UMVIM Africa

2007-11-27T05:46:00.001-08:00

THE PLIGHT OF AIDS ORPHANS AND STREEET CHILDREN IN KENYA.

United Methodist Church in Kenya is waking up to the reality of HIV/AIDS Orphans. Over the last three years, the church has monitored the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS infections and the numbers have been growing steadily. The number deaths has from HIV/AIDS have increased and this has in turn multiplied the number of orphans children.

The most affected people are the young couples. This leaves the burden for the orphans to grandparents or neighbors who may already have their own families to care for. The chances are highly that orphans may be neglected and end up turning to the streets for survival.

The numbers of people infected with HIV with Nakuru is increasing; this is why Nakuru United Methodist Church rented two-roomed house to an Orphanage to cater for the Orphans. Currently we are housing 15 orphans’ girls’ y. Nakuru United Methodist church has also started a street children project where these needy boys and girls are fed and counseled to lead a better life.
Many of the orphans have no chance for the education. Young boys are used as slaves working for as little as $1 for a whole week. Girls are introduced to sexual survival like prostitution and earlier marriages as young as 10 years. They are unable to raise school fees. Nakuru United Methodist church under my visionary has been struggling to assist these children and advocate for the children’s rights.

The church has started a health clinic where needy children and women are treated with without fee. Last year the church started a women mainly and girls empowerment center where they were being trained in dressmaking, sewing, knitting and hairdressing. Unfortunate this vital project has been suspended since November last year for lack of finances like salary for the trainers and stationeries. The local church is unable to raise funds for sustaining this project. Women and the girls willing to attend this training are very poor and needy. Many women and girls would benefit so much when this program resume soon. Currently the church is supporting several orphans some living with their aged grandmothers and others living at the streets of Nakuru. We are very grateful to the VIM who have visited our project and for their continued prayers. We sincerely appreciate our Bishop’s support and visionary leadership in our conference

The biggest challenge has been the education for these needy and vulnerable children. The greatest gift you and I can give these children is education.

By the grace of God we have bought a piece of land measuring 10 acres to build a school for these children. We have already received government approval and local community pledge to volunteer in labor.

We are inviting VIM Construction/Building teams, mission teams, churches, districts, conferences and individuals to partner with us in this vital project.

Rev Josam Kariuki
Associate District Superintendent
Nakuru District
Kenya
rewardcare@yahoo.com

2006-08-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

Dancing, Delivering, and Desire in Malawi

From the Belmont UMC Reporter Newsletter

We worked hard but did not physical labor. We worshipped often but we designed no liturgy. We danced, clapped, played with children and inspected plastering in a new church building. We pumped water from boreholes (deep wells) that Belmont UMC provided in previous years. During the week, we planned/dreamed/schemed of cooperative ventures for the future with leaders of the Malawi United Methodist Church.

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2006-04-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

Greensboro (GA) FUMC in Togo West Africa

A group of six from Trinity on the Hill UMC in Augusta and Rev. Scott Parrish of The First United Methodist Church of Greensboro were in Togo ,West Africa, March 3-13, 2006. Dr. Gary Billingsley, pediatrician and team leader; Phil Jones, professional photographer with Medical College of Georgia; Cab Stitt, business owner and entrepreneur; Henry Toole, videographer with 20 years experience with Trinity’s TV ministry; plus the missionary couple Esaho and Beatrice Kipuke; and Scott as a clergy representative composed the adventurous team. The goal of the trip was to visit throughout the country and assess the possibility of establishing the Kipukes as missionaries in Togo.

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2006-03-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

The Rains Come to Uganda

KAMPALA, Uganda - The rains have come to central Uganda. This is good.
But it also means the menace of malaria will return as well. This is the experience of Rossette Kemigish, school nurse at the United Methodist-related orphanage and primary school known as Humble Place in Mukono District, about 30 kilometers outside Kampala.

Last year, she treated 279 children for malaria in a school with fewer than 200 students. It's a persistent challenge to stay ahead of the mosquito-borne disease in this humid, wet climate.
She explains that the school administrators are attentive to her suggestions for environmental improvements that minimize the opportunity for mosquitoes to breed in standing water or the rain catchment tanks the school uses to supplement its water supply.

2006-03-10T04:52:00.000-08:00

OASIS OF HOPE in TIME OF NEED (KENYA)

As a sign of hope there was rain more than half the days John and Fran Denham from Maysville, Kentucky USA came to Kenya. This was in preparation of the recipe that John and Fran were preparing not only for UMC in Kenya but the community that lives with us, “Clean and safe water for better health.” Every day from 24th February 2006, we visited churches and invited members of the community as John and Fran talked and demonstrated of the importance of clean and safe water.

