• Recently Written

  • When the economy is slow, it is time to invest.
  • Every Day
  • Dead Men Walking
  • The Arms and Hands of God
  • Wanted: Operation Hope Field Support
  • Update on Flooding in Malawi
  • UN Warns of Flooding and Food Shortages in Malawi
  • “He who saves one life, it is as if he saves the entire world…”

• Categories

  • Uncategorized

• Archives

  • July 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007

• Admin

  • Login
  • Wordpress
  • XHTML

• Search

Daily we are faced with news of our ailing economy.  Oil prices are at a record high, causing the nationwide average price of gasoline to soar past $4.00 per gallon.  The New York Times recently reported that “consumer prices surged 1.1% in June,” which was the largest increase in one month since 1982.  The US government has had to step in to save mortgage giants Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae from collapse.

North America is not isolated in experiencing the trials of economic woes.  High energy prices are a worldwide epidemic and Malawi has been hit just as hard, if not harder by the crisis.   One of our relief staff just returned to Malawi after a visit in the States to report that gasoline prices increased another $1 per gallon overnight.  In addition to high energy costs, the flooding we reported on early in the year devastated the maize harvest, causing a shortage of the country’s main food source.  Thankfully, Taiwan recently donated 5,000 tons of rice to Malawi to ease hunger.  In spite of some relief this rice doesn’t get to our district and so we still have to feed our Operation Hope families. With all these things happening we are facing added difficulty in finding enough maize to purchase for the orphans’ care packages – this is the staple diet in Malawi. However we are committed to this project and we are doing everything within our means to ensure that none will go hungry.

All of this is to put into perspective the times in which we live and to remember that despite how hard we seem to have it, there is almost certainly someone else who is suffering more.   We are standing in faith that despite the hardships, the children we made a pledge to support will not be forgotten in our own times of need.  I have heard it said that when the economy is slow, it is the time to invest.  Though we are not investing in something that will give a physical return in this lifetime, we are investing in life for an eternal return.    When we give to the poor that God said we are lending to Him and He has promised that He would repay us.

In other news, GMR is sending a team of three at the beginning of August to work with Operation Hope and our other development projects in Malawi.  Next month’s update will be reported from the field with new photos of the children coming in September-October.

From Malawi our Operation Hope families say “zikomo!” Also from the USA and Canada staff we join our friends in Malawi and say “thank you!”

Operation Hope

In the last few days we have seen tornadoes destroying and claiming a number of lives in the US. In Burma(Myanmar), it has been reported that as many as 38,491 lives have perished and 27,838 people are still missing due to the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis. The United Nations has estimated that the toll could be more than 60,000. In China, the death toll has climbed to over 15,000 lives lost because of a powerful earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter Scale. Every day, 548 people perish in Africa from AIDS, Malaria and other preventable diseases. As terrible as the tragedy of the tornadoes, cyclone and earthquakes are with thousands killed at the one time, we live in Africa with this kind of devastation and human suffering EVERY DAY.

These disasters all have miserable consequences such as children killed, parents and families destroyed, resulting in immeasurable suffering. In Myanmar, there is little or no support accepted by the government for the people affected by the disaster. In China, there has been a mass mobilization of their military to assist and I am certain that humanitarian support is pouring in. In the US, there was immediate assistance from the federal and state governments besides all the sponsored programs. However, in Africa the task is left to a handful of organizations to attempt to offer some support. Global Ministries and Relief is making a small contribution in the midst of a lot of pain. We are not a large organization with grants and foundations sponsoring our efforts.

Our finances are raised predominately in 3 ways:

1. The honorariums from my meetings
2. Student fees
3. Partners and donors

Our Operation Hope sponsors are making a difference to these children in Malawi. 100% of their gift goes to the project. We do not siphon a percentage for our administration and operating costs. In fact, GMR also adds to the funding to make this a viable project. Most of our staff personally support at least 1 child. A few of our staff, including myself, support multiple children. The reason that I mention this is to show that we believe in what we are doing. Even though it is a drop in the bucket compared to the enormous need, we are making a difference to those lives involved.If we didn’t do it, who else would?

