Churches care for children orphaned by Ebola
Along with meeting their immediate needs, churches seek to empower children for the future
WEST AFRICA - The Ebola outbreak left in its wake thousands of orphans who are now trying to navigate life without their parents. Nazarene churches in two of the most affected countries, Sierra Leone and Liberia, are weaving together a safety net to help some of these children stay in school and experience the love of God.
"We really have the hearts to help, to reach out to these children and show them some love, because that is the first thing that they need," Sierra Leone District Superintendent Rev. Vidal Cole said. "We want ... to do whatever we can so that these children will not think that society has forgotten about them, that the world has turned their backs on them."
Twenty orphans in Sierra Leone and 26 in Liberia are attending school through sponsorships from local Nazarene churches and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM).
Local churches, working hand-in-hand with NCM, have also instigated the "21 and Free" campaign, an effort to educate communities about Ebola and reduce the stigma against Ebola orphans and survivors.
Pastor Steven Kanu
"This campaign has been a great tool for our pastors and young people in reaching out to our various communities with the message that these children should be treated well, with dignity and respect, without any stigma attached to them," said Pastor Steven S. Kanu, the Nazarene Church's zone coordinator for the Waterloo area in Sierra Leone.The church in Liberia has created a Community Health Evangelism Team, led by Elizabeth Johnson. Mrs. Johnson is providing counseling for 11 Ebola orphans and 22 survivors in Monrovia.
Nazarenes in Liberia are also funding education for the two youngest children of Nazarene Pastor Joe Sonkpah and his wife, Mrs. Hannah Sonkpah, who both died from Ebola in October. The family's church, Grace Chapel Church of the Nazarene, along with others on the district are working together to care for the children's physical and spiritual needs, said Rev. Daniel Johnson, the Nazarene ministries coordinator in Liberia.
The Sonkpah siblings, ages 16 through 31, are thankful for the help, 24-year-old Gabriel Sonkpah said, but at times they still face food shortages.
Churches' efforts are making a difference, but there are still many orphans in need of food and access to education, Pastor Kanu said. The Nazarene primary school run by his church is sponsoring the education of 20 orphans, with the help of other churches in the district. But this is only scratching the surface of the need, he said.
"As some children have heard and seen what we have done in helping, they have also come and asked for help, but because of the space we have put them on a waiting list," Kanu said.
There are more than 16,600 children who have lost a parent or caregiver to Ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia - including 3,600 children who lost both parents, according to UNICEF. Thankfully, the spread of the disease has dropped drastically, and Liberia was declared Ebola-free this month.
With the vast number of orphans, Rev. Cole intends to explore possible partnerships between the Church and other organizations that are also trying to help.
Though orphans are often taken in by relatives, they still might face emotional neglect and a shortage of resources, Cole said. Farming is the main source of income for families in the Waterloo area, and adding another person to an already crowded home and stretched budget is challenging, he said.
Some orphans live on the streets and try to find work in petty trading, domestic jobs and farming, Kanu said. But they are vulnerable to being taken advantage of, and when the day's work is done, they don't always receive the food or money they were promised.
MEETING EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
A big focus for the Church is helping orphans to stay in school. Education fees often eat up a big chunk of household incomes, making it difficult for children to go to school*.
"In spite of the economic hardship caused by the Ebola outbreak, the Church of the Nazarene in Liberia is making tremendous effort to meet the educational needs of Ebola orphans," Rev. Johnson said.
Even before the Ebola outbreak, large percentages of children in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea weren't in school. Attendance at primary schools among school-aged children was only 58 percent in Guinea, 34 percent in Liberia and 74 percent in Sierra Leone, according to UNICEF.
In Sierra Leone there's another hurdle: visibly pregnant girls have been banned from going to school. The government mandate also prevents the girls from attending Nazarene schools, Cole said.
"The church is engaged with ministering to (the girls) on a one-to-one basis, and we are also helping the communities to understand their situation and reduce the stigma," Cole said.
EMPOWERMENT FOR THE FUTURE
More than just meeting the immediate needs of children orphaned by Ebola, the church is seeking to empower them for the future through education, loving relationships and discipleship.
"The church here in Sierra Leone, we really desire to see these children turn out and be good leaders in society, ... people that know God, people that have gone through the crisis and come out successful (and) victorious," Cole said.
The Church's outreach throughout the Ebola crisis has drawn more children to church and has changed the way people view the purpose of the church, Cole said. They are realizing that church is not just about worshiping on Sunday, but it's about caring for one's neighbors.
"By God's grace, I see the church as a beacon of hope and light to our dark community," Pastor Kanu said. "I believe God wants to use us to bring about transformation in our community."
GET INVOLVED
If you would like to learn more about how you can help with the Nazarene Church's Ebola relief efforts, please contact the Africa Region. You may also visit Nazarene Compassionate Ministries' Ebola relief page to make a donation. [Holly Beech, news@africanazarene.org ]
*Sources for education costs: United Nations Development Programme and IRIN News
CORRECTION: Africa Region NYC is in December 2016
In the April 6 edition of Out of Africa, we published the incorrect date for the Africa Region's first Nazarene Youth Connection. Please note that the youth event will take place from 14-18 December, 2016.
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Pastor Fullah thanks global church for support, prayers during Ebola quarantine
"We belong to a worldwide family that cares for us"
In February, the Amazing Grace Church of the Nazarene in Ogoo Farm, Sierra Leone, lost a beloved leader, Mrs. Isatu Fullah, to Ebola.
Pastor James Fullah and his wife, Isatu, who passed away in February from Ebola.
