Every year, the children in Childcare Worldwide programs gather to celebrate Christmas.
During these celebrations, children in Uganda, Haiti, Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Peru, Thailand and the Philippines, are reminded what Christmas is about through the presentation of the Christmas Story. (Above: Children in India act out the Christmas Story)
During the party, the children play games. In Sri Lanka last year, every child wore a tinsel wreath around their head and played games such as decorating each other like Christmas trees.
Children in Uganda sing and dance as they celebrate the birth of their Lord.
Each and every one of these children receive a Christmas present from someone far away who has chosen to bless them. (Photo: Childcare Worldwide Haiti Director, Mendelson Cesar, celebrates Christmas with the children at their Love Pak Party) Read more…
One day a year, we intentionally set aside a day to be thankful. And truly, there is so much to be thankful for. We often take for granted the things that we have, the people we know and the very fact that we are alive. Even on the days when things aren’t going our way, or physical ailments get the best of us, each day is a gift from God.
What are you thankful for today?
The children we serve in our programs often share with us their gratefulness for the people who enable them to live a better life. In their words, these are some of the things they are thankful for:
“I have not seen you but God provides [for] me through you. I thank God for giving me a good sponsor like you. Take care of your health and I am praying for you every day.”- Julia, India
“Thank you very much for choosing me to be your daughter. I am very grateful. May God bless you. I thank God for Childcare Worldwide for giving me a reason to smile again. They took the three of us to [a] children’s home and took us to a good school.”–Margaret, Kenya
“Thank you so much for loving me this much. Sometimes, I fail to express how I feel through letters but I am so so much grateful. I even feel like shouting grateful! Grateful! Grateful!”–Patrick, Uganda
“I would like to thank you so much my sponsor for the good you have done to me. I got all the presents from you that you sent to me and I am so happy as a toothless woman who got her first dental formular replaced before a great feast.” –Fridah, Kenya
“I thank you so much for writing to me and am so grateful to have [you] to sponsor me by sending financial support towards my education in order to attain a bright future and be a responsible person. Thanks a lot for loving me and may our good Lord bless you with great wisdom and lead you in his path [in] everything you do with your family members. I enjoyed reading all your letters. I felt so good and kept on smiling all day long and my friends were happy for me.”–Viola, Uganda
“God picked a flower, dipped it in dew. He touched it with love which turned into you. He gifts it to me and said “this is your sponsor, child” He said to me.”–Esther, India
“For sure, you are God sent. You have a rare heart and may God keep on showering his abundant blessings to you and your entire family. I am so grateful for your help and I promise never to let you down. I do promise you that your efforts will be fruitful. May you live long to see me bear the fruits of your love, care, compassion and most of all kind hearts.”–Golda, Kenya
I hope some of these words have inspired you into deeper gratitude. God has blessed us greatly and has called us to bless each other. So, as you gather with family and friends for your thanksgiving feast this year, would you take a moment to pray for children and families around the world who are in need? Remember those in need as we remember the God who meets every need.
In fairy tales and other fictional stories, orphans frequently appear as main characters— Cinderella, Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist, Anne of Green Gables, Superman, Mowgli, Pollyanna and little orphan Annie. Sometimes these stories express the orphans’ struggles as they try to provide for themselves and as they search for someone to love them. But often, exciting adventures take place, hopes and dreams come true and they all live happily ever after.
Sometimes in real life there are happy endings for orphans—they may be able to live comfortably with a relative, they may get a sponsor and get to live in a children’s home or they may get adopted. But many orphans, especially in Africa, end up living with a grandparent that has several other children in their care and there is often not enough to go around. Many drop out of school to work or beg to survive. Sometimes they live alone under the care of a sibling who is not really old enough to care for them.
The reality is that being an orphan is not as exciting as the stories show and often the happy ending never comes. The following poem was written by a Kenyan girl named Emma who is an orphan because of AIDS. Emma’s words express what it really means to be an orphan.
“Orphan! Orphan!
An orphan, I cry.
Was I born to be one?
Orphan! Orphan!
No food! No shelter, no clothes,
Orphan! Orphan! I cry
Without a father, nor a mother,
Stress and rejection
have become my friends.
Orphan! Orphan!
Who will care for me?
Heaven knows!”
Today is World Orphans Day, a day set aside to recognize the struggles of orphans all around the world. Please set aside some time to pray for orphans today.
Childcare Worldwide helps orphans by giving them a safe place to live in our children’s homes, providing food and other necessary items and paying for their school fees through child sponsorship.
The refugee camps in Kenya are overflowing, and thousands of refugees have settled in the desert since they are not able to reach the camps. Childcare Worldwide is working in the Bura area of Kenya, where there are over 100,000 refugees living in makeshift shelters. This area is not far from Dadaab, but it is in the middle of the desert where there is no vegetation and little hope for sustainable life.
There are some NGOs working in Bura and the Kenyan government gives some food to these people, but this is still not enough. For many of these families, life is still a case of daily survival. Childcare Worldwide is providing these refugees with food, blankets, and mosquito nets.
The situation in East Africa is becoming increasingly volatile as international warfare has broken out. Kenya has moved military forces into Somalia after a series of kidnappings and cross-border attacks were conducted by the Somali Islamist rebel group, Al Shabaab. Further attacks have been threatened if Kenya maintains its presence in Somalia. In addition, Al Shabaab continues their fight against the interim government of Somalia and the African Union peacekeepers as the power struggle for the country persists.
As a result of the increased violence, Kenya has closed its border with Somalia. While this helps protect Kenya, it means that Somalis can no longer legally escape the famine and Somali civil war by entering Kenya.
Please keep the people of East Africa in your prayers. The situation is truly horrific, and the hope of Christ is desperately needed.
