Ethiopia Update

Jorgo Academy School is in the village of Bishoftu, Ethiopia. Jorgo is an Oromo name, which means "a large tree giving refuge to those in need." We feel it is a very fitting name for this school and representative of what we are called to do as followers of Jesus Christ. On July 1st New Hope Initiative officially took over the property and the school. Currently, Jorgo Academy serves nursery through sixth grade. We had 80 new students pre-register for the coming year, which will double the enrollment for the upcoming school year.

Since May, the property and facilities underwent some cosmetic changes and additional changes to enhance the property and make it a safe environment for the children. We painted all the buildings and classrooms and renovated the inside bathroom in the preschool area. We have changed the toilets from Turkish (on the floor) to standard sit-down toilets. The whole area is now tiled and we are lowering the sink to a better height for the younger students. We are also making a wash station outside for the kids to use as well.

The open-air cafeteria is currently under construction and should be done this week. Previously, the children did not have a place to eat lunch outside of the classrooms. Since soccer is very important here, we leveled the soccer field for them. At this time, we have two areas for soccer: one for the older kids to use and one for younger. Thanks to donors, we will have a computer lab with five brand new laptop computers and a safe playground with updated playground equipment. Three water tanks, totaling 10,000 liters, have been added so that the children will always have water on the campus.

 A few weeks ago we had an outreach carnival to introduce ourselves to the community and promote the new school.  We had over 500 children and their parents come and enjoy the free games and food. They seem very excited about the changes coming to the school and the American influence running the program.

We are still working on the curriculum and will be holding teacher training in the coming weeks. Lauren Allgood, our Leadership Development Director, will come in August to hold a Leadership Seminar for our teachers and staff.  We are eager to have her come and share her knowledge and expertise. We also have two ladies coming from Alaska to teach full-time at the school and help enhance the English curriculum and programs.

Immediate Needs and Future Projects

Even with all the progress, we still need to purchase desks and chairs, and completely overhaul the outside bathroom for the older kids.  An estimated cost for the desks and chairs for 200 students is $4,500. The bathroom is on the existing "septic tank," but is sinking, and we need to completely demolish it, move it, and rebuild it. The estimated cost for the bathroom is $5,500.

Some future projects include: tiling the outside area of the preschool, pouring concrete for a basketball court, and adding another building for more classrooms as we add grades.

We want to thank you for all your support and prayers for this project. We look forward to continuing our partnership and seeing the Lord work in the lives of these children and their parents.

Education + Community

Far too often we tend to emphasize the differences between those of us who support New Hope Initiative from afar and those we partner with in sub-Saharan Africa. While we recognize a common bond as brothers and sisters in Christ, many of us are separated by an ocean, different cultures, different economic statuses, and in many cases different opportunities. However, my recent experience in Kenya allowed me to truly focus on the similarities, but one in particular stood out.

I had the opportunity to travel with New Hope Primary School Headmaster Festus Muendo to Masinga Boys School, the location of many Penda Project students, including the student I sponsor, Edward.  I was able to talk with Edward for the first time and socialize with many of the other students. We talked about our families, hobbies, challenges, and also our dreams. Later on in the conversation Edward expressed extreme gratitude both for Penda Project’s contribution to his education and even questioned where he would be in life without the support. This is when something struck me about the conversation: Edward was very appreciative for something that many of us in the United States take for granted or simply do not realize. Our education and life in general are not things we embark on alone, even if we think we do.

It is easy for us to think that we earn everything in regards to our education, to our jobs, or our lifestyle. However, if we really look deep, we can see how much of a product we are of the community and people around us. Living in Virginia, I did not need a sponsor to attend one of our public schools, but I cannot deny the assistance I received along the way.

As a person who attended public school, I never worried about missing an opportunity to attend high school. The tax money from fellow citizens and my parents contributed to my education. My parents also provided an environment in which I could learn. Truly, I had to bear responsibility and put in effort myself, but the choice to study hard or slack off was a choice I possessed. Having that choice is something I took for granted and probably still do. Every aspect of my life, even the areas where I’d like to take most credit, can be traced back to some help or assistance along the way. In the end, my high school diploma and my college degree are combinations of individual effort with massive contributions from family, friends, and teachers along the way. In this way, many of us have more in common with Penda Project students than we usually imagine.

I obviously do not know where you or anyone reading this is at in life or know your background. However, I believe that most of you can probably relate in some way - realizing that we go through life with the contributions of others, whether that is in the form of money, time, security, stability, prayer, love, or knowledge. As a Penda Project Sponsor you are able to play a role and contribute to not only someone’s education, but also to someone’s ability to pursue his or her dreams. There are many children in the Program that are currently without sponsors and I encourage you to pray and think about sponsoring one of these children. On the Penda Project website you can find a list of all the students. I encourage everyone to check out the page, look at a few of the names, and pick some students to specifically pray for. God blessed me with the opportunity to meet many of these Penda students and I am grateful for you who help make it all possible. Great things are happening in Kenya.

