Thank you for raising over $90,000 to train Ghana Street Children in Accra during June, bringing life and hope to Ghanaian youth. AE volunteer Mike Heard writes about this transformative programme and its ongoing positivity for communities and families.
An African Enterprise apprenticeship programme for Street Children in Ghana has seen a destitute young Muslim woman surrender her life to Jesus and learn how to set up a profitable business at the same time.
Rajiatu, 23, was barely making a living selling water in a marketplace in Ghana’s capital, Accra, when she met a man who promised to marry her, but who deserted her when she fell pregnant.
Unable to provide properly for herself or her child, she shared details of her struggle with a friend and was led to AE’s local office.
There, she was enrolled in AE’s Street Children Project, which saw her engaging in Bible studies as she learned how to make pastries for a living.
In time, Rajiatu decided to surrender her life to Jesus. When she graduated from the pastry course, she was given seed money and equipment to launch a pastry business.
AE’s Ghana office says that the last time it checked, the business was “doing very well”.
You are empowering young people through your support! Thank you.
To give to Aid & Development Projects, click here.
As the AE mission in Malindi, Kenya continues, thousands of people are being reached with the Gospel. Yesterday, mission teams were sent into the city to minister door to door. The city was divided into nine sections, teams were then released into those sections in order to cover the city with the Gospel.
As one team ministered throughout a neighbourhood, they came across Sarah*
Sarah’s Testimony
Sarah is a Muslim and was raised in a Muslim family. “As I was growing up,” she told us, “I had several Christian friends. They spoke to me often about Jesus and I gradually felt more and more convicted and I needed to give my life to Him like my friends had explained. When I was 16 I gave my life to Jesus and I was so happy about it, but my family disapproved of my decision and that made things difficult for me. I wasn’t able to continue as a Christian.”
“When I was 16 I gave my life to Jesus and I was so happy about it, but my family disapproved…”
As Sarah shared her story with the mission team, they encouraged her in the faith she had once lost and reminded her of Christ’s amazing love for her. She accepted Christ into her heart and has Lord over her life with joy in the presence of the team and they took her details so that she could be connected with a local church for encouragement in her new faith.
Rain Brings Gospel Opportunity
Another ministry team had been assigned to an area where there is a heavy Muslim population. While knocking on doors, a downpour began and the occupants who didn’t want to have anything to do with the Gospel, graciously let the team into their home to avoid being soaked by the rain. The team seized the opportunity to share the Gospel message with the Muslim family while waiting out the rain.
“The team seized the opportunity to share the Gospel message with the Muslim family while waiting out the rain.”
The family did not make a decision for Christ, but the team felt that many good seeds were planted in their hearts. Please pray for this family and the others like them in this neighbourhood!
Simon – Saved from the Brink
“Simon was overwhelmed with the troubles in his life.”
Simon was overwhelmed with the troubles in his life. He had recently been diagnosed as HIV+ and felt that there was no future for him. He had made the decision to end his life. Thankfully he crossed the path of an AE team while they were ministering in his neighbourhood. He shared his story with them and they were able to encourage him and share the Gospel with him. After hearing about the grace that God extends to His children, Simon decided to give his life to Christ! His joy was clear and the team has put him in contact with a local church so that he can be encouraged in his new journey as a Christian.
Leader’s Dinner
In the evening, the mission turned its focus to the community leaders by hosting a Leader’s Dinner at a local hotel. Over 80 leaders attended and heard Rev. John Wesley, AE Kenya Board Chair, speak on the importance of good character and integrity as a leader. He challenged them to live a life that glorifies God and cares for those in need. The evening ended by asking the leaders to accept Christ’s leadership over their own lives.
The mission continues through this week and we’re excited to see what else God does in this city!
So far, 19,633 people have been reached with the Gospel and 2,939 of those have made confessions of faith.
“So far, 19,633 people have been reached with the Gospel and 2,939 of those have made confessions of faith.”
Please continue to pray for these local missionaries who are dedicated to sharing the Gospel amongst their own city. Please also thank God for those volunteers who have traveled to Malindi from the various parts of Kenya and beyond! We are thankful for those Christians in Africa who are dedicated to reaching their own countrymen with the Gospel.
We believe in equipping young people with the necessary skills to be empowered and rise out of poverty.
Ghana’s Street Children Apprenticeship Programme (or SCAP) endeavours to do just that.
Each year, 40 children are brought into the programme and trained with skills like tailoring and dressmaking, computing, aluminium fabrication and hairdressing. Thanks to your support, training is paid for by AE Ghana, and expected to take about 3 years per student. With such a diverse range of choices, and small class sizes, it’s no wonder that graduates of the programme feel ready to tackle the world!
