Introducing a Future Minister of Defense for Burkina Faso
Twelve-year-old Fadilatou is one of the top five scholars of her age in all of Burkina Faso. She is the youngest child of the family, with six brothers and sisters. Because of her parents’ hospitality, they have received some of their nephews and nieces, along with their children, so the total number of people in the family is 23.
Fadilatou’s father was a driver, but is now too old to work, so he stays at home all day taking care of his grandchildren.
Her mother is a hairdresser and provides food for all the family with her income of less than $2 a day. Sometimes the mother goes to bed without eating, so the rest of the family can share the little food she has gathered.
In 2004 Fadilatou enrolled at the Assemblies of God Patte d’Oie Child Development Center. Her father was not for it because he did not know about the ministry of Compassion, but her mother insisted and convinced him to allow the girl to be part of the program.
Since she joined, Fadilatou has been the top pupil in class. She dreams of going to a military academy next year. “I would like to become minister of defense of the country,” Fadilatou tells her parents.
Continue Reading ›Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition
I am a sucker for reality TV. Seriously, if someone is weighing himself or trying to win a quick-fire cooking challenge or ripping down a house on TV, I’m there.
But I’ve got to tell you, working at Compassion spoils you for pop culture. Suddenly everything is in perspective.
Before starting my job here, I used to love Extreme Home Makeover. I loved seeing the crazy kitchens, the creative design and the happy people. I would cry with them when they yelled with Ty, “Bus driver, move that bus!” And I still do love the heart of helping and generosity it is spreading.
But since being daily faced with the realities of the majority world, I can’t help but be distressed by our sometimes-trend toward bigger is better and more is more attitude. We seem to be in a never-ending game of one-upmanship.
I don’t personally think there’s anything inherently wrong or sinful about a big house. What is dangerous is the subtle message we are ingesting that if our homes aren’t big, if they aren’t new, if they aren’t decked with the trendiest design, it’s a reason to shake our heads shamefully. We can begin to look around at what we have and think, “This isn’t that great” when we compare it to the over-the-top luxury we see.
It’s sad. We have so much! Think of Joshua’s home in Indonesia. (more…)
Continue Reading ›An Oasis of Talent in the Mire of Mathare Valley
The Saturday program at Mathare Community Outreach begins by focusing on the spiritual development of the children. It starts with devotions and worship and is followed by 30 minutes of small group Bible study.
For the children who have accepted Christ as their Savior, the center staff conduct a discipleship class which occurs during the Bible study.
In addition to the spiritual development of the children, the center has programs to address the physical, social and economic needs of the children.
The key factor in creating a stable economic future for the children is education; education is the key.
But beyond focusing on excellence in school, the center staff help identify and develop the talents of the children, musically and artistically, so they have even greater opportunities to succeed.
The center has a cooking program, choir and music program and drama team and works with the children to develop their public speaking abilities.
Here’s a sample of what the kids are producing.
Being a Sponsor is Not Easy
Dreams are made with sweat and discomfort, effort and uncertainty and moments of success and failure. They’re kneaded together with sacrifice and generosity and held together with drive, perseverance and surrender.
Relationships are like that too. And so is sponsorship.
What Does My Sponsored Child Learn at the Child Development Center?
By attending classes at his or her child development center your sponsored child receives age-appropriate instruction in four main areas: spiritual, cognitive, physical and socio-emotional.
At KE-630, Good Shepard Isinya Student Center, all the children begin their Saturday at 9 a.m. with spiritual learning.
I Met An Orphan Today
What follows is an excerpt from a blog post we recommend you read. It’ll move you.
We sampled the post selectively. There’s emotional stuff in between the samples. Promise.
I met an orphan today.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget her face.
. . .
I sat down on a bench and she scooted towards me. “What is your name?”
In perfect English, “My name is Susan. I am 12.”
She looked at me. I mean, really, looked into my eyes with a question in hers and then she blurted out, “Can I touch your hair?”
. . .
She tried braiding my hair and after a few minutes she gave up saying, “I think something is wrong with your hair. I can’t braid it.” Oh Susan, you are a wise one.
