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Christian Community Minstries was founded in 1992 out of a God-given vision to provide relief from poverty and sickness and to further the Christian faith. Emanuel Children's Home in Romania was the focus for many years but then the vision became wider and more and more projects came across our path. First Thailand, then India and now since November 2011, Mozambique.
Joining with a group of churches, CCM helps sponser and support a variety of different programmes for orphans, widows and abandoned girls in Mozambique. The project is varied but at the heart of each is the desire to share the love of God in a very practical way.
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Orphans
Due to poverty, ill-health and a lack of medical facilities, the expected life-span in Mozambique is around 50 years. Often people die much younger and with no older generations to look after the children left behind, there are many orphans in need of a home.
There are currently 25 children in the home with more space in the building and in the compound to expand. The children are all looked after by foster parents, some of whom are the widows also cared for through this project. Those who are of age attend school, they all attend church and are brought up as Christian children learning about the grace of God in a very practical, relevant way.
Widows
With many of the men dying earlier than the women there are many widows also in need of care and support. Through this project they are provided with a home. Not just a shelter, but a real place of love that they can call home; a place where they feel safe and secure, where they are not worried about their future.
All of the women either work in the orphanage or they are trained to use one of the 12 treadlesewing machines. They make school uniforms for the children in the orphanage and sufficient to sell to the local community. Not only are these ladies equipped with a trade but they are helping towards the self-sufficiency of the project. All this as well as building their self-esteem and recover their lives.
The Rescue Centre
Buried in the bush 150kms away from the orphanage is the Rescue Centre. It is not yet open but will soon become a home for rescued girls who have been raped, abused and/or assaulted by soldiers. Having gone through this traumatic experience, the girls are then rejected by their family are the point of their most desperate need.
The Rescue Centre will provide for theor physical needs; they will have a home, food and medical help. It will also provide for their psychological needs with counselling, unconditional love and lots of support. As they move through the recovery period the girls will be taught to use the treadle sewing machines and so they will have a trade and a means of earning an income. Gradually, the girls will be re-integrated into society and be given the chance to resume a normal life.
The Health Centre
The Medical Centre is available to the whole community. A Doctor attends 2 days per week to treat patients who may have walked for days through the bush to get to this, their nearest Health Centre.
As the Centre develops there are plans for more health programmes - distributing mosquito needs to help prevent the spread of malaria, vaccination programmes to help reduce childhood illnesses, sex education and drug counselling to try and combat the very high levels of AIDS/HIV related deaths.
Fresh Water Supply
The Water Pump has been installed to suppy the health centre, the widows' home and the orphanage with fresh, clean drinking water. In addition, pipework has been installed providing 80 homes in the village with fresh drinking water. This water pump also generates an income for David, who has the responsibility to oversee the operation of the pump.
In Africa (as a whole) an estimated 40 billion hours are spent every year walking for water. THis back-breaking effort, usually done by women, makes them vulnerable to harassement and assault and uses up their valuable time and energy, preventing them from doing other important things, like going to school or helping generate household income. This supply reduces the journey for water and there is the confident knowledge that the water from this pipe is clean and safe.
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