Salvation Army International Development

Christchurch Earthquake

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:36:00 +1000

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Christchurch Earthquake

Salvation Army Divsional Leader says Community Spirit Strong after New Zealand Earthquake

Salvation Army emergency services in New Zealand are providing practical support and comfort after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the central South Island in the Canterbury area on 4 September. Unsettling aftershocks continue to hit the area.

The city of Christchurch and surrounding areas close to the quake’s epicentre are coming to grips with the devastation to buildings and infrastructure, especially water, as well as a huge repair bill, estimated to be as high as NZ $2 billion.

Within hours of the disaster, The Salvation Army was feeding around 1,000 people at two Christchurch locations. This practical relief effort has now been expanded and people are being fed from three centres - Linwood and Burnside High Schools and the Addington Race Course.

Around 100 people have stayed at the sites since the night following the quake. Meals are also being served to a large number of emergency services and welfare support personnel.
During the day, The Salvation Army is feeding people who drop in for food and reassurance but sleep elsewhere.

Major Rex Cross, the local Salvation Army emergency services coordinator, speaking from Linwood High School, expressed concern about forecasts of gale-force winds and rain. He said that if this eventuated then the number of people presenting at the city’s welfare centres is likely to swell. There are fears that poor weather conditions could topple unstable chimneys and other structures and worsen the city’s sewerage problems.

‘But there is a great community spirit here,’ said Major Cross. ‘We are extremely grateful for the cooperation between helping agencies and there is a tremendous community response, with food donations coming in from members of the public keen to help.’

Hospitality is a strong feature of life in the New Zealand South Island, said Divisional Commander Major Clive Nicholson. Many locals made homeless by the quake are staying with family and friends. However, The Salvation Army knows that for those without such supports – and for those on low incomes and with more complex social needs – its help will be called upon in the days and weeks to come, particularly for those without insurance cover.

Major Nicholson says, ‘For us it’s going to hit as we move forward, when people come to us and say, “I haven’t got insurance and everything is lost or damaged, can you help me out?” And so we’ll be responding to those needs. Already though, our teams have done a tremendous job.’

The earthquake was centred 30 km west of of Christchurch, with damage in the city and outer suburbs, extending to rural centres. There are no reports of fatalities, but there have been some injuries, several serious. Building facades in the central city have collapsed, bridges are affected, cars have been crushed and many homes are damaged. A State of Emergency has been declared that is expected to be in place for several days.

There is significant damage to infrastructure, with power, water and sewerage affected. Drinking water is in short supply, with pipes ruptured. Heating is an issue at night as chimneys have been destroyed and power outages are expected to continue. Health issues are likely to be an ongoing concern.

Immediately following the earthquake, believed to be the largest to hit the country since 1931, The Salvation Army's Territorial Comander for New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, Commissioner Donald Bell said, ‘We’re extremely fortunate that this earthquake struck during the night. If this had happened a few hours later, with people and cars on the streets and in businesses, we would have been looking at many injuries and likely loss of life. We are also fortunate that the weather in Christchurch is good, which is making work easier for police and other emergency response workers.

‘No matter how prepared a nation is for an earthquake, there is always great fear, anxiety and disruption of life afterwards. Many people have lost possessions and their housing is not secure. We are praying for these people and for those who are helping them cope, including our own people on the ground,’ the territorial commander added.
The Salvation Army has launched an appeal to help those most in need after the quake and is receiving strong support from the public and from the corporate sector.

The Salvation Army's New Zealand National Fundraising Coordinator, Major Robbie Ross says, ‘The Salvation Army is extremely grateful for the great support it is receiving, from individuals and the corporate sector, recognising that demand for our assistance will remain high during the cleanup period to come.’
To donate to The Salvation Army ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’: Donate online at www.salvationarmy.org.nzBy post: The Salvation Army, PO Box 27 001 Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New ZealandPlease specify that your donation is for the ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’

Report by Major Christina Tyson

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Volcano hit communities in DR of Congo

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:35:00 +1000

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Volcano hit communities in DR of Congo

The village of Kibirga, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, no longer exists. The village, 35 kilometres from Goma, was one of five communities buried on 16 May 2010 when Mount Kirisimbi, a volcano that had lain dormant since 1952, erupted. At least 47 people lost their lives and hundreds more lost their houses, belongings and livelihoods.

The Salvation Army reacted quickly and implemented a project providing clothing for the affected population. Panga, an elderly man who lost all 16 members of his family, remembers with gratitude the help provided by Lieutenant Jean Marc, the local Salvation Army officer (church minister).

The lieutenant was among the first people to arrive with assistance – he even helped to find land to bury the dead. More than three months on from the eruption, the people are still in a desperate situation.

They live with host families or in one of three camps. The area where they lived is destroyed and they won’t be able to return there.

Aid doesn’t seem to have reached these people and, in an area that is already struggling with the results of decades of civil war, this seems to be just another tragedy.

However, there is some good news. The local government has allocated new land for 240 families and The Salvation Army is looking to see how it can support the new community. The Salvation Army has a good reputation and experience with other projects in Eastern Congo and Lieutenant Marc and Project Officer Captain Tsilulu have many ideas about how they can help.

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Salvation Army opens in Mongolia

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:31:00 +1000

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Salvation Army opens in Mongolia

It is official! The first salvation Army building has opened in Mongolia.

