School supplies for orphans

More than 50% of the kids in most schools in Zimbabwe have only one parent living as a result of HIV AIDS. About 1/3 of the students are orphans. As a result, these children are at risk of not receiving their education. Thanks to several churches in the U.S. who have donated funds to purchase school supplies and Baptist Global Response who has paid for exercise books (like spiral notebooks) we have been able to help many students in rural schools in Mberengwa, in and around Gweru, in Bulawayo and in Harare this year.



After the school supplies are obtained, we go and visit with the headmaster (principal) of each school and seek to obtain a list of the most needy children in the school.



Then we ask him to assemble these children and we pass out the supplies to the children themselves because we want to ensure that the pupils receive them. Then the headmaster usually allows us to address the students and give a brief witness to the students and pray for them.



We have been able to supply children in primary (elementary) schools and secondary (high) school. We do not have middle schools in Zimbabwe.



It is such a wonderful experience to see the excitement and gratitude on the faces of the children who receive the school supplies.



“O God, you are the helper of the fatherless . . .You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed. . . God sets the lonely in families.” (Psalm 10:14,17,18, Psalm 68:6a NIV)

Pray for the orphans of Zimbabwe that God would be their helper, that He would listen to their cries, encourage them, defend them, and give them families that will love them and take care of them.

Tongaland

Before school let out for the April holidays, Gregg Fort and our pastor from Mkoba asked the headmasters (principals) of the schools in town to identify the 100 most needy school children to receive exercise books. After praying with the students, the books were distributed to the students.



These exercise books are simply books of bound notebook paper for which the Baptist Publishing House has been printing covers. The notebook paper and blank covers were supplied by Baptist Global Response. The covers have different messages, but they all speak of moral purity and tell the students how to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We used cultural stories to teach biblical truths.After praying and thanking God for His provision for these students, each child was given his/her books.



Even though school is out right now, we are still busy delivering the exercise books. The books in this picture were delivered to a pastor in Tongaland who will see that they are distributed to the students in the 5 schools near his church when school resumes in May.



While Gregg was in Tongaland distributing the books he was excited to see that the pastor had an excellent harvest of maize from the seeds we distributed last year which were also supplied by Baptist Global Response. (In this picture you see a raised hut full of maize.)

We are so grateful for people all over the U.S. who contribute to Baptist Global Response to help meet the very real needs of people in Zimbabwe. Ministering to people’s human needs helps them understand that you care for them and gives you the credibility to discuss their spiritual needs with them as well.



Pray with us that the harvest of souls among the Tonga people will be as fruitful as this year’s maize crop has been in Tongaland. We are also anticipating an outreach into an area known as ‘Denmark’ sometime in the next several months in this area of Tongaland.