In August there was the opportunity for representatives from the various Hands at Work International Offices to gather, hosted at the Hub in South Africa. These are important opportunities for the UK to meet with the US, Canada, Australia and Germany to build relationships, share experiences and learn from each other. They are also great reminders that we in the UK are part of a global community of people just like us, committed to supporting the unique model and work of Hands at Work in Africa.
With everyone gathered in one location it was also a good opportunity for Africa to lay out the plans and priorities for the next few years and for the International Offices to discuss opportunities for the global Church to support those plans. You’ll definitely be hearing much more about these over the coming months, but we were excited to hear about:
0-5s provision – Expanding provision at Care Points explicitly supporting mothers and Caregivers to enable 0–5-year-olds to develop well and give them the greatest chance of success as they start their young lives. The programme of support includes important development issues such as sleep, play, eye contact and verbal interaction.
Youth Development provision (initially for young men) – Children who approach the end of their schooling and start to lose regular contact with the Care Point face huge pressures and challenges. The Youth Discipleship Programme is designed to nurture and support these young adults in order that they can become men of integrity and maturity. It builds practical skills, attitudes and disciplines to encourage them to be a husband of one wife, to provide for their family, to contribute to their community and to follow Jesus.
Community gardens – Care Points have often provided a good environment for communities to work together and nurture community gardens that can provide some additional food for the Care Point. With the volatility in food pricing and the likelihood of increased scarcity, the plan is to further encourage and incentivise this by paying for produce from community gardens at the same rates paid in the open food market. This obviously helps keep money within the community, but also encourages working together and the development and employment of practical skills to the benefit of the community.
Investment incentives – Hands at Work is exploring ways to provide additional practical support to communities through the provision of incentives to Volunteers who serve the Community Based Organizations to support an investment initiative. These may take the form of money with which to buy seeds or livestock to generate a small sustainable income, enabling the Care Workers to support their families whilst remaining a Volunteer at the Care Point.
Although these are exciting developments, there was also no avoiding the inevitable discussions concerning the global economy and the pressures facing supporters of Hands at Work from across the world. We are really grateful for your committed support and realise that this generosity comes at a cost to you - thank you. We strongly believe that God is in this work and in these plans, however, and so we are committed to supporting them, including raising additional funds where we can. We’ll keep on asking and trust that God will provide!
