Pictured above: Mothers guide their children on bikes to work on fine motor skill development.
Founded in 1956, AIC (Africa Inland Church) Kanzinwa has partnered with Compassion International since 2008, when it opened its child development center, AIC Kanzinwa Child Development Center. The church added Survival services for mothers and young babies in 2017. Currently, more than 364 school-age children participate in a wide range of activities targeting their physical, cognitive, social and spiritual development.
Thanks to your gift in support of Compassion Survival, mothers and babies in Kanzinwa, Kenya now have opportunities to thrive. As you know, Compassion’s Survival initiatives work to support these moms and babies, giving them the best start in life including medical checkups, home visits, group-based learning activities, emotional support, parenting workshops, and much more. Thank you for your partnership! Because of your help, mothers and babies are being blessed.
Survival Statistics at AIC Kanzinwa (January – June 2019)
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- 28 mothers and their babies received Survival support
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- 15 current beneficiaries
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- 1 baby, on average per month, treated for malnutrition
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- 11 children transitioned into the sponsorship program
Recent Survival Activities at AIC Kanzinwa
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- Mothers learn how to grow produce that can thrive in their local soil. Caregivers can either use this food at home for cooking, or try to sell it at the market to generate income.
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- Survival caregivers participate in a session on financial planning. This is intended to guide mothers in handling their income in a responsible manner.
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- Mothers put the skills they learned in the financial planning session into practice.
In Her Own Words: A Letter from Survival Caregiver, Everlyne
My name is Everlyne, and my daughter’s name is Faith. I greet you on behalf of my family and the group of Survival mothers at the church, AIC Kanzinwa. I am grateful for this program, and it is benefiting me in many ways. Before I joined the program, I did not think it was important to get immunizations for my child. But after joining the program, we were taught about the importance of healthy development at all stages of childhood. Also, my child was not very healthy due to a lack of nourishment. However, at the center we are given food supplements that provide the right vitamins and sustenance for our children. My baby is now healthy and is growing fast at a normal weight and height.
I did not take my body hygiene seriously because I did not see how it affected my baby. But now after being taught about hygiene by the Survival staff during home visits and center programming, I know to take hygiene seriously because it could compromise the health of my baby. I used to not think of my future but now through programming at the center, I am training on how to become a hair dresser and learning how to tailor clothing.
We have also been introduced to financial planning, which is helping Survival mothers to start small businesses. We are learning income generating skills that will allow us to better provide for our families.
I am thankful to God and for the Survival program. I pray that you continue to impact as many families as you can, and especially mothers. My baby can now interact and play with other babies at the Survival program without fear. Please continue praying for our center and the whole community so that they know God and serve him wholeheartedly.
Thank you and God bless you,
Everlyne
Jeremiah 29:11