Whatever You Did for the Least of These, You Did for Me

Warm greetings to all our supporters, and welcome to my first newsletter under our organization’s new name, World Renew. Tanzania shares this in common with North America: in our communities, vulnerable people live amongst those more fortunate. However, in North America outreach services are provided, such as community or health clinics, financial support and social services. In Tanzania, people in the most vulnerable positions have little or no support available to them.

Tanzania shares this in common with North America: in our communities, vulnerable people live among those more fortunate. However, in North America outreach services are available to people who need them, such as community or health clinics, financial support, and social services. In Tanzania, people who are in the most vulnerable positions have little or no support available to them. That is where our partner, the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania Geita Diocese (AICT Geita) steps in with their Home Based Care program (HBC). In this program, volunteers from the community receive training in caring for home-bound people who live with disabilities or major illnesses. HBC volunteers provide basic medical advice such as appropriate medication or health and hygiene, and offer a listening ear and loving heart. They also visit the community’s orphans and most vulnerable children, who often live in families with extreme poverty or on their own, to ensure that the children are receiving the care they need.

Christina Mohammed is one of AICT’s Home Based Care volunteers. She helps those who are less fortunate in Ihanamilo, Tanzania, near the gold mining town of Geita, and also coordinates the work of the other 16 HBC volunteers in her area. Motivated by the commands of Jesus to love others, Christina makes home visits every week to people living with HIV, and to orphans and vulnerable children. She also provides palliative care support to relieve the pain of people living with various other diseases. She finds that conditions for these adults are very difficult because they have often received no medical advice or attention. Due to the stigma and shame they feel, many adults living with HIV and AIDS feel they cannot be part of the community. After being counseled by Christina and other HBC volunteers, they become confident enough to disclose their HIV status to the medical center to get life-saving anti-retroviral drugs, learn how to take care of their health, and start to participate in community life, often starting income generating activities in self-help or savings and credit groups.

As she visits their homes, Christina finds that orphans and vulnerable children are in a very critical condition. Often their families are very poor or they are cared for by distant relatives who are ashamed of them. There is much stigma surrounding their parents’ death from AIDS. Many of these children are given little or no food, are not sent to school, nor even allowed out of the house. When the volunteers first visit, many of the families expect the volunteers to provide everything to care for the children. Christina counsels them that neglecting these children is not what Jesus commanded of us; furthermore, since we are all equally vulnerable to the disease, how could we stigmatize another community member? This counseling and regular visits to monitor the living situations of these children have greatly improved the community’s acceptance and treatment of sick and vulnerable children. Guardians learn how to care for the children, and communities are moving beyond the stigma of HIV and AIDS to love the orphans in their midst. In so doing, Christina is helping families and communities live out the African proverb, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”

Reflecting on her work, Christina says, “I have been chosen by God to do this work, and it is the Holy Spirit that equips me to give this care to the needy people in our community and show them God’s love.” She is admired by her peers for doing this work without pay, and her love and service has brought her much respect and recognition in the community, particularly among those she helps. The work is challenging as each volunteer visits many families, often in two different villages. Our program has also provided bicycles to help volunteers travel to their home visits, while program staff provide guidance to support their work. But there is a need for many more volunteers and continued training to equip caregivers like Christina to respond to the wide range of needs in the community. We hope to be able to expand this program in the future as more funding or support becomes available.

Home Service in North America

Heather and I have been traveling around North America with our two boys for the last three months, sharing in churches about the work that God has been doing through us in Tanzania. It has been a real blessing to connect with many of you at those presentations or in personal visits. For those who were not able to see us, we are deeply sorry. You are warmly invited to come visit us in Mwanza!