Child Development Embassy (CDE) is a Community Based Organization (CBO) of c3 Church Bwera registration number CBO/225 that started in 2008. The original Idea was a development by Pastor Rock Mutegheki T.K and the church leadership to establish a program that would holistically develop and advocate for needy children in Kasese, Uganda and Africa. The program currently has one hundred twenty (120)
registered children, three fulltime staff, four teachers who serve as center guides, and two cooks. Initially, the program was supported by individual members of c3 church Bwera who donated clothes, food stuffs and scholastic materials to registered children. In April 2009, CDE connected to Rev. Wally and Jan Ninneman during their evangelical mission to Uganda. Jan Ninneman was moved by the great need of rescuing children from poverty and offered to advocate for CDE in the United States by attaching children to sponsors. WHERE WE ARE GOING
CDE will partner with churches in the region and establish centers each with a capacity of 250 children. THE VALUE OF CHILDREN
Every person is valuable because we are all created in God’s Image. (Genesis 1:27). Psalm 139:13-16 reveals how we are fearfully and wonderfully created and how God had ordained our days even before we were born. Therefore, a child is of great value. He does not need to wait to be an adult with a list of achievements to be of value. He/she is of value simply by virtue of the fact that he/she is created in God’s Image. The Bible also teaches us that children are inherently open and receptive. In Mathew 18:3, we see that Jesus instructed his disciples to humble like a little child to receive the kingdom of heaven. Proverbs 22:6 instructs us; “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn form it”. POVERTY
A Christian view of poverty is that its root cause is sin which entered the world through Adam and has resulted in brokenness in our relationships with each other in this world and fundamentally in our relationship to God. There are various consequences of this which include unjust social and economic conditions, scarcity of natural resources, natural disasters, and poverty. This is not the say that poverty of individuals is rooted in their personal sin but that sin has resulted in a world where many things now occur that produce poverty. Thankfully the brokenness of what came into the world does not have to continue, Romans 5:10 states that God has sent his son Jesus to bring life and reconciliation. The very life and ministry of Christ shows how He wanted men and women to work towards overcoming the depth and breadth of the poverty that afflicts so many. A descriptive secular definition of poverty was developed in the United Nation’s 1995 World summit for social development. “Absolute poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services which might also be considered as lack of opportunity. While people of all ages are in need of opportunity, that need is greatest in children who are only beginning their lives and are thus extra-ordinarily vulnerable. They are also extra-ordinarily full of potential should the right opportunities come along that can transform their lives before long term consequences of poverty take hold. CDE fights poverty by creating opportunity and hope for children to grow and develop. INDIVIDUAL CHILD ATTENTION AND LOVE
CDE recognizes the importance for each child to be seen and known as an individual. They need to be known by someone who interacts with them, guides them, prays for them and is there for them. This engagement of caring adults in the lives of children is central to CDE. We believe that we must encourage and support parents/guardians of the child as they have been given primary responsibility for the nurture and development of the child. We also believe that a sponsor can encourage and love a child through a relationship that shows that the child is important. CHILD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPONSORSHIP
CDE registers children between the ages of 3 and 12 and works with them until they reach the age of 22. Great effort is made to build a meaningful relationship between the child and a sponsor in which the sponsor is able to encourage and support the child in his or her long term development. This creates an opportunity to more deeply address the holistic needs of the child. By the time the young person graduates from the program, CDE’s mission of holistic development should be accomplished successfully. HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT
Development is a process; in Thessalonians 5:23, the Apostle Paul’s desire for the Thessalonians is that heir spirit, soul, and body might be kept blameless. Luke 2:52 tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom, stature and in favor with God and men. This is a three dimension development process that helps us to understand God’s perspective of human development. CDE therefore seeks to develop children in all their aspects of life. Spiritual, Physical, Social and Cognitive aspects. COMMITMENT TO THE LOCAL CHURCH
The Bible does not refer to any other institution established to accomplish the mission of Christ except the Church. (Mathew 16:18). It’s the role of the Church to clothe, educate and feed the poor. CDE operates as a children ministry in a local church. Our goal is to partner with local c3 churches in or area to release children from poverty. SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
We have three different forms of sponsorship; i.e. Individual Child Sponsorship, Project gift and Love sponsorship. Individual Child Sponsorship
This is the best of the three forms. In this, each child is attached to an individual sponsor who commits him/herself to sending monthly or annual support to the center. Through CDE, the sponsor develops a relationship with the child through letter writing, sharing photos and testimonies. Sponsors are also encouraged to send additional gifts to their children, especially during their birthdays, Resurrection Sudsy and Christmas events. Through CDE, the sponsor can arrange and visit the child he/she sponsors. It’s the best form of sponsorship because it helps us to handle the child as an individual not as a group. It also helps us to plan and budget constantly for the funds expected. Project Gift
This is when the sponsor does not want to commit himself to an individual child but is willing to support the whole program. It can either be a monthly/annual gift or a onetime project gift. A monthly gift is where a sponsor makes a commitment to sending a gift to the project monthly. This fund is also included in the annual budget for all the children. A onetime project gift is when a sponsor does not commit himself to sending a gift to the project monthly or annually, but wants to give a specific gift to the project. If the sponsor has a specific need he/she is attaching this gift to, that is specifically where the funds go. However if he/she gives generally, the staff and board come up with a budget following the most pressing need of the children. LOVE SPONSORSHIP
Here, members of the local church who are willing are attached to individual children to mentor, pray and visit them. It gives a place to the local church community members who are willing to help the project in other non financial ways.
