CHURCH PARTNERSHIP

Wolisso Berhane Wongel Baptist Church

Through the Home Based Care program, this church will help meet the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs of 20 families caring for orphaned and vulnerable children.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Wolisso BERHANE WONGEL

BAPTIST CHURCH

ABOUT THE CHURCH

Wolisso Berhane Wongel Baptist church is located northwest from the capital city of Addis Ababa, inside the Oromia region. It was founded in 2005 by Gofa Berhane Wongel Church, a church located in Addis Ababa. Since its establishment, the church has been ministering to a growing number of people spiritually and wholistically.

The church currently has approximately 80 members. It is a young
congregation, mostly comprised of college kids from the nearby Wolisso
University. The church is meeting in a rented space, but they hope to
soon have their own place. This will help them build different facilities
that can be an asset for the church’s ministry. They are actively reaching
out to the local community, which is primarily Muslim. They focus on
reaching those living in the street, people who are often abandoned and
forgotten by the community. Having a partner to assist in the vision of
the church will be a great boost for the ministers, as they seek to reach a
struggling community.

Leadership

Pastor Referra has been serving as pastor since 2016. Prior to that, he was the outreach minister. He is well engaged with the local community and serves with a kind and humble heart for orphaned and vulnerable children. He is married and a father of one child. The church is led by a group of four elders, directed by the head elder, Wolde, who often assists Pastor Referra in the various church ministries.

Home Based Care

Program Overview

The Goal

The goal of the Home Based Care (HBC) program is to equip, inspire, and mobilize churches to build relationships with at-risk families within their communities. Relationships grow through frequent visits to families in their homes to offer prayer, biblical training, counseling, and overall encouragement. To empower this wholistic approach to orphan care, World Orphans and US churches connect with Ethiopian churches to provide Gospel-centered training and funding.

Funding

Funding for the HBC program comes from a combination of church partnerships and fundraising campaigns. This funding ensures that these children receive the following:

Food

Meals served with the families and at school on a daily basis

Medical Care

Access to medical services and monitoring for specific health needs

Education

Assistance with school fees, school supplies, and tutoring

Emotional Care

Counseling and mentoring through relationships with church members

Spiritual Care

Fellowship, prayer, discipleship, and encouragment

How it Works

Vulnerable Children Identified

ChilD Selection Process

The HBC committee works to identify 20 orphaned or vulnerable children in the community who are in the greatest need. From there, they meet with the caregivers to determine if the family is a good fit for the program. The due diligence process includes completing a Child Intake Form, informing World Orphans about each child in the selection process, discovering the family/caregiver history, and providing reasons for the program selection.

Home VisitS Per Family Each YEAR

Home Visits

Each family in the program receives at least one monthly home visit from the HBC committee. These visits ensure each child is receiving proper care and meeting pre-determined milestones in his/her development. Families and children receive encouragement, discipleship, life skills training, financial support, and prayer during these visits.

Impact reports each year on church, child, and community

Program Accountability

With long-term care of each child as our goal, World Orphans is serious about ongoing accountability. World Orphans staff members frequently communicate with the Ethiopian pastors and HBC committee to monitor and assess each child and the overall structure of the program. The pastors are required to provide monthly financial reports on how funds were apportioned, as well as quarterly reports assessing the overall HBC program as it relates to the impact on the church, the children, and the community.

Economic Empowerment

Savings Groups

All of our caregivers from our churches are participating in savings groups that give them the ability to save money monthly, despite their inability to access formal financial institutions as individuals.

Microloans

Eligible caregivers receive rounds of small microloans to start or expand their businesses.

Literacy Programs and Empowerment Packs

Packs of supplies for literacy, education, basic first aid/hygiene, feminine hygiene, and nutrition are distributed at training seminars to the churches and families involved in our program.

Partner with Wolisso Berhane Wongel Baptist Church

Why Church Partnership?

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