Building for a bright future in Padapada
Padapada is a village in the south of Myanmar (Burma). Many people who live there are involved in livelihoods such as farming and agriculture.
In the past, there have been many problems with no school or church to bring people together. However, just over two years ago, Padapada was selected by Karen Baptist Convention to be part of the Eden programme, Church and Community Mobilisation Project(CCMP). Maung Maung* was one of two people chosen to be an Eden facilitator.
Maung Maung attended training sessions, learning how to study the Bible and realising that, although the community was poor, God had given them resources that they could still use to build the kingdom of God. Because of the training, Maung Maung was equipped to help facilitate a process with community members of dreaming big and putting plans into action.
‘We decided that learning and education was important; we put our resources together so that we could start to build a simple building to use as a church and a kindergarten,’ says Maung Maung.
This church and kindergarten was completed in May 2015 and is complete with three latrines. Today, the community is also putting money together so that they can support three teachers in the kindergarten.
‘Now, we hold a Bible study every week in our church. For this year’s harvest thanksgiving, we collected one cup of curry from each house and were able to bless our guests with our harvest thanksgiving and praise,’ says Maung Maung.
With the implementation of the Eden programme, unity is being restored to the village with people now in good relationship with one another.
‘Our dream for the future’ says Maung Maung, ‘is to focus on new leaders and to invest in our children. We want to raise a generation to have knowledge and a good attitude.’
PLEASE PRAY
- Give thanks to God for the wonderful change and transformation in Maung Maung’s village. Pray that the community will continue to be strengthened because of the ongoing work of the Eden programme.
- Ask God to encourage Maung Maung and others as they raise up strong, godly leaders who can focus on the next generation.
- Lift up those working to build the Eden programme. Pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as they continue to bring change to those in need.
*Name changed to protect identity
Making the impossible, possible!
In the Bolivian highlands is Vitichi, a small village where farming is the community’s only source of production. Traditionally, when a girl is born to a Quechua family, the expectation is that she will learn to farm. For most girls, going to school is not an option.
Maria Quispe is 14 years old. She says, ‘One of the reasons my parents do not want me to go to school is because they think I will migrate to the city after finish my studies.’
Pastor Gabriel from Tearfund partner Cristo Salvador Church says, ‘Once a young girl is educated, she goes to the city, marries, and never comes back – that is why most parents do not like to send their daughters to school.’
In an effort to stop this migration, Tearfund worked together with Cristo Salvador Church to implement a Church and Community Mobilisation Project (CCMP). Training was then given to help generate income for families, and create new jobs for young people. Thanks to an agreement reached with the local authorities, this training is now available in every school.
Because of your faithful support, Maria, along with 55 other young people, have had the opportunity to successfully finish secondary school. Many have received carpentry, metalwork or farming training, and are now staying within their communities to work in or own small workshops.
‘I have learned how to earn money for my own needs and for my family’, says Maria. ‘Now I do not need to go to the city for a job.’
Praise God that Maria and others like her are now flourishing, and fulfilling their dreams of completing school. How wonderful that they are now stepping into a bright future and all that God has planned for them.
PLEASE PRAY
- Praise God for the wonderful transformation that has taken place in the community. Thank God that mindsets have been changed, and young people are now unlocking their God-given potential.
- Pray that more young people will have the opportunity to finish secondary school, so that they may develop the skills to help build a happy, hope-filled future.
- Give thanks to God for Tearfund partner Cristo Salvador Church, for the ongoing training and great work that is taking place among young people in Vitichi village. Pray for strength and courage as these programmes continue to impact and change lives.
‘We refused to believe it was witchcraft’
Tearfund have been working in landlocked Burundi since the late 1960s. Together with our partners, we’ve been helping local communities recover from the scars of conflict, and equipping them with the skills to fight poverty.
Habonimana Daphrose, a farmer, is 30 years old and lives in Kiruri Village with his wife and seven children. In the past, their four-year-old son, Horusenga Zachee Daphrose, fell dreadfully sick – his hair changed colour, he lost his appetite, and developed swelling all over this body.
Habonimana and his wife were told by neighbours it was a case of witchcraft and that they needed to visit a diviner. But, as Christians, they refused to believe such advice.
Instead, they took him to Tearfund partner, the Anglican Church of Kiruri, where they put him on their scales. He just weighed just 5 kilos and was diagnosed with severe malnutrition.
Habonimana was given flour and taught how to prepare it to make porridge. After one month, Horusenga weighed 6.5 kilos, and after two months he was 8 kilos. He started to get his appetite back, to speak and play with the others – something he didn’t do before.
Thanks to your prayers and faithful support, the Daphroses now grow nutritious cereals and vegetables in their fields, and have also been taught how to prepare the flour themselves.
They are very grateful to Tearfund and the church for its help and support. Habonimana says, ‘Now, I support all my neighbours to feed their children better so that they don’t become ill.’
Today, Horusenga is 14 kilos, healthy and happy. Praise God for bringing such healing and transformation into what was once a very desperate situation.
PLEASE PRAY
- Thank God for the Daphroses’ strong faith and trust in God. How wonderful that they have been able to be such great witnesses to their church and community.
- Pray for those who are involved in or have been affected by witchcraft in Burundi, that they would know the truth of the Gospel of Jesus.
- Lift up the work of Tearfund and its partners in Burundi who are tackling malnutrition and basic health needs.
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10 June 2016 One Voice weekly prayer email
tearfund.org/praying