Pauline is a 38-year-old mother of two, born and brought up in the Korogocho slums, east of Nairobi, Kenya. Here, she experienced the harsh realities of Nairobi’s urban settlements. Characterized by high levels of poverty, crime, disease, political instability, ethnic conflicts and blatant corruption, children have become the biggest losers in this mix.

Pauline vividly remembers the dilapidated home that she lived in until just recently. The walls caved inwards and the roof sagged because of the weak structural support. As is the norm in Korogocho, the houses are closely knit together, with little space to move around. She was embarrassed of her home, let alone the danger it put her family in.

“My door could not shut well and we feared being attacked at night.”

But Pauline found help at the local church of Korogocho slum, Redeemed Gospel Church. She often hosted fellowships in her tiny house, but she could not stand the humiliation of her home and contemplated not hosting more visits.

One of the church members, however, noticed her predicament and raised support for her with the help of Pastor Muthama.

“The church members practically reconstructed the house,” Pauline remembers, wearing a warm smile on her face.

The church bought the posts, iron sheets and provided labor.”

Pauline’s confidence was restored and she is thankful for the act of generosity. She can now host visitors in her tiny home without worry. Her daughter, Margaret, 22, is a Compassion graduate, and Margaret recently got a job as a waitress with a very popular coffee house in town, Java.

This is just one of the many examples of how the church is a shining light to the people in Korogocho. Pastor Muthama believes that the church is the hope to bring people out of poverty.

“Redeemed Gospel Church represents Christ through evangelism and other acts of service. They also offers a multidimensional approach to poverty, starting early through our children. The church’s partnership with Compassion has helped us to reach more needy children and families, not only with the gospel of Jesus, but also life skills that enable them to be economically self sustaining.”

Pastor Muthama also knows the challenges of working in a community like Korogocho. He is well known here, but that has not made him immune to armed violence and constant threats. But having grown up in this village, he says that his heart belongs there.

“I have been mugged several times and armed men have stormed the church during worship.”

The church is a target because the ministry here is a threat to the status quo. Pastor Muthama isn’t afraid to speak against the vices in the community. Many young men have changed their ways, but later run away, fearing for their lives. The government security forces have done their bit, but far too many people lose their lives and no real solution has been found.

“I believe that the lasting solution is the intervention of the Christian Community. Many young people are getting lost in this cycle of hopelessness. I love the church because it offers hope to humanity. The church has the great role of bringing people to the knowledge of God and helps them realize their God given potential. Furthermore, it spreads the love of God to all people.”

Pastor Muthama still remembers the 2008 post election violence that rocked the country. Some estimates say that over 1,000 people were killed in this conflict in which tribe was pitted against tribe, and old grievances between Kikuyus and Luos were brought to the surface.

“We were at the forefront of reconciling warring communities.”

The church was instrumental in offering an alternative to conflict that brought together different opinions, cooling down a polarized people. Church pews now accommodate people of different tribes, age and varying economic statuses. From the pulpit to the doors of the church is a voice that speaks against the glaring inequalities that is often the status quo outside of church walls.

Redeemed Gospel Church’s involvement in taking care of the needy – especially children – and being an alternative community that yearns for justice, positions the church in a place that the community can’t ignore.

“The community appreciates our presence due to the positive impact we are having. Through the various programs like the Child Survival Program, the feeding program for children, affordable high school and of course through reaching out to the community through evangelism, we have seen good fruit and everyone is appreciative.”

Throughout this expansive settlement, children are unaware of the hazardous river banks and unprotected bridges as they go about having their usual fun. They do not share in the same worries as the adults, and many of them succumb to an early death due to disease.

If they survive these childhood challenges, they get caught up in the rat race of unemployment, indulgence in illicit brews and neighborhood gangs. Unfortunately, some of them never get to see the light of adulthood.

Looking at the statistics, the challenge of serving this community appears almost insurmountable. However, the will to have a better future is alive and well. Mothers like Pauline trust that their children will have greater accomplishments than themselves.

The faces of sponsored kids at the child development center radiate the ember of hope which is evident in their eyes and smiles. The church’s surroundings cushion them from the dangers that lurk around the corner.

