Sustaining Love KIDS

     I want to take this time to share with you a program that The Lord has confirmed in my heart to focus on in my return to Ghana. After spending a few years in the Volta Region of Ghana, I have witnessed and experienced the great need of love and care for the vulnerable people there. In a typical village such as Zuime, where I have been staying for more than 2 years, there is an overwhelming population of neglected and abandoned children and youth. Typically, children do not get the opportunity to finish school, much less even attend at all because their parent or guardian cannot afford it. Most children are being raised by young single moms or elderly grandmothers.

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     I strongly believe That The Lord can use the platform of education as a means to grow and nurture the mind of a child to provide them the ability to read and write. One of the greatest gifts we have as believers is to be able to read His Word. If a child learns to read, then that skill will allow them the opportunity to discover for themselves through God’s Word the plans He has for them. The ability to read and write can also open a whole new world of opportunities for children that come from vulnerable and hopeless backgrounds due to extreme poverty.

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     The schools in Ghana, especially in a typical village, are overloaded with children in packed classrooms with inexperienced or ill-equipped teachers. I propose that starting a before and after school-program for children in a village such as Zuime will provide care and educational help for children in vulnerable situations that may otherwise never know anything else outside of their village. There are hundreds of children going home after school to no parents until late in the evening, or who live with elderly grandmothers that cannot help with their studies.

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     There are many possibilities for a program such as this, especially if it is rooted in establishing a Christ-like love and foundation for children to know and grow in. Some of the goals and objective would be to provide love and care to vulnerable children for a few hours after school and help with homework while giving extra academic help through reading and writing activities with Bible story themes. I also envision this to be a great way to build relationships with family members of children that attend the program by offering intimate home visits to offer additional love and support for the families. “Family days” would be hosted a every six weeks for the families to come together for fellowship and to hear a devotion from staff members. It is important to model what Christ did with and for His disciples as He invested in them for three years before commanding them to go do the same thing. That is why another goal would be to invest in a group of teachers that would be the staff of this program so that one day they can take ownership of the program eventually as the locals of that community. It would be necessary to offer frequent staff trainings as well as professional and spiritual development.

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     The structure of the program would be that on Monday through Friday from 3pm-6pm the focus would be on academics as well as spiritual growth, and then on Saturdays there would be a time offered for children and youth to come together for a few hours of organized activities and sports. This will provide a gateway for these children and youth to express themselves through their love for sports which will allow any barriers they may have to come down. I personally know and have experienced how sports can be a tool that God uses to draw others to Him through unity of shared passions.

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     A common teaching strategy in education is: “I do”, “we do”, then “you do”. This was first modeled by Christ to His disciples. The prayer for this program is that the teachers involved, as well as the children, would one day take ownership of the program and pour into the community without “outside” help because they would be sustained by their love and motivation in Christ. As the community witnesses and experiences the benefit from a program such as this, then they too will be able to take more responsibility for their children’s education and more importantly spiritual condition.

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     For this to happen, a solid foundation must first be laid. Once this program is established, the opportunities are numerous to provide a safe and loving environment for children to come and have help with their academics, learn about Christ through stories and fun activities, and equip the community to take ownership of being responsible for their children.