CHICAGO, IL (March 14, 2012) – “The child with a high fever was so dehydrated that when she was crying, there were no tears from her eyes,” says Andrew Njenga, a staff member of Medical Teams International (MTI), which is operating clinics across East Africa.
She was treated for malaria and dehydration, and within four days she was playing and running after other children.
Medical Teams is one of the beneficiaries of the $46,000 raised through the Covenant Cares catalog during the holiday season. They and other organizations are saving and transforming lives through gifts that have included medical supplies, livestock, access to water, and scholarships.
Water projects are giving people in some impoverished area their first opportunity to drink clean water. Njenga says the wells and sanitation greatly reduce the number of people who die from deadly diseases.
In Chiang Mai, Thailand, buckets of fish have been added to an aquaponics garden at a children’s home where eight young people live with two adults. Evangelical Covenant Church missionary Randy Bevis set up the system that enables the home to grow tilapia and vegetables at the same time. The vegetables remove ammonia that is excreted by the fish and is toxic to them if the levels rise. The fish and vegetables are a source of food for the residents of the home.
“Other places that ‘buckets of fish’ get donated to from our hatchery are to community fish ponds, schools that have ponds, and orphanages that have earthen ponds,” Bevis says. People at all of the locations are also able to grow their own food.
Scholarships have been helping people of all ages internationally and in North America.
A mother in Colombia says scholarship money has enabled her to send her child to a safe Christian school rather than one of the dangerous public schools. At least two high school students will be able to go to CHIC, the triennial national youth event.
Rukiya Davis, a North Park University student interning at Bread for the World, participated in the most recent Sankofa journey, thanks to a scholarship. “The Sankofa scholarship allowed me to personally observe the momentous landmarks of our ancestors along with my partner that provided a safe and yet intriguing atmosphere.”
Although the Covenant Cares catalog was released in time for the Christmas season, gifts can be purchased throughout the year. Kim Crawford, associate director of Mission Mobilization and Connection, encourages Covenanters to consider using the catalog throughout the year including Lent, Easter, and Thanksgiving, as well as for birthdays, anniversaries, memorials and tributes and special occasions like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Click here for more information and to download a catalog.
