A Mexican-inspired pie, chicken parmigiana and a pasta sauce passed down from Claudia’s mother are some of the recipes Claudia, Mario and two of their children Natalia and Orlando have been cooking together for ChildFund’s 2020 Challenge this October.

In addition to being able to have some fun and share some scrumptious meals together as a family, Claudia says the 2020 Challenge is an opportunity to teach her children important values such as kindness and charity.

“The Challenge is a way to teach my children to go beyond themselves, particularly in times like now when there’s a level of great challenge with the pandemic,” she says.

“I wanted to give my children the opportunity to be involved because they’ve shown interest before with other things I’ve done, where I’ve shown kindness or commitment to other things than myself.”

An opportunity to give back

Claudia’s commitment to giving back goes back to her roots: she grew up in a developing community in Peru and knows the positive difference charity and education can make in people’s lives.

“Although extreme poverty didn’t affect us directly when we were growing up, I was well aware of it,” she says. “In my family we had limitations and things that we had to go without.

“One of the key things that my parents and my family always instilled in us was a level of knowledge and education. We may not have had many material things but there was always the opportunity for us to become learned in certain areas; there was always an opportunity to go for it, rather than shy away from things.

Khadeeja and her little brother Hamza (pictured above) are on a mission to spread kindness in their community, while at the same time helping children around the world.

The siblings, aged five and three respectively, from Victoria are taking part in ChildFund’s 2020 Challenge this October to raise money for children in disadvantaged communities.

Their challenge – carrying out 20 acts of kindness – could not come at a better time as so many people struggle with the uncertainty and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Khadeeja and Hamza have been handing out flowers to neighbours and passersby in their street, making tea to thank builders in their neighbourhood, sharing cake with their teachers and friends, and spending time with an elderly friend.

The pair have also been visiting and thanking their “community helpers”.

“I gave flowers to the postman, librarian and police officers because at school we learnt about community helpers,” Khadeeja says. “They were very happy and said thank you.

“I also went to the fire station and I said thank you.”

Mum Mariam says the Challenge is having a positive impact in their lives.

“The Challenge isn’t only about telling them that it’s their responsibility to share, but also boosting their confidence too,” Mariam says.