AE Ghana Team Member Samuel Amoako says SCAP is all about transforming lives.
“We are rescuing children, or young adults between the ages of 16 to 24 who have lost hope. It’s about restoring hope to the hopeless.”
Thanks to the love of Jesus, this has all been made possible.
Twins Helena and Selina graduated with smiles of hope on their faces, despite the death of their mother 5 months before their graduation. Without a father either, they would have faced serious difficulties, were it not for AE’s assistance. They thanked African Enterprise for giving them the skills and support to look after themselves in the absence of both parents.
Helena and Selina receiving their graduation gifts.
Kate Mensah graduated from hairdressing training. She received a certificate and a hairdryer. The expression on her face was enough evidence of gratitude to God.
African Enterprise have been inspired by God to run these training programs, to restore hope to people like Kate. Kate did not know the love of God until she met AE. When she realised she would not have to pay back the money for her training, she was amazed, and has resolved to live for Christ for all her days.
Rosemary Amoh Bronya also received a hairdryer and a certificate after she had graduated from hairdressing. She promised to remain faithful to the Lord because of the demonstration of love shown her by African Enterprise. Rosemary thanked AE for supporting her to acquire a vocational skill. She told us very soon she will set up her own business.
All of these young women could not stop showering blessings on AE and our donors. Thank you for supporting the Street Children Apprenticeship Programme in Ghana!
Three weeks ago our Kenyan Foxfire Team were involved in a vehicle accident that involved the destruction of their van – a primary aid to reaching the lost in Kenya.
In God’s infinite mercy, not one of the members was seriously injured physically. Sharon Wangui recounts the incident,
“Every Foxfire member was shaken. It’s not easy to be in a situation in which you are not sure if you will come out alive or dead. It’s traumatizing. I remember we screamed both to help ourselves and to warn others to give way. But after all is said and done, here we are ready to continue with ministry. Our vehicle may be damaged, but our zeal for ministry is not injured. We will keep on setting the youth ablaze for Christ.”
Kenyan Foxfires Coordinator, Edward Mungai, has provided further updates to say that the team has a week off to recover from the trauma through counselling and rest. One member lost a tooth, and will have it replaced in April.
The team are moving forward with passion and urgency, currently concluding their training in youth trauma counselling before recommencing missions. There are two youth conferences, as well as other missions programmes to present in!
Thank you to the indescribable generosity of the Australian donors who responded to the cries for prayer and financial support from Kenya. The van needed to be replaced, and we have been overwhelmed with enough gifts for Kenya to purchase a new vehicle, praise God! We will keep you posted once we hear news of their progress.
The Bidi Bidi refugee camp in West Nile, Uganda, is home to almost 300,000 refugees from South Sudan, with more arriving every day. Many of them have witnessed some of the most horrific events imaginable, have lost parents or siblings, have seen neighbours being killed and have watched helplessly while their country has dissolved in front of them.
“Trauma is the biggest problem in this camp,” said Moses Asiku, a refugee living in Bidi Bidi. “We sometimes think we are going crazy or that maybe we have demons – things are happening in our lives that we can’t understand. We have bad dreams, experience hyperactivity, and horrible feelings.”
In mid-March, African Enterprise conducted a week-long mission in the Bidi Bidi refugee camp, partnering with the local Anglican church and reaching out to over 250 religious and camp leaders, like Moses. AE offered hope, providing special training in trauma, reconciliation, and peace-building, and ministering the Gospel to each person. “We need more of this training,” Moses said. “Even church leaders get traumatized.”
Helping Children Cope with Trauma
And they aren’t the only ones. The children in Bidi Bidi camp exhibit signs of suffering terrible trauma – they have trouble concentrating, are becoming increasingly aggressive and are constantly afraid. AE trained Sunday School teachers from 12 congregations in the camp, collaborating with Children at Risk National Collaboration of Christian Agencies (CaRNaC) to train those teachers in how to help the children in their care.
“Before this, I never thought children were important in the church, I thought they couldn’t understand the Gospel,” said Sunday school teacher Joseph Rems. “But I have learned that children are strategic and the church must have them participate if we are to win even the coming generations for Christ.”
“Before this, I never thought children were important in the church, I thought they couldn’t understand the Gospel, But I have learned that children are strategic and the church must have them pa
rticipate if we are to win even the coming generations for Christ.”
AE donated outdoor playground equipment to a local church, for children of all tribes and religions to use. “These play items shall attract both Muslims and Christians, providing an opportunity to share and demonstrate the love of Christ,” said Canon Moffat Moffi of Pilgrim’s Church in Yumbe, Uganda. Most schools in the refugee camp and the surrounding area have become over-crowded and are struggling with resources. The classes are so large that teachers have little control over their students, and many children have to sit outside during lessons. Thousands of children attend each of the refugee camp schools.
