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NOTHING DEMONSTRATES HOPE MORE CLEARLY THAN . . . investing in children. Our partners in India have been feeding, equipping, and training hundreds of children annually for more than twenty years through their child development centers. These challenging times have required changes; with the widespread pandemic comes the need to 'social distance'. Currently, many 'regulars' at the centers, both children and staff, are not able to attend for various reasons. At the worst of times, days and weeks pass when the centers are unable to open their doors to the children.
The pandemic has required two major changes in this important and life-sustaining ministry . . .
The pandemic has required two major changes in this important and life-sustaining ministry . . .
1) A Focus on Food Distribution versus Food Service
January 2019 - Children line up for a daily hot meal.
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March 30, 2020 - Children & parents arrive at scheduled times to receive packaged meals.
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2) Indefinite Suspension of the Child Sponsorship Program
In 2017 we established a child sponsorship program under the Compassion Way Kids banner. The program allowed an individual or family in the US to make a long-term commitment to pray for, communicate with, and financially support a particular child. These beautiful relationships helped ensure a future for each sponsored child while allowing him to form secondary 'family' bonds with someone far beyond his small world. The program's success was predicated on the existence of child development centers that could provide a stable environment in which a relatively static group of children could learn, grow together and form long-term relationships. These centers enabled children to receive practical & vocational training, gain life-skills, develop good habits, explore art and culture, grow in their faith, and participate in recreational activities. While we anticipate that these programs will resume and continue well into the future, it is impossible to predict exactly when this will happen. Even more challenging is our ability to track and remain engaged with individual children during this pandemic. Like so many schools and programs in the US, most large gatherings have essentially been banned in India. We cannot continue to receive support for individuals if we cannot ensure that those individuals are still participating in programs that may not be fully operational in these times. In light of these circumstances, We Are Indefinitely Suspending our Child Sponsorship Program
Why should I continue to support Compassion Way Kids?
While we are no longer able to encourage sponsorship of individual children by name, the child development centers continue to play a big roll in coping with the pandemic, and we believe they will play an even bigger roll in the eventual recovery. The equipment, facilities, and experience acquired through their long history with large scale feeding programs has 'repurposed' these child centers as food distribution centers where the families of the students are first in line to receive services. The centers are still providing limited activities for the children as well and continue to look for more opportunities to do so. The staff members continue to serve the children in addition to the community at large through food distribution. The influence of the centers has greatly increased as news has spread of their ability to help the community, and that chain of communication started with the families of students at the center.
Our brightest hope is for the future. We believe the pandemic, as tragic as it is, will position the child development centers and the churches behind their programs to experience exponential growth and influence in the post-pandemic community. Like Joseph in Egypt, Covenant Family Church has provided a storehouse of hope and resources on which the entire community has come to depend. We believe that their sacrifice and works of service will continue to increase their role in the future of these regions. God, in His wisdom, has given our church partners access to resources beyond their struggling, resource-strapped communities and your donations are those material resources, while Christ in them is the source of the eternal resources that will transform India.
Our brightest hope is for the future. We believe the pandemic, as tragic as it is, will position the child development centers and the churches behind their programs to experience exponential growth and influence in the post-pandemic community. Like Joseph in Egypt, Covenant Family Church has provided a storehouse of hope and resources on which the entire community has come to depend. We believe that their sacrifice and works of service will continue to increase their role in the future of these regions. God, in His wisdom, has given our church partners access to resources beyond their struggling, resource-strapped communities and your donations are those material resources, while Christ in them is the source of the eternal resources that will transform India.
2018 VIDEO - Click on the photo to view |
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