Giving Hope to Orphans and Vulnerable Children

Church World Service is working to support the self-empowerment of some 26,400 orphans and vulnerable children in four countries of East Africa -- Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda -- over the next three years. Dubbed "Giving Hope," this is one part of CWS's Africa Initiative and is made possible with support from the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, of St. Marys, Georgia.

Catalyst for the work with orphans and vulnerable children is Epiphanie Mujawimana, program director of the YWCA in Rwanda. A decade ago, Mujawimana proposed that young people who were orphaned by either HIV/AIDS or the genocide in her country start projects to grow food or make items to sell. This focus on empowerment, as opposed to repeated material distributions and unsustainable long-term care, has become the hallmark of the "Giving Hope" effort.

With HIV/AIDS at pandemic proportions in sub-Saharan Africa, Giving Hope has as one of its three-year goals the reduction of HIV transmissions among 30,000 youth. The methodology: support for special youth-led HIV prevention and education initiatives targeting their peers.

CWS director of planned gifts Ron Blaum points out that support for this important program can make a world of difference. For example, ranging from $150 in Rwanda to $300 per student in Tanzania, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) can be assisted with partial tuition for secondary school or university. For an average of $15, OVC households can receive subsistence agricultural support, including training, hoes, and seeds. And, $95 will help a youth gain income skills in fields as diverse as carpentry, barbering, welding, sewing, and hotel trades.

To add your support to this life-changing ministry of hope, please make a gift today earmarked "Orphans and Vulnerable Children."

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