In a significant development for the newly established ministry in Mongolia The Salvation Army has opened its first building. The opening ceremony included the participation of Salvationist personnel from Korea who have supported or sponsored the establishment of Army work in Mongolia.

The International Secretary for South Pacific and East Asia, Commissioner Robert Street, and the Territorial Commander for Korea, Commissioner Chun, Kwang-pyo, jointly cut the traditional yellow, red and blue tape to visually declare the building open.

Final building work is continuing on the building but, when completed, the premises will accommodate administration offices, a worship hall, living accommodation and multi-purpose rooms for outreach programmes, including a feeding programme for the homeless.

In the celebration meeting that followed a tour of the premises, Commissioner Street encouraged the Mongolian congregation to enjoy the sense of purpose in working together to build up God’s work. As the Mongolian work has been established from the Korea Territory, Korean initiative and leadership were warmly acknowledged.

Commissioner Chun, Kwang-pyo thanked divisional leaders of the Seoul and Seoul South Divisions for their continuing practical involvement and made a special presentation to officer-in-charge Captain Lee, Min-ho, who with his wife, Captain Chang, Mi-hyun, has played the major role in establishing the Army’s presence in the Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar. Korea’s deputy-ambassador voiced his appreciation of this initiative from his country as did Mr Kim, Dong-jin, chairman of the Korean Missionary Society.

Of particular encouragement were the participation of a Mongolian Salvation Army vocal group and the presence of Mongolia’s first applicants for officership.

During the visit of the International Secretary and Commissioner Janet Street, official talks were held with the Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia, Mr Miyeegombyn Enkhbold, who has ensured the provision of land in Tov Aimag Province for a Salvation Army social welfare centre.

The visiting party was also able to view recently established water projects in the area and the Solongos Kindergarten run by the Army on an estate in Ulaanbaatar for the children of people who have no means of supporting their children’s education.

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World Cup Mission teams

Betsy Pineda — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:14:00 +1000

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World Cup Mission teams

“The number of children attending Kid’s Clubs during the world cup did in many places exceed expectations”

This was the opening statement in a Bulletin from the Southern Africa Territory on the World Cup Mission which was supported by donations from Australia Eastern as well as personnel in four Mission Teams.

The Salvation Army’s mission during the World Cup included the following activities:

Daily sports clinics which attracted hundreds of children in many Corps in most divisions
Certificates were presented to all the children attending one centre
Kid’s Club’s where the gospel was presented was held every day, the programme included games, songs and a Bible Story. The children at Kid’s Clubs were provided with a meal during their time together. Numbers in each Corps ranged from 90 – 250.
Bibles were given to children attending in some of the centres.Hundreds of children were led to deciding for Christ.Bible Studies were lead.
Anti Human Trafficking messages were promoted to children and adult alike in communities, at stadiums and Fifa Fan Fest venues.
Anti Human Trafficking protests were held outside brothels on consecutive Friday nights.
A special edition of the War Cry as well as bottled water with the Anti Human Trafficking message was distributed to thousands of soccer fans around South Africa.

Following on:

Educational equipment, made possible through donations was distributed to a number of Corps across all Divisions for use in Kid’s Clubs but will be used after the World Cup.
Plans were in place to follow-up the contacts made during this time and these varied from place to place.

In one centre a Sunday School has been established. Also a weekly football clinic is continuing as a ministry to the community. A discipleship plan has been developed in another centre.

We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Southern Africa Territory in this special mission and thank all those who contributed to this project.

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Happy fathers' day!

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:35:00 +1000

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Happy fathers' day!

At International Development we recognise the importance of Fathers in shaping families.

That's why we want to honour you and wish you a Happy Father's Day!

But it doesn't stop there for us. This Fathers' day we are funding a gardening project in The Philippines that benefits directly fathers and their families in the community of Palawan.

The aim is to provide 50 family heads with gardening materials and training, helping families achieve a source of income.

If you would like to donate towards this project, please contact us.

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Pakistan relief update

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:17:00 +1000

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Pakistan relief update

The floods have affected one fifth to one third of the country's land. The Salvation Army has now 5 emergency teams operating in five of the ten divisions/district. In the north west, there was a little truck trouble and heavy rains, and 300 families were helped over two days. The intention is to start delivering relief bags for a further 2,200 families in stages. A further assessment is being made in the Tank district.

In the south of Punjab, A cluster meeting was attended by The Salvation Army and a further assessment made in two areas of Jhang District and Khanewal District and 2,000 families from 9 villages have been identified to be helped. A proposal is in the process.

In the Sindh, five relief camps with about 800 families have been visited and an assessment has been made, with a proposal in the process. Furthermore down in Karachi (Sindh), a second team has visited 2 relief camp sites with more than 10,000 people seeking refuge. More relief camp sites are being visited and assessed.

"This disaster team today visited two centres that are supervised be the Government of Karachi.When the team visited these flood affected people, they saw that the people are really suffering and being ignored by the Government and have minimal basic things to live. The people of one centre told the team that they have not food since the morning and their children are hungry. But the arrangement of the other centre is little bit better. But both centres have same problems."
Lt. Colonel Zarina Veru (Divisional Commander, Karachi)

To donate to the Pakistan appeal click here

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Pakistan latest update

Betsy Pineda — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:52:00 +1000

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Pakistan latest update

More assessments are happening, The Salvation Army Pakistan have put in proposals to further help 2,300 families and more under process for a further 3,800 families making a possible total of 9,000 + families (between 45,000-90,000 people).

