MISSION UPDATE
There are over 153 million orphans in the world today. Major contributing causes to this staggering number are war, poverty, disease, accidents, malnutrition and natural disasters. Other complex factors to the orphan crisis are human trafficking, child prostitution, and child slavery. Globally, a child who has lost one or both parents is considered an orphan.
Former Pender member, Dave Shuping, is the newly appointed Executive Director of Path International, working in several countries in Africa. Their approach to orphan care takes the whole child into account. They begin with meeting their basic human needs: food, clean water, a safe home, medical and dental care. Then they build upon that foundation by proving high quality education, spiritual formation and counseling. A child deserves to do more than just survive, our passion is to see them thrive. To that end they get to the root of the problem through community development work.
As a Jesus-centered organization, they aim to rescue and bring restoration to orphaned children living in the harshest places. They accomplish this by partnering with families, community leaders, and churches to eliminate extreme poverty by addressing vulnerabilities, providing education, and creating opportunities to empower those who have been forgotten.
A former resident gave this testimony: “The biggest lesson I learned is love. The bond between us remains wherever we go. We look at others who were like us and see how we can love and help them. I learned spiritual strength at Otino Waa- to trust God even when things are hard. My advice for current Otino Waa kids is to work hard. Have confidence that you can do more than you think. You can do even more than you imagine. You are capable of greater things. Work hard and trust God.” -- Lydia
Prayers are always welcome. For more information or to support with your gifts, see the web site: www.pathinternational.co
