This project will help: 150 children
Child development centre: Elim Pentecostal Riroda Children and Youth Development Centre (TZ0406)
Location: Riroda, Tanzania
In Riorda, Tanzania, many children have little hope for the future. With a staggering 98 per cent unemployment rate for formal jobs, many caregivers are unemployed and unable to provide for children’s basic needs. A high rate of malnutrition among children leads to malnutrition-related diseases and stunted growth. Though there are health clinics in town, many families cannot afford to purchase the prescribed medicine. High risk of infant and maternal death stem from lack of access to pre- and postnatal care.
Due to limited resources and poor facilities, the six local primary and secondary schools don’t offer a solid education that prepares children for the future. In addition, many children don’t attend school because their families can’t afford school fees, uniforms and supplies. With limited education and few vocational skills, many children have little expectation but to continue their parents’ poverty cycle.
But the local church in Riroda has a deep desire to reach out to their community with the transforming gospel of Christ and respond to some of the children’s most needs.
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 Tanzania open a holistic child development ministry
Church name: Elim Pentecostal Church Riroda
Community information: About 14,000 people live in Riorda; the largest demographic is young adults age 20 to 40. The closest major city is Babati. A whopping 98 per cent of adults are unemployed. Those who have found jobs work in retail, agriculture and the service sector. Families earn an average of $3.50 per month. Homes are made of dirt floors and grass walls with thatched roofs. The main diet consists of beans, chickens, cowpeas, eggs, fish, goat, maize, millet, rice and roti. Though this is a Muslim-dominated community there are a mixture of tribes practising various traditions as well as several Christian churches. There is an opportunity for spreading the gospel through evangelistic outreaches.
What is provided through this gift:
- Administrative equipment and supplies
- Office computer and printer
- Office filing cabinets and shelves
- Office desk and chair
- Office supplies
- Staff uniforms and backpacks
- Kitchen furnishings and supplies
- Tables and chairs
- Cooking pots, pans and cooking utensils
- Cups, bowls and cutlery
- Minor building enhancements
- Construction material: cement, gravel, sand
- Doors and windows
- Painting and finishings
- Toilet facilities