The church is taking responsibility for raising a generation that cares about each other and understands God’s purpose for them. And what more can one ask for when children receive Jesus at their tender ages and experience the joy of fellowship in a secure environment?

Pastor Muthama is on a mission to help change the outlook of this community. In fact, the locality is now known as Kochland, a change from Korogocho a name that carries a lot of negative connotations. Kochland High School is located at the church and is helps kids in the area to obtain a secondary education, placing them on a path to success.

Close to the Compassion Development Center is a brick wall with the words “Caananland” inscribed on it. It has been standing here for as long as the locals can remember, but represents a future they all look forward to, one of peace and prosperity.

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You started sponsoring little Jessica three years ago. You picked her because of her mischievous grin and her pigtails. You’ve been writing letters back and forth and are slowly starting to feel like you’re getting a glimpse into her world and what her daily life is like. You’re praying for her, and you find you’ve grown quite attached.

Then you find out that her child development center has closed, and suddenly this relationship you’ve begun to build comes to an abrupt end.

Naturally, you want more information, but are left with the little that you got through the last communication.

We partner with more than 5,000 churches worldwide to implement our sponsorship program. And last year, 95 centers closed, about 1.7 percent of the centers open at the time.

The number of child development centers that close each year varies. They close for a variety of reasons, and each case is different.

• A center might close because of unresolved financial integrity issues.
• A center might close because the church partner is having difficulty maintaining the staff and volunteers needed to successfully implement the program and no longer wants to continue the program.
• A center might close because the church leadership and the center’s staff have relationship conflicts.
• Or, on the positive side, a center may close because the church partner no longer needs assistance from Compassion.

If in the future the church would like to engage in another partnership with us, they can, but they would need to follow the process of opening a new center at their church.

The Partnership Facilitator (PF), the direct link between our Country Office and our centers, is the person who visits the centers to ensure they are running properly.

If the PF encounters problems at a particular center, he works with the center staff and the Country Office to resolve the issues. He will visit the center to work on development plans to help resolve the issues. He will meet with the pastor and the leadership of the church.

If necessary, the Country Director will meet with the pastor or even with the president of the church’s denomination.

Sometimes, however, the issues may persist, in which case the center will be put on suspension. In some cases, if the problems remain unresolved, the situation may end with the closure of the center.

However, not all closures follow this process. Sometimes a church partner will decide to end our partnership without going through the suspension process, or vice versa, depending on what the circumstances are in that particular case.

If a center is closed, the Country Office fills out the appropriate forms and sends them to the Global Ministry Center in Colorado as soon as possible. The closure is processed within seven days and is communicated to the appropriate Global Partners so they can share the news with you.

The Country Office also tries to transfer as many sponsored children as they can to another nearby center. However, if this is not possible, the children are “departed” from the program.

It is never easy to hear that a little one you have been praying and caring for is no longer part of our program. But know that we do all that we can to ensure that not only are our programs implemented with the utmost integrity, but also to resolve issues within our centers whenever possible, and ultimately, to transfer children to nearby centers when necessary.

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I recently spoke with a sponsor about gift giving. I explained that he could send a monetary gift for his child, and one of the program staff would take his child to the market and help them purchase what they would like.

The sponsor replied, “So you actually have staff in her community? Someone close by that can take her to the market?”

You may laugh, but this is a common question. Our purpose and mission may be well understood (to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name), but new and veteran sponsors alike have trouble understanding what our program looks like once implemented in a community.

When your sponsored child attends the child development center, or CDC, he or she is actually visiting a local church with whom we have partnered. This partnership is what sets us apart from other sponsorship organizations. Our desire is to support the church to complete its God-given mission (Matthew 16:18). We believe that this partnership is a strategic catalyst for community change – starting with changing one child’s life.

We depend on the church in your sponsored child’s community to carry out our program. We, with the help of sponsors and donors, provide them with finances, guidance and accountability in order to make the program a success. According to the needs in their community, church leaders establish guidelines for what they will provide to the children registered at their center.

