MINISTRY TO VULNERABLE CHILDREN
LIVING ON THE STREETS AND
IN GOVERNMENT ORPHANAGES
PHASE ONE: Day Center
Laundry
Cooking
Cleaning
Time Management
Employment
Money Management
Interpersonal Relations
HOWEVER: The children will return to the streets or the government orphanages each evening. They need to CHOOSE to continue their participation in the program.
Each child in Phase One must come to the Day Center at least 3 out of the 5 weekdays over the course of several months in order to "graduate" to Phase Two. Timeframes will be determined on an individual basis, with the hope that children will progress steadily and in small groups to encourage each other in their success.
PHASE TWO: Transition Homes
Often times, these children will be returning to remote rural areas of Ethiopia where we believe God will provide opportunities for us to share the gospel through a demonstration of love and forgiveness in the reunification process!
- Provide education through tutors
- Provide counseling through social workers
- Provide bible studies and spiritual counseling
- Provide daily, healthy meals
- Provide bare necessities: clothing, shoes, blankets, etc.
- Provide opportunity for personal hygiene: showers, laundry, etc.
- Provide access to necessary medical and dental care
- Provide opportunities for FUN: sports, art, music...play!
- Provide opportunities to GIVE BACK through various service projects to establish stronger sense of self-worth
- Provide Life Skills Training through various community volunteers
Laundry
Cooking
Cleaning
Time Management
Employment
Money Management
Interpersonal Relations
HOWEVER: The children will return to the streets or the government orphanages each evening. They need to CHOOSE to continue their participation in the program.
Each child in Phase One must come to the Day Center at least 3 out of the 5 weekdays over the course of several months in order to "graduate" to Phase Two. Timeframes will be determined on an individual basis, with the hope that children will progress steadily and in small groups to encourage each other in their success.
PHASE TWO: Transition Homes
- Move in small groups to "foster" homes with an Ethiopian Christian couple or family.
- Learn what it is like and what it takes to live harmoniously and successfully in a healthy, Christian home
- Continued support from educational tutors and social workers with the goals of continued education, church attendance and bible study
- Continued participation in FUN activities
- Continued participation in GIVE BACK activities
- Connect each child with a mentor in the community, preferably an active member of the church the child is attending
- Practical and relational support along with on-going training for foster couples/families to ensure their health and success
- Move into pre-adoptive or adoptive homes with assistance from social workers and adoption workers
- Return home to bio family:
- Address issues of healing and forgiveness with the child AND the bio family members/community members
- Establish strong life skills/job training in returning children who need to contribute to the income of their bio family
- Support to returning child and bio family throughout the process and follow up visits
Often times, these children will be returning to remote rural areas of Ethiopia where we believe God will provide opportunities for us to share the gospel through a demonstration of love and forgiveness in the reunification process!
Of course, that is not all...
We are dreaming and brainstorming about so much more!
Below you will see our hopes and dreams of building up even more of vulnerable children...AND their families!
PHASE FOUR: Community Integration
Unfortunately, several of the children living on the streets will - due to age, experiences, or personal circumstances - will not be returning to their original family OR entering an adoptive home. We would like to see that they are assisted in becoming strong, healthy adults who can contribute to their society in a positive manner.
Our plans for these children include:
PHASE FIVE: Empowering Teen Moms
PHASE SIX: Stay @ Home Kids!
Preventative medicine, so to speak. We hope to empower families living in poverty whose children are AT RISK of moving to the streets due to dire circumstances.
Our plans for these families may include:
Unfortunately, several of the children living on the streets will - due to age, experiences, or personal circumstances - will not be returning to their original family OR entering an adoptive home. We would like to see that they are assisted in becoming strong, healthy adults who can contribute to their society in a positive manner.
Our plans for these children include:
- Vocational Training
- Continued Education
- Assistance with Employment
- Strong Set of Life Skills
- Mentoring: Strong Christian Ethiopia adults who can offer support, guidance, accountability and advocacy*
- Connection: Establish positive relations with members of their community, most often through the advocacy of their Mentor
- Continued opportunities to GIVE BACK and contribute to society, establishing a positive reputation
- Church Attendance and Volunteer Participation
- Bible Studies: Participating and Leading
- Positive training in Godly relationships with others, including the opposite gender (Dating and Marriage classes)
PHASE FIVE: Empowering Teen Moms
- Simply...love and support them!
- Model Biblical family values
- Teach Life Skills including personal health & hygiene, parenting, etc.
- Encourage and provide continued education and vocational training
- Utilize Christian Ethiopian women to positively and lovingly train them to be strong moms within their culture
- Provide care and education for their children through the various programs at Strong Hearts Ethiopia (Family Day Care Center & Strong Hearts Academy)
- Facilitate church attendance and Bible Studies
- Provide GIVE BACK opportunities
- Provide FUN: through sports, art, crafts, music, play!
- Training on positive, healthy, God-honoring relationships with men worthy of dating and marrying daughters of The King of the universe!
PHASE SIX: Stay @ Home Kids!
Preventative medicine, so to speak. We hope to empower families living in poverty whose children are AT RISK of moving to the streets due to dire circumstances.
Our plans for these families may include:
- Vocational Training/Continued Education
- Assistance with Employment
- Strengthen Parenting Skills through on-going training & empowerment
- Strengthen Marriages through workshops and on-going support
- Connection through church attendance and Bible studies
- Tangible Assistance with food, clothing & medical care
- Opportunities to build into their own communities
