H.E.L.P. Announces Building Projects for 2008

Just three years after the first foundations of the Victory Mission Orphanage were built in 2004 (above), H.E.L.P. International has announced some other phases of the building project that will take place in 2008. Now that the entire boys' dormitory is completed, H.E.L.P. is looking to build a fence around the entire orphanage property to satisfy the remaining building regulations. In addition to a fence, a kitchen facility will be built adjacent to the completed dormitory. Once these two requirements are met, the boys' dormitory will be a functioning home for a up to a few dozen young boys.

H.E.L.P. International does not plan on stopping with only the boys' dormitory, however. Other plans for 2008 include the completion of two new dormitories for girls as well. Each smaller-sized dormitory will house 8 girls, who will share the property's kitchen and dining facility as well.

Other projects for 2008, which do not focus solely on building, are also geared towards helping citizens in Zambia, which is where the Victory Mission Orphanage has been built. H.E.L.P. endeavors to pack and ship a crate from Canada to Zambia, intending to fill it with clothing, medical supplies, furniture, and other miscellaneous items that will be of help in the Gwembe Valley region. H.E.L.P. also intends to use funds to purchase a new vehicle for Pastor Roy, a Zambian man from Maamba who has partnered with the vision of the Victory Mission Orphanage since its beginning. Pastor Roy will use his vehicle to provide services and support to people in the town of Maamba as well as to surrounding villages throughout the Gwembe Valley.

Summary of H.E.L.P.'s 2008 Goals:

Build two girls' dormitories for the Zambian orphanage $20 000

Build a fence and kitchen facility building for the orphanage $17 000

Fill and ship a container for Zambia $15 000

Purchase a reliable vehicle for Pastor Roy $15 000

Meet Headman Peter

Peter is the Headman in the village of Muuka, Zambia where we have been working for 6 years and also are about to open a medical clinic. Peter has come to know the Lord through the church planting efforts in that region! He is a vibrant and energetic man that loves the Lord. Through him coming to know the Lord, many doors have been opened for H.E.L.P. International and for the work that we do in the Gwembe Valley.

When we spoke to Peter, he shared this thought with us: "I thank God for you and the work you are doing!" It is always a pleasure to sit in Peter's hut and enjoy some sweet melon and good laughter. Pray for Peter as he becomes more of a spiritual leader to his people.

"Helping Needy Kids" -- An Overview of the Program

History:

After attending a symposium on the AIDS pandemic in Harare, Zimbabwe in 2001, Leonard and Lorie Rutten (the founders of H.E.L.P.) began to ask God what to do in response to this great of parentless children.

The Lord laid on Lorie’s heart the vision of child sponsorship. Connecting caring Christians with the means to help, with those desperate children and widows left alone because of disease, poverty or abandonment, was what the Lord directed her to initiate.

The program began in January 2002, with only a handful of children that the Ruttens and Bishops saw in need, mainly in the area where they had planted a church in a township near Pretoria, South Africa.

Profiles were prepared for the children and presented in churches and to individuals who were interested in a “grass roots” sponsorship program.

Since that time, HNK has streamlined its sponsorship to partner with well-established, accountable child-care organizations. We have long standing personal and working relationships with SA Cares for Life (Pretoria), Tumelo Home for Disabled Children (Ivory Park, Johannesburg) and Victory Pentecostal Church in Maamba (Zambia) – Victory Mission Orphanage.

Accountability, communication, and relationship are values HNK strives to maintain with its sponsors and with its partners in Africa.

At $60.00/month, the main focus of HNK’s sponsorship is:

1) Nutrition
2) Education
3) Clothing
4) Medical Care
5) Proper Housing
6) Spiritual Growth

We also encourage our child sponsors to pray for the health, safety and spiritual growth of their “adopted” child. This is a vital support to the child and their family. People are also welcome to write to their children and send them birthday cards through our office in Calgary, Alberta.

Partnering with South Africa Cares for Life

SA Cares for Life started its ministry 10 years ago by offering positive alternatives to abortion. It quickly expanded and started caring for abandoned babies (many HIV/AIDS infected). Len and Lorie Rutten adopted their fourth child, Matthew, from Abba House (SA Cares for Life). Sue Bishop also volunteered at Abba house while living in Pretoria. When SA Cares for Life further expanded their ministry to caring for orphans and vulnerable children in rural South Africa, it was an easy fit for HNK to become partners--we already had a well-established relationship.

