Care Workers are the men and women from local churches who have committed their lives to caring for vulnerable and traumatised children. But many of them have suffered their own traumatic experiences of abuse and abandonment. Though many Care Workers desire to provide holistic care for the most vulnerable children in their community, often the pain within their own hearts affects their ability to give.
Madeline* is a 10-year-old girl living in Chilabula, a small village 30 kilometres from the town of Luanshya in Zambia. Madeline is now in grade 2 and enjoys going to school. One day, she hopes to become a nurse so she can help people in need. When she is not at school, she enjoys playing games and collecting wild fruits with her friends.
A past volunteer with Hands at Work, Jessie's story reveals the wrestling she faced when she met the most vulnerable children and those who serve them in Africa. Years later, she continues to be challenged by God and the Hands at Work family to care and advocate for the most vulnerable back home in the US.
This Christmas, Hands at Work has an opportunity for you to give to the most vulnerable children in Africa. Your gift will bless a child with access to education, basic health care, and one nutritious meal per day. A child like Chibesa…
Chibesa (middle, yellow shirt) waits in line for his daily nutritious mealChibesa is a six-year-old boy who lives in Chibote, one of the poorest communities in Zambia. Abandoned by his parents, Chibesa has been raised by his aunt, Peggy, who has struggled to provide for her household of 12. She could not send Chibesa to school, and most days he went to sleep without eating. Fortunately, Ruth began visiting Peggy and quickly realised how desperate her family was for even basic support. Ruth is one of many local volunteer Care Workers who are caring for the most vulnerable in their community. She arranged for Chibesa to receive a free daily meal, access to education and basic health care. In love and compassion, Ruth has taken Peggy and her family into her heart. And Peggy, wanting to be a blessing in return, has become a Care Worker! She walks alongside Ruth ensuring many more children are able to survive, and know they are loved.
Chibesa is receiving love through Ruth and Peggy, and because of this, he has hope. Through your giving, you can support Care Workers across Africa who desire to be able to provide for the children they care for physically, emotionally and spiritually. Your generosity will not only bless others, but we believe you too will be blessed as you witness the transformation your support can make in the life of a child.
If you want to give and support the transformation of a child this Christmas, please learn more about the giving options for your country:
Australia | Canada | South Africa | UK | US | Other
You may want to give on behalf of someone else. Download & Print the Gift Cards and distribute to your friends and family. With four cards to choose from, these gift cards tell the stories of Chibesa and three other children who now have hope for life and life abundantly. Through your giving, people in your life can read and share these stories, becoming a voice for the voiceless as well.
This season, may we all reflect on the birth of Jesus. He came down from heaven to be with us on earth as a human. And like so many children today, he was born into vulnerability. "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."-Luke 2:7
Devon in Canada
Devon van Hoffen arrived in South Africa as part of Hands at Work’s September volunteer intake. From Canada, Devon has come to learn about Hands at Work, Africa, and God’s heart for the most vulnerable. Volunteers have the opportunity to walk alongside local Care Workers in the poorest of the poor communities as they visit children who need love and parental care. Here, he tells the story of one of his first home visits with a Care Worker in South Africa.
I recently did a home visit in a community in South Africa. I was greeted by an 11 year old girl with a big smile on her face. Her name was Lilian. I don’t know much of Lilian’s story but what little I do know is shocking.
Lilian is 11 years old and is HIV positive. When you are HIV positive you are more susceptible to disease, and because of her HIV she contracted tuberculosis. One of her kidneys has also failed, so she only has one left.
Lilian lives with her mother. Her mother is rarely home, so her aunt takes care of her. Her aunt told us that Lilian’s mother is given a government grant because she has a daughter. Her mother uses this grant to buy food for herself, and doesn’t care for Lilian. Lilian’s aunt can’t afford to buy medication for her, so she has no way of getting the help she needs.
Despite Lilian’s health, she is still attending school. I would guess that she is doing well in school because of how much she understood what was going on, and how well she could communicate with us. Her favourite class in school is English. She told us that when she grows up she wants to be a nurse, so she can help other people who are sick. That answer she gave was truly amazing, because it really shows how big of a heart she has.
Devon in Africa with a new friend (Note: child is not Lilian)Lilian’s aunt gave the Care Workers her medical report, and some papers that said how much her medication would cost. The Care Workers meet regularly, so at their next meeting they can present her report and potentially budget for Lilian’s medication. They will continue to visit Lilian on a weekly basis and pray with her and walk alongside Lilian in her struggle.
You can read more about Devon’s journey on his blog: http:
Hands at Work invites people to come to Africa and see the work God is doing here on the ground. You can learn more about the opportunities to come to Africa to serve, here: /come
Fortune (front, left) with his friends from Youth Program at the Care PointMncedisi Nkosi is more commonly known by his friends as Fortune. He is a teenager growing up in one of the poorest communities in South Africa. His story shows how a life can be transformed when people give what they can to the most vulnerable.
