Zambia
Serve the Children will now be partnering with Pure Nard Ministries to help continue the amazing work that is being done in Mungu, Zambia.
Pure Nard Ministries is located in Mungu, a rural community south of Zambia’s capital, Lusaka. The preschool has three classes; a baby class (3 year olds), a middle class (4 and 5 year olds), and a reception (which we know as kindergarten, for 6 and 7 year olds). It is an English-medium school (classes are taught in English), giving a head-start to some of the world’s poorest as they gain school readiness. The school serves its children and their families by providing an education, but it also serves the community by providing a meal for students and by drawing families into the church. Future goals include adding classes up to grade seven, preparing students for the grade seven exams, and adding secondary school grades.
#Giving Tuesday 2017
Today is Giving Tuesday, join Serve the Children in this global day of giving. Celebrate the kick off of your holiday season by joining people from all over the world sharing in the joy of giving back.
A recent survey found that 97% of the children in the Mumbai slums have no shoes. The roads and sanitation are extremely poor, and the children have to walk over rocks, sticks, glass, nails and other harmful objects. Many of the children coming to our Daycare Center have cuts and other foot injuries that result in infections and diseases because of the unsanitary conditions.
This #GivingTuesday, our goal is to raise $3,000 for shoes for the children we serve. With every $10 donated we can buy a pair of shoes and 2 pairs of socks for a child. With $3000 we can touch the lives of 300 children and bless them with shoes and socks. Join us in being a part of giving a gift that brings health, safety and joy in the lives of these children.
Partner with us to bring Shoes For All Feet in Mumbai this holiday season.
Giving Thanks
Psalm 146:2 I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Thanksgiving will soon be upon us. It seems to come earlier each year. What are you thankful for? Your job, your health, your family? These are good things to be thankful for. I can look at all these things and turn my praises to the true and living God and His Son Jesus Christ, recognizing where all good things come from. Here at Serve the Children, we are thankful for many things. Much of what
we accomplished during 2017 is due to your financial and prayer support. Your generosity has helped us give hope and a future to children in
Liberia and India.
2017 Accomplishments include:
- We raised over $90,000 at our annual auction.
- We graduated our first group of women tailors from our school in a Mumbai slum.
- We got a grant from The Netherlands to begin a vocational training program at our Sinkor school teaching furniture building in 2018.
- We have over 175 sponsored teachers and students; this is the most we have ever had!
- We sent an 8-member mission team to Liberia and they used puppets to teach the students about Jesus. They also taught art and other subjects.
- We sent a 5-member mission team to India, where we taught computer skills to children who have never touched a computer before. We also taught phonics, art and other subjects.
- We opened a nursery school in a Mumbai slum, teaching children of all ages how to read and write.
Thank-you for your faithful and continuous support. Your donations are making a difference. We have great plans for 2018 and we are glad you are on our team.
Dr. Doug Collier
President, Serve the Children
2017 Auction Was a Great Success
Thank you for all your support at Serve the Children’s 14th Annual Dinner & Dessert Auction!
On October 7th we raised over $90,000! We are so thankful for your attendance and your giving. Because of your generosity 14 children received sponsorship and many more will be supported through the following kinds of projects:
- Medical supplies for our nurse to treat our children and staff
- School supplies for our children and staff
- Replacement of desks and chairs in our schools
- Equipment for our computer lab
- Tailoring and Nursing Aid Classes – Because of your support we can offer young women vocational training as nursing assistants in a nine-month course or a four month training course in tailoring. These women will have the opportunity to achieve the dream of supporting themselves and their families with a consistent source of income.
- Computer and Small Engine Repair School – In India we are able to offer computer skills to open doors for those students to achieve their dreams. For our more mechanically minded students, we are also able to offer classes for them to learn small engine repair to obtain a sustainable income and financial independence.
Back to School
As a mom of school aged children, September is always a busy month. A lot goes into making sure each kid is ready. Between shopping for school supplies to ordering new school clothes and meeting the new teachers at the school, it can be a little hectic. Like most of us, I want my kids to be well prepared and have a great start of the year. Because, if the start is great, they have more opportunity to learn and grow as young people. As I have been busy and focused on my own sweet children this season I have also
found myself thinking of the kids in India and Liberia. My children headed to school with their new clothes, backpacks full of supplies, new shoes and full lunch boxes. This is not true across the world.
Our school in India started in July and the schools in Liberia are starting soon. The children we help do not have new shoes or full lunchboxes but they do get a great education because of your donations. When All God’s Children’s first school opened in 1997 in Liberia, the biggest dream the kids could think of was to become a taxi driver. So much has changed as the young people we serve have hope. Now the children in our schools want to be Nurses, Politicians and Teachers to make a difference in their community. This is a powerful testament to the difference that sponsorship and donations make in the lives of these children, giving them an opportunity to have a different future.
In America, heading back to school is like a holiday that all of the department stores set up displays and decorations for. In Liberia and India it is a precious gift that it is not the norm for children to experience. My children have been given many opportunities for education in America and have choices of where they can attend. These kids in India and Liberia only have the opportunity to attend school due to generous financial support to Serve the Children. I think today of the little girl, Tenneh in Liberia that I sponsor and am thankful she now has hope for her future and can dream like my own children. I encourage you to sponsor a child and help make their dream of being a Teacher, Nurse of Politician a reality.
Making a Difference in India
We are here in India with the rest of the Serve the Children mission team. We can tell you firsthand that we are providing quality education for the children at our school. Great instructors are teaching English, math, science, and more to a lot of eager minds. But this is not our only goal. We also want to graduate students who continue to make a difference in their families and communities while they improve their own lives.
In addition to the government-required subjects, we teach life skills, including:
- Sewing
- Embroidery
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Animal husbandry
- Caring for the environment (everything is recycled)
- Barbering skills
We are also making a difference in the lives and futures of the poor and marginalized in Mumbai. Please watch these short videos produced by John Keay (less than a minute each) featuring two women, Maria and Bharti, who graduated from our sewing program recently. They now support their families by sewing clothes for neighbors and friends. Danny and Glory meet with them regularly to see how they are doing and share Christ with them. Maria made the grocery bags with the STC logo that you can purchase at our office or at the October 7th auction.
J. Kla Wisner
Building the Future – One Child at a Time
When I was little I used to walk a few blocks to school every day. The streets were paved and the neighborhood was safe. Upon arrival, I was greeted by my favorite teacher, Miss Hobbs. I remember one
time she even invited us over to her house-it meant so much to me!
In Liberia many of the children we serve through your support walk not blocks to get to school, but miles. They travel through dirt roads and even the jungle because they know the importance of a good education. And their teachers care for the students deeply too, dedicating their time to help change lives. Thanks to your generosity, we’re providing free education to children who have no other access to school. Without you, these children would never know the investment of a teacher like Mr. J. Kla Wisner who teaches biology.
“I’ve chosen to be a teacher because I believe in reciprocity; that is, giving back what others gave me when I was a student and I believe this is a noble cause.”
One of Mr. Wisner’s favorite memories is assisting his students in class elections-investing in Liberian children so they can grow up and invest in their country!
Mr. Wisner knows that his daily investment matters – for every child and for the transformation of the country of Liberia. You make it possible for Mr. Wisner to give life changing opportunities to his students!
Please join us to fund the last 100 DAYS of the school year in Liberia! Sponsorship provides for the needs of the children who are sponsored, but teachers and classes cost more than what sponsorship alone provides. Make a special gift this month and know that you are bringing hope and a future to children in Liberia – Every gift makes a difference!
CLICK HERE to give now.