I’m involved with an organization that serves the poor and
orphaned in Mozambique, Africa. Life for Mozambique (LFM), a Christian ministry
birthed by Life Covenant Church in Torrance, has two orphanages that provide
housing, food, medical care, and education for 25 Mozambican children. These
orphanages also serve as community centers to help the neighboring men, women,
and children survive in one of the world’s most economically challenged countries.
Each orphanage also houses a Life Covenant Church of its own that strives to
meet the spiritual needs of the nearby people.
LFM’s goal is that the orphanages will one day become
self-sufficient. We have a couple of business projects that aim to generate
income by delivering valuable services for the local people. These projects are
very promising, but are also still in their infancy. So, LFM is annually tasked
with raising each orphanage’s monthly operating expenses. We try to hold two or
three annual fundraising events, and this year we’re trying something new – a Casino
Night on April 30. I wanted to call the night “Gambling for Orphans,” but I was
overruled.
Unlike the mega-sized disaster/relief agencies mentioned
above, when you donate to LFM, you can be quite certain that 99.9 percent of
your money goes to the feeding and caring of Mozambican children. I can’t say
100 percent, because sometimes we have to, you know, print a banner for our
next 5K or order stationary to write thank you notes to our donors.
I was able to go to Mozambique two years ago and spending
time at the orphanages was an amazing experience. Below are the stories of two children
that have recently found new lives at our orphanages.
***
Eva Jorge is a true heroine and her story reads like a
script from a tragic movie. She is living at our first orphanage, the Melanie
Center. For starters like so many children in Mozambique, Eva lost her parents
to HIV/AIDS when she was young. Luckily, an uncle took her and her five
brothers into his home. But conditions there were pretty rough and poverty was
at an extreme level. So her uncle forced her to work on farms and in the local
markets. The conditions were so bad, that Eva, at 12 years of age, gathered up
her brothers and moved away, on her own. They lived together in a hut on the
beach; selling fish to earn money for food. But her uncle tracked her down and
gave her away in marriage in exchange for money. Not only was Eva separated
from her brothers, but also her new “husband” sexually abused her.
The local Ministry of Women and Social Services found Eva
and extracted her from her abusive “husband”. Her brothers were taken in by a
local Catholic center and Eva was brought to the Melanie Center. Eva is being
restored mentally, physically, and spiritually. Her life has changed completely
and God only knows where she’d be if he hadn’t rescued her and delivered her to
the Melanie Center. Thankfully, Eva is thriving. She is developing new skills.
She is studying and learning. She dreams of one day being able to teach other
girls to sew.
* * *
Sometimes children at our orphanages have a living parent,
but times are so tough that we house the child to easy the burden for the mother or the father. Such is the case of Lucas Manuel, a resident
of our second orphanage that opened in 2014, the Melanie Center II. He is 14
years old and was raised in the mountainous farming region of central
Mozambique. His father had three wives and was a leader in Zionism, which is a
hybrid religion of Christianity and many various African tribal sects. When Lucas was six, his father died, leaving he and his mother to fend for themselves by
working in the fields of neighboring families. Lucas saw his dreams of becoming
somebody important slowly evaporate in the heat of the African sun. Lucas was brought
to the Melanie Center II where he embarked on a course of study to become a
civilian construction engineer. Thanks to the MCII, Lucas has been given a new
life and a chance to succeed in school and achieve his dreams of building a
good home for his mother. What was once without hope, Lucas’ life is now on a
trajectory of success, health, and promise.
So, if you donate to LFM and are wondering where your money ends
up … all you have to do is close your eyes. Hopefully your mind’s eye will see
a young child like Lucas or Eva. A child that is healthy clothed, educated, and
smiling. And with that picture in your mind, you’ll never have to wonder where
your donations are going.
Please click here if you’d like to attend the Casino Night!
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