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2006-01-23T06:34:00.000-08:00

Computer Tech Needed - Liberia

Ganta Mission Station, Ganta, Liberia has 24 computers in various departments throughout the mission station. It would be good if a volunteer can come over on one of the workteams to train one or two of our people to do the servicing of the computers. We have a person on staff who learned about computers through trial and error. He could benefit through a couple weeks training from a computer technician. This way, we can keep our computers maintained and functional in our continuous pursuit towards accountability and information sharing.
For more information contact Joe Wagner, wagners@operationclassroom.org

2005-11-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Kissy Eye Hospital- Sierra Leone

Kissy UMC Eye Hospital
Freetown, Sierra Leone, Africa

November 3 – November 19, 2005

It was an eventful trip.

A large waiting room over flowing with patients greeted Dr. Tim Gess and me the Monday morning after our arrival. Word had spread that Tim was bringing a new phacoemulsification machine with which to deal with cataract extractions and the implantation of intraocular lenses. Surgery began that very day. Together with Dr. Ainor Fergusson, the resident eye surgeon, 52 surgeries were performed during the two week long stay.

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2005-11-08T06:12:00.000-08:00

The Saints in Sierra Leone

The small West African nation of Sierra Leone has seen much trouble in recent years. War, poverty, corruption and disease have all combined to create a situation where hope is hard to find. But it is there. Faithful Christians are celebrating the joy of the Lord in a powerful witness to the love of God in spite of circumstances.
Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Sierra Leone for 10 days with an ecumenical team from Georgia. We went under the leadership of Joan Williams of Joshua International, a children’s ministry in Freetown and the surrounding area. The team held a series of leadership workshops for pastors, youth leaders and children’s ministers. We also held children’s crusades in two of the poorest areas I have ever seen.
The most astonishing thing to see is the exuberance and joy shared by the children of these communities, even though they are engulfed in poverty. They have nothing. Yet they praise God and sing and shout and dance with an abandon that defies logic. That is, until you see for yourself that they are filled with the knowledge of Jesus Christ and the assurance of His love.
The team took resources for the Saturday Bible Schools operated by Joshua International. We also took food and clothing to a very special family in the village of Grafton, just outside Freetown.
Grafton is a most unusual place. After the war ended in 2002, rebel soldiers and their families were resettled there. Remember, when you say ‘soldier’ in this context, you are speaking of children as young as 8 or 9, stolen from their homes and brutally programmed to become killers. Additional residents include young single mothers, who were previously held as captives by the various fighting groups and brutally abused in every way, and now raise their children alone.
By God’s grace, the village is at peace. In a unique part of the village we visited the special family mentioned earlier. This section of the village is where all the polio victims live. There appear to be scores of residents here in various stages of the disease. Yes, I said ‘polio’. For those who remember taking Dr. Salk’s wonderful vaccine as a child in the 50’s and 60’s, and grew up believing the disease had been eradicated, think again.
It’s back, and with a vengeance. In countries like Sierra Leone, no vaccination was done for a long time. The disease made a comeback. And now there are people living in Grafton with the consequences of this evil illness every day.
In Grafton, Sister Melrose is an amazing and beautiful person. When you meet her, you know immediately that she is a child of God, dedicated to serving Jesus. She has a small house where she cares for 22 orphans with polio. She is their only family. They have no place else to go. She feeds, houses, loves and cares for these beautiful children by the grace of God. When we met her, it was evident that here was a person who knew her purpose. She heard God say “Who will go for us?” Her answer has been clear. And when the team presented her with food and clothing for the children, the tears of joy were real.
I was struck later, in remembering Sister Melrose, how my first and most prominent memory of her continued to be her dedication to the children, her love for God, and her faith that the Lord will provide. And then it struck me. I remembered there was another quality to Sister that had faded into the background in the light of her love and service to Jesus. Look at the photo here. That’s her in the center. In the chair. She has polio herself.
It is my prayer that God’s grace, as lived in this obedient daughter of the King, will inspire us all to actions which cause us not to be remembered for our earthly infirmities, but for our faith and obedience.
If you want to know more about this work, call me at 404-377-7424. But be prepared to talk for a while.

Joe Hamilton, Associate Director, UMVIM SEJ

2005-09-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

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