This project will help: 180 children
Child development centre: Jimma Emanuel United Church Child Development Centre (ET0394)
Location: Jimma, Ethiopia
Life is tough for boys and girls growing up in Jimma, Ethiopia, where they don’t have enough clean drinking water, sanitary washrooms, clothing, nourishing food or safe housing. Mothers are so busy trying to earn enough money to buy daily bread that children don’t receive the loving care and attention they so desperately need. Struggling with unreliable day labour jobs or unemployment, caregivers often can’t afford school fees. Children plagued with persistent illnesses like respiratory tract infections, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS need access to health care and hygiene education.
Due to a lack of child-friendly spaces like recreational centres and libraries, youth are inclined to drug addiction, alcoholism and group fighting. Many Oromo families strongly distrust and challenge the church’s biblical teachings. Youth and children need safe, welcoming places where they can develop healthy relationships and learn about God’s incredible love for them.
The local church in Jimma has a deep desire to reach out to their community with the transforming gospel of Christ and respond to some of the most pressing needs of children.
By opening a child development centre, children will have access to health care and will receive supplementary food as needed. Through your support they will also have the opportunity to go to school and receive vocational training, age-appropriate Christian teaching and discipleship, as well as education on important topics like health, hygiene and how to form healthy relationships. Along the way, they will also receive personal attention, guidance and love from caring members of the Christian community.
Real and lasting change happens when children are developed to become the adults who will create change in their community. In Compassion’s program, children learn they are loved, develop hope for their future and realize that God wants to use them to help others. These children grow up to be givers and leaders in their community.
Help children build a new future free from poverty and full of promise by launching a holistic children’s ministry!
Children’s ministry launch
Help a church in Ethiopia open a holistic child development ministry
Church name: Jimma Emanuel United Church
Community information: Jimma is home to 450,000 people. The Oromo people make up the primary ethnic group in this humid, hilly city in southwestern Ethiopia. Most adults work as day labourers or as petty market traders. The average monthly income is a mere $9. May to September comprise the rainy months, while October to December are harvest months. July and August are considered “hunger months,”—times when food is scarce. The main diet consists of cereal, maize, potatoes, sweet potatoes and wheat. A typical family home is fashioned from a tin roof, wood walls and a dirt floor. There is an urgent need in this region for evangelism and prayer—that hearts will soften so families can hear and respond to the gospel.
What is provided through this gift:
- Centre staffing
- Staff training
- Child registration and caregiver orientation
- Initial caregiver meeting
- Registration day items
- Camera
- Administrative equipment and supplies
- Office computer and printer
- Office filing cabinets and shelves
- Office desk and chair
- Office supplies
- Staff uniforms and backpacks
- Classroom furnishings and supplies
- Tables and chairs
- Toys, games and minor sports equipment
- Teaching resources and supplies
- Curriculum printing
- Kitchen furnishings and supplies
- Tables and chairs
- Cooking pots, pans and cooking utensils
- Cups, bowls and cutlery
- Gas tank and cooking fuel
- Storage cabinets and closets
- Health checkups and supplies
- Initial health screenings
- Height and weight measurement tools
- First-aid kits