I am Mncedisi Nkosi and I am 16 years old. I was born in a small South African community where I have lived my whole life. I have a sister, Siphokazi, 6, in grade 1, and a brother, Khanyiso, 13, in grade 8. I am in grade 11 and I especially enjoy mathematics. We stay with my grandma, Ester, who has been caring for us since our mother died. I’ve never known my father.
I remember the day my life was rocked. It was November 23, 2006. I had left my mum at home that morning. She had been sick, but I felt comfortable leaving her as I thought she was recovering and getting stronger. The news I heard when I returned that day pierced my heart and the words “hospital” and “dead” echoed in my head. My body went numb. I wished I was dead too. The reality of losing my mother was too much for me to bear. I started withdrawing and having difficulties in school.
Thankfully, I already knew God during this time and felt He was always with me. He showed me love through the people He put in my life like my grandma and my Care Worker, Lillian. With time, I realised that my life was worth living to the full and joy and laughter returned.
People would describe me now as outgoing and social. I have been cared for by Senzokuhle Community Based Organisation for the past five years and have recently become a leader with the Youth Program there. I love singing and dancing and am actively involved with leading our worship times. I’m so glad I get to eat and spend time with my friends every day at the Care Point but it’s the visits from Lillian that have made the biggest difference to me. I feel cared for and know that my grandmother also feels supported in raising me and my siblings.
When I am not involved with school and the Youth Program, I am working on my own business: wedding planning and video making. I feel I have a great drive and someday wish to be a businessman in Canada, America, or England. It’s hard to believe I once wanted to end my life and although my mother will never be replaced, I am thankful for the people God has placed in my life to encourage me and help me to dream!
We thank God for knowing Fortune by name and bringing hope into his life after experiencing tragedy as a child. We thank our Father for the Care Workers like Lillian who have given their love to Fortune, becoming like parents to him. We thank Him for those who have given financial support, generously, so this young man can access education, basic health care, and food security. Jesus says, “Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38). If you would like to give to support a child such as Fortune, learn more here.
At Hands at Work we have many volunteers, from Africa and all over the world, who have had experiences in Africa that have changed their lives. Most volunteers have a moment, or a series of moments that defined their understanding of God’s heart for the poor. At Hands we encourage all volunteers to focus on relationships, and the real moments God blesses them with as they meet Care Workers and children across Africa. Often these moments become a memory, but sometimes they are captured on camera. Photos have a powerful way of evoking memories and the feelings experienced in the moment. We asked our volunteers for one photo that is really significant to them and to describe why. The most significant photos to us are not always necessarily the most professional or even most beautiful images. They are the ones, however, that take us back to a moment that changed our lives.
Care Worker Mama Esther in Kambove, DRC
Bernard took it in 2011 when visiting her home
"Nothing to live for herself but so much to give for others"
Community Based Organisation Coordinator Rhoda in Racecourse, Zambia
Julia took it in 2012
"She does not need words to head the CBO"
In the end, being strict with myself, I have today decided to select one from this past visit to KaPhunga.
It's one that reminds me of lots of things ~ the new centre can be seen in the background ~ there is wonderfully caring baba Vusi, who shows such love to every child and family he meets ~ including this little family that we met on our way back from visiting the 'field' that Nomsa (Community Based Organisation Coordinator) has been given by the community to grow maize for the children of Swaziland. It shows me how Hands at Work has assisted Nomsa to encourage a community in her country to care for the widows and orphans, and bringing us all together from all around the world, walking side by side to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus.
Annie - Mcheneke, Malawi
Photo taken by Marj Miller, November, 2012
Annie is a disabled teenaged girl who lives with incredible challenges. Orphaned, neglected and rejected, her incredible smile encourages me to hang on to hope in hopeless situations and trust God for breakthroughs.
The reason I love this photo: it represents the unity of working together and the main source of the day; food! A lifeline to unite the culture.
I took this photo in Bushbuck Ridge, South Africa (Belfast Community)
Photographer: Morgan Malster
Location: Amlew (Kitwe, Zambia)
Subject: Memory and Kelvin
Description: The first time I visited Memory and Kelvin and their siblings in their home was the first time I felt strongly that there was no hope for one of our children. I saw the Care Workers pour love out on them and that was when I realized that the love of the Care Workers is what brings hope. I have this picture up in my room and it reminds me to pray for them by name.
Name: Catherine Clarkson
Photographer: Alicia Ralph
Subject: Dayo
Location: Elekuru village, Nigeria
Description: After riding motorbikes through the jungle to a remote village, we came across children who had not yet been ‘found’ and brought under the care of the Community Based Organisation. Dayo was one of the most broken and traumatised children I have ever met, having been abandoned by his mother as a new-born. He now attends school with his older brother, eats at the Care Point each day and receives regular and loving home visits from the Elekuru Care Workers.
