On World Orphans Day Choose To Smile With Amazon

Today is World Orphans Day (November 10, 2019). As we come together as God’s family to care for those in need, let’s pray for safety, health and general welfare for our world’s orphans. Life for Children Ministry has been on the ground for a little over a decade now finding extended relatives of children who have lost both their parents primarily from the AIDS pandemic in western Kenya. In addition to prayer we are registered with Amazon Smile as a genuine partner. Shop on Amazon Smile and a percentage of your sale goes to help your friends in need. Go to www.smile.amazon.com and choose Life For Children Ministry as your charity of choice (located under the Amazon search bar).

Providing Meals on Christmas Day

Dear friends,

It is that time of the year when people are starting to have a feeling of Christmas. Many have started planning for Christmas holiday, some will be traveling for vocation while majority will be looking forward to joining families on Christmas day. A day for exchanging gifts, sharing a meal and thanking God for watching over us through the year, but beyond all, a day to celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.

Picture this, there are families out there that would have wanted to have a family gathering, food on the dinner table on Christmas day but would not. Not because they don’t want but because they can’t afford food on that day. They can’t buy beef or chicken to share with a family. Because of this http://www.lifeforchildrenministry.org has been partnering with friends, churches and individuals that would like to share a meal with  families on Christmas day. With $ 20 you can bring great joy and happiness to a family of 10 people on Christmas day. They can have food, share a prayer and invite neighbors to share a meal with them. Its a great joy and expectation of every home in Africa.

With your support in the past, we have been able to buy a bull for beef, cooking oil, flower, vegetable, soap and anything else we can afford for such needy families. Please consider sharing a meal on Christmas day with a family in Kenya. you can make this possible though our website at https://www.lifeforchildrenministry.org/meals2019

Be blessed.

Michael Agwanda

EDUCATE THE GIRLS AND EMPOWER THE NATION

Empowering girls has been a top priority of the United Nations and the UN Foundation. As many people say in the development sector, educating girls is the right thing to do.; it is also the smartest thing to do.

Girls and women often bear the consequences of poverty, lack of health care, lack of education and other inequalities. Yet when they are empowered, they earn more, have healthier families and grow economies.

Meet Jackline Oluoch, a 24 year old, who has struggled through in life, being a total orphan and the only child in her family.

A picture of Jackline when she joined Life For Children Welfare

Jackline lost her parents in the year 1999 and 2002 respectively, who were buried in Siaya, exact place not known. The guardian, Mrs Seline, who is the maternal grandmother of Jackline could not remember the exact home where Jackline and her parents used to stay since she only went there for burial.

Back in Siaya, the immediate relatives of Jackline were all dead and it was very clear that nobody was going to take care of Jackie, which was the reason the guardian had to come with her to Lela, Maseno Division.

The guardian was(is) a widow and at that particular time was 64 years, not engaged in any meaningful economic activity , athough she could afford three meals a day, a basic need in our lives. She was really finding it hard to cater for her educational needs.

How Life For Children Welfare changed her life.

Jackline came to hear about Life For Children when she was referred by a beneficiary’s guardian. She joined the program in 2006 when she was only 11 years old. “ I was vulnerable by then and LCW was like a savior to me” she says in one of her letters.

Jackline sat for her high school final exam in 2012. She got a mean grade of C+ which is slightly above average. She wanted to join college but she didn’t get a nursing school. After sometime, she was visited and it was noticed that she was pregnant, and later gave birth to a baby boy. This however did not deter her from pursuing her dream course; nursing. She joined college in 2015 and has graduated with a Diploma in Nursing.

On her graduation.

As we speak, Jackline Akinyi Oluoch is now as registered and certified nurse from Joan School Of Nursing.

“ I’m writing this letter to express my sincere gratitude to the Life For Children Welfare for their tireless support in my life…I am very grateful. May God continue giving you the courage and heart to support other vulnerable children.” She says in her Thank You Letter.

“ A generous person will prosper, whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” Prov. 11:25.

Consolata.

Life For Children Ministry Announces Feeding Initiative with SERV International

God answers prayers every day in many different ways. We are grateful and joyful to announce that Life For Children Ministry has partnered with SERV International to help feed orphans in Wachara and the homeless street boys in Kisumu. This blessing is realized as not only to answer those in distress, but also for two heart-felt ministries to come together all in the name of Jesus Christ to fulfill the Great Commission in such a sweet and caring way. Join us in prayer and raise a Hallelujah to give thanks and to celebrate what He has done!