Keeping on praying for strength and encouragement for the team leaders.

Below are some pictures from Karachi Division, Lt Col Zarina Veru, the Divisional Commander is visiting some relief camps for flood affected people that have travelled from as far as Jacobabad and Larkana, which is in the middle of the country evacuated to the very south.

Karachi relief camp

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Salvation Army in Pakistan Starts Distribution Programme

Betsy Pineda — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:25:00 +1000

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Salvation Army in Pakistan Starts Distribution Programme

The Salvation Army in Pakistan has distributed relief packages to 150 families affected by the flooding that continues to cause misery across a large region of the country. The packages consist of a mattress, quilts, pillows and a set of kitchen utensils.

The distribution took place in a health centre run by the Church of Pakistan in Risalpur, about 36 miles from Peshawar in north-west Pakistan. The packs were given to Christian, Muslim and Hindu families sheltering in St Mary's and St Joseph's school.

Captain Washington Daniel (Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army's Islamabad Division) reports: 'Our team unloaded the trucks with the local volunteers. We all worked as a team with duties allocated. Pastors from the Church of Pakistan and St Mary’s school principal helped us check the identification of the affected people against the registered list.'

The local Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Mr Javed Prince visited the centre. Captain Daniel says the MPA and his team were 'pleased to see the distribution and gave appreciation to The Salvation Army'. They also made arrangements to ensure the Salvation Army team's ongoing safety.

The distribution had to finish earlier than planned because of heavy rain but the rest of the 200 packages should be given out today (11 August) and plans are in place to distribute packs to a further 300 families in Charsada on Saturday 14 August. This will depend on the necessary security arrangements being put in place.

The bedding materials are being sourced in Peshawar to keep delivery costs down and the kitchen utensil packages are being put together by staff and young people at The Salvation Army's Pakistan Territorial Headquarters in Lahore. The ongoing floods are causing power cuts and transport problems which mean that supplies of vital goods can be sporadic at best!

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Pakistan relief appeal

Betsy Pineda — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:21:00 +1000

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Pakistan relief appeal

Rain is continuing to worsen the situation and there is fear the number of 14.1 million affected may raise significantly in the coming week.

Operations of several relief organisations are now based in five provinces trying to reach the flood affected populations.

The Pakistan Meteorological department issued flood warnings during this week, putting 4 Punjab and 8 Sindh districts on alert as a new peak flood is expected to hit the Guddu, Sukkur and Chashma barrages.

Persistent bad weather is still impeding access to affected populations, with many areas only accessible by air.

The Salvation Army has now launched an appeal to contribute to the relief of the victims of this natural disaster in Pakistan.

Please follow this link to donate online.

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School bags update

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:59:00 +1000

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School bags update

The child sponsorship secretary of Kenya East was impressed with the generosity that the Australian Eastern Territory displayed towards the children of the slums in Kenya.

Last year we launched a Salvation Army internal appeal for children of the slums to be provided with school bags.

To go to school some children walk for miles carrying their books in plastic bags, which often break on the way. This is particularly an issue during the wet season, as their books get wet and ruined in the mud.
In record time we raised $4,130, which was enough to buy back packs for children in 6 schools.

With 66 children, Kabete children’s home was the first to receive their school bags. These children board at Kabete during the school term. Most of them are orphans, but receive support through sponsorship.

The other children who received school bags are from Kibera Nursery school, Dandora Nursery school, Mombasa Children’s Home, Mashimoni Nursery school and ShauriMoyo school.

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Thanks for your Support!

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:58:00 +1000

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Thanks for your Support!

Making a world of difference is not only our motto. It is our very soul.With just over one year operating as a department and a team of 7, the International Development Offi ce –most commonly referred to as SAID – continues to grow and thrive; and the more we do so with the supportof donors like you, the bigger the impact we can carry to developing communities across the globe.It is with great excitement that we present to you our fi rst newsletter, an overview of the projects supportedduring the past financial year.

Thanks for your support!

It was an amazing year for International Development. Your contributions went to projects in Brazil, China,Ghana, Kenya, India, Malawi, Mozambique, ThePhilipines, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and Zambia,as well as all the other countries where we have childand centre sponsorship.

During the last financial year you donated $156,660 through our Gifts that Keep on Giving catalogue and$162,383 directly to projects.We also received $1’050.000 funding from AusAid for development projects, $900,000 of those going to Papua New Guinea.

Together we supported water projects in communitiesand schools of Kenya, anti-human traffi cking projects inIndia and Bangladesh, agricultural and environmentalprojects in China and rehabilitation projects inGhana -among many others-. We also reached 2,375sponsorships, combining individual children and centres.

We consider it a privilege to be able to serve and plant a seed in those lives and the many more to come!

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Corps Connect church partnership

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:57:00 +1000

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Corps Connect church partnership

We have recently launched “Corps-Connect”, The Salvation Army church partnership program; which is one of our strategies to bring hope to developing communities around the world, and an opportunity to engage in our evangelical mission.

The partnership your church can develop with the recipient Corps will allow you to:

Be actively involved in the lives of other believers from a different culture
Allow you to participate in global mission through our “Hands Abroad” program
Allow you to share resources, through your ongoing financial support
Help to create unity, supporting the body of Christ in prayer
Expand your world view, as you understand what Christ is doing in other parts of the world in this time

As overseas Corps plan their ministries to address their community’s needs, your Corps / Church partnership with them will provide the means to meet those needs, and will open the doors towards holistic development.