Photographer: Melissa Warren
Location: Mngwere Community, Malawi
Subject: Henry the Care Worker with Mandris (child)
Your short description: We visited Madris in his home. When asked where he slept we were directed to a kitchen hut no more than 1.5m in diameter – half filled with cooking equipment, the other half he would share to sleep in with his older brother. It was heart wrenching to see the squalid and unsafe conditions he slept in every night. The only reason I could walk away from this situation was knowing Madris has a Care Worker Henry, who visits Mandris almost every day, and cares for Mandris as if he was his own son. For me, this photo captures the beautiful relationship between Care Worker and child that is so foundational to who we are as Hands at Work.
Location: Mcheneke community, Malawi
Description: This 15 year old girl is named Annie. She has no family
apart from a granny who doesn't care for her and a physically abusive
alcoholic brother. People often come to her home to tell her she is
cursed, and this makes Annie suicidal. She has no food at all, so she
spends every day under a mango tree eating whatever falls. This photo
is meaningful to me because when I met her she had constant pain on
her face. I took this picture when I said something funny and for a
passing moment a smile broke across her face.
This photo was sent to us by Fortunate and is taken at Siyathathuka Community Based Organisation in Clau Clau, South Africa.
It is of 5 families who take home fresh spinach from the garden Fortunate made.
The Care Workers and children there now have a large garden and I believe more children are taking home fresh vegetables which will help their health.
The reason that it means so much is that while our team were there we were able to replace the pump in the borehole so that they have water to enable their garden to grow.
It has just shown me the difference that water can make to a community in so many ways.
Our God is so good and provides - it was great to see them recognize this and to be so thankful to God for it.
This picture brings me hope. Tanazio is teaching children in the morning at the Care Point in Maonde community, Malawi. It brings hope for the future, hope for these children, and to me represents how the Care Workers serve vulnerable children across our communities.
Location: Home, Mandlesive, Clau Clau, South Africa
Subject: Senty (name changed), 4
I stayed with Senty and her family just weeks after coming to Africa for the first time. Her mother is 19 and was taking care of their household because her own parents have passed away. Their family is one of the poorest and most vulnerable in South Africa. But meeting Senty made me realise that a child in the most dire situation in Africa is not that different from a child in Canada. Their souls are the same. Senty is creative, bright, spunky, naughty, loud, beautiful, and has the biggest imagination. When I asked her what she wants to be when she grows up, she said a frog. I feel every bit of her spirit when I see this photo and it’s second best to being with her in person.
A group of individuals in Australia, led by the compassionate McLaughlin family, seek to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable children in South Africa, and to the Care Workers who serve so sacrificially each day to build for a positive future for their community. By partnering with communities like Welverdiend, in Bushbuck Ridge, this group has seen transformation taking place in many lives. Here is just one story:
In 2009, 6 young children were devastated by the loss of their parents. The eldest girl, Busie, 15, took responsibility for their mentally challenged and mute brother, Robert, and an uncle offered to take in the four youngest siblings: Segney, Gertrude, Ronald, and Karimo. It wasn’t long before the children realized they were not going to experience the care and provision they had anticipated from their uncle. Their uncle began stealing the small government orphan grant being given to the four orphaned children. On many nights, the children went to bed without food and often went to school without adequate clothes. One by one, the children fled from their uncle to their old home.
In 2011, Busie became pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl. With no one to help Busie raise her daughter and siblings, and with repeated years of failing at school, Busie dropped out in Grade 8. Motivation to continue attending dwindled and the hope for a brighter future became bleak. Housework and providing meals for the family became overwhelming. The growing instability in this family’s life started to affect the other children’s school work and their teachers became concerned. Aware that the family was in need of support, the teachers asked Care Workers at Pfunani Community Based Organisation to help.
Ester, a Pfunani Care Worker began to visit the family and look for ways to support them. She helped the children to apply for a social grant which they are now receiving. Each morning, Care Workers visit the family home on their way to the Care Point to ensure porridge is cooked for 
Robert. During other home visits, Ester helps to ensure the house is clean, laundry is washed, and meals are cooked. Although Busie still struggles with feelings of depression, the family are discovering a new reality of hope. Not only are they fed physically, with a nutritious meal each day at the Care Point, but also spiritually and emotionally. They enjoy interacting with other children at the Care Point and attend weekly lessons led by their older peers, where issues such as self-esteem, healthy relationships, and sexual education are discussed.
Ester desires to continue helping Busie and her family to experience brighter days, to understand that they are loved and embraced as family.
The McLaughlin family and friends desired to make their partnership with Pfunani Community Based Organisation personal. They wanted it to go beyond just the sending of funds. This group are getting to know the Care Workers and children by name, and they look for creative and meaningful ways to impact their lives and the community. In 2013, they formed a team and travelled to South Africa to spend time with the people they had grown to love. During their time in the community, they worked to make the Pfunani Care Point a safe, secure and fun place for the children and Care Workers to meet.