Life For Children Ministry has partnered with SERV International to help feed the hungry in Kenya

Help fight hunger in Kenya

Orphan Report for January 2019

Back to School

January has welcomed a new year in Life For Children Ministry, as well as a new school year. We began the month with sending primary and secondary kids to school. Many of them received their school uniforms at the December fellowship, and many of them came to the office the first week of the month to receive their uniforms, school supplies and school fee payments. We utilized this time to also get letters from the kids to send to their sponsors.

Michael has gone to the US with these letters in hand to give to the donors.

School Uniforms received at December Fellowship (Above), Students ready for Secondary School (Below)

Secondary School

Secondary School

Secondary School

Secondary School

Street Boys

I had the opportunity to visit Emmanuel, who is a former street boy that LCW has been supporting while he is being repatriated back to his home. Emmanuel is still doing very well in school as he begins class 6. Last year, in class 5, he finished the year with the #1 position among his classmates. The head teacher of his school has high hopes for him, and Emmanuel has a dream to one day go to Secondary School. Emmanuel was given a new uniform, sweater, school shoes and socks.

Fellowship

Home Fellowships in Kisumu went on very well for January. We had fellowship at Ombeyi with Gilbert who is the guardian to Esther Opiyo and at Chiga with Christine Akinyi who is the guardian to Caroly Onyango.

In Chiga the turnout was 17 guardians. We enjoyed time talking with each other, the guardians shared their concerns and thanksgivings. Bethany read from Romans 8:31-39, encouraging the group that if we are in Christ, there is nothing that can separate us from God. The guardians were also reminded that they will be required to make school visits with the office so that they can take an active role in their child’s education.

In Ombeyi, the turnout was 14 guardians. The guaridans shared their concerns and thanksgivings. The new intern, Nick Owaga gave a wonderful sermon on God’s love, and reminded us that God’s love for us is shown through the life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus Christ.

School Visits

We visited Village Hope Academy to pay school fees for William Okumu and enroll Emmanuel Ochieng and David Okoth. Emmanuel and David are being transferred to Village Hope from Orenge Primary School. All of their guardians met us at the school to talk with the Head Teacher. The guardians were introduced to the Head Teacher and we instructed them to visit the school at least one time during the first term to discuss the progress of their child, as well as to get to know the class teacher. Everyone is on board to help these students succeed.

Bethany Christolear

God has Been Faithful

Dear our prayer warriors and partners,

As the year comes to an end, we can’t but look back to see how much God has been faithful.  He has provided for each and every child we support.  They have gone to school, their tuition paid, we have had meaningful fellowship with them where the world of God has been shared.  We have fed thousands of meals to homeless boys.  We have been visited with great short-term mission teams and many more that I’ll share with you later and to this I’m so grateful for your prayers and support for we couldn’t do this without you.

However, there are still shortcomings and we need to finish this year strong.  With your significant last minute giving towards the end of the year, will enable us to pay must needed tuition for our children at the beginning of the year as they go back to school.  Please pray about this.

Anything you give will be tax deductible and it will go along way in giving life and hope again to an orphan.

Be Blessed,

Michael Agwanda

Click here to make a Donation at our Online Donation Page

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A Story of Alphons Otieno

St James UMC missionary team builds a new home for Alphons (2nd from right) and his guardian (3rd from right) to fulfill a dream despite challenges he faced early in his life.

Alphons is an orphan aged 16 years old and is a resident of Sidho location, Obumba sub-location, Wakesi village, Kisumu District .He is the son to the late Caroline Akoth Odhiambo and Joseph Odhiambo, his parents died when he was 10 years old leaving him with his paternal aunt mama Ruth Ogallo who is just doing some peasant farming for survival. It is very unfortunate that this young boy is epileptic and he has suffered a lot but because of God’s grace he still lives to see the day.

Alphons was the only child to the late Caroline and Joseph and therefore when he was growing up he wanted to achieve the best to keep their home standing. He really loved school and could always make sure that he doesn’t miss school so that at the end, he achieves his ambition of becoming a great doctor. It is unfortunate that Alphons may not be able to achieve his dream because when he was in class six, he could be frequently attacked by the disease that he was forced to drop out of school so that he can try getting some medication. It has been six years now since Alphons left school but despite of that he is still determine to go back to school and continue with his education.

