Gestures of love

Help across the sea

In mid July, a container with relief goods arrived in Paramaribo, Suriname. It was already the second container crammed with mainly medical materials that left the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands this year and was shipped to the South American country of Suriname. The shipping container had been packed by employees of Stiftung Corantijn, the relief organisation of the New Apostolic Church Netherlands.

Stone by stone

There was a lot to experience at this year’s Day of the Youth in the Regional Church Southern Germany in July. One attraction was a well for the Volta region in Ghana, which the youth were able to help build. It worked like this: everyone could glue a small stone on a miniature well. And so, stone by stone, a circular well was created. The New Apostolic relief organisation human aktiv had started the campaign and promised to put one euro into the well construction project in Ghana for each stone used to build the miniature well. After the Day of the Youth, the first chairman, District Apostle Michael Ehrich, donated the balance from his own spontaneous budget.

Getting children school-ready

At the beginning of July, the New Apostolic relief organisation NACare announced an update on an ongoing project. The Solomon Islands Early Childhood Development programme commenced in 2021 and was aimed specifically at children in the Honiara region of the Solomon Islands. Children aged four to seven years old are to be optimally prepared for school through the programme. Gaps were identified. Because many of the parents and caregivers themselves often cannot read and write well and live on the poverty line, the programme specifically strengthens, trains, and supports the parents and primary caregivers. Local authorities are a key contributor to the success of the programme.

Thirty-seven children access the programme on a daily basis. They meet at the New Apostolic church building in White River. The classes have been split into two groups, with four- and five-year-olds being separated from six- to seven-year-olds. This is to accommodate the gap in learning and the greater focus on preparing the older children for primary school. Thanks to support from an anonymous donor, additional ablution facilities could be built at the White River learning centre. With further donations, the aid organisation would like to finance new teachers and expand the learning centre to accommodate even more children.

Good Samaritan shows love to Pearston

The children of the Somerset East district in South Africa met for fun activities and games at Pearston church on Monday, 3 July. One of the farmers in the area asked if he and his wife could donate soup and freshly baked bread for lunch. This gesture was welcomed by the rector. The rector and his team thanked the farmer and his family, and the children sang hymns to show their gratitude for this gesture of love.

The young people of the Buffalo City District in East London, South Africa, volunteered their time at Guardians of Hope, a home for abandoned and orphaned babies. The young people took time to interact in loving ways with the babies by holding them for a little while. Some babies excitedly stretched out their arms, eager to be picked up by the visitors. Management took the young people through their facility and explained their vision and mission. They then proceeded to the kitchen, where they all helped in cutting up, peeling, and packaging the fruit and vegetables they had brought along to be used as part of the meals for the babies. The young people went home that evening with the good feeling of having done something meaningful.