Nazareth Emmanuel United Church
Community: Nazaret, Ethiopia

This church has been encouragingly aggressive in implementing wholistic ministry activities.  In combination with the initiatives in micro-enterprise, house renovations and construction, the church remains connected with the community by way of home visits, supplementary feeding and other tasks for addressing community needs.

The church works in harmony with the local government bodies to establish a strong reputation and gain an advantage that will better allow it to address the felt needs of the very disadvantaged groups of the community.  The church is also successful in not only disseminating the message of the gospel but also planting churches in its intervention areas.

Micro-Enterprise:
Selected beneficiaries were taught about adaptive mushroom production as a means to combat the threats of famine that often plagues the community.  The training taught the community about the development of a stable food source, specifically mushrooms which offer nutritional value.  Other forms of entrepreneurial empowerment include gravel sales and distribution, sheep and calf fattening, and various other petty trading businesses.

Social Services:
Like many of the other churches described, Nazareth Emmanuel United Church has constructed programs that work to renovate both community houses and facilities for the members of the community.  This aides in sanitation and overall safety.  Medical services have also been put in place to offer free assistance to those that cannot afford such care.

This community has experienced undeniable growth and the early stages of transformation by way of this church!

Fact: Djibouti has an estimated 59% unemployment rate and ranks the 7th highest out of all countries.

The United States ranks at 107th, with a rate of 7.2%

Global unemployment information found here.

Continuing our series regarding some of the highlights from the community work in Ethiopia we find Akaki Kalehiywot Church also in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Community: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This church has been executing various activities including the provision of education, health and other social services.

Social Services:

For some of the most needy members of the community the church has been able to offer rented houses for the families enabling the children to live close enough to attend school..

Education:

Structured in a similar fashion to Antioch Faith Baptist Church, many families are able to send their children to receive education either for free or a reduced price. School materials and uniforms are also covered under this support.

Community Meetings:

Akaki Kalehiywot Church offers a broad range of informational meetings addressing societal problems such as HIV/AIDS, environmental sanitation, and income generating activities. Through these meetings the church is able to raise awareness and create steps towards correcting these problems.

Micro-Enterprise: After grouping the selected beneficiaries of the loan services into 12 groups of 17 people, the church trained the groups on topics ranging from methods of establishing businesses with limited financial resources, to procedures and vision casting for business.  Upon completion of the training and briefing of the loan procedures, the beneficiaries are able to obtain loans to start-up their own small business or income generating activities.

We would love for you to check back tomorrow as we highlight Nazareth Emmanuel United Church, a church that has been aggressively using and implementing the wholistic ministry strategy.

The growth of LIA in 2009 has allowed for amazing transformation and community development to take place through our partner churches.  We hope you will enjoy our blog series this week in which we will feature four of our partner churches throughout Ethiopia. We will highlight stories from three churches in Addis Ababa and one from Nazareth. Please leave comments if you have visited these churches first hand!

Antioch Faith Baptist Church
Community: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Overview:
Located in the busy urban setting of Addis Ababa, this church has been undertaking different activities including the provision of health, environmental, women’s and child’s rights education during community meetings, as well as other social services like early childhood education, micro-enterprise training and loan servicing.  All of this has been enacted while also establishing and providing sustainable public health facilities for the needy members of the targeted community.

Education:
Antioch Faith Baptist Church has a kindergarten in its compound which provides free educational services to selected families that cannot afford to pay, as well as a reduced rate for those that are living on a limited income.  The tuition fees, school supplies and uniforms are also provided for the 34 students in attendance.  Children from many impoverished families are able to receive an education that would be unattainable without the work of the church.

Micro-Enterprise:
The church offers training sessions to selected beneficiaries regarding entrepreneurship and business management practices, enabling trainees to be self-reliant and avoid dependency.  Selected beneficiaries are also able to identify the income generating activities which they could utilize to generate their own income.  Businesses that have been supported through the church include: injera making, petty trade and small shops.

Construction:
Antioch Church has also been working to construct bath/showing rooms as well as toilets for public usage.  Charging a minimal fee, the church is able to support the upkeep of the facilities as well as plan for future construction.  The facilities aid the community through sanitation and hygiene management as a measure to protect against diseases and infection.

These community initiatives are implemented in a way that establishes a sustainable system of support to the church as well as the beneficiaries.