For Operation Hope,

Dr Leon van Rooyen

“When the mother dies the children struggle; they begin to suffer. They don’t become teachers, nurses, or doctors; they just become dead men walking on the streets.”

These are not the words of an adult, hardened by the years and left with a cynical taste of what the world has to offer him. These are the words of 9 year old Boitumelo*, a child wizened beyond his years by the circumstances surrounding him. He has made an accurate observation of what awaits a child when he loses his mother or father prematurely, before he has a chance to be all that being a child should entail, if no one intervenes.

The AIDS pandemic of Sub-Sahara Africa has left millions of children like Boitumelo without homes. More than 90 percent are taken in by surviving relatives, but these individuals are barely able to care for their immediate families much less an additional child. Devastated by the loss of their parents, these children must now cope with hunger, malnutrition, loneliness, hopelessness and pain. Not knowing where else to turn and lacking a nurturing family environment, these children often turn to lives of crime and self-destruction, further exacerbating the crisis already well at hand.

It takes a village to raise a child.

–African proverb

In reaction to the dramatic rise of children orphaned by the AIDS crisis, governments and NGOs with good intentions began building an influx of orphanages to care for the these highly vulnerable children. This method, however, proved ineffective and unsustainable as it often cost more to support a child in an institution than supporting a child in the family environment. The orphanage also failed to provide the same benefits that growing up in a family environment naturally provides. An African proverb states that it “takes a village to raise a child.” This symbol of African culture states the solution to assuaging the dire situation orphans face—build a positive and nurturing environment for the orphaned child through supporting the foster family and the entire village. With the assistance of government and NGOs both large and small, the AIDS orphan crises can be conquered, one child, one family, and one village at a time.

This is where our coveted sponsors come into play. Operation Hope is formed on this model- building a positive and nurturing environment for the orphaned child through supporting the foster family and the entire village. Without the committed support of our sponsors, we would never be able to make the difference we are seeing in the lives of the children we support in Malawi. We take this opportunity to extend a very special thank you to all of those committed to averting the scenario described by Boitumelo by offering a solution and a hope. Thank you!

In other news, we are preparing for the deployment of more field staff to assist in the day-to-day operations of Operation Hope! They will be joining us within the next few months. We are excited that this project is moving forward at such a great pace. We are still in need of a truck to transport bulk purchases of supplies and care packages but are confident that this need will be met in a timely way. We will update you on the progress of the fundraising and thank you for your support and interest in Operation Hope!

*Boitumelo’s quote referenced from Avert.org’s report on AIDS Orphans in Africa.

She was angry with God. Her low, weak voice cracked with emotion as she toyed with the frayed edges of her once vibrant chitenje wrapped around her frail legs. “I’m just so tired,” the Lozi grandmother admitted, her bony chest heaving under her faded, blue flowered blouse. Her glassy brown eyes searched the unseen for answers not apparent as a dozen inquisitive little eyes looked to her…

The burden was heavy for such a bent, broken old woman whose children should be caring for her, yet carry it she must. She, like millions of other elderly women across sub-Saharan Africa, had lost her adult children to the AIDS epidemic. Now she was the only one left to care for those left in the wake- her grand-children. Barely able to care for herself, the lives of six others were dependent on her. Unable to comprehend the reasons behind her predicament, hopeless and despondent, she blamed God.

It is for this reason that Operation Hope was created- to become the physical hands and arms of God to restore hope to those who have lost it. Through the committed support of sponsors across North America, Operation Hope is providing orphans and their caregivers, like the Lozi grandmother, with food and basic necessities in order to lift the burden placed upon them in the wake of the AIDS crisis. In addition, the fears and hopelessness caused by this dire situation are assuaged through emotional and spiritual support.

Though the reasons behind the suffering may remain enigmatic, there is hope. Become the hands and arms of God today to deliver it to those who have lost it- join Operation Hope.

Operation Hope has been successful thus far in easing the suffering afflicted upon some children in Malawi through AIDS.We are now only limited by the lack of laborers to carry out the vision and ask that you join us in prayer for increased field support to expand the impact of Operation Hope to villages outside the three that are currently supported.