These guidelines are established according to our standards of holistic child development, individual child attention, use of a national or Compassion-approved curriculum to meet our desired outcomes, a commitment to a one-to-one sponsorship (one child to one sponsor), meeting a time requirement for engagement with the children, and adhering to an attendance standard.

To ensure that the program is effective and funds are used wisely, the church is audited, at minimum, once every 30 months. Each CDC is visited by a Compassion staff member from the field office a minimum of three times per year.

Currently we partner with more than 5,000 churches worldwide, serving about 1.2 million children through our Child Sponsorship Program, and more than 21,000 mothers and babies through our Child Survival Program.

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The church is the means through which we implement our holistic child development program. Our partner churches dedicate time, energy and love to serve children in need. And as we do so, the little ones are discovering hope for the future. This hope was found by a gentle boy named Abdoulaye in Burkina Faso.

Abdoulaye is from a modest family. His father is a night watchman and his mother is a weaver. Abdoulaye has two older sisters and three younger brothers.

Because of the family’s low income, they cook only once a day. The mother cooks for lunch and the leftovers are eaten at dinner and at breakfast the next morning.

Abdoulaye’s parents must do everything they can to save money, otherwise they might have to go back to their village and ask relatives to take the children. The father has struggled hard just to have running water in the house. At night the family uses a kerosene lamp for lighting.

Eleven-year-old Abdoulaye is a brilliant student in grade six. He enjoys playing soccer and marbles, and dreams of being in the army.

In the past Abdoulaye struggled to earn passing grades. Since he changed his school he has been ranking among top students. What made the difference?

Abdoulaye was registered at a child development center in March 2006 at a critical moment for his family. His father could no longer pay the boy’s school fees.

However, since Abdoulaye’s registration, the center has been paying his school fees, and a volunteer teacher has been giving him private coaching, along with all the registered children at the center.

This has helped Abdoulaye and the other children improve their school performance to the point that Abdoulaye ranked first in his class in the second term this year.

Physically, Abdoulaye and his family have greatly benefited also.

“Since his registration I have not spent a penny on medical care for Abdoulaye when he is sick. And I have not bought any clothes for him. All these things are provided by the center,” Abdoulaye’s father says with a large smile on his face before adding, “ The center often gives Abdoulaye some food supply that is useful for the whole family.”

But the family is also nourished spiritually. The boy’s father testifies that because of the Bible teaching Abdoulaye has been receiving, Abdoulaye has been praying a lot for the whole family.

Despite the fact that the family has a Muslim background, Abdoulaye’s siblings enjoy reading from his illustrated Bible. Even the father, who cannot read, likes to go through it and look at the images. They sometimes gather to listen to the boy telling stories from his Bible.

The most impressive thing is the trust that Abdoulaye’s father, who is a Muslim from a Muslim background, has put in the church where his son attends the center activities.

“I am a Muslim and I have studied the Koran. But, I should confess that the church is trustworthy and I trust them fully. I once fell sick and was helpless. My religious group tried but could not heal me. I was relieved after a certain pastor prayed for me.”

In fact, Abdoulaye’s father would be happy to become a Christian, but because of his extended family members, who are all Muslims, he feels he cannot.

If he were to abandon his family religion he would be in trouble. His family would treat him and his nuclear family as outcasts. Living in a family oriented society, Abdoulaye’s father does not want to take the risk of losing his extended family by becoming a Christian.

“If it was possible to have two religions I would take Christianity as my second; I trust the church so much!”

The good reputation that the church has established has brought many people from diverse backgrounds to register their children at the center. Like Abdoulaye’s father, another Muslim caregiver in another area was not afraid to shout publicly that he wanted his registered child to be a pastor.

Coming from non-Christians, these words are much more than simple appreciation. Because of corruption and embezzlement, most people in Burkina Faso do not really trust development organizations and non-governmental organizations in general.

Fortunately, the partnership between Compassion and the church is seen as a good development opportunity because of the trust that people put in the church. The church is seen as an institution that vouches for integrity and godliness.

Palamanga Ouali, Country Director of Compassion Burkina, strongly believes that when Jesus was on earth He took care of man in a holistic way and that for this reason, the mission of the church is to bring about true development that takes into consideration man as a whole.

