jewellery and recycles them.  In fact one our volunteers, Hélène Vanier, creates new jewellery from recycled pieces and sells them in aid of CCI. 

Last year she was able to collect $6,500 for CCI.

So get rid of that old jewellery hanging around in the bottom of your drawers:  single earrings, outmoded necklaces and dusty bracelets.

So go put some order in your jewellery box, and while you’re at it, why not your mother’s and your aunts’ as well

A big thank-you to Hélène Vanier and to all those who, like her, have become involved and are reaching out to children in need.    

Humour at the service of children

Sonny Bastrash, one of our two Youth Leaders, held a ‘funny show’ on April 23 at the Exode. A part of the profits from the sale of the tickets have been donated to CCI. 

Thanks to Sonny Bastrash for this great initiative !