Children like Busie and her siblings, who have battled with so much loss and rejection, now find a place of acceptance and value. The McLaughlin family and friends work closely with Hands at Work to make a positive impact in the lives of these vulnerable children. And through it, they have discovered a new reality of hope for the children and Care Workers they know by name.
Have you considered sending a team to visit Hands at Work, or joining other individuals who desire to bring hope to the most vulnerable? Find out how you could get involved with Hands at Work by sending a group of passionate people to serve on a short-term team. No skills are required, just a commitment to serve and a desire to care.
To find out more, contact your local Hands at Work office:
Australia: info@au.handsatwork.org
Canada: info@ca.handsatwork.org
For other countries please contact partnerships@handsatwork.org
Today I want to do something dangerous. I want to try to define short-term missions, or teams coming to visit Hands. Why are we doing it? What does it actually mean? Maybe I should just say what it does not mean. It's not a missional experience that we are trying to create, or a sort of short-term outreach that is good for a team to go on as an experience and say "I can tick the box of being in Africa". Rather it's a sacrificial, well planned commitment in friendship through servanthood. It is ongoing, bringing healing and maturity and encouragement to both those going and those receiving. Those going are saying, “Because I understand that love is not expressed in words but in deeds.” Those receiving are saying "I am blessed because I am not forgotten. I'm known by name and I have hope. Many people are coming here to help me, encourage me, and they receive healing themselves."
Initially when we come to Africa it is difficult for us to understand that “me” and “my time” are actually the best gift I could give Africa. Me, as a person, and my time. It's so hard for us to believe this is really the best we can give when meeting all the amazing people in Africa and experience the pain and suffering in the villages where we work.
I was recently told a story about one of our Care Workers in one of the communities where we work. I was told how the words of Jesus in Matthew 25 came alive to her. The words, "I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. Whenever you give even a cup of water to one of these little ones …" It revolutionized her whole life and the way she cared. She confessed that now when she gets up in the morning she gets up and she looks for opportunities to have an impact. She looks for opportunities to reach out, even if it is only a cup of water to one of the most vulnerable children. It went further. One night, late, there was somebody knocking at the door. Initially she thought she could never open it up and put herself at risk. Again the scripture came to her. What if it is somebody that you could help, somebody that is in need? She opened the door and it was a vulnerable and orphaned girl from one of our communities who was kicked out of the house where she stayed. She had nowhere to go that night. This young lady who had this wonderful revelation of the word of God, took her into her house and she kept her there. In the morning she went to the hut where this young girl was staying. She dealt with the dispute that there was and why she wasn't welcome there anymore. She said it changed everything between her and this girl. This girl now trusted her at such a deep level. There was such a strong bond between the two of them that it gave her a beautiful opportunity to become deeply involved in her life.
Yes. These are stories that we hear at Hands at Work very often. It's beautiful. Of course we all know these stories are contagious. We've seen through the years that relationships are the core ingredients that change everything. We see people coming together from different cultures, different educational backgrounds, different thinking. And as they knit their hearts together in the dusty roads in Africa, and they meet the children, there's something beautiful and lasting in both their lives.
A part of the Hands Vision has always been that we want to serve the body of Christ. We believe in the body. We believe in the church. We especially believe in the young people coming to Africa and sending them back to take their rightful place as upcoming leaders in their communities and churches. The volunteers who have been with us from years ago, and a bit more recently, I have met on my journeys when I go to their countries and speak. Some of them come back to Hands and they share their lives with us. Their voices become tender and soft when they start sharing how grateful they are. They don't take things for granted anymore. They came to understand and ask “What is the difference between me and the people in Africa?” That's a humbling experience. It's also liberating. It sets you free and gives you a purpose to live a life that's continually blessing people around you, not just in Africa, but even in their own community. You are compelled to get involved in the lives of broken people around you.
I was recently in Australia with one of our church partners who has been with us for more than 10 years. The fire is still burning so high in that church. I asked the pastor, “How do you do this? How do you keep the flame alive? You are so compassionate about Africa. Every year teams are coming. Your involvement is amazing. Young people come to serve. It's incredible and it doesn't slow down its actually growing.” The pastor looked at me at that moment and very clearly said to me, "George, we are not good for Africa. Africa is good for us. Africa's impact in our church is so big. All of us know that it has played a huge defining role in helping us grow to maturity - to go and see and to go and learn - going to meet people by name. When they come back it brings purpose, it brings maturity, and it brings life."
Missions don’t exist because there's a church. Churches exist because there are missions and because all of us live to worship our Father and to make His name known. What an incredible privilege to do that in the place where the pain and brokenness and the suffering is at its worst. Surely, surely that is getting very close to our Father.
Abandoned by his father, four-year-old Tawanda was left to stay in a small shack in Sakubva with his mother, Shorai, and his two brothers. In February 2013, Tawanda’s father returned to the household and, in a terrifying act, set fire to it. What little food, clothing and blankets the family owned were completely destroyed. The family was left with nothing, save the clothes they were wearing. A neighbour in their community allowed the desperate family to stay in her small, oneroomed home until they found another place to stay. There was already a family living here, but it was all Tawanda, his mother and brothers had. They currently all sleep on the same bed. Tawanda and his family face huge challenges.
