CHURCH PARTNERSHIP
Gerji Kale Heywet ChurchThrough 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
Gerji Kale Heywet CHURCH
ABOUT THE CHURCH
Gerji Kale Heywet Church was founded in 2001 when a group of 21 people started gathering and praying together on Sunday mornings in one of their homes. In 2003, the Kale Heywet denomination officially recognized this gathering of people as one of their churches. Since then, the church has grown substantially in both membership and outreach ministries, as it now ministers to well over 400 children and adults.
The church’s exponential growth can primarily be attributed to its wholistic
outreach into the community through various assistance programs and services to the underprivileged. The church provides assistance to orphans and widows through the Home Based Care program. In addition to the ministries specifically for church members, the church reaches the community through home visits and an outreach to mothers. These ministries are used to provide emergency help to the most vulnerable and to encourage members to participate in serving through their time, finances, and prayers. The church offers an enthusiastic and visionary approach to reaching people through aid without any precondition.
Leadership
Pastor Mesfin Defersha has been a church member since the church’s opening in 2003. He was appointed as the youth and children’s pastor in 2008. In October 2017, Pastor Mesfin took on the role of primary pastor and coordinator of the spiritual activities in the church. He has been married since 2013 and is a father of two. Pastor Mesfin loves and serves both the children and adults in his care with a profound love. The spiritual fruit of the church is, in part, a testament of Pastor Mesfin’s personal devotion and perseverance in this ministry.
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 Gerji Kale Heywet Church
Why Church Partnership?
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