Education sponsors needed for kids

Malawi (MNN) — Education is fairly easy to come by in the West, mainly because public schools are free until students choose to attend an institute for higher education.

However, this isn’t the case in Africa. As little as $20 USD per month could send a child to school in Malawi or Tanzania.

Most families cannot afford this though, and kids are growing up without an education or a chance to better themselves.

For this same reason, when Force for Christ visited Malawi earlier this year for it’s orphan hosting program, the organization was also asked to help provide for the children’s educational needs.

Why Sponsor?

“Sponsoring one of these children is not only going to change their path of life; it will affect their family, those around them, their community. It’s going to have essentially a butterfly effect. These children[‘s] life goals are agriculture, getting clean water to their area,” Force for Christ’s Jennifer Wheeler says.

“They’re interested in social work. For a 12-year-old girl to say social work, it’s because she knows how many other young girls are getting married too young, just to have a family or a support network by a husband.”

Without education and hope for the future, many girls are married off as young as 12-years-old to men who are more than twice their age. Essentially, they’re reduced to creatures who are incapable of caring for themselves and serve only as a means for reproduction, or at least, this is how it feels.

One girl in particular, Hilda, Force for Christ met while visiting in Malawi. With both her parents deceased, Hilda lives with her grandmother and five other children. They’re supported by the little farming the grandmother is able to do.

During an interview with Force for Christ, Hilda began crying when asked about her sister. Her sister, only 13-years-old, has already been married off. She’s lost her chance to pursue education.

But Hilda hasn’t.

Education’s Power

The power of education can free these girls, and many others as well. Through education, girls are able to say no to child marriages and pursue a future. Through their educations, these kids can create change in their communities and give hope to others.

But there’s more. There’s Christ.

“We hear over and over, ‘I prayed for this and God answered my prayers.’ You can literally be the answer to a child’s prayer through this simple program and $20 a month,” Wheeler exclaims.

By sponsoring one of these children, people can be used by God to answer the prayers of these children. They can be used by God to actively and tangibly show Christ’s love to kids who are in some of the neediest situations.

Deuteronomy 15:10 reads, “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” (NIV)

It’s a verse that, for Wheeler, is a conviction to continue striving for the work Force for Christ is blessed by God to do in these children’s lives.

The Gospel’s Work

Force for Christ’s also working with local missionaries in Malawi and Tanzania who travel to schools and help identify the kids most in need of this program.

Currently, Force for Christ is set to help 13 kids from Malawi and 10 from Tanzania. The organization has no cap on the number of kids they’re willing to help. Instead, they’re listening and relying on God to move and provide.

“I get emails everyday of requests to add children to the list. It could grow and grow, we could really have the opportunity to touch a lot of lives,” Wheeler says.

The missionaries working with these kids on the ground are the same ones who are also personally sharing with them the Good News of the Gospel. It’s being made clear to the children it is God who is providing for them through the sponsorship.

Furthermore, the children are experiencing how much God loves them and are learning about the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for them. And, though families are miles away from the children they support with Force for Christ, they too have the option to share Christ’s love with their sponsor child and build a relationship with them.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” ~ John 14:18 

However, the school year is quickly approaching, beginning in September. Kids need sponsors by the end of August. Will you help?

All it costs is $20 USD a month. This money includes the cost of tuition, school supplies, uniforms, and shoes. Even something as simple as shoes these children lack. But they’ll get to use their new pair from the sponsorship to walk to school and see God move in their lives, creating a new future for them.

Pray For the Orphaned

Please pray for these children, for God to find them sponsors and for their hearts to be filled with His joy, peace, and love. Pray for their lives to be transformed by Christ and that through them, their communities would also be transformed.

But most importantly, pray for God to meet all these children, those waiting for sponsorships and those who are not; for Him to meet them right where they are, to hear their prayers, and to change their lives for Him.

 

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” ~ Prayer of St. Francis

 

To sponsor a child, contact Force for Christ at [email protected]

OR

Drop a note at

PO Box 2133

Portage, MI 49081-2133

CLICK HERE to learn more or donate to Force for Christ.