We are in need of at least 1 full-time field worker in Malawi to help assess villages for need, enroll children and their caregivers in the program, and ensure successful care package distribution and follow-up. The ideal candidate will:

• desire to invest his or her life into serving God and humanity as a missionary

• have a genuine love for people and a desire to serve cross-culturally

• have a stable personality, mature character, and a good reputation in both the local church and in society

• be able to communicate effectively both publicly and personally

• be proactive and a leader with good problem-solving skills

• be in good physical health and prepared to live in a rural community with severe heat in the summer

• be able to raise monthly support

• be willing to travel to Tampa for a personal interview

If you or anyone you know is interested in this opportunity, please begin the application process by filling out our online application form at http://www.gmrinc.org/gmr-application.htm or contact our office at office@gmrinc.org for more information.

Today, the UN Integrated Regional Information Network released a report detailing the effects of torrential rain that has caused serious flooding in Malawi as well as neighboring Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Please be in prayer for the thousands affected by the flooding.

Malawi: Floods Take Homes And Crops

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks

1 February 2008

Blantyre

Torrential rain pelting Malawi since October last year has affected over 72,000 people, according to the government.

Lillian Ng’oma, Secretary and Commissioner for Relief and Disaster Preparedness in the Office of the President (OPC), said this week that floodwater had surged through all three regions of the country, leaving four people dead, crops drowned, and road and telecommunication infrastructure damaged.

The lower reaches of the Shire River in southern Malawi, where flooding is a perennial problem, accounted for three-quarters of all flood victims. Ng’oma said the displaced people had taken refuge in schools and churches.

“The country continues to receive a lot of rain and chances are that we will have an increased number of people who will be affected by floods,” she added. The rainy season usually lasts until March.

“Out of the 14 districts that have been affected countrywide, Chikwawa and Nsanje in the south are the worst hit, and the roads leading to some villages have been submerged. It will not be easy for us to send relief items to people who need assistance.”

The Department of Relief and Disaster Preparedness had so far spent US$340,000. “Government has sourced funds to assist flood victims but we are appealing to our development partners to render a helping hand. We are likely to deplete our resources if none of our partners will come on board to assist,” said Ng’oma.

The Malawi Red Cross Society said it had provided tents and tarpaulins for emergency shelter.

Last year Malawi’s Meteorological Department predicted flooding as a result of the La Nina phenomenon, in which cooler water wells up to the surface of the eastern Pacific Ocean, an event strongly associated with heavy rainfall across southern Africa. Neighbouring Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe have all been affected by flooding this season.

Ng’oma said her department had advised people in flood-prone areas to evacuate their homes and move to higher ground, but many were reluctant to go. Chief Tengani, a traditional leader in Nsanje, one of the affected districts in southern Malawi, said it was not easy to convince people to abandon their land. “They have lived all their life cultivating along the Shire River.”

Solomon Tobby, District Commissioner for Nsanje, said this reluctance had cost 7,617 households either their homes or crops. “At the moment we are having problems to distribute drugs to some areas where the roads are now impassable. We hope the Department of Disaster Preparedness will liaise with the Malawi Defence Force to ask for a helicopter to airlift drugs and other items to areas in dire need.”

Around 2,500 flood-hit Mozambicans have also crossed into Malawi seeking shelter, food and medical care, said Ng’oma. “The situation is worse in Mozambique, where crocodiles are attacking people, and the safest place to run to is Malawi.”

The following article was recently published by the UN News Service in New York:

Malawi: UN Seeks Additional Funds to Feed Citizens Threatened By Floods

UN News Service (New York)

15 January 2008

Over 1 million Malawians are threatened by food shortages over the next three months as weather forecasts predict an enhanced likelihood of flooding in the southern African country, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

“Consequently, women and children under five will become more exposed to malnutrition and infections as well as to abuse and exploitation,” UNICEF said in its latest update on the situation, highlighting its efforts to step up feeding for severely malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women, and prevent cholera and other water-borne diseases.