They cannot afford food, clothes or school fees. In order for them to just survive, Shorai has to cut down and sell firewood – back-breaking work for just a few dollars.
Tawanda and his brothers were found by the Care Workers from Sakubva Christian Caring Trust in 2012. The Care Workers heard their story and wanted to respond in love. They brought the children to the Care Point in the hope that they could bring some life and light into their lives. The children are now attending the Sakubva Care Point each day for a nutritious meal and to connect with the Care Workers and play with other children. The Care Point in Sakubva is a hub of activity at the moment: a Care Centre is under construction, enabling the Care Workers to provide holistic care to their vulnerable children. It is a noisy, welcoming and a nurturing environment for children like Tawanda to attend.
Angeline, one of Sakubva’s Care Workers has been running education classes for Tawanda, his older brother and other children who do not currently attend school. She does this in preparation for the children to eventually attend formal school. At present, Tawanda is learning how to count to 20 and to write his name. Christine, another Care Worker visits Tawanda and his family twice each week. She assists them with any work that needs to be done in their house but also listens and prays with them. Christine has brought hope to the whole family by her very presence.
When Sakubva Community Based Organisation recently received a donation of clothes and blankets, Tawanda and his brothers received clothing and a blanket each. It has been a huge blessing to the family. After receiving these items, Shorai told the Care Workers that she has seen God working so clearly in her life –in His provision for her and her children, and through the love and care of the Sakubva Care Workers.
Since the first invasion into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), almost 2 decades ago, more than 5 million people have died in the deadliest conflict the world has seen since the Second World War. It’s an incomprehensible truth when one stops to consider the scale. Each one known to somebody. Each with a face and a name. Each with a story to tell of a life lived or yet to be lived. The Congo is a beautifully vast and mineral-rich landscape in central Africa but it also bears the scars of wars that have raged for many years and are continuing to terrorise its people. Half of Congo’s inhabitants are under 14 and have only ever known war.
Furaha, as featured in storyFuraha was born in Goma, in Eastern Congo. At just 4 years old, Furaha’s entire existence has been characterised by instability. She is a refugee in her own country, running constantly from the threat of rebel invasion and oppression. The war killed her father. Furaha and her mother desperately sought shelter with other war widows and their children, but food was scare and access to even basic medical supplies was impossible. Desperation is written all over Furaha’s face and yet, Furaha could not be picked out of a crowd. There are millions of children just like her.
In Goma, tens of thousands of people are displaced and find themselves in over-run and unsafe refugee camps which offer little protection or provision for the traumatised and vulnerable. People are too scared to return to their destroyed villages and too damaged by the brutality and oppression they have suffered at the hands of rebels. Women, left traumatised by abuse and rape, bear deep emotional scars, and carry, too, the resultant children. Used as a cruel and barbaric instrument of war, rape will give birth to a new generation of children who will be born into brokenness and chaos.
In one of the refugee camps lives our own ‘Mother Theresa’. A lady whose compassion for the orphaned singled her out in her own village. In Luhonga , a village on the outskirts of Goma, she fought for the children the world does not know. The ones who have only ever known fear. She was there when these children gathered in a hut, all desperate and all terrorised, for their first ever plate of nutritious food. Women like this are named by Hands at Work as ‘Mother Theresa’ because their desire to bring hope and life stands in contradiction to their environment, to their own stories of brutal abuse and to the threat that constantly surrounds them. They are light and life to the most vulnerable. And yet, our Mother Theresa from Luhonga is not in her village caring for the children she has been called to serve. She is too afraid. She remains in the refugee camp and is terrified of returning to her home for fear of another invasion.
Refugee camp outside of GomaAnd yet, the world is unaware. A raging conflict, on a world-war scale, rages in the Congo. And the faces of those most affected are unknown to the world: The children kidnapped to become child soldiers, joining a military regime that killed their own parents, and thousands of women who fled their own homes after they were raped and abused, many of whom had witnessed their own husbands, sons and neighbours being slaughtered.
Hands at Work are 100% committed to reaching the poorest and most vulnerable people in Africa today. And these people include little girls like Furaha and our ‘Mother Theresa’s’ in the DRC. We will stand up for them and make their stories known. We will know their names. We will know their faces. And we will fight for them.
Will you join us?
In Goma, we are working in 2 villages, Luhonga and Buhimba, where poverty and the number of orphans is extremely high, and support services and levels of safety and protection is very low. The threat of rebel invasion and displacement is constant.
But you can join us by doing something amazing with your VOICE, your RESOURCES and your TIME to serve the most vulnerable people in the DRC and across Africa.
PRAY for children like Furaha and for peace to prevail across the DRC.
SPEAK UP for the men and women who are trying to care for the most vulnerable in their communities and tell others about what is happening in Goma.