“The Church is the Bride of Christ through which the world should know the Lord, and to my knowledge God has not planned an alternative.”

The local church is the partner Compassion works with, and churches around the world are experiencing results in the lives of registered children, their families and their communities. That is precisely the reason why we love the Church!

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  Church La Capilla 20 de Mayo began in 2004 under a small shade tree on the street, with some borrowed chairs and a lot of enthusiasm from neighborhood children.

At the time, Pastor Raul was a youth pastor at another church in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He began visiting the Normandia neighborhood to spend some time with the children, sharing the gospel with them, and providing the families with clothes, medicine and other items.

“The teenagers have high possibilities of joining gangs, drinking and using drugs. Children and teenagers live this reality. When they are older they mix the alcohol with marijuana or other things. They can find alcohol in every store for less than $.15. Girls get pregnant very young, so the best way they see they can support their children is to work in prostitution, in the best cases, they wash clothes or make Jell-O to sell. The majority choose prostitution or to work in a bar, drink, and receive some tips from the drunken men. Most of the pregnant girls do that.”

Because the teenagers are at risk of joining gangs, dropping out of school, or following their parents’ steps into alcoholism, the Compassion-assisted child development center at Church La Capilla 20 de Mayo, which the church opened two years ago, provides strong spiritual and educational support.

Education in the outlying neighborhoods is poor, so the center tries to help the children as much as possible in math, spelling and grammar.

“For these youth, studying isn’t important because at this age they already want to work and earn some coins. I speak about this with the parents because the parents would rather their children go to work in anything and produce something. Studies aren’t important to the parents.”

Parents make their children work at any job where they can earn money, such as washing cars, taking care of cars, selling things, or helping at the market. The childen allowed to attend school are those who can’t work yet, usually the youngest.

Through the increased awareness of the importance of studying, all of the adolescents who attend the development center are still in school.

“They are the children who we taught with puppets, sang and played with under a tree when we first came to the neighborhood. We are advancing with them. They stayed in the church and … they know that if they do God’s will, they will be OK. They have temptations from the world, but they are prepared for that, so they could go out and be sure that what they are doing is correct, not only in front of the pastor or tutor — they have to make those correct decisions and put limits on their own.”

Thanks to the testimonies that the children and adolescents give in their homes, many parents now attend the church. They see the good things God is doing in the lives of their children. The worship ministry at this church is made up of the teenagers; they play the instruments.

However, this is not the only way La Capilla Church is reaching out.

A short time after starting work in the area, church staff learned about a woman, Ana Maria, with six children, who had just become a widow.

“I lived at the church three years ago and now I participate in the church activities. Before I didn’t know anything about the church. I knew the pastor when he used to meet under a tree. He and his wife used to come on Saturdays, [and they] brought clothes. It was good. She was like a mother for me.

“When my husband died, my 4-month-old son got sick. I didn’t know what to do. My son was about to die, but the pastor’s wife gave me medicine. I didn’t have anyone, they gave me everything, I love them very much. They gave me food and then I came to live here. Now, I’m in peace here. I attend church and I am very happy. As they say, the Lord helps me a lot.”

Another testimony comes from a family who the church found living in a dump. The husband had just had an accident and couldn’t walk. The mother had just given birth to their third child. They didn’t have anything to eat.

Immediately the people from the church went to them and built a small room for them  out of wood and canvas on land the church owns.

“I was very thin when they picked me up,” says the husband. “Now I’m recovering. The church helped me find a job as a caretaker of a house. They built a room for me and my family. Now we attend the church and the family meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We are very thankful to God and to them.”

The church holds discipleship meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays at houses in three neighborhoods. Around 100 people attend these meetings and are growing in their faith.

One cultural issue the church has encountered is that people often do not get married. They just start living together and have a family. However, this year the church celebrated the weddings of four couples. The church is planning to organize more weddings in response to requests from many parents who want to do things correctly, as they have learned in God’s Word.

La Capilla 20 de Mayo church is serving the community and, thanks to God’s help, is accomplishing many improvements and changes. Pastor Raul reports that the rate of alcoholism is diminishing. Although it is still a problem, he believes the church’s influence keeps it from growing.