These communities require assistance at many levels: Water and sanitation, Health, Livelihood and Education. They may also experience very specific needs such as assistance with high prevalence of diseases or local droughts that make their survival a challenge.

The aim of this partnership is to come alongside them and give them a hand up, through prayer, finances and potential mission trips that contribute to their growth. However, the ultimate goal of this partnership is to generate a long lasting impact, by providing them the capacity necessary to implement sustainable solutions to their problems.

We envisage the participating overseas Corps, being able to carry on their work indefinitely with no external support, and becoming the support for neighbouring Corps and communities that need assistance to reach that level.

Your partnership can start a ripple effect!
Ask your church pastor or officer to consider Corps-Connect

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Africa in pictures

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:56:00 +1000

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Africa in pictures

“A truly life-changing, heart-touching trip” were thewords used by the resources officer of the International Development office to describe her recent trip to South Africa, Kenya and Mozambique.
Although relatively different, these three cultures sadly experience some of the same afflictions: A high prevalence of HIV/Aids, a growing rate of orphan victims and a lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities; just to mention a few.

With the presence of The Salvation Army in some of the most vulnerable communities of these nations, and the support of brothers and sisters from developed countries like Australia, several initiatives have been put into action.
Even though the real process of empowering and equippingcommunities to address their own needs does not occur overnight, we have seen the fruit that has come out of alabour done in love.

Scroll down to see some of those stories in pictures.

South Africa

Ethembeni home

This home started in 1995 as an overflow of the Soweto children's home for children with HIV, and as a response to the overwhelming need for places of safety for abandoned children.
It receives a maximum of 61 children, from birth to 4 years.
The children arrive at the home mainly through the police in cases when they rescue them, through social services or parents themselves who drop their children at the home because of lack of resources to care for them.

One of the babies currently in the home was put in a garbage bag and abandoned in a drain, straight after birth. She was rescued by the police only a block away from the home, and was admitted as a resident child the day after. Today, at eight months she is doing great, and continues to grow happily in a safe and loving environment.

Another baby was rescued from homeless parents, she is currently undertaking medical evaluations for reconstructive facial surgery because some of her skin was eaten by rats whilst living on the streets. She is 6 months old and displaying a beautiful smile.
The children love to have visitors because they know that they get attention and lots of cuddles.

Ephraim Zulu Senior Citizen Centre

A place where over 80 residents are supported by The Salvation Army and a government contribution.

The centre provides attention for both seniors who can take care of themselves and for those who require support.

They receive medical visits, meals and activities organised by social services.

Kenya

Beautiful country, great weather, green mountains, welcoming and warm people...and one of the best coffees in the world!
The Salvation Army is well established, with some of the largest corps in the world.

Muuti Women's Water Project - - Salvation Army in conjunction with AusAid. Road to the pipe lines

Muuti Water Project - Salvation Army in conjunction with AusAid. Road to the Sedimentation Chamber

Mukuyini Water project

Mukuyini Water project Committee

Mukuyini Water project - Pipe line construction

Mukuyini Water project - Water tank construction

Dandora Slum Nursery School

Kibera Slum Nursery School

Joy town School for the disabled

Thika School for the blind

Nairobi Girls Home and vocational training centre

Karibu School

Mozambique

Bagamoio Creche - Maputo

Inhagoia Pigs project

Inhagoia Creche

Ndlavela Creche

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Womens ministries project update

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:50:00 +1000

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Womens ministries project update

The Salvation Army in Myanmar is caring for people, transforming lives and reforming communities through projects. Communities are able to see that The Salvation Army is interested in giving them something to help their physical condition rather than trying to get something out of them. People in the community are able to see faith in action.

The Helping hand project started in April 2009, funded by the women's ministries and it includes the following components:

Train, equip and employ new Corps-based health workers

We have been in contact with the Corps in the Central District. Two Corps have been able to nominate suitable women. One lady was already trained and will begin employment at Matupi Corps in October 2009.We are waiting for suitable people to be identified for the Corps in the remote area of Haltu in Chin State.

Follow up work in cyclone affected villages

The final 500 houses were built in Dallah area. We will soon be building a small community clinic. At the beginning of February 2010 we employed two Salvationist women as community workers – one in Dallah, and one in an area of the Irrawaddy Delta where we were able to do a lot of cyclone relief work. They have begun visitation in those areas, and have begun holding community training days, eg health, HIV, micro credit etc.

Medical care financial assistance

we have begun assisting women with health needs. Because most Salvationists are poor, especially in upper Myanmar, many applicants are connected with SA Corps. They would have no other way of getting this care, so the fund is a real blessing.

The total income received for this project was $25,000 US Which has been distributed for the following activities:

Cooking classes
Literacy programme
Handcraft class
Health care seminar
Snack making
Children's playgroups
Nutrition program

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Children's Centres Update

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:50:00 +1000

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Children's Centres Update

Sponsoring a child is surely a rewarding experience for the sponsor, and the gift of a life time for the child.
We’ll have a look at some of the most recent updates from children’s centres in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

If you sponsor a child or a children's centre in any of these countries, you’ll want to read this; and if you’re not a sponsor yet, have a read and get motivated to see how far your contribution can go.

To sponsor a children's centre or a child register as a sponsor here

“El Redil” Children’s home - Paraguay

At “El Redil” the first months of the year began with a lot of activity!