The UN Country Team recently submitted a request for $5.5 million in emergency UN relief aid, and UNICEF is seeking an additional $2.5 to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of children and women throughout the affected areas for the coming five months.

Some 200,000 women and children under five will need humanitarian assistance in 2008 and the agency called for the two mutually reinforcing causes of insecurity - a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and chronic poverty - to be addressed in tandem with food aid.

Floods have already displaced tens of thousands of people in neighbouring Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia and the main commercial corridor from central Mozambique to landlocked Malawi has been cut, causing delays in the transportation of food and fuel and leading to a shortage of petrol.

Cholera remains a major threat in Malawi with recurrent outbreaks during the rainy season from November to April and is a major risk factor in flooding due to the possible breakdown of water and sanitation facilities.

Food shortages and malnutrition have a direct effect on individual susceptibility to diseases and thus the level of a possible epidemic will be directly related to people’s access to food and safe water, UNICEF warned.

Operation Hope is doing its part to alleviate the effects of the floods on the most vulnerable in the three villages served- the children orphaned in wake of the AIDS crisis. Currently, every orphan and caregiver in Chipula, Mwalija, and Sekela received a monthly care package consisting of food and other staple items. This is especially critical during this time when UNICEF projects food shortages during the forecasted flooding.

We want to give a special thanks to our sponsors who are enabling this great work during such a critical time. In the future, Operation Hope plans to expand to support more communities devastated by the AIDS epidemic. Please be in prayer for more field personnel and vehicles to support the expansion of this life-changing project.

Sincerely,

Operation Hope Team

What is the value of one life?

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. ~Matthew 18:12-14

12.3 million orphaned due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa¹… 550,000 alone in the nation of Malawi². The scale of pain and suffering is almost unfathomably. Yet it is not the Father’s will “that one of these should perish.” Just one of these precious children are worth the cost of God’s only Son. What are they worth to you?

The Potential of a Child

The potential of a child is enormous. Every person who has ever impacted the world began as one child; even He that made the farthest reaching, most time-spanning impact in human history- Jesus- began as one child. The person who holds the key to curing cancer could now be just a child. The person who will lift the entire continent of Africa out of economic and political shambles could be a little boy or girl from Mwalija, Malawi whose mother and father were torn away by the ravages of AIDS. The potential and value of one life… of one child is limitless.

40 “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” ~Matthew 25:40

Solobala

Allow us to introduce one of these children to you. He is 8 year-old Solobala from Mwalija, Malawi. Solobala lost both of his parents to the ravages of AIDS in 2003 when he was only 4 years old. His mother was first to succumb to the disease, followed shortly by his father 7 months later. Unable to care for more than one child, Solobola’s grandparents assumed responsibility for him while an aunt and uncle living in another region of Malawi took in his sister. Within seven months’ time, Solobala’s life was radically altered as his family was torn apart.

A New Hope

Thanks to the efforts of our dedicated leadership, field-staff and volunteers along with the committed support of our sponsors, there is a new hope for Solobala. On June 1, 2007, Solobala along with all of the orphans living in Mwalija, Malawi were enrolled in Operation Hope, a division of Global Ministries and Relief committed to alleviating the suffering of those affected by the AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Every month, Solobala and his grandparents receive a care package supplying basic necessities for the family. The struggling family also receives the spiritual and emotional support of caring individuals associated with Operation Hope who are committed to empowering them with the hope of a brighter future.

“He who saves one life, it is as if he saves the entire world…” ~Sanhedrin 4:5, the Talmud.

Though the task is great and the need nearly overwhelming, we are making a difference one invaluable life with limitless potential at a time. Over 2,000 years ago a rabbi said “He who saves one life, it is as if he saves the entire world…” To those committed to saving Solobala- thank you for saving the world.

References

¹ “Children on the Brink 2004: A Joint Report of New Orphan Estimates and a Framework for Action” UNAIDS/UNICEF/USAID, http://www.unicef.org/adolescence/files/cob_layout6-013.pdf

² “Malawi: Statistics” Unicef, http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/malawi_statistics.html#25

• Blogroll

  • Global Ministries and Relief, Inc.
  • Subscribe