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Thank you for your past support of maternal & child health in the DR Congo.

Clinique Papillon is a special maternity hospital located in the heart of Lubumbashi, DR Congo, a city that struggles with crushing poverty and brutal violence against women.

Some of the situations they face are hard for us to grasp in Canada; Gilson, the clinic administrator, has told stories of husbands abandoning their pregnant wives after hearing the cost of a medical procedure.

This Easter, as you contemplate the hope that has been given to us through the resurrection of Christ, will you make a gift to the clinic’s Emergency Medical Fund and share that same hope with the mothers and babies in Lubumbashi? (Link in our bio)

Thank you!

#medical #clinic #mothers #babies #makingadifference …

A few global statistics for this World Water Day:

• 2.2 billion people don't have access to safe drinking water, and 4.2 billion don't have a safe place to use the toilet (UN Water)

• 50% of child malnutrition is linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation / hygiene. (UN Water)

• Women and children around the world spend 200,000,000 hours every day collecting water (UNICEF)

• Contaminated drinking water is estimated to cause 485 000 diarrhoeal deaths each year. (WHO)

And some good news about the value of water:

• Every $1 invested in water and sanitation services generates up to $7.00 in saved medical costs and increased productivity. (UN Water)

#worldwaterday #worldwaterday2021 #water #essential #safedrinkingwater #women #children …

While the world celebrated International Women’s Day yesterday, this sobering BBC article (LINK IN BIO) digs into child marriage, one of the factors that prevents women from reaching their full potential in life. The article examines a UNICEF report that projects 100 million child brides worldwide by 2030, with 10 million linked to the economic fallout of COVID.

Thank you to everyone who supports International Needs schools around the world, where together we empower young people and their families to make better choices than early marriage.

#childmarriage #thankyou #education #empower #families #transformedlives #changedcommunities …

Empowering oppressed women in Nepal

Lydia Vocational Training Centre transforms underprivileged women into confident entrepreneurs. One graduate from the 2012 class, Sara Kumal, used her education and a small business loan to start a cosmetic and tailoring shop that provides enough income to support her family and her parents!

When the pandemic hit, she had generated enough savings to keep the shop running until her district was locked down, at which point her business instinct led her to move her supplies to her sister’s shop, in a region that was not restricted. She then wisely invested her savings and launched a small goat farm. Her goal is to keep generating income from the goats, and then to reopen her dream shop when the pandemic is over.

Sara also now serves as a leader in her local community, teaching small school children every Saturday and helping the local church pastor in leading house fellowships. Sara’s story is a beautiful example of empowerment and hope in a culture where women face significant discrimination and child marriage.

If you’re looking for a way to support women this International Women’s Day, please consider the Lydia Vocational Training Centre, which equips women with spiritual knowledge, health education, vocational training, plus awareness training in domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and drug addiction. (link in bio)

#WomensDay #nepal #empoweringwomen #empower #women #skills #training #success #business #transforminglives #changingcommunities #makeadifference …

Creative Ways to Give in 2021 – Without writing a cheque!

If God has entrusted you with financial resources, we encourage you to consider two ways you can support International Needs generously and joyfully, while minimizing the impact on your bank account and your tax bill.

Find out more in the link in our bio.

#giving #makingadifference #resources #creativegiving #generosity #joyfull #cheerfulgiving …

DR Congo Update
Update from Clinique Papillon. The new ambulance is making a big difference!

Read more in the link in our bio!

#clinic #medical #babies #mothers #mothersandbabies #ambulance #makingadifference #transforminglives #changingcommunities …

Nanankor Clean Water Project
The water is flowing! Thank you Women Making a Difference for leading the fundraising and completing your 11th water project with us!

Link in our bio for the full story.

#water #safewater #well #finished #waterproject #ghana #transforminglives #changingcommunities …

Introducing the Group Program in Ghana
Walking alongside some of Ghana’s most vulnerable children.

Read more in the link in our bio.