New children have joined our family, we received a volunteer from Norway who has worked in childcare, the school year has started, and we are preparing the celebrations for the 100 years of The Salvation Army in Paraguay.

During the first half of the year we took the children to a summer camp, an educational farm, the natural history museum and the zoo.
Through child sponsorship, God has provided for the daily needs of the 35 children that this centre serves.
Sincerely,
Evangelina and Leonardo Fernández Captains -Directors

“The Nest” children’s home - Jamaica

To all of our valued friends and sponsors, we say thank you for your support.
The children continue to benefit from the volunteers that assist them with after school programs and homework. Because of this many of our children are doing even better with their studies.

They are taking a sewing class which is taught by a volunteer on Saturdays between 10am and 12pm.

They were also involved in a poultry project. 200 broilers were donated to us by “Food for the Poor”.
The teenage boys took turns to ensure that the chicks were looked after until they came to maturity. This helped in a very real way to off-set some of the expenses that we would normally spend for meat.

Summer Activities

The children were treated to an annual summer fun beach trip at the Fort Clarence Beach in St. Catherine which they enjoyed immensely.

All of our children attended summer camp at the Mico University College Counselling Centre. Children were engaged in group and individual counselling sessions.

Graduation
Carl Moore, one of our children graduated last November from Heart Trust/NTA and received a certification in the Commercial Food Preparation Level 2.

Sincerely,

The Home’s Administrator

Matumaini school - Tanzania

Many greetings to you from Matumaini School in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It is a pleasure once again to greet you and thank you so very much for your on-going interest and support of our children.

We now have our new children in Grade 1; they have settled in very well and are enjoying class, their new friends and the different activities after school. We have also received four albino children into Grade 1.
We have dreams that we hope one day will become reality.

One dream was to have a playground and we now have it thanks to our friends from the Netherlands. Another dream was to renovate the unused buildings so that we could offer on-going learning to our students who fail the standard seven examinations – that is slowly coming together!

We have people who come and do sports activities with our children. For that we would love to have a sports hall and safe paths and walkways that are good for wheelchairs and children with crutches.
People are so kind and generous to us and we are blessed to have such good friends. You are among those. We thank God for you and all that you mean to us.

Your prayers and financial support to help our dreams come true.

Sincerely,
Joy Paxton, Major Child sponsorship Director

Myanmar and Malaysia tuition programs

It is school holidays for East and West Malaysia. In Myanmar the schools are closed for the long 3 month summer holidays. The weather is too hot for the children to be out. So most times they will do indoor activities, learning the Mizo language, reading and writing at the homes. Those who have families to go back to are encouraged to do so for a short while.

Last Christmas in all our Homes and Tuition Program centres, the children celebrated Christmas. They invited Officers, Cadets, teachers, friends and local leaders to join in the celebration. They performed various activities and entertained the guests as they had a meal together.

During Easter, they had an Easter egg hunt within the grounds after the morning service.
In East Malaysia they celebrated "Gawai" on 1st and 2nd of June, a traditional harvesting festival among the natives. The natives go back to their "kampong" (village) and eat "lemang" and chicken curry. The children that stay will have outings to the beach and extra lessons of computers and art. This is all for now.

Sincerely,

Ms Shan Lim, Sponsorship Executive

Mbagala Girls’ home - Tanzania

Greetings from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania! I want to share with you the stories of some of our girls.
The girls who come to the home are orphans or homeless and often times have been victims of abuse or human trafficking. For this reason the work of Kwetu Mbagala is very much needed.

One of our girls, Mofa, was biten by a snake in her home village and as a result her leg had to be amputated.
The people in her village did not want her to stay with them because she would not be able to work or run, so they wanted to kill her. Her mother ran with her to a nearby hospital and left her there. Mofa was accepted into Mbagala home and now is a student at our Matumaini School for Disabled children. She comes back to Mbagala during the school holidays. However, she won’t be able to return to her home, so she will continue to live at Mbagala.

Anna was brought to the home because she was in danger of sexual abuse from her father. It is not safe for her to return home as the father is still a threat.

The girls receive love and care and counselling here. They go to the local schools and are responding very well to the love and care we give them.

Just before Christmas, the girls had their special Christmas celebration with food, new clothes and gifts of course! After Christmas, thanks to the kind donation of a friend of Mbagala, the girls and the staff went to the zoo. This was exciting as the girls were really looking forward to seeing the animals. We had a great time! THANK YOU!

We are committed to continue this work at Mbagala. It does cost money and we are very grateful for your financial contribution which help us in different ways to continue this ministry.

God bless you, Joy Paxton, Major
Child sponsorship Director

Kabete children’s home - Kenya East

Dear Friends, Here at Kabete Children’s Home we want to write to all our sponsors and well wishers to say a big THANK YOU for continuing to support us. We are 65 children, the youngest is Nduku – she is almost 5 years old and attends the nursery school at the Kabete compound, together with Alex, who is 6.

Alex is very small so everyone thinks he is younger. Both Alex and Nduku came to us during 2009, and neither of them spoke any English or even Kiswahili. However, now they can happily chat in either language and they enjoy being the youngest children, getting lots of attention from the older children in the home.

3 of the older children left to go on to vocational training at Variety Village and Nairobi Girls’ Centre, while another 3 have returned to the care of their guardians.

