QUITO, Ecuador - At a ceremony in Quito, the International Red Cross in Ecuador recently awarded a plaque to Children International, a Kansas City-based child sponsorship organization, for donating $741,000 in aid to poor children and their families.

In addition to $16.6 million in regular sponsorship support provided to over 50,000 impoverished children and their families living in the slums of Guayaquil and Quito, Ecuador, over the past three years Children International has provided over $741,000 worth of medical supplies, medicines and clothing. The donation allowed the Red Cross to provide support to volunteers and victims through ambulatory health centers and public hospitals in the most inaccessible places through the country.

James R. Cook, president and CEO of Children International, says, "We work very hard to help impoverished children living in Ecuador. We feel honored that the International Red Cross values our relationship and our ability to reach the children of Guayaquil and Quito."

About Children International: Established in 1936, Children International is a nonprofit child sponsorship organization with its headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Children International's programs benefit over 320,000 poor children and their families in 11 countries around the world, including Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Zambia and the United States. If you would like to help, visit www.children.org today.