Caring for the Most Vulnerable
After losing her father, Trina* was sad and confused. She struggled to cope with his death and her pain became deeply entrenched in her heart. When a new step-father came into her home, he rejected Trina as a daughter. This further loss created more inner trauma and Trina withdrew from those around her
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is infamously known as one of the poorest, most dysfunctional, and warn torn countries in the world. Erick Rukang, Hands at Work Leader in Likasi, DRC, reflects on the region around Goma:
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly – John 10:10 (ESV)
This Christmas, Hands at Work invites you to join us in giving to support the most vulnerable children across Africa. Each day, volunteer Care Workers from the local church care for the poorest children in the poorest communities in the eight countries Hands at Work serves.
Hands at Work envisions the local church in Africa united with the international church around the world, serving together to care for the most vulnerable people in the poorest African communities. In the US, Suzette, Michelle and Sara are three members of the Hands at Work US team who have answered this calling on their lives. Here they reflect on their call to GIVE:
Valentina* is only 7 years old, yet most of her life has been spent struggling to survive. When her father passed away, her mother was left with five children to care and provide for. In the extremely poor community of Kitabataba, finding income to buy food is almost impossible for the most vulnerable families.
One way the international church unites with the local church in bringing life to our children is through week-long camps. “We loved playing, having lessons, learning about God’s light, and having good food.” – Jenepher, 14 and Ruth 12, sisters from Kalende community. “They learned about mercy, obedience, and how there is God’s light all the time” – Dorothy, their Care Worker
At Hands at Work, our volunteers are called by God from all over the world. Each of us has a unique story of how we were transformed when we stepped out in faith and were obedient to His call. Erick says, “God was speaking to me and clearly showed me a vision of me working with vulnerable children in my country.”
Many people have had their lives affected by time spent in Africa. There are memories that we hold onto that breathe air on the embers of our faith – reminding us that God is for the orphaned the widowed and the dying. The most significant photos to us are not always the most professional or even most beautiful images. They are the ones, however, that take us back to a moment that changed our lives.
Hands at Work in Africa is committed to transforming the lives of the most vulnerable children through locally owned community based organisations. In Africa’s most vulnerable communities, the scale of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, war, poverty and the vast number of orphaned children is incomprehensible. An entire generation of parents have passed away.
At Hands at Work, our volunteers are called by God from all over the world to serve the most vulnerable in Africa. Busisiwe (Busie) Sityata-Jones was born and grew up in South Africa, experiencing the effects of apartheid on her own people. For over ten years she has served with Hands at Work, and today she serves as one of our key leaders in Southern Africa.
It is difficult to comprehend the struggles faced by the poor in Malawi. When it comes to education, many children dream of going to school and learning, living in the hope that they may one day succeed, get a job and escape the cycle of poverty they were born into. But for too many children in Malawi today, these dreams never come to fruition.
Perhaps being forced to drop out of school because your family simply cannot afford the fees anymore is just as heart breaking as not being able to go to school. When Lovelyn came home from school one day and realized she would not return, she felt lost and hopeless. Now, she faced the terrible prospect that her education was over.
Nokuphila is a seven year old girl. This desperately poor community struggles from a lack of clean, accessible water and, at times, impassable roads. There is also virtually no employment within the community. Her aunt immediately moved into the home to help care for Nokuphila and her disabled mother when her father passed away. With no job and no income, simply surviving was a constant struggle.
Kasongo’s story could have ended with her wandering the streets of Kikula with her siblings, desperately trying to survive. With no means of supporting herself, Kasongo began to suffer physically from a lack of food. The trauma of her father dying and the rejection of her mother abandoning her have left deep scars in this young girl.