By Mike Holmes

A New Hope in Ethiopia

We are excited to announce that New Hope Initiative is expanding it's ministry into a brand new country as we partner with Dwayne and Tammy Wright to open a new school project in Ethiopia. We are so happy to be moving into this new region and we are thrilled to begin this new partnership with incredibly effective leadership in Ethiopia. Please click on the link below to learn more about this amazing opportunity.

New Hope Ethiopia

Joy In Sierra Leone

I arrived in Sierra Leone with some expectations since some friends had gone a couple of years before, but nothing can prepare you for what you see when you arrive. The kids and staff were all outside waiting for us and singing “Welcome … we love you in Jesus’ name”. They had spelled out “Welcome” in white painted rocks in front of their humble home. It’s an emotional first glimpse into the lives of these orphans. This is not my first orphanage experience. I arrived at an orphanage in Fuling China in July of 2005 to hold babies and give the nannies a much needed break, and I returned in March of 2006 to pick up a 9 year old boy who we adopted. God sometimes has plans that are different than ours.

This trip to Sierra Leone pulled at my heart strings just as much, only these children have the blessing of growing up with Pastor Rogers, the orphanage director, as their surrogate father. I was drawn to the spiritual maturity of the children and spent a great deal of time getting to know them and listening to their stories. Several teenage girls took me aside and asked me to be their mum. My teenage daughter was on the trip with me so my heart just broke for these girls. As much as they are loved and cared for in this home, they know that life will be very difficult for them as they grow older.

Something that made a lasting impact on me is an experience we had with all of the teenage girls and Mrs. Rogers. We gathered in a circle and asked questions of one another. One question that was posed to them was to tell us something they like about themselves and then something they like about the person next to them. They really felt uncomfortable talking about themselves, but loved saying nice things about their “sisters”. In Sierra Leone, they don’t have electronics and stuff to fill their lives with. So they take the time to pray and worship and read. They are poor financially but rich in spiritual values. I so want to be like them in that way!!! I vowed to change my ways when I returned home but our culture sucks you in like a vacuum. Some of the girls made bracelets for me and I have them on my dresser to remind me to live a rich spiritual life, like they do.

When I heard a team was returning in January, I had to write letters to my “kids” and let them know how much I love them. I received so many letter back as they expressed their appreciation for Americans and how we help them. They appreciate the water well they have and the pigs and their home and they know many people sacrificed so they could have these essentials. Giving towards this project makes a very broad positive impact.

I look forward to my return next year along with my daughter who went last year and another daughter who wants to meet all these wonderful children. Pastor Rogers, his staff, and New Hope Initiative are changing a corner of the world one orphan at a time and needs the support of people like us. Will you consider being a part of that change?

By Joy Nobilini

Progress & Growth in 2014

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTORS

2014 has gotten off to a busy but very blessed start for New Hope Initiative. In every area of our work and planning we have seen progress and growth. We would like to highlight a few of the amazing blessings we have enjoyed in this first quarter of the year.

1. Our medical clinic in Arusha, Tanzania continues to amaze us with its scope and effectiveness. We are currently offering daily X-rays as a new service and on a Monday last month we saw a record number of patients for a single day at 168. Pray for Dr Byemba this month as he has to travel back to the Congo to take care of legal requirements related to his ability to stay in Tanzania. Many of you have heard the incredible story of his families escape from the civil war in the Congo so this trip home is enjoyable but also fraught with challenges for him.

2. In Kibera our newly reorganized school is already showing incredible progress. The first trimester has recently finished to sterling academic growth and we are looking forward to an awesome year. The construction in Kibera seems to be never ending. We currently are working on a new clinic building as well as a new complex for Biashara. We also will be starting a perimeter security wall at the complex and paving the school compound during the next month. Project Biashara had it most successful event ever at McLean Bible Church's women's conference where they sold over $12,000 in merchandise made by our Kenyan women!

3. Penda Project has grown to its highest level to date with 142 students in secondary school and another 15 qualified for university. We still are in need of about a dozen sponsorships so please consider helping us give the gift of education to a deserving student.

4. In Sierra Leone theft and security issues are pushing us to install a security fence around the entire large complex. We already have had several faithful partners who have stepped up to help with this fence. We believe about $20,000 will be needed to complete this urgent project. We are finalizing plans in the next few weeks for an early January trip to Sierra Leone. If you are interested in joining us please contact our staff. We would love to have you be a part of that team.

5. We have dates set for our team to travel to India to help with our special needs orphanage. Please take time to read the accompanying article and pray about joining us on this life changing experience.

In closing, we have 3 MAJOR projects that are in the serious discussion and planning stages. These include new school projects in Ethiopia and Nicaragua and a guest house in Nairobi Kenya. These 3 developments are big and very exciting for our future and we ask you to pray with us for clarity and direction as we take the final steps in each of these. We will give you more details about each of these in our quarterly update in July.

We love and appreciate all of our friends and supporters who help us make a difference around the world.

Sandy and Karen Baird - New Hope Initiative Directors