All of us at Kabete go to school every day, even on Saturdays for the older children. We get up very early and we start walking to school from about 6 a.m. at this time it is still dark and we have to be careful of the traffic. The bigger children help to look after the small ones when we walk to school.
When we come in from school every day we wash our clothes so they are ready for the next day. We also polish our shoes every day as they get very dusty on our way.

In 2009 we received new school uniforms, and school bags given by Australia Eastern Territory, so we are all very happy! We want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

The Children and Staff at Kabete Children’s Home

Mombassa children’s home - Kenya East

As for now we have 60 children (28 Boys and 32 Girls). All of who need security, medicine, education, shelter, food and love as they all have been through a traumatic childhood. Most of them are orphans, but only few are children who have been sent to us in need of care and attention. Class enrolment is from Nursery school to Class 8 for only residential children.
Their ages are between 5-15 years old. The report from the schools where our children attend indicated that our children are well behaved. Every child is striving to get the passing mark for their class. We are proud of that report. The discipline is also well maintained. Last year 2009, the home had seven children who sat for their final standard 8 examination that is Kenya Certificate Primary Examination (KCPE) who all were girls, three managed to go to secondary school while four have joined the training centre.

All children go to school; we have 2 children in University (1 boy and 1 girl), 11 children in secondary school (6 boys and 5 girls), 6 children in the Training Centre (2 boys and 4 girls). These are non residential children. All the children in the home attend school; six are in nursery school, while 54 are in primary school. This year we only have one girl who will be doing her final year in primary school.
Our children have been involved in many activities such as sport, athletics, football, scouts, charity walk, “first red cross training” and music festivals.

We sincerely appreciate and pray God’s blessings upon your lives.
We ask you to continue praying for us as we pray for you. Continue supporting us financially, so that our children may continue to grow better and have a bright future. They enjoy living here because of your generosity.

May God Bless You,

Captain Absalom Anubi
Superintendent, Mombasa Children’s Home

Ethembeni children’s home - South Africa

All the babies at Ethembeni are a blessing to whoever comes in contact with them. They are confident and open to everyone, and love visitors! The rooms are divided into:
21 toddlers from 2-4 years | 16 from 1-2 years12 from 6 months to 1 year | 12 from 0 to 6 months.
Currently we have 57 children (61 when full). The numbers change daily as new admissions come in, and as some are sent out for fostering or transfer to other homes when reaching nursery school maturity.
Our staff is divided into 2 shifts 4 days on/4 days off, from 6.30am to 6.30pm. They work hard to maintain the wellbeing of the children, including child stimulation, medical needs, love and care. Regular volunteers come to work with the children and care worker students also come and do their practical exams here, helping to subsidize the staff shortages.

International volunteers are also encouraged to come and work here, and for short term missions, can reside in the simple second apartment.

The children are taken to nearby clinics for immunisations, nearby hospitals for special medical needs, and our Salvation Army Doctor visits once a week to check on new admissions and sick children.

Liz and Rinze Kamminga Administrators

Joseph Baynes children’s home - South Africa

Three Sisters New Lives

Londeka and Londiwe are fraternal twins found at the age of three months living in a shack. Their mom had died in childbirth so they were left in the care of their four year old sister while their grandfather worked. There wasn’t any milk formula so they were given water. The twins were placed in our care and, later sister Asanda joined them. All children are making good progress. The babies are slightly delayed developmentally but will soon catch up in our loving care.

Music, Music, Music

Music lessons have been started by Captain Michael Doubell, at first with his own and borrowed instruments. One of our suppliers was so impressed that at Christmas he donated four guitars. His wife wrote to a local radio station running a 12 Day Christmas Wish List project. They chose Baynes! We received another seven guitars, an amplifier plus a set of bongo drums. Every Wednesday evening Baynes children and members of the Pietermaritzburg Corps get together for music lessons!

Bible study

Weekly Bible studies for teenagers and staff have started. The teenagers have just completed a study called “making choices you won’t regret” while their new subject is “Facing your Giants”. The staff members hold daily devotionals for their children.

Counselling

We now have a program which gives children an individual counselling session with a trained social worker. Those with serious issues are seen on a more regular basis or transferred for psychotherapy. Our teenage boys have really enjoyed the discussions. Baynes staff are also offered individual sessions.

To sponsor a children's centre or a child register as a sponsor here

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World Cup Mission

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:46:00 +1000

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World Cup Mission

Salvationists throughout the territory of South Africa are participating in events related to the World Cup period. With 8 divisions participating with the help of 9 Mission teams -including 4 for Australia they are running the following:

73 kids’ holiday clubs
40 soccer clinics
One-on-one street evangelism in every city of the world cup
Fan park ministry
Big screens at Corps for locals to watch the games
Corps/Church meet in the park/Urban campout in front of brothels, 100 men in Rosettenville and Johannesburg
Anti-human trafficking awareness campaign

Although “bafana bafana” (South Africa’s national football team) came to an end in the word cup, Salvationists through the territory will continue to participate in the events for the duration of the FIFA World Cup.

Much focus is upon children’s ministry and keeping children off the streets during the school holiday period which coincides with the tournament.

A soccer clinic in Soweto (Soweto central corps) facilitated by an Australian Mission team as part of their kid’s holiday club activities. Around 60 children attend the club.

A kid’s club in the park, hosted by The Salvation Army South Rand Community Church. In the background a specially painted wall can be seen, used to advertise the holiday club and soccer clinic. The park is also used for outdoor Sunday meetings.

