Hundred years of ministry to hurting kids

Guatemala (KAI) – Ask Corbey Dukes, Guatemalan Field Director of Kids Alive International, what he wants people to remember about the ministry as it celebrates its global 100^th anniversary, and he’s quick with a response.

“Impact for the kingdom.”

Corbey has been with Kids Alive International since they first began working in Guatemala in 2001. And he’s seen countless lives transformed through the love of Jesus Christ and the care of those committed to restoration.

Oasis is a ministry that focuses its care solely on sexually abused girls. Providing sanctuary, education, and counseling for the girls has been the focus for years.

But five years ago, the sword of justice was lifted as well. Corbey shares, “We took up the challenge of seeking justice for them, apart from the care and spiritual healing in the ministry we were doing for the restoration of their hearts.”

When they first started talking to district attorneys and judges in the jurisdictions where the girls were abused, the reception was lukewarm. “But then we sparked an awakening,” says Corbey, and now great progress is being made in the legal system.

“[With] Kids Alive right now in Guatemala in the Oasis ministry, a girl is 20 times more likely to see her sexual abuser face justice and be arrested.”

In the remote village of Zapote, restoration is found in a special partnership between Kids Alive and Iglesia Galilea, a local church. The Source of Hope School provides a Christ-centered education to children. And the benefits are praiseworthy.

“We’re seeing kids three times higher than the national average on children going into higher education, and we’re really poised to see a dramatic kingdom impact in this village of 3,000 people,” Corbey continues.

The greatest challenge in ministering in Guatemala, according to Corby, is spiritual warfare. Every day, Kids Alive staff works with children who have had horrible things happen in their lives.

He says, “It’s not that they’re morally corrupt children – it’s that they’re being oppressed and abused by predators and people who twist the Gospel. We’ve had pastors and police and others in authority prey on these kids.

And then there’s the issue of deep, deep poverty. “It’s spiritual warfare to get them to believe in a good God, a good Father in heaven.”

Corby says prayers for both protection and provision are the most important way people can support Kids Alive’s efforts in Guatemala.

You can do even more for Kids Alive International’s work in Guatemala and around the world. Learn more about their programs and get involved through child sponsorship and short-term mission trips.