The children sponsored with SA Cares for Life live in individual homes with disadvantaged single parents or extended family members. Monthly food parcels are given to the families. A social worker and field workers work with the families to ensure that educational, medical and housing needs are met for the child and their family. Counseling, parenting teaching, and sending employable adults for skills training are also included in this program.

For more information on SA Cares for Life, check out: http://www.sacaresforlife.com/

Partnering with The Tumelo Home for Disabled Children

Tumelo Home for Disabled Children opened in April 1998 by Dr. Moses and Mrs. Orina Thindisa. After starting a surgery (doctor's office) in the Ivory Park Township, abandoned mentally and physically children were brought to the Thindisas. This compelled the Thindsas to build Tumelo Home which means ‘faith’. Ivory Park is in Midrand, Gauteng and is home to several million, many who are unemployed and in dire poverty. Dr. and Mrs, Thindsa also built a 500 person community centre on the adjoining premises which house a church and daycare center. They are also the pastors of the church and oversee many community projects. Tumelo Home is recognized by the South Africa Department of Social Welfare.

Orina Thindisa, as a manageress, runs Tumelo Home with staff of paid helpers and volunteers. Orina is a qualified Home Economics teacher and holds a BA in Public Administration. Dr. Thindisa is a qualified medical practitioner. Tumelo receives some funding from the government but relies mostly on donations from local and international organizations. Helping Needy Kids has been partnering with Tumelo Home since 2002. Monthly sponsorship ensures the children receive nutritious food, proper medical attention, special education and 24-hour care. Tumelo Home is known for its progressive ideas and high integrity for quality physical and mental care. The children are not simply housed and fed, but are taught and encouraged to reach their maximum growth potential. They are prayed for and loved as Jesus would love them 24 hours a day.

The ages of the children at the home range from infant to 33-years old. Both Graydon and Sue Bishop have personally known Moses and Orina since 2001.

Visit Tumelo’s website at http://www.tumelohome.org/

Victory Mission Orphanage (Zambia)

H.E.L.P. International has been working in the Gwembe Valley, Zambia since 2002. The need for a children’s home was brought to our attention several years ago. There are too many orphaned children (due to HIV/AIDS and other diseases) for extended family members to care for properly. Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world where education in rural areas is not a priority. It is our aim to bring these vulnerable children to a safe place where education, clothing, nutritious food and a loving ‘family’ environment will be provided. The first phase of the orphanage is complete and we are working closely with the government and social workers to open up the orphanage as soon as possible. Excessive flooding has paralyzed the building of a required fence. Fourteen children have been screened and accepted by Victory Missions Orphanage and the government social worker. Support for these precious children will begin this year.

We believe that “a Father to the fatherless, defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. He sets the lonely in families” Psalms 68:5-6

Won’t you consider what you will do to change a life for eternity?

Zambia Victory Mission Orphanage Project

The concept for the Zambia Victory Mission Orphanage was conceived first by citizens and church leaders in the town of Maamba, Zambia. Since a large percentage of adults in this region suffer and die from HIV/AIDS, many children are left orphaned every year. In 2004, H.E.L.P. International partnered with local leaders to enable the orphanage project to begin. In the summer of 2004, a team of Canadian volunteers traveled to Maamba to help dig the foundation for the orphanage. Located on the same property as the Victory Church of Maamba, the orphanage's foundation was dug at the heart of the community.

For three years, the donations of people from around the world were channeled to this building project by H.E.L.P. International, and volunteers continued to arrive to aid with the building project. Hired Zambian labourers completed many aspects of the construction and electrical work. In 2007, the boys' dormitory, the first of three planned buildings, was completed with enough rooms to house 32 boys. A large indoor washroom was also installed with toilets and showers for all the boys.