Initiated by the South Rand Corps with the participation of officers and soldiers in the central division, the urban camping project in Rosettenville, Johannesburg has taken place on two consecutive Friday evenings camped outside a residence used as a brothel and across the street from a drug lord. Salvationists stand around fires singing and praying for the community. One Friday a prostitute was assisted and taken to a Salvation Army place of refuge.

Officer at territorial Headquarters in Johannesburg sharing the support to the world cup 2010.The red vuvuzelas with the Salvation Army shield are one of the items provided to all the divisions for World Cup activities.Other items include a special edition of War Cry, anti-human trafficking red cards and flyers, soccer balls and other soccer clinic equipment, kid’s club material and branded clothing and bags.

An anti-human trafficking training workshop was held at the Carl Sitlhole Campus in Soweto recently. The event was facilitated by Major Marieke Venter and other female officers from the Central Division.Parents and children from the community were invited to attend and it was followed by a march where Red cards were distributed in the community.

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Nepal Donation Updates

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:41:00 +1000

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Nepal Donation Updates


Clothes	Embroidery machine

Overlocker machine	Sewing Students

Recently the Wollongong and Stafford Corps donated a combined amount of $13,750 Australian Dollars to go towards “Lsangliana Sewing School” for ladies in Nepal.

With this contribution, the school received funding for the following:

A power generator
An over lock Machine
An embroidery Machine
Clothes and materials
Instructor wages
Refreshments
Transportation
House rent and electricity
Ten sets of sewing machines and materials for successful students
Graduation day

As the school has now more machines and more materials of better quality, the trainees are more attentive and faster in their skill. It is also now more affordable for the students to buy their materials. As a class exercise they made their own “Sural Kurtha” which is a ladies’ household wear made of pants and gown.

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China Project Update

Betsy Pineda — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:13:00 +1000

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China Project Update

Ertuo Village in Meigu County, China

The following is the latest progress report on the development project in Ertuo Village, in conjunction with AusAid.

Vegetable planting was not carried out because of the drought weather during the past 6 months in local area. We are going to start this component in the second half of this year.

The clay road connecting the village to the main road was built in March 2009 under a government funded project. The clay road makes the transportation of goods and products much easier.

The construction of village school and village clinic started on 3rd Nov. 2009 and completed on 7th Dec. 2009. During the construction process, local villagers contributed labor to the work. Two 40 square-meter classrooms, two 20 square-meter rooms for teachers, a 40 square-meter village clinic and a 12.5 square-meter toilet were built.

Meigu Foreign Aid Project Office and Meigu Education Bureau checked and accepted the construction work and provided us an acceptance report. The school will start to recruit students in September 2010, when the new school year starts in China.

Meigu Foreign Aid Project Office will purchase 50 sets of desks and chairs for the school and basic medical equipment for the clinic in July.

A private donor donated money to build a school enclosure wall and villagers contributed labors to build the wall. The construction work of the wall was finished on 26th May 2010.

There were 40 households that took part in phase one construction of bio-gas toilet. The construction work started on 3rd Nov 2009.

The bio-gas toilet system includes four components:

a bio-gas tank
a toilet
a kitchen and
a pig-pen

Professionals from the Energy & Resource Section of Meigu County provided technical support and local villager contributed labor to the construction work.

The leaders of the township and the village inquired several suppliers of construction materials, and chose two suppliers who can provide good product and competitive price as the supplier of cement, brick and sand for the project.

The suppliers delivered these construction materials to the village by truck. However, trucks can not reach all of the villagers’ houses because they live in remote areas. Most of the villagers had to carry the construction materials from the roadside where the truck unloaded the goods to their houses by manual labor. Local villagers covered the costs of renovating the pig-pen and kitchen themselves.

By 31st May, 2010, 37 households completed the bio-gas toilet system, 2 households only completed the bio-gas tank without other 3 components. 1 household completed the bio-gas tank, the pig-pen, and the toilet without the kitchen. Due to lack of money, the three households haven’t completed all the components.

They are trying to earn money to complete the work by going out to work. Among the 37 households who have completed the whole sets of bio-gas toilet system, only 5 households have bio-gas supply for cooking. Other households’ bio-gas tanks haven’t generated bio-gas due to lack of animal waste during the busy farming season, which started after the bio-gas toilet was completed, and farmers need the animal waste as fertilizer.

40 households participated in the first round goat-pen construction. By 31st May, 38 households completed their goat-pen.

All of the 38 goat-pens have been checked and accepted by Meigu Foreign Aid Project Office and each of the households has got RMB500 for the construction of the goat-pen. Due to lack of money, two households did not build their goat-pens.

They have to quit from the first round of goat raising households. The village selected another two households who are able to build goat-pen as replacement and asked them to build the goat-pen as soon as possible. Total 80 female-goats and 8 male-goats were distributed to the 40 households.

Two training sessions were held by Meigu Foreign Aid Project Office respectively on 31st Mar 2010 and 18 May 2010. One training session was about bio-gas use and maintenance. A specialist from the Energy & Resource Section of Meigu County gave training to 50 villagers.
It is important for villagers to safely use and maintain the bio-gas.

Another training session was about skills on goat-raising. A specialist of animal husbandry from Meigu Foreign Aid Project Office taught villagers knowledge of goat disease control and prevention, and reasons for goat raise in pens. 40 households attended the training.

