In the communities where Hands at Work serves, a goat can be an important resource for a family; they are resilient and reproduce quickly, often having up to six kids annually. As Care Workers look after their goats and watch their goat family grow, they are essentially creating a ‘bank account’ of goats that they can sell and use the profits earned to purchase basic items for their families.
The community of Katembe is located in the mountains, several hours from any medical facilities. By God’s grace, Lina’s mother, with support from strangers, managed to get to a clinic where they did an emergency caesarean section. Though Lina survived, her mother did not have the capacity to care for her daughter on her own, resulting in a quick decline in Lina’s health….
The purpose of building resiliency is to equip them with the resources, tools, and understanding that they need to provide for their own families, so that when challenges come, they are better equipped to stand. One way that this is done is through the provision of both Care Worker and Primary Caregiver community gardens….
Across Africa, the idea of ‘social distancing’ is foreign, as relationships and social interaction are an integral part of the culture – which can be seen in families and in the interactions of people at the local marketplace. Together, these challenges have filled our Primary Caregivers, Care Workers and children with anxiety about what tomorrow will hold and a fear of the unknown.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
In early 2015, while visiting children on Holy Home Visits, Care Workers came across Clement and his siblings once again. The children were begging for food and the four of them looked malnourished and unwell. The loving Christ-like hearts of the Care Workers compelled them to follow the children back to their home and find out more about their situation.
At 10 years old, Xiluva* has faced challenges that no child should ever have to face. When her father passed away in 2010, Xiluva was living with her mother and three siblings in Mudzidzi, Mozambique. When her mother remarried in early 2016, she took the children to the community of Macadeira and abandoned them with their ageing grandmother, Orpa*. Xiluva’s world fell apart.
George Snyman will be visiting the UK at the beginning to middle of June. This is an exciting opportunity for people to come together to hear stories from Africa. Please join him at one of the venues below and listen to what God is doing in the lives of the orphaned and vulnerable children in Africa:
