“Let the children come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven…”
So said the Lord Jesus when the disciples started to push away the young ones being brought to him for his blessing. He knew that their young, believing hearts were the best soil for the good news of his love. Statistics show that those between the ages of 4 and 14 provide the most fertile ground for the good news of hope in Christ. It should be no surprise then that the Lord stirs up the hearts of our overseas partners to reach out to the children around them. The ministries that we work with make it a priority to rescue and care for children, many of them abused, abandoned and marginalized by cultures that do not value them.
India is a prime example of such a place. As many as 10,000 Indian babies die every day due to preventable diseases. Over 500,000 Indian children are forced into the sex trade every year. One out of six female babies die due to gender discrimination and 50% of the girls are malnourished. Two thirds of them cannot read or write. Nearly 20 million children sleep on the street every night, hungry and unprotected. One third of the world’s malnourished children live in India. Statistics like this move the hearts of all our Indian partners. That’s why they start orphanages, build schools, organize feeding and literacy programs, set up medical camps and introduce the children in their care to a God who loves them and is their Savior.
There is hardly any more noticeable difference than between the children of India’s streets and those who have been saved from those streets by caring Christians. The faces of the orphaned boys above, whose picture we took at the children’s home where they live in one of India’s poorest districts, mirror the hope that is now theirs. We have seen the rescued children’s faces, watched them dance, heard their songs and listened to them pray. They are being taught that they are special in God’s eyes. They are learning that God has a plan and future for them. They are worth saving! Will you help us?
The situation in Haiti is equally bleak for children. Nearly half of Haiti’s 10 million people are under the age of 18. It is a dangerous place for many of them. Roughly 500,000 live in camps and slums lacking social and police services. They face the continued threat of exploitation and abuse. Nearly 10% of babies die at birth and up to 30% of children living in the provinces die due to lack of medicine and proper care. Only 20 out of one hundred attend primary school and only 2% finish
high school. With an unemployment rate of 65-70% there is little hope of finding a job even for those with education. Haiti has the highest percentage of orphans in the Western Hemisphere. Even before the 2010 earthquake which killed over 200,000 people, the U.N. estimated there were 430,000 orphans in Haiti. Given those numbers, is there hope for Haiti? The answer is Yes!
Cebien Alexis has been reaching out to children on that needy island for many years. Besides his ministry’s 175 churches, he and his team have established 89 schools, a medical clinic, an orphanage, Faith Christian University, and Love in Action Ministry, which is a foundation that supplies education for 8400 children. Under their care multiple thousands have been given a safe home, good medical care, an education which extends all the way through vocational training and the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus. Your support of Cebien’s work with children brings hope where it is desperately needed.
Perhaps the most urgent situation now being faced by children anywhere is that faced by the children of Syria. Fleeing daily bombings and brutality from both sides in the ongoing conflict there, children have not been spared from the violence. Men, women, and children have been systematically massacred in their own homes by rogue protestors and militia backing the government. Children have watched their mothers being raped and their fathers killed while trying to stop the attacks. The chaos has left half a million displaced Syrians who have nowhere to turn.
Thousands of refugees have fled to the border areas of Jordan. There are scant resources to care for them and they wait in hopelessness for help. The children, in particular, arrive disoriented and in shock. Our partners in Jordan are there, reaching out to as many as they can, offering them life saving food and medicines. Only $20 will provide for one refugee child for a month. $100 will provide for a whole family. Will you help us invest in the lives of Syrian refugees in a way that brings them hope in the midst of despair?
Together we can make a difference for children around the world. Our partners offer both immediate relief and long lasting support. Monthly sponsorships are needed as well as one time gifts. A picture and profile can be provided for sponsored Indian children. Please join us in this effort.
A simple Gospel tract in their native language can change their eternal destiny. And people in India receive these tracts eagerly, then pass them along to family members and friends to read. Many times, as they travel from one person to another, these tracts end up in remote villages where the Gospel has never been preached. Along the way people open their hearts to Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life.
Kemala has 3 children, a son and two daughters. She is finding it very difficult to work and provide for her children because her earning is not sufficient. Kamala used to work as an unskilled laborer at construction sites around her village. She had to be away from early in the morning to late evening and could not give time for her children. She is physically weak as well. To help her start a new life, our partners helped her to open a small tea and snacks shop.
Having lost six children, one after the other, Vela was desperate for help. He tried every kind of worship,went to the witch doctors, but nothing was happening. And then his uncle died. These continuous deaths in his home rattled him and he thought that it would be better to end his life. But the thought of his tired wife and the hardships that she would have to face, forced him to stay alive.