To learn more about what it means to ‘speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves’ in countries across Africa, visit our Advocate page.
SUPPORT Hands at Work financially to ensure we can continue to travel into the DRC and to support the work in the poorest villages with the most vulnerable children.
To give towards our work in the DRC or to find out more, contact Hands at Work in Africa: info@handsatwork.org
First day of Care Point feeding in Luhonga village, Goma
Catherine Clarkson is a long-term volunteer with Hands at Work in Africa. In 2010 she chose to leave her comfortable life in the UK to come and serve and live with the Hands at Work community near White River, South Africa. After three years she continues to learn about what it is means to live a life of servanthood. This is her reflection.
There is an old African saying: ‘It takes a village to raise a child’. I can report the truth of this, at least in my limited experience. Our communities across Africa are over-burdened and overwhelmed by the sheer number of orphaned children and of their deep needs. I have come to realise that the answer for the most vulnerable children is not a sponsorship scheme or even the resources from external sources, but a locally-owned, locally-planned and locally-executed approach. Africa’s future lies with its people. For them to stand up and be counted, to raise their voices above the chaos and to make a difference will ensure the sustainability of this beautiful continent. Of course, I passionately believe that others are called to join in this story and to give a ‘helping hand’ to lift up our brothers and sisters, that is why I am here, doing this work, …and, of course, there are many organisations that exist to provide direct funding and services to children, doing a much needed work – but I no longer believe that this is the only answer.
I’d like to share with you a story that challenged me deeply. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a group of local men (Care Workers) were showing our Hands at Work Coordinator, Erick, around their community and they came across a boy who was dying. Severely malnourished and suffering from acute malaria, the boy had perhaps hours left to live. Erick struggled hugely to see a precious child suffering in this way, and enquired about what could be done to save him. The local Care Workers looked at each other and drew a blank – they saw the situation, felt compassion, but had no idea of how to respond. As poor men themselves, they had no resources to get the child to a clinic and no medical experience either. Erick desperately wanted to do everything he could to immediately save the boy, but, for the sake of the future of the community and the boy’s future too, he chose not to. He spoke directly and strongly to the Care Workers: ‘If you don’t come up with a solution, this boy, your child, will die.’ Then he bit his lip, said a silent, desperate prayer and left.
When I first heard this story, I felt a whole mix of emotions: sadness about the situation that is more common than I wish it was, fear, frustration.
Faced with the imminent reality of losing a child, the Care Workers came together and formed a plan to get the child to the clinic. It involved a wheelbarrow, the physical strength of them all to push in relay and the combined resources of many people. The boy lived.
Reading this story over and over, I realised that beyond the obvious truth that the Care Workers needed to take ownership for the situation themselves, there was another truth. The scale of suffering in Africa is extraordinary. Every single day 6000 children lose their parents to HIV/AIDS—that’s 180,000 per month. Brutal abuse, rape, torture, kidnapping, child soldiers and poverty are all around and it’s tough to even comprehend that there might be a solution. The truth is that it makes me fearful to even hope that there might be an end to the suffering. But one thing is for sure: the answer, deep down, and long-term, does not stand with me or with any single organisation. The response and the hope for tomorrow lies with the people of Africa. We, as Hands at Work, are called to play a privileged role today in lifting the arms of our brothers and sisters. We can teach, build, capacitate, encourage, strengthen, guide, equip, challenge, correct, suggest and support the work that God has called us to today. But the answer still lies much more locally than I will ever have the privilege of living. It takes a village – in all its richness, complexity and diversity – to raise a child, not only capable of living tomorrow, but of thriving and of giving back to the next generation.
Our Hands at Work community has a saying of our own: ‘we are’ before ‘we do’. We hold on to the truth that it is not, first and foremost, about what we have to offer and what skills we bring, but it is about who we are, as Christ-filled, compassionate, humble and meek people, that really makes a difference. I will say it again just how honoured I am to be a part of Hands at Work and to be learning more about who I am and what my place is in the world today.
Read more on Catherine’s blog: www.catherineclarkson.com.
Kristal Hoff is an advocate and volunteer in Canada with Hands at Work in Africa. She and her husband, Will, recently took a team of ten individuals from around the world to visit vulnerable villages in South Africa, Zambia and Malawi. Kristal reflects on her experience with the Serve and Learn Team in their final weeks.
After 2 months of traveling around as a family of 10 we have come to the end! We are surprised and truly thankful that we all came back in one piece and are still loving each other. What an amazing journey!
We wrote last about our time in South Africa. Since then we have traveled through Zambia, starting with a few relaxing days in Livingstone and staying the remainder of our time at Kachele Farm, home of the Zambian Regional Support Team. We visited communities called Mulenga, Mwaiseni, and Maranatha. From there we bussed to Malawi. We stayed at the local Hands at Work office in Dedza, Malawi and visited communities called Mngwere, Mcheneka, Maonde and Chinku, with even a trip to Lake Malawi. We really had the sense of going deeper and deeper into Africa.
