Our annual report has been released; its time to celebrate all the wins! It's finally ready for you! Our long awaited annual report for 2017/2018 has now been released! We really encourage you to have a read through and be inspired by all the hard work our program partners have done this past year. The CbL annual report is jammed packed with incredible stories of restoration, transformation and hope! Grab a cuppa and have a read through - it’ll make your day. If you would like a hard copy mailed to you, please email Erin and she will arrange a booklet to be sent out.
Here are a few of our favourite highlights from the report:
433 people received access to trauma counselling in Rwanda
We supported 31 students to receive education in Rwanda
111 people received access to medical services and medication in Kundi Village, India
50 students participated in Phase 1 & 29 students participated in phase 2 with YaFT
“No matter who you are and what you hold in your life,
once you have a chance to sit and listen to the
challenging lessons, you change and become a new person.
This is what the Empower workshop is doing.”
Diane - CARSA
The annual report is a great resource to use when spreading the word about Compelled By Love - it's located on our website under the ‘GOVERNANCE’ section (or you can click here). A huge thank you to the very talented Masa Sato who did an incredible job creating the overall document, we absolutely love it! If you are looking for an exceptional designer, check out Masa's work at https://masasato.online
Fiona & Peter embark on a trip to India!
January was another busy month for the CbL team, kicking off with a trip to visit our program partners in Nagpur, India. This was a wonderful time of assessing the programs we currently have implemented, strategically planning for the future and strengthening the relationships we have with our partners. There are 12 children in our program (9 in the hostel and 3 outside in either another hostel or in their own home), and it was evident all students are developing very well! The children are all well cared for in regard to their food, clothing, shelter and study needs. Joel, Nancy and Bhavana genuinely care for the children and see to their needs promptly. The accommodation is kept very clean and the children all follow good hygiene practices. Fiona and Peter were also able to attend the Children’s Bible Class and see how much all the children are engaged in learning and developing themselves. The Aasara children lead the small groups and volunteer to sing and help with the refreshments.
Fiona said: "While we were there, we were able to buy some new games and teach them to the children. They learnt a new game with dice and played a card game called ‘Sequence’. They loved it! We took them to a Hindi Movie where they enjoyed a drink and popcorn followed by their first proper restaurant dinner (on request by the children). Some of the children also went on an escalator for the first time, which was a little scary for them. It was such a fun day getting to know them more and just laughing and loving on them. All the children’s English has improved so much and we were able to talk quite easily. This is the result of most of them now at an English medium school. It was also great to meet little Harsh, Tinu and Purvi who live outside of the hostel." Overall, it was a very busy, yet very productive trip with many exciting plans put in place for the future.
News from Rwanda:
Gilbert’s house! In Rwanda, one of the Education Sponsorship Program students, Gilbert, was working incredibly hard to help support his family. His father had abandoned the family years earlier, leaving his mother solely responsible for the needs of Gilbert and his 3 siblings. Everyday Gilbert would feel worried knowing the family had no money to afford a place to live and often would go hungry. Some amazing donors heard about Gilbert's story and decided to help the family purchase a house. Gilbert's life has been completely transformed as he no longer lives under the stress of not knowing where he will live. His siblings are much more settled and for the first time in a long time, his family is excited for the future! If you would like to learn more about Gilbert and his family, you can read the report here. The house plot has enough room for cultivating and Gilbert's mother has planted cassava for the family to eat.
Short term sponsorship opportunity!
Ruth in Rwanda is wanting to complete a vocational training course which will allow her to work in a kitchen and ultimately become financially independent. Ruth comes from difficult circumstances and was unable to finish high school due to some family challenges. Despite her situation, Ruth is very determined to be independent and she has started her own small business making and selling jewellery. She is very creative and has experimented with selling and making other items, however the income she generates from selling her crafts is not enough to support herself. Ruth's dream is to work in a kitchen and has been accepted to study at Boucherie Charcuterie De Kigali starting at the end of February 2019. We would love to help her fund the course! The total amount will be $385 which includes all her course materials, any contribution will be such a help. This course will allow Ruth to gain employment, which will change the direction of her life and allow her to be independent! To be part of Ruth's story, visit the campaign here.
We recently sponsored a student called Diane to complete a similar course and the outcome has been incredible. Diane told us, "I am very grateful because now I have work which will help me to cover all my bills and also help people to love a good life by empowering them with my testimony."
Thank you very much for taking the time to read all our exciting updates.
We hope this blog post encouraged and inspired you to continue making a positive change in the world!
With love,
Team CbL
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