Today is World Day of Social Justice!
This awareness day was created by the United Nations in 2007 to support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social wellbeing and justice for all.
This year we are raising our voices along with the millions of other individuals who are observing this day as an opportunity to support social justice work around the globe!
As followers of Christ, we desire our world to look more like the Kingdom of God. We desire His will of healing and redemption to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We desire to see people around the globe experience wholeness and reach their highest potential. Psalm 103:6 tells us that God actively works toward righteousness and justice for the oppressed. We are honored to get to be a small part of how he is restoring lives around the globe.
Today, we are highlighting three ways that Children’s HopeChest’s works toward the eradication of poverty in alignment with the values of World Day of Social Justice.
SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS
Income-generating activities (IGA’s) are essential to our model of poverty alleviation and community transformation. We work alongside local leaders to hear their vision for their community, assessing their resources that can be leveraged and used for sustainability.
The creativity of our in-country staff as well as the individuals who come up with new income-generating projects is remarkable!
In Uganda alone there are aluminum saucepan making projects, mushroom growing projects, peanut butter making operations, tailoring and jewelry making. Aside from small business loans and coaching individuals through the process of starting their own businesses, our CarePoints also provide vocational and occupational training for the guardians of children at our CarePoints so they can gain skills to help them find employment.
Lawrence is a young man who graduated from Children’s HopeChest’s Uganda Leadership and Development Program (UGLDP), which is a program designed to help equip the future generation of leaders in Uganda!
“My name is Lawrence, and I am 23 years old, and am a nurse by profession. By God’s grace I happened to be one of the members of the UGLDP class of 2017, for which I am very grateful, because it completely changed my whole life. The greatest day being October 16, 2017 when I gave my life to Christ–never will I ever forget that day!
Because of UGLDP -specifically the Work for a Living Program- I learned how to successfully job hunt, interview skills, how to get good pay, seek promotion and be cared for by my employer. After the course, I established my own health clinic in Ngariam sub-county with the goal and vision of expanding it to a level 3 health center by 2021. My testimony is I would not have got the courage and strength if it was not because of the loving and supporting staff of Children’s HopeChest that I am strong, visionary and determined to become a success in life.”
Today, on World Day of Social Justice, you can provide an opportunity for men like Lawrence to become employed in decent work and learn the skills they need to continue growing their business.
WOMEN’S VOCATIONAL TRAININGS AND SUPPORT GROUPS
In support of gender equality, Children’s HopeChest provides programs that empower women to become great entrepreneurs, mothers, and leaders.
The Young Mother’s program in Russia is a remarkable program that provides psychological, social, and financial aid to young single mothers in crisis situations. The objective of this program is to come alongside female orphanage graduates and support them with resources to succeed in their role as mothers.
Nastya, a Young Mother’s Program participant, says, “I am very fortunate to have the Ministry Center and this program in my life. It’s a place where I can turn for advice, where I can get help with solving any type of problem, where my son and I can get some rest and have some fun, and where I can gain more knowledge and experience in child care.”
Russia is not the only country we serve that has programs designed to help women succeed! My Special Treasure CarePoint, located in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, provides a safe, loving home to abandoned or abused girls by meeting the girls’ physical, emotional and spiritual needs; facilitating high-quality education; vocational training; and tutoring. Each Thursday morning, a professional baker comes to My Special Treasure to train the girls! The girls learn how to make pastries and bread and are also learning how to sew and grow produce, which are vocational skills they can use to build their confidence and become more employable.
Supporting their emotional and psychological needs, the CarePoint psychologist and social worker are always available for the girls to process their experiences and help them move forward in life. The Heal Center of Chimaltenango also gives presentations for the girls so they can learn about pregnancy prevention and other social topics.
On World Day of Social Justice, you can help women around the globe reach their highest potential!
SOCIAL WELLBEING
The University of Wollongong Australia defines social wellbeing as, “the extent to which you feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion; a connected person is a supported person in society.”
Within the vulnerable communities that we serve, children, young adults, and sometimes even our staff have experienced painful events that have eviscerated hope from their lives. We address the loss of hope and lack of emotional support with our grief counseling programs, which have a monumental impact on children and young adults. An individual can experience a vast range of emotional impact from trauma or grief and difficult experiences can sometimes lead to a debilitating paralysis in their ability to move forward in their lives. The grief counseling programs help the participants understand their emotions and how to process those emotions until they move back into a place of emotional health and wellbeing.
On World Day of Social Justice, you can make a difference, by helping children like Hlasile heal and begin to experience hope in their lives.
“I wish Ngesikhatsi [grief counseling course] was a whole year session. It is a great program that changed my life after living for a longtime with anger issues. Through this course I was able to get rid of things that were delaying me in life. I am healed and I enjoy life.” – Hlasile (Mpaka CarePoint | Swaziland)
We hope that you are encouraged by the tangible and monumental impact that you can make. Together, we can further social justice around the globe. Your support will inspire hope in the lives of vulnerable children and their communities, and will uphold the dignity of many individuals, including entrepreneurs, mothers in crisis and those who have experienced pain and grief.
Whether you feel lead to support us financially or through prayer, please join us in following Micah 6:8.
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
To invest in social justice through Children’s HopeChest, click here.