While in Zambia we had the opportunity to spend time with and be challenged by amazing leaders that are truly anointed by God. James (one of Hands at Work’s regional coordinators in Zambia) shared with us the Christ he knows. He started by asking us if we were Christians. We all said, “yes”, but he continued, “Are you sure?” Lisa looked at me, with tear-filled eyes, and said, “I feel like I'm with Jesus.” Erick, Hands at Work’s coordinator for the work in Democratic Republic of Congo shared his heart for the vulnerable in his country and especially for Goma, a war-torn area that is so hostile. We were moved to commit an entire day to fasting and praying for breakthrough.
Mulenga was a community many of us fell in love with. We were deeply impacted by the dedication of the care workers in building relationships with their children. One man in particular, Reuben, challenged many of us in the way we serve. I visited a home of a young girl named Joy. She is 5 years old but could easily be mistaken for 2. Her hair is reddish and quite thin. Her mother abandoned her a few years ago and the woman who was currently looking after her also ran out on her. She was left with a 17-year-old girl and 4 other children under the age of 7. This was the first time in all of my time in Africa that I felt deeply that I needed to take her home. I wept the entire visit. We then walked to the care point where Joy was to get her meal. She sat on my lap as she spooned the rice into her mouth. All of a sudden I heard her scream, “Pastor!” I looked up and saw Reuben running toward her, arms in the air with excitement. He gave her a big high-five and I could feel everything in her lighten. This for me was a real glimpse into the Kingdom of God. Reuben later told me that people in the community were calling Joy strange names, like Chameleon. He changed her name and said for the rest of her life she will find joy in the Lord. And she will, because not only does Reuben and many others unconditionally love her, but she knows she is loved. That's the most beautiful part.
This was our entire 2 months—seeing and experiencing true glimpses into the Kingdom of God. Men and women of God that have been raised up, anointed, and are serving their Lord completely selflessly by loving
those that no one else does. There were many care workers like Reuben. It really challenged us and put the way that we selectively serve to shame.
While in Malawi, we had the privilege of staying 3 nights in the community of Mngwere with care workers. This allowed us to get real insight into their lives: how they live, who they live with, their daily challenges. We discovered how vulnerable even they are! They struggle daily for food, they grieve the loss of their own children and spouse, feel pressured by some of the easy, but negative, ways to earn money, and many other unique challenges.
Traveling from country to country, through borders, on busses was miraculously easy and smooth, but still had its challenges. Entering a new country means a new language, a new currency, new songs and names, new culture and customs. We were always thinking, always converting, always fully aware of our surroundings and our actions.
We were really surprised as to how fast our team caught the heart of Hands and how keen they were in every situation to serve the Hands family and care workers. What we were mostly surprised and impressed with was also the responsibility they took in doing these things. They didn't travel around with the intention of having great experiences and writing down great stories, but rather to give themselves completely in everything they did, and most especially in encouragement. It was amazing to see someone sitting down with a care worker or a Hands bookkeeper, sharing scripture and encouragement and praying together.
Our hope in this uniqu
e trip was not for people necessarily to fall in love with Africa or understand poverty better or think that Hands is the best organization working in Africa, but for people to fall deeper and deeper in love with Jesus and live that out fully. To be removed from the pressures of their culture and lives to really experience the heart of God lived out by some of the most unexpected people, diamonds in the dust. And these 8 individuals did. They won't be the same, I can attest to it. I've seen them wrestle and struggle and question and look deep into their own hearts and lives as they sat in the homes of vulnerable and broken children, while they walked alongside beautiful, dusty feet, and while they listened to stories of grannies praying to live longer to care for their grandchildren.
The Serve and Learn Team is a unique opportunity. It is a short time commitment, but individuals get deep into Hands at Work: into our heart and family and deep into our communities across Africa. It's about learning in action, learning as you're serving, and recognizing that some of God's most anointed and chosen people sit in shacks on nameless streets.
Fortunate Kunene serves with Hands at Work in Africa as the Clau Clau Service Centre Coordinator, working to build capacity, provide support and encouragement to five Community Based Organisations in the area. Here she reflects on a boy she met in one of those communities and considers her own childhood.
Thulane is a nine year old boy. He lives with his mother and two young sisters: Thobile, who is seven and Nelsiwe who is five. He also has a baby brother, Sanele who is just nine months old. The family originally came from Mozambique, fleeing to South Africa in the hope of a brighter future. Unfortunately, this has meant that they don’t have any birth certificates or identification documents that would enable them to receive assistance from the South African government. They stay in a one-roomed shack made of corrugated metal. The children have only a cold floor to sleep on, and no blanket.
