Compassion Ministries
Jesus loves people – that is the very reason He gave His life on the cross – because of His love for you and me and because of His desire to redeem us by His blood. Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate expression of love for mankind. Yet Jesus lived His love throughout His life. In the Gospels, we read of Jesus reaching out to people to show them His love at their point of desperate need - both physically and spiritually.
The Bible tells us to let our faith be seen in our actions, and as followers of Christ, we must follow His example in doing so. We must live lives of love, and that love must be evident in all we say and do.
The Reality…
- Of the 42 Million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS, 29.4 Million (70%) live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Of the 3.2 Million children living with HIV/AIDS, 3 Million (94%) live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- 10% of the world's population lives in Africa, but it is home to 90% of the world's HIV-infected children.
- Of the 3.1 Million deaths due to AIDS in 2002, 2.4 Million (77%) were in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, 470,000 children die every year from AIDS. For more than 90% of these, the deadly virus is transmitted from their mother.
- 34 million children have been orphaned in sub-Saharan Africa. More than 11 million of these children have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS.
- It is estimated that by 2010, there will be approximately 20 million children in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS.
- 80% of the world's children orphaned by HIV/AIDS reside in sub-Saharan Africa.
In Namibia…
In 1996 AIDS overtook TB as the main killer disease. Over 21% of the population of Namibia is known to be HIV positive. There are approximately 400 adults now receiving treatments for HIV - which means tens of thousands do without. The Average Life Expectancy in Namibia is just 40.53 years.
AIDS has a devastating impact on children... Namibia is home to 115,000 orphans, 57,000 due to AIDS. Approximately 24% of Namibia's children are underweight and stunted in their growth. Malnourishment and sickness is a problem. Poverty takes its toll in that some 35% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.
BUT IN SPITE OF THE GREAT NEED THERE IS HOPE!
The Namibia team desires to follow the example of Christ and let His love be seen in all we do. We want to reach out to people at their point of desperate need, showing them the love of Jesus in practical ways as we speak the truth in love - that they may come to know Him as savior and experience His power in their lives!
Compassion Ministries in Namibia will be developed in partnership with the Namibian national church. We are also privileged to work under the guidance of Africa’s Children, a ministry of Assemblies of God World Missions. We will benefit from their years of experience across the continent in developing effective and sustainable ministries to those in need. Some of the ministries of Africa’s Children that we would like to see develop in Namibia are:
- Developing AIDS Awareness and Prevention Programs and Support Groups through the National Church of Namibia.
- Developing programs through the National church to address the needs of Namibia’s orphans – integrating them into their extended families where possible and, where such integration is not possible, providing group homes where the children can be raised in a Christian family environment.
- Developing Community Health Evangelism initiatives in various communities.
Africa’s Children Link - http://africawatch.com/children.html
Cry Africa Link - http://www.cryafrica.com/
Community Health Evangelism - http://www.medicalambassadors.org/community_explained.htm
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
Colossians 3:17