. . .
Again, her eyes found mine and she questioned, “Can I touch your skin? It is so white.”
This time I could only nod as she gently touched my arms and then my legs peeking out from my cropped pants.
“You are the first white woman I have touched,” she said in an almost hushed voice.
Read all of Kristen Welch’s post at We Are THAT Family.
I don’t think I’ll ever forget her face.
Confessing to Something That Probably Means I’m Human
The poverty in my life is emotional and spiritual. The poverty in the lives of the kids you sponsor and the kids we’re meeting here in Kenya is that and more.
Tending a Kitchen Garden: Lessons From a Child Survival Program Mom
What does a kitchen garden have to do with increasing the chance a child lives to see age five?
Kitchen gardens are a part of the “empowerment training” that moms and caregivers receive at the Kawangware Child Survival Program (KEC28), and Caroline is a mom who is benefiting from this training.
Outside of her 10′ x 10′ home, Caroline maintains a kitchen garden, something she learned to do in the Child Survival Program.
The garden provides food for her six-member family and requires tending to make sure bugs don’t destroy the vegetables, along with the hope she and her husband have for something more. When we ended our home visit with Caroline and her family yesterday,
“her husband proudly told us that his wife was working hard and that together they were changing their situation. He thanked us for coming to visit their house that they lived in “for now.” He said “for now” because he told us that he knew that they wouldn’t be there forever. The tools they had and the skills they learned were helping them break free from the poverty that surrounded them.”
Read more of Caroline’s story on Brad Ruggles blog – Learning How to Live.
Support a Child Survival Program for $20 a month and you can help empower moms like Caroline.
Empowering Moms With Charcoal Dust and Dirt
One of the ways that the Child Survival Program empowers mothers is by offering literacy and economic training to help them better provide for their families. 
Jackline is a mom at the Kawangware Child Survival Program which is part of the Kawangare Child Development Center.
The economic training she received taught her to make charcoal from charcoal dust and dirt and then use the charcoal to roast corn to sell on the side of the road.
Roasting the corn allows Jackline to make about $1 a day to feed her two children, including 14-month old Flavian.
We visited the Kawangware Child Survival Program today, met Jackline and watched her demonstrate the skill that helps her provide for her children.
We also met Caroline, another mom in the program. She was excited to show us the income generating activity she was taught. You can read Caroline’s story on Brad Ruggles blog – Learning How to Live.
Support a Child Survival Program for $20 a month and you can help empower moms like Jackline and Caroline.
Our Transitional Shelter Solution for Haiti
The rainy season is starting soon in Haiti. This period generally lasts from March to May, and then hurricane season runs from June to November. Most of the people who live in the streets and in tent cities as a result of the earthquake will be exposed to the heavy rains.
We don’t have accurate information on how many of those living outside are in shelters that can withstand the rainy season, but it’s clear that a large number of them don’t have rainproof materials. The materials most commonly used now for shelter are bedsheets. These provide a bit of privacy as well as protection from the sun, cold and dust, but not from rain and wind.
We are focusing our efforts on addressing temporary and transitional shelter needs by providing tarps as well as materials for transitional shelters. We will not be able to assist everyone in need. We will focus on those who are most in need and who have not received shelter assistance from other organizations.
People Living With HIV or AIDS
Sitting in the humid air inside a tent, listening to the palm leaves sway and the support poles creak, and with her hand clasped on her cheek, Zainabu can still hear the words ringing in her head:
“You have been tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the micro-organism that causes the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).”
When the doctor announced the results, a mood of gloom and despair descended on Zainabu. She did not know where to go or what to do.
“It seemed like my life and the livelihood of my children had been cut, since they all depended on me.”
Looking for a shoulder to cry on, Zainabu wondered whom to inform or talk to. Her family and the community had no place for HIV-positive people. “I am an abomination,” Zainabu thought to herself.
Grieving the Loss of a Sponsored Child
How do you say goodbye to a sponsored child who has died? Have you ever had to do that, or to say goodbye to another child in your life?
