progress for Rema Ministries
The effect of training just 120 church members multiplied and spread so that within 8 months a further 1,370 people were trained and ready to respond to the HIV and AIDS crisis in their communities. Once Rema had carried out the initial training, it visited to check progress. Rather than funding the projects needed in each place, it encouraged the trainers to use the resources they have to respond to their community’s needs. Rema also highlighted that churches should work with orphans and families to find solutions rather than just doing things for them. It’s amazing what a little training, very few resources and a huge amount of faith can achieve!
Nairobi
By August 2006, 70 more people had been trained in a seminar organised by the 30 people that Rema had originally trained. This group working in Nairobi had explored setting up a small project to help raise funds for families who look after orphans. Six women had come up with the idea of a hairdressing project. They had each agreed to contribute Ksh 500 (about US$7) every month and had also saved about US$70 towards buying the equipment they needed. This is a huge personal investment.
The total cost of the equipment would be around US$1,000 so other refugees were encouraged to give what they could. The project is being set up as a hair salon to train women whose families care for orphans, so that they can be employed in other salons and make some money to help their families. This salon would make money and a percentage will go to the work with orphans and the rest will be shared between the members according to the shares that they have in the business.
Mtabila Camp
In Mtabila, the church leaders went back to their local churches and trained their people about the needs of the orphans. By August 2006 around 300 people had been trained and 10 local church committees had been set up to look after orphan welfare. Again, an important challenge was how families who were hosting orphans could be supported in practical ways. By the end of 2006, the following activities were already underway:
- Calvary Church started counselling services for orphans and host families
- Churches built houses for orphans who were not hosted in families
- Clothes and food were collected and distributed
- Churches paid school fees to 140 children for one term
- Churches started a common kitty to meet the needs of orphans
Ulyankulu Settlement
By August 2006 more than 1,000 people from different churches had been trained. They conducted a survey to find out the number of orphans in Ulyankulu. They discovered 200,000 orphans with an amazing list of needs. Local churches have now set up a number of projects to begin to help orphans …
The Anglican Church of Usigara is helping 10 families headed up by widows and 20 orphan-headed households. By December, the Church had already cultivated one hectare of land for each family and provided seeds. The second stage of the project was to get milk cows so that these children may profit from this milk. Since the church did not have enough money to buy the cows, they started with 4 chickens, which they bought for the equivalent of US$10. As they sell the eggs, they will be able to buy milk cows.
The Evangelical Church (Kanisa la Uinjilisti) decided to invest in education. They started a nursery school for orphans, with two teachers and ten children. They have already been able to build classrooms and were raising money to pay the teachers.
The PEFA Church decided to invest in secondary school education. They built a three-bedroom house next to the school to accommodate orphan students. So far they are housing three students free of charge and they would like to expand the building to accommodate more students.
The Tanzania Assemblies of God Church decided to pay school fees for one student in 2007. They are also cultivating beans, maize and cassava so that they may pay fees for another orphan student in 2008.
ITECOS (International Team For Community Service) runs an orphans’ facilitators workshop for people who wish to teach orphans. The workshop at the end of 2006 brought together six people: 2 from the Baptist Church, 2 from the Africa Gospel Church, 1 from the Roman Catholic Church and 1 from the Calvary Church.
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