The Pont L'Estere Child Survival Program (CSP) serves little ones through the age of 3 years and their primary caregivers, as well as expectant mothers. Caregivers receive regular, nutritious food including corn, rice, beans, milk and meat. Classes available to all registered caregivers range from literacy improvement to job-skill training to parenting.

Pregnant mothers receive prenatal care and have access to medical assistance based on need. Caregivers learn how to lead their young children in developmental exercises, as well as how to monitor their hygiene and nutrition. Mothers have the opportunity to participate in Bible study and prayer groups, and they learn the importance of teaching their children about the love of Jesus.

Program workers visit the homes of caregivers and children monthly to check on the health and progress of participants. They also help ensure that children and caregivers receive critical nutritional support, timely immunizations and medical assistance as needed.

L'Estere is a rural farming community. Only 12 percent of the families here have access to medical care. Children suffer from malaria, malnutrition, diarrhea and whooping cough — preventable diseases that, when left untreated, claim dozens of lives each year.

Adults in L'Estere work as subsistence farmers or street vendors, making less than U.S.$1 a day to support an average of seven children. This extreme poverty makes education a low priority in most families, as in many families even children must work to survive. Thirty percent of children will never attend school, and an estimated 55 percent of adults here are illiterate.

Your prayers and contributions for the Pont L'Estere Child Survival Program provide mothers with the knowledge and the resources to raise happy, healthy children. You can make a difference in the lives of mothers and their infant children by becoming a partner for this program today.