Sister Isatu was the mother of five children, ages 4 to 16, and the wife of Rev. James Fullah, pastor of Amazing Grace Church. She was a pillar of the church who worked hard to serve her family and minister to people, Sierra Leone District Superintendent Rev. Vidal Cole said. When Isatu contracted the virus, the rest of the Fullah family was quarantined in their home. About a week into quarantine, two of the daughters started showing symptoms and were taken to an Ebola clinic. At the clinic, the 6-year-old daughter tested positive for the virus. At that point, the rest of the family's quarantine period, which normally lasts 21 days, started over.
"This was a very difficult time for us," Pastor James Fullah said in a letter to Monica Carr, the communications coordinator for the Africa West Field.
"We were mourning the death of our loved one, and at the same time we were stigmatized by many people in the community," he wrote. "Many thought we would become sick and die, one after the other, within seven days. We thought of ourselves like Daniel in the lions' den."
Fear of the terrible disease penetrated their hearts, he said, but the family continued to pray and trust God.
"(We believed) that the God who delivered Daniel from the lions was with us and would also deliver us from the deadly Ebola virus through prayer," he wrote.
During this difficult time, very few relatives visited the Fullah family because of fear that Ebola would spread.
"But praise be to God. My spiritual family, the Church of the Nazarene, visited us every week of the four weeks of quarantine," Pastor Fullah wrote. "I am grateful to Rev. Vidal Cole, our district superintendent, and Pastor Marie Kamara for their prayer, support and comfort to us. They and other members of the church called me on the phone to ask (about) our welfare."
Local churches in Sierra Leone sent money, rice, palm oil and other cooking items, Fullah said. Donations, prayers and support also poured in from believers throughout Africa and around the world.
"I am also grateful to the entire Church of the Nazarene, for Nazarene people outside Sierra Leone also sent words of comfort to us. This helps us to (be) aware more and more that we belong to a worldwide family that cares for us," Pastor Fullah wrote.
On April 1, Rev. Cole sent the joyous news that the Fullah family had completed their quarantine period, and each family member, including the two daughters who were in the Ebola clinic, were declared Ebola free.
"Glory to God!" Rev. Cole wrote. "He is faithful and worthy to be praised."
Pastor Fullah expressed his gratitude to the global church family and praised God for answering prayers.
"My two girls who were sick have been given a complete recovery by God, and the rest of the family was not infected," he wrote. "All is well with us now in Jesus name."
Nazarenes assist in disaster relief in Nepal
The Nazarene disaster response team in Nepal delivers rice to the Tindhara village after the April 25 earthquake. (Photos: Gina Pottenger)
EURASIA REGION - The devastation in Nepal is tremendous following last month's earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people. Two weeks after the initial quake, a second earthquake of similar force - above a 7.0 magnitude - again rattled the South Asian country. A group of about 20 local pastors, volunteers and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries staff have formed a disaster response team. After the initial earthquake on April 25, they visited the Tindhara village, where all 223 homes were destroyed and 34 people died. After working with village members to assess the need, the team brought three truckloads of rice, oil and salt to the village - enough to feed the 1,200 residents for a month.
The response team's method is to first ask villagers what their greatest needs are, and then to mobilize them to be a part of the distribution efforts, said Eurasia Region Communications Coordinator Gina Pottenger, who traveled to Nepal after the earthquake.
One of the greatest needs is for sturdy shelter. People are living in temporary shelters made from tarps, branches and scrap metal that they pulled from the rubble, Pottenger said. Nepal's monsoon season is nearing, and the makeshift homes won't protect residents from rain.
"Today was a hard day because many pastors called me," Nepal District Superintendent Dilli said the day of the second earthquake. "People are scared. They are scared to sleep in their houses."
Donations to NCM will help provide for ongoing needs, including tents and blankets. Click here to give.
One family shared the tent they received from the military with six other families, she said. People who had salvaged rice from their homes shared it with their neighbors who had no food.
"Even though they didn't know when more food was coming - if more food was coming - they didn't hoard what they had, but they shared it with other people," she said.
STAND WITH NEPAL
As a global Church body, we hope to support the relief efforts in Nepal through prayers and giving. There are approximately 8,000 Nazarenes in Nepal and 300 churches and preaching points.
To learn more about the Nazarene Church's disaster response in Nepal and to make a donation, visit the Nazarene Compassionate Ministries response page. You may also find news updates about the situation on the Eurasia Region's website.
PRAYER REQUESTS
- Praise God that after several weeks with no new Ebola cases, Liberia has been declared Ebola free! New cases are decreasing in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Please continue to pray for these heavily affected countries, where there have been close to 27,000 Ebola cases, resulting in 11,005 reported deaths. When asked how the Church can pray for the Church's Ebola relief efforts, Pastor Steven S. Kanu in Waterloo, Sierra Leone, said: "Please pray that God will continue to strengthen and empower us so that we can fulfill the work He has committed into our hands. Pray for all our pastors and their families working in these communities so that God will continue to help them minister effectively to their people and that the joy of the Lord will be their strength." He also is seeking prayer for the primary school run by his church, Mabureh Church of the Nazarene. The school walls were damaged in last year's rainy season, so classes are now held in rented buildings. The congregation is seeking God's provision so they can rebuild the damaged walls and also expand this year and open a high school.
- Please pray for the thousands of people impacted by the earthquakes in Nepal. Pray for the Nazarene disaster response team that is working to bring relief to people in desperate need.
The Nazarene Church is in 42 countries in Africa, with more than 600,000 members in six fields. Email us at news@africanazarene.org.
Holly Beech, editor
17 Botes Street
17 Botes Street
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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