We are a Christian charity that cares for some of the world's most vulnerable children, of all faiths and none. We do this by supporting about 40 projects in seven developing countries. Each project varies, but generally speaking they fit into one of several key areas, each with our common four key goals for every child in our care.
We run Christian schools, typically in areas of high poverty where students would otherwise not have an education (they can’t afford the school fees or uniforms to get into the state schools). Crucially, we also provide food, which in many cases is the only food the child will get. Many of our schools provide trauma-informed care for those children who have suffered trauma.
Here we identify hotspots of extreme poverty and provide food, after school educational support, trips (and other activities that help with general life skills), basic medical care, as well as emotional and spiritual counselling. In all cases we select the most vulnerable children from some of the poorest families and communities.
There are times when a child is so vulnerable that they need to into residential care, to give us time and space to care for them and work with their families (or a potential foster family) to provide a long-term safe home. This is often children who have been abandoned or orphaned, or sadly, abused. We will always seek to reintegrate them back into their wider family/ community.
We have programmes that pursue justice for child victims of abuse, which in turn help with the child’s healing as well as discouraging further offences. We also work diligently to influence the childcare and protection climates in the countries where we serve, working with governments, policy makers and authorities to benefit vulnerable children.
When a child in our care becomes a young adult, we want them to be able to stand on their own two feet, so we have designed some programmes to help them transition to full independence. In Kenya, for example, we provide vocational training, as well as mentorship and practical support, especially for those who go to university or vocational training.
We often use our projects as bases for community outreach work. In Lebanon, for example, we provide friendship groups and mentoring to the many isolated and lonely Syrian refugee mothers. In Kenya, we provide evening meetings, including parenting skills, marriage strengthening talks, etc. And during the pandemic we have been distribution emergency food supplies and basic medical care.