The Nyandengoh! team stays busy! On Wednesday December 21 (2022), 100 children, joined by their caregivers, came from all corners in and around Mattru to celebrate Christmas. Some had quite a distance to travel! Through memory verses, pictures and skits, the children helped tell the Christmas story. Parents shared testimonies about the improvement they had seen in their children. With the generous support of Hope Universal (hopeuniversal.com), we were once again able to bless every family with a 25 kg bag of rice and a gallon of oil.
Now we are about 10 weeks into 2023 and Nyandengoh! has already welcomed several new children, including three who are less than a year old. We are grateful for these early referrals, since we can begin to offer care for these children right from the start, which usually leads to better outcomes.
In February we welcomed two interns into our new internship program. Young people who are without a job but who want to learn more about working with children living with disabilities are invited to join the team for a year of learning and working. Paul and Nasu started their experience with participating in the “Theology of Disability” training we hosted in February. In this training, which was co-facilitated by our sister organization “Women of Hope” in Makeni (accessiblehope.org/wohsl), we read and discussed many Old and New Testament passages about suffering and our response to it. In a context of two extremes – the unquestioned acceptance of suffering by Muslims and the fierce resistance of suffering by those who teach a prosperity gospel – this teaching leads to refreshing conversations!
At the end of February the Rehab team from World Hope International / Enable the Children visited again from Freetown (worldhope.org/project/enable-the-children). After a full day of assessing children, they spent a morning teaching Nyandengoh! staff the exercises they frequently prescribe for our children. In this way the staff can provide better follow-up services in between visits of the team.
Many discussions are underway on the design of the new Nyandengoh! facilities. The team visited the site and dreamt about the facilities they would like to see in place to serve the children and families better. We are hoping to have an official design ready in the next few months and are planning to start the building after the rains.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! We could not do this work without you!
PS Just as we were about to send off this blog, we received a picture of the feet of one of our girls, Martha, who was born with bilateral clubfeet. In October last year, she was operated on by Dr. Fritjof from Germany (africasurgery.org/programs/orthopedic-surgery/). Her one foot is now fully corrected to the regular position. We are celebrating with her and looking forward to having her other foot done next year!
Help Build a Fence!
The Nyandengoh! team has taken up the challenge to help raise funds for a fence that will keep the property secure and protect the children from wandering off into the community. Despite the very difficult economic situation in Sierra Leone, the team is determined to locally raise the money for the 3,375 cement blocks that will be needed (about $1 a piece). Will you complement their efforts by making a donation towards constructing the foundation and supporting pillars for the fence? The total amount that is going to be needed for the fence is about $6.000. You can donate towards this effort by sending a check earmarked “You are Beautiful Fund—Fence” to the Mennonite Christian Fellowship, 245 Tennant Drive, Atmore, AL 36502. Any excess funds will be used towards the building project. Thank you!!