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"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
matt 25:40
Africarevolution
Orphans and Widows
"Religion that God our
Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and
widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the
world." - James 1:27
Intro
The continent of
Africa has more orphans than any other continent. Experts estimate that
by the year 2010 there will be approximately 42million orphans, half of
those due to AIDS. The problem isn't getting any smaller despite the
efforts that have been made to curb this tragedy. The crisis is massive
and it will take the attention of the world to respond. In Sub Sahara
Africa no one else is better positioned to help the widow and the orphan
then the local church!
You would be hard pressed to
find an established community in Africa that does not have a local
church.
There is almost
no village you can go to that does not have a local church as its center
of community life. It is at this critical time, as it is clearly
obvious, that we the Church must respond. It is undeniable that this is
what God requires of us from scripture. This is how we live out our
faith. Not with noisy words but with pure and Christ-like actions.
Our Goal
AR is
partnering with indigenous churches in the rescue and care of
the most venerable in society; the widows and orphans. Many churches whom we are in relationship with
are already caring for widows and orphans in their community. Mary are
doing home based care. (supplying food, clothing, rent money,
school fees and school uniforms). Some of these homes are child headed
homes that are unable to full fend for themselves and shouldn't have to.
Together with these local churches we are seeking to tackle this
problem. Along with supporters like
you we want to act in compassion and obedience.
This mission is reached as we provide holistic care to orphans in a
family-environment. The model
suits the culture and context of the varying
communities where it is implemented. Briefly described below are
the different aspects of this Church Orphan Home model:
Moving away from traditional, institutional, orphanages the local
churches aim to offer a family atmosphere based on love and compassion
that is touched by the Word of God. Every home will share a building
with the local church. The orphan children will live on the top level
with the caregivers (Home
to a capacity of 48 orphans and 10 widows), while the ground level is where the church
and community meet. Along one side of the building are skills
development rooms which are utilized as computer training centers,
sewing classes, Sunday school class rooms etc.
The homes
will provide beneficial, nurturing, holistic care to parentless infants,
children, and adolescents while keeping them in a community they are
familiar with.
Here is an opportunity for us to get behind local churches in Africa
that have a heart to live out the true Gospel, loving God and loving our
neighbor. We believe that a local church, led by indigenous pastors
together with their congregation, loving orphans, is a true testimony of
the love of Christ. This unique church/home combination provides an
effective means to meeting both the spiritual and physical needs of each
orphan as well as addressing the felt needs of the community.
Widows
Under
the leadership of the elders and pastoral team, widows would be the
principal caregivers in each church orphan home. As there are many
widows and widowed Grandmothers in
Africa, it has proved true that a child who just
lost his or her parents is cared for by someone who knows their pain
because they too have experienced loss. We would maintain a staff ratio
of one caregiver for every five children, so you can be assured that a
frightened child will be held and comforted by someone who cares.
Orphans
Orphans come from various circumstances. Many of them have lost their
parents due to sickness and diseases such as AIDS, malaria or other
failed health related causes. Many children become orphans because of
war or abandonment. Many are led by child headed homes and in need of
desperate help. We view these children, whom are left to wander the
streets and countryside homeless and hopeless, as God’s most precious.
Skills Development
The church seeks to do holistic ministry and so strives to provide its
community with basic skills to serve them in their quest for employment.
Training and developing people through giving classes such as computer
skills, small business skills, nutritional classes, budgeting and
finance classes as well as after school tutoring are all critical needs
in these communities. Along one side of the building are skills
development rooms which are utilized for these purposes throughout the
week and used as Sunday school class rooms and youth activity rooms
during the weekend. It is in this area of service that we wish to see
our interns transfer their skills to the church. It is here where they
will spend their time pouring into the community.
Pray with us as
we wisely discern each step in fleshing out this vision for orphan care
in Africa.
Do something,
join the Revolution!
If you are looking to build a partnership with
an African church and Africa Revolution
CLICK HERE to download
our partnership proposal.
"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its
children." | ||||||||||||||||