Alphons is now a grown up, still staying with his aunt Ruth which sometimes is always difficult for many people considering also the condition of Alphons. Ruth has been good to this boy and has been helping him even whenever he is in a difficult situation. Ruth resides in just a small house in their rural home and being that this boy was also growing up very first, there was a serious need for Alphons to have a place where he can at least rest in comfortably so early this year (2018) he requested to be built for a house. Alphons dream of having a shelter came to pass through the ST. JAMES UMC Team who came recently and wanted to build a house and we found it wise to give Alphons the chance to benefit and therefore on the 29^th of October 2018, through the help of the ST. JAMES UMC TEAM and LIFE FOR CHILDREN MINISTRY, a house was built for Alphons.

More wheelbarrows of mud to finish walls

Putting the finishing touches on the roof

It was a great joy for Alphons to see that finally he had a place to shelter in. It was a wonderful day for him and he was the most happiest person ever that he didn’t know how to express it but simply said, “thank you God for the work you have done to me and thank you to our friends from US and finally to Life for Children Ministry, continue with the same spirit and continue helping those who vulnerable just like me, thank you and may God bless you”.

#GivingTuesday and Life for Children Ministry 2018

We are indeed very grateful for you, your prayers, and your support over the years. Without you we would not be here today. For that reason we want to wish you a wonderful thanksgiving and pray that it will be a moment to reflect on God’s awesomeness.

Theirs is an old practice to many in the “not for profit” world, called “Giving Tuesday”. Its is coming up on November 27, 2018, This is where the world will come together to support charitable organizations in the largest international giving event of the year. Would you stand with Life for Children Ministry who have equally been standing with orphans of HIV/AIDS in Kenya. We have educated over 500 orphans in Kenya, build homes for the homeless, Feeding the street boys and having church for them every Sunday, we have supported over 2,000 women with micro finance loans, to empower themselves economically. We do VBS, Medical camps, just to mention a few. We are bringing hope to the hopeless and the word of God in a practical but dynamic life changing way. We call on you to be part of this life-changing ministry in participating in GIVING TUESDAY!

As you plan to partner with us on Giving Tuesday event, we invite you to go to our webpage www.lifeforchildrenministry.org

 Kindly give as the Lord will lead and you will be blessed.

Please share with your families, friends and network about our work and how they can stand with us. !

We are grateful for your support in advance and be  blessed as you give.

Michael Agwanda

Founder.

Amazon Donates to Life for Children Ministry

Your Black Friday Purchases can help the Orphans

 

Every purchase you make at Amazon.Smile anytime

Amazon will make a donation to LCM.

 

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for special Deals for our supporters.

 

Microfinance and the Nafuu Womens Group

“She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
     and her lamp does not go out at night.”

Proverbs 31:18-19

The Naafu group is one of many groups that routinely meet to help and encourage each other’s businesses

In the rural areas of Kenya, finding consistent work is a struggle for many people. Most families rely on subsistence farming for their daily meals. Sometimes this is enough, but most often, it is a struggle to depend solely on this type of farming, especially after an exceptionally brutal rainy season. When the Husband and/or Father of the family is able to find work (usually some type of manual labor) the money from that can be used to supplement the nutrition of the family, pay school fees, buy clothes and other things the family might need. However, finding consistent work in villages is very difficult.

One of the ways in which Life For Children ministers to the local community in Kisumu and Wachara, is through a microfinance program called MEDD. The program has helped over 1000 men and women start small businesses since it’s conception in 2011. MEDD focuses on men and women in the community who have business minds but do not have the means or opportunity to open their own businesses. MEDD trains these individuals with business skills, the most important of which is a savings account. Small loans are then given to them based on their ability to save. Little by little they are able to build their businesses without the burden of a huge debt hanging over them.

Nafuu Women’s Group was started is under the leadership of Emily, the MEDD Microfinance Officer in Wachara. These women came together as a group to support each other in their individual business efforts. The word “nafuu” is Swahili for “comfortable” in English. Nafuu truly captures the spirit of this group. The members came up with this name because they want every woman to feel comfortable in the group. Their businesses range from selling basic need items (flour, tea, bread, washing powder) from a small shop windows to selling fish to tailoring and clothes making.

Each week they meet together with Emily to discuss how they businesses are doing and to make payments on their loans or to their savings.

Recently, I was able to visit the Nafuu group and I asked the members this question: “What does having your own small business mean for you and your family?” One of the women responded “I don’t have to wait until my husband finds work to feed my family, I am able to do it with my business.”

We praise God for all that He is doing through Life For Children ministry to give hope and life to the village of Wachara.