“People ask them what happened to you that you look so good, so they share their testimonies of how they stopped drinking, and attend church, etc. People are impressed that some of them left the alcohol for God. Those testimonies, plus the development center, the Child Survival Program, and our work with the teenagers is a big package to share with the community. One of the most beautiful things is that their lives are a testimony so others can get close to God.”

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“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continues to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands and houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” – Acts 4:32-35 (NIV)

Wait a minute … did I read that right? There were no needy persons among them. How did I miss this before?

Back in July we had a discussion about whether or not we should – or even can – end poverty. It was a good discussion with some very insightful comments.

This verse wasn’t mentioned in that discussion, but as I read the verse I started to ponder something.

If the believers in Acts were able to essentially eradicate poverty among their community, why couldn’t we (the Church) follow their lifestyle and do the same today? What would happen if churches would simply start following the model of the Church in Acts? Could we eliminate poverty?

What do you think? Does this verse change how you think about poverty and the Church’s role in ending it?

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We have four core values that define us. The first is that Compassion is a Christ-centered organization, and the second, the topic of this post is our commitment to the Church.

Our commitment to the Church reads like this.

“The Church is the great hope for the world and is God’s instrument to advance the Kingdom of God. We mobilize and connect the global Body of Christ to fulfill her mandate for holistic discipleship of poverty.”

This forum – the Global Leadership Forum – can change the world. This forum can end poverty. If we allow our hearts to be fertile ground for the Holy Spirit.

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” – Matthew 16:18-19 (NIV)

The church is the only institution in this world created by God. He didn’t create a non-government organization. The Church is God’s only strategy for this world.

Nothing can stop the Church. Even the gates of Hades shall not prevail against the Church. The Church is an unstoppable force.

God gave the Church unlimited access to Heaven. We have the keys to Heaven. 24/7.

The only strategy God has to stop poverty is the Great Commission.

How do we solve poverty? Make disciples. How do we make disciples? The Church.

What is the next chapter in the story of the Church?

“Can you imagine what could be done with the wisdom of the old and the passion of the young?” – Willow Creek Leadership Summit 2007

If we want to change the world, we must begin with ourselves. If we, the Church, don’t do it, it won’t get done. If we want to change the Church, we must begin with ourselves.

It is an honor for Compassion to walk alongside the Church. To accompany the Church as it helps bring the Kingdom of Heaven to this world.

But does it make a difference if we say we work “through the Church” instead of “with the Church”?

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Why do we call ourselves human beings? Is there another kind of human?

Merriam Webster defines a “being” as “conscious existence” or “a living thing.” So, what other kind of human is there, if we aren’t all beings?

The answer, I’m afraid, is a shadowy reflection of who we have become as a society. I believe we, us humans I mean, have largely treated children as if they are not human beings … but rather human “becomings”… in other words, they are on their way to full “being” status but not quite there yet.

Why is it that so many people see children this way? Perhaps it’s because they don’t know how to mobilize for political clout. And why would they? They have no voice on election day anyway.

Could it be because of their physical limitations? I’m reminded of some brilliant minds that were attached to virtually useless bodies. Stephen Hawking, regarded by many as one of the greatest thinkers of our time, is a quadriplegic. Yet, his insights have challenged the thoughts of geniuses and forced the revision of textbooks in multiple levels of science and discovery. So the argument that a person must have some sort of physical ability to be considered a “being” is flawed, at best.

Maybe we don’t consider children as full-fledged “beings” because they don’t contribute on any measurable scale to the economy. I challenge that thinking. Sure, children almost never directly contribute to the labor force or economic stability of our communities … or do they?

While children aren’t pulling 9 to 5s (nor should they be), they contribute more to your economy than you may imagine. Consider the markets for toys, games, children’s clothing, baby food, diapers, and so on … and how many hundreds of thousands of jobs these products create — not to mention the billions of dollars spent purchasing these products each year.

