If you've ever wondered how you could help the poor, the marginalized, and oppressed of the world, here is your best opportunity.

Your gift provides help, gives hope and makes a better tomorrow for someone who needs your support and love.

World hunger can seem like a demoralizing problem. But there are in reality plenty of small steps you can take to make a big difference.

With your generous support, we are able to help provide for tangible and long-term improvements in the lives of street children, refugees and orphans in developing nation’s areas devastated by poverty, fragile social infrastructure, natural disasters, and armed conflicts. We work with Non-Government Organizations to deliver humanitarian relief; get provision of education, good food, medical care, and clothing.

Children the world over need to be loved, feel a sense of security and a chance for a better life. Our mission is to provide children with these basic opportunities. Your donation will go a long way in helping the hungry children stay off the streets and in schools and/or shelters in order to live a more sustainable life. Our future plans will also expand to address other areas, such as non-traditional forms of education, micro-economic & vocational development, and greater resource assistance to children already living on the streets

We are devoted to creating a positive change in the lives of as many hungry and abandoned children as possible. By breaking the chains of poverty, by obtaining an education, can this be accomplished.  Every so often a life change only requires a few dollars and a supportive environment.

Guatemalan street kids struggle to survive....

More than 75,000 children have been identified as severely malnourished in Guatemala. This is as a result of ongoing poverty, which particularly affects children living in rural areas.

Infant mortality rates are among some of the highest in the region at 41 per 1,000 live births, while maternal mortality is 290 per 100,000 live births. Organized crime, violent street gangs and domestic violence are major problem in Guatemala, and sexual abuse and incest affect 30 per cent of girls and 18 per cent of boys.

The thousands of street urchins who inhabit Guatemala City do what they can to scrape by -- begging, selling bananas for a few pennies, salvaging what they can from the garbage dump. Some join gangs and turn to crime.

Most of them are homeless, sleeping on sidewalks or by an abandoned train station. To curb their desperation and hunger, many have become inhalant addicts, sniffing industrial solvents that almost certainly cause brain damage.

These children are shunned by society as they are in rags, filthy, infested and smell badly, they are very suspicious of everyone, having known only hard knocks, and cannot believe that anyone can give them unconditional love. They are afraid of the police and give false names if arrested.

Most importantly, the children on the streets remain deprived of their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and the security of family love and a home. With no adult to care for them, these children have no role model for guidance, surviving and fending for themselves and coping with all the problems of the local community, way before they have developed the physical and emotional maturity this demands.

Africa's hungry children likely to increase

Every seven seconds, a child dies at the hand of a silent killer, Hunger. Right now, millions of children in Africa are at risk of starvation.

We cannot solve the world's hunger problems but this world can be changed for the better if there is the will on the part of those who have so much and can do something for those who have so little or nothing at all.

“Grinding poverty, a lack of secure food supplies and poor healthcare facilities meant 1.4 million children aged under 5 would be undernourished this year in West Africa's Sahel region alone, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF said on Wednesday. 13 Feb 2008 16:37:13 GMT”

If current trends continue, child malnutrition in Africa is expected to grow from 38,6 million to 41,9 million victims by 2025. Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Burkina Faso, Niger, Somalia and Sudan, will account for the sharpest increase.

Poor governance, inadequate infrastructure, limited access to markets and low investment in agriculture contributed to the under performance of Africa's agricultural sector.

102-Billion People Hungry: One Sixth of Humanity Undernourished

Poverty and hunger are some of the factors that disrupt the plans of nature and provide us with unnerving facts on world hunger:

You can help. Your gift today can send life-saving food and other assistance to hungry children and families where needed. Please help us feed the hungry children. We are committed to help children around the world.  

You don't have to stand by while children are going hungry. Help be a part of the solution – take a stand against world hunger today.

YOU CAN ALSO HELP US IN:

Monthly contributions

International Volunteer Promoter: Is the person who assumes the responsibility to delegate Caputo Children´s Fund in his country, promoting the sponsorship in your area.  Help build schools, orphanages, aqueducts for the poorest, bringing food and medicines to street children.

Fund-raising: Actively engaged in fund-raising through special events.

Gifts in Kind: If you are a devoted Christian and committed to the poorest in Guatemala and Africa, you can donate clothes, shoes, food, medicine, cooking utensils, bedding, cleaning products or give us what we have available.

The Benefits of Giving

A year-end contribution to Caputo Children´s Fund (CCF) gives you the opportunity to select the amount of your deduction, to schedule the timing of your gift, and to determine the type of contribution you will make - options few other deductions provide. For example, you may choose to make your contribution in the form of tangible personal property, real estate or securities. In this way, you hae the advantage of a deduction without affecting your cash on hand.

• Cash contributions
  In general, you may deduct up to 50 percent of your adjusted gross income for a charitable contribution. An excess deduction may be carried-over to the subsequent five tax years.
• Real Estate
  A gift of real estate enables you to deduct the fair market value of the property you contribute, provided you have held the property for longer than one year. You are allowed a deduction of up to 30 percent of your adjusted gross income for the year in which you make the contribution; the amount in excess can be carried over and deducted for the next 5 years.
• Tangible Personal Property
  The amount of your deduction for a contribution of tangible personal property (items such as art, antiques, and the like) depends on the type of property contributed and how it will be used. In general, you will realize maximum tax savings if the contribution is one which can be used in a manner related to its charitable purpose.

What tax benefits might I realize by donating items that are no longer useful to me?

In USA, most often the 'fair market value' of the item can be deducted. Depending upon market conditions, the fair market value is often quite higher than the actual selling price. In many cases, when you factor in the value of your time, the tax donation benefit can often outweigh trying to sell the item yourself.

With the exception of marketable securities, donor's who wish to claim a tax deduction for donated items of non-cash gifts exceeding $5000 must substantiate the valuation with an expert appraisal - which Caputo Children´s Fund will entirely facilitate and pay for.

However, tax guidelines are highly specific and change regularly therefore Caputo Children´s Fund strongly recommends that you consult your tax advisor for individual and specific detail.

MAKE A DONATION TODAY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIFE OF A CHILD!