At a concert today , I discovered how money from us can feed and educate many children. I went to hear Uganda Children’s Choir at 11am after church. I first heard them in 1988, again in the 1990’s and 2004 .Every time I have been bowled over by the joyfulness of these young children(7-11 years old) as they sing. They are full of the Holy Spirit and wonderfully alive to the rhythmic music of praise songs and newer African songs. The program called Music for Life has spread to several African countries and over 30 years, has benefited 52,000 children.
At the church about 600 people were watching them and choosing to donate to their needs. We were shown a film of the poverty in Uganda and then shown the children in a school where they are cared for and taught all subjects so eventually they can help their families and country . They are well fed and some of our small donations go towards an improvement of life for them. They each told us about what they’d like to be in future and they were most specific; their ambitions ranged from being a policeman to being a nurse, a pilot, a teacher and a dentist. With positive encouragement and experiences from travelling as a choir, they have the chance to make their goal.
Another organisation I love is the Gospel for Asia (http://www.gfa.ca/) which builds ‘Jesus Wells’ in different villages, feeds people physically and spiritually and helps in emergencies such as the one in Nepal. We need to knock down walls of poverty little by little. With God’s help through prayer we can do this. GAF has a program called Bridge of Hope that constantly allows poor children to get help in life. There they are housed, educated and helped to discover the joy that is possible in life. In the same way the Christian Blind Mission (http://www.cbmcanada.org/) has expanded its work to help children with all kinds of disabilities all over the world. They are even using the benefits of 3D printing to make prostheses for legs and arms right where they are needed. Having seen how this improves life for children I admire the marvellous efforts of these Christian organisations.
How sad that there are places in the world where some are actively keeping refugees out. Maybe one day there will be more compassion less violence, more understanding and a welcoming attitude.. I do realize that more people are a burden on a small country but through agencies cooperating, there could be further developments to help families in need. Doctors without Borders (http://www.msf.ca/ ) have done a wonderful job to stop the spread of diseases as well as care for the poor in many camps Our support of the many wonderful organisations can give those of us, better off, an opportunity to bring some hope and joy into young lives.