Bricks dry in the sun

The Victory Mission Orphanage project continues to grow and develop. On our most recent trip in November, 2007, H.E.L.P. International was able to purchase a brick-making machine that will enable long term sustainability for construction in Maamba and the Gwembe Valley region. As the picture above shows, bricks are an essential building supply for building projects in Zambia. Bricks can be made through natural resources by combining the correct mixture of water, sand, and concrete. Previously, bricks used in the Zambia Victory Mission Orphanage project were handmade one at a time in a form-type mold. Molded bricks are turned out to finish baking in the sun. The new brick-making machine that has been purchased will provide an ease in this brick-making process. The machine will also be used to run a business that will employ local men who are very much in need of work.

H.E.L.P. International is also currently working with the local government social services representative to finalize the legal aspects of running an orphanage. A fence will soon be built around the property to enable the children to have an even more safe and secure home. Other short-term plans include the completion of a second building, which will house all the kitchen and eating facilities. This all should wrap up soon and we can welcome the first boys into the dormitory.



Helping Needy Kids: Zambia

In regards to its Helping Needy Kids program, H.E.L.P. International has been working in the Gwembe Valley, Zambia since 2002. The need for a children’s orphanage was brought to our attention several years ago. There are too many orphaned children (due to HIV/AIDS and other diseases) for extended family members to care for properly. Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world where education in rural areas is not a priority. It is our aim to bring these vulnerable children to a safe place where education, clothing, nutritious food and a loving ‘family’ environment will be provided. The first phase of the orphanage is complete and we are working closely with the government and social workers to open up the orphanage as soon as possible. Excessive flooding has paralyzed the building of a required fence. Fourteen children have been screened and accepted by Victory Missions Orphanage and the government social worker. Support for these precious children will begin this year.

Pastor Sponsorship

H.E.L.P. International has been providing support to people in the Gwembe Valley (Zambia) for several years now. Working with local leaders and pastors is critical for providing the correct type of supports for this region. In this region, pastors and other church leaders are highly responsible for the emotional, physical, and spiritual health of the people living in rural villages. However, despite the large degree of responsibility and high regard that they are held in, the majority of pastors and leaders themselves live in poverty. Many of their own wives and children suffer from ill health, malnutrition, and poverty.

H.E.L.P. International saw the need to provide assistance to these key leaders, and as such, they have opened the doors for sponsors to step forward and provide committed financial support for these men and their families. For $80 per month, church leaders and their families are provided with a reliable income, access to medical support, healthy food resources, and a safe and comfortable place to live. Sponsorship can also be split between two committed donors so that each donor provides a $40 per month donation. Donations can be set up through direct withdrawl from a bank account or direct billing to a credit card so that the donation is taken care of monthly.

Sponsoring pastors and their families ensure that these critical leaders can continue to provide daily leadership, care, and support without the daily stresses of striving to look after themselves and their families. With their basic needs met, leaders can take time to travel to more remote areas of the Gwembe Valley and to provide assistance to people who are suffering, knowing that their families are safe and provided for back home.

 Pastor Roy of the Gwembe Valley    " When I travelled to the Gwembe Valley region, I had the chance to meet the pastor that I sponsor. Immediately I noticed that he was well-dressed in clean, new clothes. He was wearing a new pair of eyeglasses, and his wife and children were healthy looking and extremely happy. It was so satisfying to know that my small monthly contribution had been able to do so much for their lives.   "    - Canadian donor

If you are interested in sponsoring a pastor monthly, please contact a H.E.L.P. representative

Muuka Medical Clinic

In 2004, H.E.L.P. International began work on a health clinic in the village of Muuka, Zambia. Muuka is a tiny rural village located in Zambia's Gwembe Valley, a region that is scattered with approximately 400,000 people clustered in small villages throughout. Approximately 2 hours from the nearest town by car, Muuka and its surrounding community is filled with people who do not have regular access to health care. People of all ages, including children and infants, suffer from conditions such as malaria, cholera, malnutrition, and other diseases related to a lack of food and clean drinking water; these conditions could easily be treated if access to health care were more readily available.

The building project aspect of the clinic has just been completed in 2007. Teams from Canada worked alongside Zambian workers to complete the structural aspects of the building such as finishing brick work, adding a corrugated tin roof, weatherproofing parts of the building, and painting the exterior.

The next phase of planning for the operation of this clinic is the provision of medical supplies and the recruitment of qualified medical personnel. A small staff of trained doctors and/or nurses will be required before this clinic can be functional. It is hoped that cooperation with the Zambian government will help to make this clinic an even greater success.