The Southwest Regional Project Office (SWRPO) of the Salvation Army Hong Kong and Macau Command and local partner together conducted baseline surveys in Oct. 2009 and Jan. 2010 respectively. A baseline survey questionnaire was designed for the indoor interview of villagers.

Interviewee households were selected randomly from the 4 groups of villagers. A total of 24 questionnaires were collected. A baseline survey report was provided by Tracy Xiang project officer of SWRPO on 25 Jan 2010. The major findings of the survey are as follows:

Most of the villagers live in poverty.
90% of the interviewed households’ average annual incomes were under RMB2000.
Their incomes are barely enough to solve the problem of food, clothing and daily necessities.
Villagers’ traditional fuel is wood.
They have to spend a whole day to collect wood each time and each household spends about two months collecting wood every year.
Most of the households do not have a toilet and a separated kitchen in their houses.
Most of the villagers are highly motivated to build the bio-gas toilet.
Goat grazing in the mountain is the traditional way of raising goats in the village.
There were few households that had a goat-pen.
Villagers are willing to build a goat-pen and raise goats in the goat-pen.
They also want to improve their skills of animal husbandry and planting by attending trainings.
70% interviewed villagers are illiterate.
Children in the village spend 1.5 hours walking to get to the school in the township.

Bio-gas stove

Bio-gas tank

School Toilet

Village School Classroom

Villagers contributed to building the school

Village school and Village clinic

Villagers receive RMB500 for the construction of goat-pen

Goats are distributed to households who have finished the construction of goat-pen

Training session on goat raising

Training session on how to use bio-gas

A whole set of bio-gas system (tank, kitchen, toilet, pig pen and goat pen)

Goat pen

A household toilet

Renovated kitchen

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Knitting for the needy

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:21:00 +1000

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Knitting for the needy

If you are a knitting enthusiast, and love to knit for others, then this information is for you!

Due to high customs and postage costs we are UNABLE to send your knitted items and any other parcels such as teddies, children’s books, toys and the like overseas.

If you sponsor a child, and would like to give your child a gift for Christmas and/or birthday we encourage you send them a card and/or a monetary gift; this is the best gift as it will give them exactly what they need, which often times is basic toiletries.

If you are not a sponsor and would like to knit for someone, we encourage you to take your items to Mission World Aid.

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CARE Program PNG update

Betsy Pineda — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:06:00 +1000

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CARE Program PNG update

When did CARE start?

CARE Community Advancement Reform and Enhancement.
It started in 2006 in the North Western Division of TSA which is based in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province (EHP).

Why did it start?

To bring an end to the conflict between some waring tribes in EHP. The main reason for the project is to get a better deal for poor farmers by improving the coffee yield through training and better technology on coffee growing.

Also by negotiating a better price for the coffee, CARE members can improve their situation. This is done by helping farmers get their coffee to the CARE warehouse and the CARE team negotiate contracts with buyers.

What was the Salvation Army's involvement in it?

CARE is funded by AusAID and the Churches Partnership Program through The Salvation Army. So CARE staff are Salvation Army employees but the CARE Cooperative is run and managed by its members.

Some milestones of the project

Peace Ceremonies between tribes
Micro-finance Launch
Approximately 30,000kg of coffee sold in 2009

The following is part of the speech by His Excellency, Grand Chief, Sir Paulias Matane, Governor General of Papua New Guinea during the launching of the first-ever rural community micro-finance scheme at Ivigoi Open Bible Mission Station – Gimi, Okapa, Eastern Highlands province, on July 1, 2010.

Main Message: Covenant with God Key to Change

"Let me now share with you the purpose of my visit here today. Once again, I would like to stress that today is a very historical and significant day, not only for the people of Okapa and Gimi, but also for the people of Highlands region and Papua New Guinea.Today we witness the fruits of your hard work and the wise decision you have made. PNG needs such wisdom coupled with hard work and commitment to bring about a positive change in the mindset and livelihood of our people.

I believe the purpose of the CARE project is to bring about a positive change in the attitude and livelihood of the people. The CARE project offers solutions to problems in our communities. However, in order for us to address these problems, we need to first of all, change our attitudes. Hence, the covenant you made with God is the right course of action to take and is commendable. Only God can help you change your inner personality, and when you do so, then your outward personality will change also. As members of the CARE programme, you have reason to be joyful because you have the answer to the problems that many communities such as yours are facing throughout the country. The answer is simple and straightforward: Come to God and let him guide you and your community.

I would like to call on all development partners such as AusAID and the United Nations to support and respect the faith and convictions of the people. Whilst I commend and acknowledge the good work you are doing to assist the people, may I also appeal to you to refrain from deterring the people from their religious beliefs and convictions.

You, the people of Okapa, the rest of Eastern Highlands, as well as other highland provinces, who are members of the CARE programme, must realise that Papua New Guinea is not a poor country. In fact, other countries in the world refer to our country as an “Island of Gold floating on Oil”.

However, such description makes us wonder why basic infrastructure in all our provinces such roads, hospitals/healthcare centres and schools are deteriorating? Why is there a high rate of maternal and infant mortality in the country? Why are school-aged children not attending school?

Living in a rural area is indeed difficult when there is no proper infrastructure in place. But, let me remind you, that as a person, you are not poor. We are poor in terms of our spirituality and therefore succumb to corrupt activities which unfortunately, halt the delivery of government services from reaching our communities."

Click here to download the PDF and read the full speech.

Click below to read the PNG news articles about the CARE project

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