Village of Hope / Community for Peace / Chiyimba

Can you imagine what it's like not to have a mother or father? In Bangladesh, lots of children don't have a family at all! Some are orphans because their parents died, and some were sent away because their parents are so poor that they can't feed all of their children! A group called BNM is now building a special "village of hope" just for these children. 6-8 children will live there in each "family" with 2 ladies to take care of them. In this village they can go to school and have gardens to grow food; and it will help them to feel loved and not lonely anymore! It takes a lot of money to build houses and run schools and plant gardens for these families, so NCM Canada has decided to help this village by sending money and praying.

Will You Help Too?

"Village of Hope" Update - November 19, 2010

Elaine Bumstead recently visited the site of the "Village of Hope" in Bangladesh. This proposed village is for widows and orphans and is being constructed on 44 acres of land. The "Canadian portion" is the construction of 7-9 houses (each housing 8 children and 2 widows), the provision of vegetables seeds and garden tools, fruit trees, a well, uniforms and books and school supplies for the children, teachers supplies for the school, some goats and chickens etc. The property is now mostly planted in rice paddy with a large pond in the center which could be stocked with fish as well as serve to irrigate vegetable gardens to be established when the orphans and widows move in. There are currently several houses which are in various stages of construction and funded by a Church of the Nazarene in Germany. (See picture of property and houses). Some of the funds collected through our NCM Canada 2010-2011 Gift Catelogue will also be used for this Village of Hope project and for the "Community of Peace" in Sri Lanka.

You can donate to any of several items listed for these two projects under "Donations" on this website or by clicking one of the options below.

"Village of Hope" Update - September 2011

Elaine Bumstead visits the
“Village of Hope” in Bangladesh:

We travelled north from Birgonj on winding roads through rice paddies and finally came to the Village of Hope. This village is located on about 40 acres of land much of which is planted in rice. In the centre of the property is a large pond which can be stocked with fish and which provides a ready source of water for irrigation of home gardens. There are several gardens planted and we also noted some fruit saplings which had been planted recently. The houses which were under construction when I last visited, had been completed. Each house is a duplex with a common front porch area and is sufficient to house 2 widows and 4-5 orphans each. I was informed that the first widows and orphans would be moving into the village in the month of August. This was good news!

More funds are yet needed for houses. There are many orphans and widows in our churches in Bangladesh and other Hindu and Muslim widows in the area having learned of this project are asking to be a part of it. The need is great! Thank you for your ongoing support of the "Village of Hope".

Do you ever moan because your school bag is so heavy to carry? In a small town in Sri Lanka, the children don't have heavy bags to carry. They don't have school bags at all, or books, or even pencils or paper! And in their schools, there are no boards and no chalk and no water: no place to wash their hands or get a drink! A few years ago all the people in this town had to run away because of the war. When they came back, everything was broken. Now a group called NCM Lanka wants to help them rebuild their town and plant new gardens and make their schools much better. All of this costs a lot of money, so NCM Canada is helping by praying and raising money, so that soon the people can feel peace again!

What Will You Do?

Malawi: a small but densely populated agricultural nation in southeast Africa, a country marked by poverty and deeply scarred by the AIDS pandemic. Every fifth child has lost a parent to AIDS; every eighth child is fully orphaned. These vulnerable children live in child-headed households or are cared for by elderly grandparents or other relatives and friends who can barely support their own families, making the poor even poorer.

In 2003 the Chiyimba Church of the Nazarene near Lilongwe established a ministry that helps vulnerable children with school fees, uniforms, school supplies and a daily meal. Chiyimba is a small rural community where 60% of the population survive on less than $1 per day and half of the children don't attend school for lack of resources. The church now wants to establish a child development centre and promote better livelihoods for affected families through vocational training, health services and sustainable agricultural projects such as home gardens and dry crop planting. Wells are needed for irrigation and clean drinking water.

You can join the Chiyimba Church in helping orphans and vulnerable children by giving a one-time or monthly donation for any of these needs.

You can make a difference!

"Opening of Food Security and Nutrition Program"

      Near Jessore in the southern part of Bangladesh and near Birgonj in the north of Bangladesh, Elaine Bumstead was recently able to officially open 5 of the 70 "feeding centres" for the Nutrition and Food Security project funded by NCM Canada through Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Severely malnourished children and pregnant and nursing mothers are receiving food over a four month period. The ration is a dry ration of rice, dal, brown sugar / molasses, and oil. At the end of the four month period we anticipate at least 80% or more of these women and children will no longer be severely malnourished.

     In some of the communities women have already been organized into self-help groups for purposes of weekly savings, and for training in nutrition, health, sanitation, financial management and income geerating activities. Each of the 21,000 low income families will also receive vegetable seeds and training in holistic home gardening and seed preservation. All families will receive deworming tablets. A tube well and latrine will be installed at each feeding center. The five year project is intended to significantly reduce the malnutrition in these low income households and to increase their food security through food production and increased income. The total budget is over $3 million and receives matching funds from the Canadian government (Canadian International Development Agency) through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

You Are Making A Difference!