Tomorrow we will be highlighting the work of Akaki Kalehiywot Church also located in Addis Ababa. Check back with us to read more about the community transformation work through these local churches. 

Fact: Engaged in a civil war lasting for over 17 years, Sudan is home to 5-6 million internally displaced persons.

Fact found from The World Factbook.

The mission of LIA is to empower churches to serve the poor using a wholistic approach for community development.

A significant focus for our organization in 2010 is communicating to you from the communities where we serve, in order for the global community to be connected, sharing the burden of poverty (both spiritual and physical) and therefore undertaking the process of mutual transformation.

Last weekend, the beginning of this community sharing and serving was seen in Louisville, Kentucky.

A team of young leaders from Southeast Christian Church is preparing to partner with the Thika community in Kenya this February. We had a retreat where the team grew in their understanding of the culture, dynamics and context of Kenya at large, and Thika specifically.

After leading a few sessions on poverty, the mission/vision of LIA, and how communities can serve one another - you could feel the excitement and expectation of true community partnership happening.

At the same time, another important community connection happened the same weekend when LIA staff and local supporters met together with the local Sudanese community in Louisville.  A rich bond with these dear brothers and sisters was quickly formed.  We are really excited about the future of partnership between the Sudanese communities living in Louisville with our community development work in the community of Rumbek, South Sudan.

May 2010 be the year that we seek to mutually learn and be transformed by serving to empower Africa’s poorest communities.

If you are interested in learning more about our community work in Rumbek, Sudan we would love for you to check out our Annual Report (pg. 11), sharing “Stories of Transformation” and offering a glimpse into the work you helped empower through your partnership with us!

If you are interested in learning more about the work of LIA and how funds were used to support our partnered communities and churches? Now you can download an online version of our Annual Report.

Take a moment and read the story below from our annual report to see how Antioch Baptist Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has been empowered to respond and meet the needs of their community.

“Empowering Churches

At one point, Antioch Baptist Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia was close to closing its doors.  Surrounded by poverty, disease and hopelessness, this church struggled to impact a community largely populated with people from the Islamic and Ethiopian Orthodox faiths.  Pastor Teddy often experienced persecution from the neighborhood and struggled to make payments on the church property.  He even took out a second mortgage on his home to try to keep the church afloat, risking the loss of both the church and his home. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you interested in learning more about how your generous support has helped to empower the ministry of LIA over the years?

We are excited to give you a chance to tangibly see and read about the transformational impact that has taken place throughout the communities we serve within northeast Africa.  Our annual report highlights the growth of LIA organizationally as well as celebrating the progress and work of our empowered partner churches throughout 2008. Featured below is one of our “Stories of Transformation” found in our annual report regarding the Kisumu community in Kenya.

Read the rest of this entry »

FACT:   In sub-Saharan Africa, measles takes the life of a child nearly every minute of every day.

An effective measles vaccine costs as little as $1 per child.

Fact found from World Health Organization

2010 is upon us and LIA is ready for the upcoming year! The growth experienced in 2009 was humbling and we want to thank all of our faithful and dedicated supporters and partners for playing a huge role.

Be on the lookout for upcoming events, LIA promotional opportunities, and new ways to further engage in the work of LIA.

Check it out:

Documentary Advertisement: We are promoting our documentary in an e-magazine called “Greater Than”. This progressive magazine shares with its readers a scope of articles pertaining to music, art, and God. Can you find us?

Hear about Sudan - Sunday, January 10th: One of our staff members from South Sudan will be in Louisville, KY speaking at Cloverleaf Baptist Church (main sanctuary at 1 pm). This is a great opportunity to hear from Elijah about the work being done and transformation taking place within the communities he serves in Sudan. If you are around the Louisville area you don’t want to miss it! Place: Cloverleaf Baptist Church Main Sanctuary 4401 Manslick Road Louisville, KY

Benefit Dinner - Saturday, February 20th: LIA will be visiting Kansas City by hosting another benefit dinner.  We would love to see you there!

The evening will consist of President and Founder Florence Muindi sharing her vision and hope for Africa, as well as a screening of our documentary, “This Is My Home”.

More details and how to register for this special evening can be found here.

Help Needed - Are you looking to support the benefit dinner in a greater way? Make a comment to inquire about being a table host or sponsor for the event!

We are so excited for what God has in store for LIA this year and want to thank you for being apart of this journey.

Here’s to serving to empower Africa’s poorest and most beautiful people and communities, together.