Nine Questions With Nyarko Twum Berima
I believe that God places us in our jobs, so to me every position is a privilege given by God. I want to be here to serve, learn and grow.
Continue Reading ›Why are Some Children Considered Highly Vulnerable and Others Aren’t?
The process of identifying highly vulnerable children starts by observing them among their peers. Then home visits and discussions with the child’s parents help the center workers learn more details about the child’s living conditions.This procedure determines whether there is a need to provide help to the caregivers in addition to the support their children already receive from the development center.
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How Is Jesus Transforming Lives in Nicaragua?
For eight years the local pastor, child development center staff, and church committee have worked to help children in Los Brasiles grow. The results of that daily effort is rewarded when a child, parent or other relative comes to know God.
The Trials of Job
When I asked how we could pray for the family, Job started to cry. I was told, “Job needs to experience a father’s love right now.”
Sometimes More Than Sponsorship Is Needed to Save a Life
The normal quantity of platelets the human body has in the blood is between “150,000 and 400,000 per microliter (mcL).” Based on that fact, can someone live with only 9,000 platelets? The right answer in human power would be, no way!
The Water Is Now Safe to Drink
This brand-new plant will supply, among other areas, the 21 Compassion-assisted centers in Manabí Province. These child development centers assist 6,394 boys, girls and adolescents. With the consumption of this water, the number of cases of parasites and cavities among children is expected to decrease from 80 percent to 50 percent.
Undercover With Compassion
I have been feeling challenged lately to get closer to the heart of Compassion, where we interact with sponsors, churches and children. I recently read a quote from a top executive of a large retail chain (I can’t remember which one — maybe Best Buy). He said, “I have never wasted a day visiting a store.” So, I arranged a trip to Honduras where I spent six days at two different child development centers in the central zone of the country … the Honduras Country Office did a marvelous job of setting this trip up so that I could be a regular guy without any fanfare or protocol.
The Next World Cup All Star?
The eyes of hundreds of thousands of people are glued to the field. A commentator narrates the last seconds of the game: “… and there comes Landaverde with a pass from Valdez… Landaverde surpasses the defense quite easily; he aims at the goal… shoots… AND SCORES!!!” El Salvador wins. The people in the stadium shout and celebrate; the national team has won the World Cup.
Who Are the Highly Vulnerable Children We Serve?
Destu and her brother lost their parents and were left under the care of their aunt, who was also a prostitute. Destu assumed the responsibility of raising her brother and managing the house since their aunt was never at home to care for them.
How Do We Help Sponsored Children With Serious Heart Conditions?
There are nearly 6 million children worldwide with potentially treatable congenital and acquired heart defects that do not have access to care. In 2009, of the estimated 6,000 children in Uganda in need of cardiac intervention, only 172 received treatment (Uganda Heart Institute).
Alex was one of the statistics — a child with a heart problem with seemingly no hope for treatment. Alex’s father recalls:
“It started as a fever. My wife and I took my son, Alex, to the hospital, but it did not get any better. And when we took him to a bigger hospital, his symptoms baffled the doctors. They had no solution for us but to refer us to the Mulago Heart Institute where we started on a course of treatment.
“This went on for three years with no change. At that point I started to pray to God, saying if it is God’s will to take him away from us then so be it. I spoke to Alex as well and he was of the same mind. Because the doctors saw that I was poor they feared to tell me about the operation abroad because they knew I could not afford it.”
Like many children whose heart conditions go untreated, Alex and his family prepared for the worst. (more…)
One Step Further From the Grip of Poverty
Valdênia was 15 years old when she taught a little boy in the community to read and write.
“He was 7 and had difficulties learning at school. His mother asked me to help him.”
At that time, Valdênia was in high school, but had no hope to get into a university. Today, three years later, she can see that she was practicing her vocation.
How Do We Introduce Children in Poverty to a Christian Education?
Many children enrolled at the child development center got their first contact with the Word of God at the center. They had never heard about God, Christ or stories such as the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark or Joseph in Egypt.
Transformation is the best word to define what happens with the children during the class. Parents recognize the difference in the way their children behave.