#vulnerablechildren #children #ghana #group #program #makingadifference #transforminglives #changingcommunities …

Meet Julia Shannon – Youth Ambassador

Julia is raising funds to empower 375 vulnerable children in Ghana. If you share a passion for Ghana and want to support Julia's campaign, click the link in our bio.

#julia #ambassador #youth #youthambassador #ghana #vulnerablechildren #children #campaign …

Meet Rida Malik – Youth Ambassador

Rida is raising funds for the girls at Savar Children’s Village, Bangladesh. If you share a passion for Savar and want to support Rida’s campaign, click the link in our bio!

#youth #ambassador #youthambassador #transformedlives #changedcommunities #makingadifference #bangladesh #savar #worldchangers …

Baby Doria – A miraculous gift from God

Here’s how God works through RHYCO! –
This true story began in late 2020 with the sound of an abandoned baby crying inside a latrine pit (known as an outhouse in Canada). Residents of Kawangware and members of RHYCO lowered a man into the pit…

See how the story unfolds in the link in our bio!

#baby #abandoned #doria #saved #gift #giftfromGod …

It’s been a busy couple of months for RHYCO! After taking possession on November 1st, the RHYCO team began the cleanup and demolition of the site in Kawangware slum.

Real Hope Youth Community Organization runs the Safe House in partnership with International Needs and Marifiki Trust (UK).

See more photos in the link in our bio.

#renovations #safehouse #kenya #slum #children #streetkids #safety …

Safe house renovations are underway in Kenya, and the real transformational work is about to begin as abused children start to move in.

One supporter has offered to give a $15,000 MATCHING GRANT to help pay the costs of rescuing abused children and running the shelter. That’s $30,000 for the Safe House! Click the link in our bio to find out more and be part of the matching grant challenge.

#safehouse #children #safety #construction #renovations #kenya #transformlives #changecommunities #matchinggrant #abused #street …

The economic impact of lockdown hit people hard in the city of Lubumbashi, DR Congo. Even a few days of confinement halts all work and penalizes the low-income population disproportionately.

Our partner in the DRC estimates that just 20% of the population has a food supply at home, while 80% eat at "the daily rate", meaning they earn enough money each day to pay for the food they need that same day! In other words, a large majority of the population is living under the constant pressure of hand-to-mouth, and COVID has disturbed an already shaky equilibrium!

Please pray that the restrictions will continue to ease and people will be able to work and earn income.

#lockdown #economy #impact #drcongo #drc #food #covid19 #pray #income #effects …

A few weeks before Christmas, heavy rains fell in a region of Uganda where International Needs has children sponsored. International Needs Uganda visited the area and the affected families to assess the magnitude of the disaster:

• 2 schools had their roof tops blown off
• 17 family homes were destroyed
• 72 households had their crops and gardens destroyed

We thank God for the immediate response by International Needs Uganda, who supported the affected families with construction materials, household items, and food packages.

#heavyrain #Uganda #Internationalneedsuganda #householditems #support #help #food #materials …

Even as North American hospitals struggle with capacity, the pandemic has caused “economic paralysis” in the DR Congo, according to Gilson, the director of Clinique Papillon.

“Three quarters of our patients are not able to pay their full bills for medical care. Among these patients we received a young woman named Annie, who came for treatment with a high-risk pregnancy. A day later she lost the baby. Her husband then abandoned her without paying for the medicine or the treatment she’d received.”

#pregnancy #drcongo #baby #children #economic …

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This Christmas, may you experience the sense of shalom that only comes to us in the form of our saviour Jesus Christ. From all of us at International Needs, we would like to wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year. We look forward to serving with you in 2021.

David Marshall
Executive Director …

Thank you for helping save the lives of mothers and babies! Because of your generosity in 2020, the Midwife Training Program has been able to continue through COVID with reduced class sizes.

But we need to ramp this up; there’s so much more to do! Learn how you can make a difference in the lives of mothers and babies in Guatemala : Link in Bio …