Children may not produce much more than dirty diapers, but they are definitely consumers. Their influence on the national economy runs in the billions of dollars annually. Even if they didn’t have that type of economic impact, the argument that children can’t be treated as human “beings” because they don’t make money is a shaming and powerful indictment on our flawed value system.

Then something hit me really hard. Does the church see children as human beings or human becomings?

I’m ashamed to admit that the church I attend doesn’t even let children in the sanctuary. They actually have ushers at the doors to the sanctuary to discourage children from entering. Granted, the thinking here is that the sanctuary is for adult teaching and that we have classes for children to learn age-appropriate lessons. That’s wonderful. Age-graded curriculum is a must. But our children never see their parents in church … listening intently to the pastor … taking notes … worshipping.

During these crucial formative years, the church has treated them as human “becomings” who will be able to join us in worship “someday” just not today. This is where we should be most ashamed. Of all places, the church is where children should be treated as human beings. Psalm 8 tells us that “out of the mouths of babes” comes the power to silence the enemy. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like something I’d like to have in my church!

We have a road map from our Heavenly Father in which He tells us very clearly how important children are to Him. There are literally hundreds of verses in the Bible referring to children. Jesus said they were so important that it would be better to be tied to a two-ton rock and thrown into the ocean than to cause one of them to stumble.

So maybe … just maybe … we ought to start thinking about children differently. Maybe we need to start in our churches. That’s where we should be setting the example.

On a side note: as I was looking up the definition of a “being,” Webster decided to add a footnote that says “See also: Supreme Being.” Interesting, I thought. So I checked it out.

The definition for Supreme Being was simply one word:

God

That’s all it says … Supreme Being … noun … God.

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Christianity in Togo dates back to the mid-1800s when the Methodist and Presbyterian denominations organized churches in the country. They were followed by the Catholic Church about 40 years later and today are joined by churches affiliated with the Assemblies of God, Pentecostals, Baptists, Lutherans and many other denominations. According to available statistics, Togo is 29 percent Christian.

In recent decades, several “umbrella” organizations have formed that include church leaders from the various denominations who desire to work together. In the past, there has been little-to-no collaboration among the denominations, but leaders are rising up who wish to bring unity and strength to the Church so that they might in turn more effectively evangelize and influence their country.

Many of these church leaders share anecdotal evidence that the church is currently growing at a more rapid rate than in past times. Many have also identified their ministry to children as a universally weak area among the churches, and at the same time, recognize a need for a greater focus and strength of purpose if they are to influence these young people who are future of their country.

Increasingly, churches in poor areas (which are by far the majority of churches in the country) are recognizing that if they are to be relevant within their communities, they must address more than only the spiritual state of the people. Some churches simply take up offerings and use the funds to try to meet the various needs that come to their attention. Others are more structured, asking people to bring extra clothing, shoes, food and school supplies they might have so that they can be redistributed to those with the most severe need.

A church in Lome shows films with a positive message after school to give children a place to go so they won’t loiter in the streets. Thanks to the vision of a retired doctor, this same church also runs a clinic where they not only treat those who need medical attention in their own community but also train volunteers so that they can go out and minister through medicine in nearby rural communities.

Everywhere there are children, so many children, most coming from single-parent homes and many of whom have little adult influence on their lives. Many churches desire to find ways to improve and expand their children’s ministries, want to attempt to provide more structure and even have begun looking for ways to train those who work with the children so they might provide better guidance.

There is anecdotal evidence that these ministries are positively impacting these churches’ ability to witness to and impact their communities. This may be seen both in the way the church leaders are received and welcomed when they visit homes in the communities, and also in the comfort level that neighbors — and especially the children — feel to come to the church.

TOMORROW: Putting Faces to the Statistics

Story and photo by Phoebe Rogers

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We’ve been talking about our holistic child development model, and we did it with a series of posts called 10 Questions. But the questions are done now, other than this one. Got 10 minutes for a video?

It’s called Equipping the Church, and it explains our partnership with the local … anyone? … church. That’s right!

Who better to partner with when releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name than the local church? That’s a rhetorical question y’all. We said we’re done with the questions.

The local congregations are catalysts for community change. They command the resources and respect that are critical in developing the children in their communities. They make Compassion work.

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