Thulane’s mother leaves for work at 5am each morning and doesn’t return until after dark each evening. Thulane, being the oldest, is therefore required to look after the home and to care for his siblings. He has a long walk down a very steep hill to fetch water. He cleans the house and washes nappies for his baby brother. Thulane doesn’t have any time to play and do things most nine-year- old children do. It is nearly an hour for Thulane to walk to the Mandlesive Care Point, but he makes this journey every day because he has made friends there and has relationships with the Care Workers. Perhaps this Care Point is the only place in the world where this little boy feels able to be ‘just a child’. Thulane’s Care Worker, Nomsa, visits him regularly in his home to help him with the household chores. She helps him clean, do the washing and get water. Thulane says he wants to be a teacher when he grows up.
As a Service Centre Coordinator, Thulane touched me so much because his childhood reminds me of my own. When I was seven years old I had to look after my little brother. My mother would leave us for work at 4am and not get back until late in the evening. We didn’t have food while my mum was away at work, so I think that if there was a Care Point offered to us, we would have attended there every day to get food. It would have been good for me to have a Care Worker like Nomsa to support me since I was acting as a mother myself. At the Care Point, children get to forget their problems. For a time, they can play with their friends and act like other children.
I want to help children just like Thulane as I understand what it is like to have so much responsibility at such a young age. It is these children that I believe I have been called to. In my work in the Service Centre, I believe that many children, just like Thulane can be given hope, even though they face many challenges.
A story from Elekuru, Nigeria
*children’s names have been changed
Under the cover of darkness, a desperate mother travelled to a remote village in Elekuru, Nigeria and abandoned her baby. He was just 15 days old. The baby was left in the care of his grandmother, who was already doing all she could to care for 5 other abandoned children. Ironically, the baby was named Dayo*, which means ‘joy arrives’. That was 3 years ago. Dayo’s mother has not been seen since that night in 2010.
The village of Lasidi, where Dayo’s grandmother lives and cares for her children, is remote and cut off from any modern services. The children do not attend school and the people fight for survival each day. There is no clean water source, food is grown solely off the land and there is much sickness. It is just this kind of place that Elekuru Care Workers were drawn to. They wanted to be a light into the lives of desperate people like Dayo’s family.
Loving Care Workers like Abigail started to visit the village of Lasidi and found the children and grandmother in a desperate situation. She felt compassion for them. She wanted to help relieve some of the burden that Dayo’s aging grandmother was shouldering alone. Abigail began to visit the family regularly, caring for their physical needs as best she could, and trying to understand their inner brokenness.
The family felt as if they had been adopted in to the Elekuru family, together with Abigail and all the Care Workers. Dayo and his brother Lenu* were identified as vulnerable children and the Elekuru Community Based Organisation took special care of them, ensuring them a hot, nutritious meal each day, access to education at the local Community School and basic health care. Each morning, the brothers wake excited, bathe themselves, and get ready to go to their new school. Abigail continues to visit this family, loving and caring for the children as if they were her own. The community’s prayer is for Dayo’s deep wounds of rejection to heal with time because of the love and attention he is now receiving.
Communities like Elekuru in Nigeria continue to be very tough places to work. Care Workers sacrificially give of their time and energy to reach the most vulnerable children and bring comfort in their desperate situations. Please join us in praying for Care Workers like Abigail who do this every day. Pray for their courage and perseverance as they strive to live out the message of Christ in bringing hope to the hopeless.
Siyathuthuka, South Africa
One day Wandile was playing outside in his community of Mafwambisa when he cut his foot badly on a broken bottle. His mother, Siphiwe has serious health issues and was not able to leave the house and take him to a clinic. She found some glue and tried to glue Wandile’s wound shut. For Wandile, 7, his sister Lungile, 12, and their brother Philane, 2, this story is one of many where they were in need of an adult who could properly care for them.
In South Africa, Hands at Work supports Community Based Organisations (CBO’s) such as Siyathuthuka CBO in Mafwambisa. Here, members of the local churches are volunteering to care for the most vulnerable children. Telma is one of these Care Workers. She has been visiting Wandile’s family since 2008 when their father died. Telma visits the family at home to ensure Siphiwe has taken her treatment. Lungile fears that without Telma, their mother may die also.
The children used to stay at home alone, trying to help their mother. Now, they are able to attend the Care Point at Siyathuthuka CBO. It was here that a Care Worker noticed Wandile’s infected foot and began cleaning the wound each day with salt water until it healed fully. The Care Point is also where the children can receive help with their homework each day. Lungile is in grade 7 and Wandile is in grade 2. Lungile says her favourite subject is English and she loves to practise speaking it. She also says one of her favourite memories is the day Thandy, a Care Worker, taught the girls traditional dancing at the Care Point.
Each week, Hands at Work trainers visit Siyathuthuka to equip the local Care Workers. These local Care Workers are not only healing the physical wounds like Wandile’s foot, they are healing the inner wounds of the most vulnerable children. Wandile, Lungile and Philane were in danger of growing up with serious scars – both physical and emotional, but now they are able to be children and have peace knowing that they are surrounded by many mothers who love them.