Hope at the edge
During AE’s school ministry, the team visited eight schools, using action songs, storytelling and interactive learning to share the Gospel. One of the teenagers they touched was Oryem Joseph who lives in Bidi Bidi camp and twice has tried to commit suicide. He lost his parents and his home during the conflict in South Sudan and currently lives with a foster family in Bidi Bidi.
“I found life too cruel and I couldn’t think of anything but committing suicide,” he said.
“I found life too cruel and I couldn’t think of anything but committing suicide.”
Back in Sudan, Joseph dropped out of school three years ago because his family couldn’t afford the school fees. He now attends one of the camp’s free secondary schools and was there when AE visited. Listening to the Gospel story, he decided to give his life to Christ. “This sharing has touched me,” he said. He has found a new source of hope.
Extending a hand of friendship
Part of AE’s goal though this mission was to encourage peace-building between Muslims and Christians, and between different tribes within the camp. In Ofonje Primary School, which has 1,570 pupils, the AE team noticed clear tribal divides. The Dinka (tribe) headmaster of that school, Tretty Al-Asan, says he struggles with the feelings of hate in the community. “It has been very hard for me because the community never trusts any Dinka,” he said. “They see us as murderers who killed innocent families in Sudan. Some pupils carry knives or bows and arrows to school to defend themselves in case of any trouble at school!”
He is grateful for the work of the UNHCR in protecting the children and encouraging parents to send them to school but says that no one is taking care of their spiritual needs.
This is a gap AE has stepped in to fill.
Church leaders, women, youth and people living with disability joined in peace and reconciliation workshops during AE’s mission.
“The peacebuilding trainings have been an eye-opener, we can now start building peace within ourselves, and others. Now that we know the conflict issues we have a place to start from,” said Micheal Yeka, a South Sudanese Christian living in the camp.
“The peacebuilding trainings have been an eye-opener, we can now start building peace within ourselves, and others. Now that we know the conflict issues we have a place to start from.”
The mission was a massive work and a massive success, thanks to AE’s partners on the ground who provided inroads into the camp, assisted with training and helped navigate the cross-cultural differences throughout the week. Gospel rallies in the refugee camp throughout the mission week brought in a harvest of 2,077 new followers of Christ.
“Gospel rallies in the refugee camp throughout the mission week brought in a harvest of 2,077 new followers of Christ.”
Thank YOU for your faithful support of African Enterprise and this ministry to the South Sudanese refugees. Without your help we could not go to them with the Gospel. Continue to pray and faithfully support us in this vital ministry!
Foxfires was born in 1980 with Team Leader of AE Zimbabwe Chris Sewell’s vision: “What if we were to take young evangelists just out of Bible College, baptised by the Holy Spirit, and send them out into the world to preach the Gospel?” Sewell began with 16 young Christians and called it Operation Foxfires.
Now operating in Kenya, Malawi and South Africa, as well as Zimbabwe, the Foxfires team is hard at work, bringing the Gospel to the more than 225 million youth across the continent.
Every Foxfires member has a story to tell and an ability to relate to the young people they meet. Bongani says he has come through his own challenges.
“As I was growing up, I started doing wrong things. I started sniffing petrol and glue … just trying to fit in, you know? [But then] my friend … took me to church and my life was changed from that day forward.”
Now Bongani and the Foxfire team bring the Good News to students and children every day, through drama, dance, song, poetry and their personal testimonies.
“I’ve learned so much during my time as a Foxfire, and the training we’ve received in evangelism and Bible theology has been incredible! Every morning that I wake up in the Foxfire program is a morning I think, ‘Today God can change somebody’s life. I’m going to bring them that hope and that faith that made such a change in me – and help them see that there is more to life.’
“My life has been changed by this ministry and I’m so thankful for the donors across the world who have made it possible. Thank you.”
the same time.
“Trauma is the biggest problem in this camp,” said Moses Asiku, a refugee living in Bidi Bidi. “We sometimes think we are going crazy or that maybe we have demons – things are happening in our lives that we can’t understand. We have bad dreams, experience hyperactivity, and horrible feelings.”
AE donated outdoor playground equipment to a local church, for children of all tribes and religions to use. “These play items shall attract both Muslims and Christians, providing an opportunity to share and demonstrate the love of Christ,” said Canon Moffat Moffi of Pilgrim’s Church in Yumbe, Uganda. Most schools in the refugee camp and the surrounding area have become over-crowded and are struggling with resources. The classes are so large that teachers have little control over their students, and many children have to sit outside during lessons. Thousands of children attend each of the refugee camp schools.