Launching Survival Interventions
Thanks to the support of The Church at Brook Hills, the Kiwalani Bethel Child Development Center was able to launch Survival interventions in September 2017. Newborn mortality in this community is high, with a lack of skilled birth attendants being a contributing factor. There are 15 mothers and their babies currently receiving benefits from this new programming.
In the first six months of opening, the church achieved the following:
- Seminars such as food health and family planning were conducted
- All children and mothers received health screening
- Pregnant mothers received maternity equipment and medical support
- Mothers also received food and nutrition support as needed
- Some caregivers chose to receive Jesus Christ after participating in a spiritual lesson
There are also some challenges:
- Some of the caregivers do not know how to read and to write – making it challenging during the lesson times
- Some of the caregivers lack family support and/or do not live with her husband
- Most of the caregiver lack income generating skills
A Letter of Gratitude from Pastor Elias
Dear Friends,
Praise to our heavenly Father. On behalf of the Bethel Church, host of the Kiwalani Bethel Child Development Center, we are very grateful to you and Compassion International for believing in us and giving us Survival interventions. We started with 8 babies and 7 pregnant mothers. Now we care for 13 babies and 2 pregnant mothers.
This intervention has been a great help to our Kiwalani community, which had lost hope in raising their children due to the state of poverty facing them. We have thankful hearts, and mothers feel blessed to have these services. Parents are now assisted with health care for their children and nutritious food. These parents now believe they will get to see the 1 year birthday of their newborn babies. The registered babies are raised differently from siblings because parents are assisted with parenting education to assist them in caring for their babies well.
The main responsibility we have is to educate parents to know God and serve Him, but also to give them entrepreneurship training in order to raise their income and become self-sufficient. We believe that God has purpose for the lives of these children and His plan will never fail. I thank Jesus our Lord God Savior for these children, and it is my responsibility to teach them to be true disciples of the Lord God; this is another thing that God is doing through your support.
I would also like to thank you for supporting us. May His blessings be unto you forever.
God bless you.
Respectfully, Rev. Elias Hassan Mwakalukwa
Photos of Activities
- Group lessons are an important part of learning for the mothers.
- Rev. Elias speaking to the mothers at the first group meeting after launching Survival interventions.
- Play is vital for a baby to develop cognitive skills that will last a lifetime.
- After giving birth, mothers are given a care package to have healthy food and supplies in the first weeks of her baby’s life.
- Mothers attend a seminar in how to prepare nutritious food.
- Every baby is weighed and measured by the Survival Specialist to ensure proper growth and development.
- Group meetings are special times for mothers to share lessons and social interaction.
- Survival interventions help meet basic needs for mothers and babies. This mother received a mattress to help keep her healthy with having a place to sleep.