Adopt a Village Program at 2 years
The Adopt a Village Program is now two years old. With a pledge of $1000 per year for 3 years, 36 churches, fellowships, mission societies, and individuals have adopted the orphans in 31 villages in the Sikonge District and 5 parishes in the city of Tabora. While each pledge supports 50 children, larger villages require multiple adoptions to provide for all of the orphans.
There are orphanages in the larger cities, but most African orphans live with a relative’s family. This custom has worked well in the past, but the AIDS epidemic has increased the number of orphans while at the same time decreased the number of capable care-givers. Older siblings and grandparents, people at the extremes of age, are ill-prepared for this unanticipated responsibility, and they desperately need help.
The Adopt a Village Program provides each orphan with food, clothing, medical care, school supplies and uniforms, and small personal items such as soap and skin oil. Remarkably, the cost for each child has averaged less than $20 per year. This has been possible for three reasons: first, Tanzania is a poor country and the cost of living is very low; second, the program does not provide 100% of the child’s support — it supplements what the extended family is able to provide; and third, there is no overhead; every cent of every dollar donated goes to Tanzania where it is spent by Tanzanians for Tanzanians.
Primary school is free throughout the country, but secondary school is not. Starting 2 years ago every orphan who has been able to pass the government’s entrance exam has been offered a full scholarship. Nearly 200 children are now enrolled through this additional program.
Last November Peg and I journeyed to the Moravian communities in Raleigh and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While we enjoyed visiting the historic sites at Bethabara and Old Salem, the primary purpose of the visit was to provide the 10 churches there with pictures and information demonstrating the changes their participation has made in the lives of these children.
The enthusiasm of the North Carolina Moravians for mission was palpable. After each of the four presentations, there were long discussions as people asked how they could do more. Several churches are interested in extending their involvement to assist with their village’s infrastructure. They inquired about the needs of the local schools and churches, the availability of teaching material, the accessibility of clean water, and the care of the elderly and disabled. The thoughtfulness and detail of the questions made it clear how little we knew about these issues, and that we would have to discuss them with the people in the villages before we could prioritize their needs. We have been given multiple “homework assignments” for our return to Tanzania in January 2008.
The Adopt a Village Program originally requested a 3 year pledge, but the needs of these children are ongoing, and the numbers are increasing. The current 36 participants provide support for 1800 of the over 3000 orphans registered. We are hopeful that many of the currently committed congregations will renew their adoption, and that other churches will join in the effort to help these orphans become productive citizens in their developing country.
Inquiries about the Adopt a Village program should be directed to: Kim Bartholomew, HIV/AIDS Coordinator, Moravian Board of World Mission, 1021 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA, 18016-1245, www.moravianmission.org.
