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Onesimus Ministry
Africa is a continent of opposites. It is both poor and rich at the same time. It has vast natural resources that do not benefit the majority of its people. Some of the political and social transformation leaders from the outside Africa have deemed her a basket case for some years now. To some degree, there is truth in this pessimistic view of Africa. Malawi, which is amongst the last fifteen poorest nations of the world, according to the United Nations statistics, reveals glaring and unthinkable poverty, high illiteracy levels, diseases such as Malaria and AIDS and unbalanced prosperity typical of Africa. Cities, towns, and villages of Malawi manifests these evils so much that the majority of people affected tend to resign to fate—that this is what they were born to be—to the point that many insidiously accept the evil circumstances as normal occurrences.
The International Christian Assembly (hereafter ICA) a church under the Malawi Assemblies of God, began with an expressed intention of reaching out to the international groupings that resided in the capital city. From its inception, the ICA determined to be an agent of life-transforming activities. Lilongwe city, the home of ICA has become the fastest growing city of the country. In the last five years it has grown from about 0.9 to over 1.3 million inhabitants. With this growth have come many developmental challenges. Residential compounds and squatters are mushrooming everywhere. Employment is scarce necessitating abject poverty breeding all kinds of evil. The AIDS pandemic has also wrought havoc in the country, with an estimated number of 800,000 people lost to the disease since its breakout in 1980’s.
The domino effects from the impact of the disease are colossal. The medical structures are overburdened; the employers cannot keep up with the deaths and the ineffectiveness of its employees. One heartbreaking result of the AIDS pandemic is the hundreds of thousands of orphans society grapples with. Some of these orphans have ended up being on the street. The ICA, determined to participate in transforming the society through specific life changing activities to street children, and youths with life controlling habits. One approach that was taken was to develop a drop-in center which was to provide relationship-creating activities. This was called Onesimus Ministry.
The domino effects from the impact of the disease are colossal. The medical structures are overburdened; the employers cannot keep up with the deaths and the ineffectiveness of its employees. One heartbreaking result of the AIDS pandemic is the hundreds of thousands of orphans society grapples with. Some of these orphans have ended up being on the street. The ICA, determined to participate in transforming the society through specific life changing activities to street children, and youths with life controlling habits. One approach that was taken was to develop a drop-in center which was to provide relationship-creating activities. This was called Onesimus Ministry.Purpose of the Onesimus ministry
The Onesimus ministry exits to mitigate the plight of the hundreds of children that are constantly flushed on the streets due to various reasons. Some get on the streets due to irresponsible parents and guardians who abuse drugs, alcohol and the very same children. Others get on to the street because of the poverty that is prevalent in the country. Yet, others end up being on the street because they become orphans from deceased parents of AIDS.
The Onesimus Ministry initiated a comprehensive transformational and rehabilitation intervention catering for both the children and youths that ends up on the street. This intervention, as stated above, includes a drop-in center. The purpose of the Drop-in center is three-fold. First, the Drop-in Center is a place to develop relationships with the children and at the same time build profiles of the same. Second, it is a place for counseling and a provision of teaching for transformation. Finally, the center is to facilitate administrative functions such as referrals to the Onesimus Homes and other interventions and organizations.
Onesimus Ministry has also operated feeding programs along with the other relationship-building activities. After ministering for about four years in this capacity, we have seen a need for greater intervention. Onesimus Ministry now desires to move into a new phase of ministry that will include Onesimus Children’s Homes (OCH).
Onesimus Ministry will function with four homes. In the first home, ten children will come every three months. During those three months there will be a great focus on counseling and working through trauma and abuse they have experienced, whether at home or in town. After three months in the first home, children will move on to a second home where education will be the focus. They will continue with counseling, but will also receive as much tutoring as possible to help them reach the appropriate educational level for their age.
After they have been in this second home for nine months, parents or guardians will be invited to come for visits, counseling, and training for the next three months. If this third phase is successful, the kids will be able to go home, and the last three months will involve follow up and further counseling as they live at home with their parents or guardians.
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Children living on the streets are a shocking reality that people of Lilongwe see every day. This problem is not a new problem. For many years children have been flocking to the streets of the cities of Malawi. They come for so many different reasons. Some come as orphans. Some come because of poverty – lack of food, clothing, school supplies, etc. Some flee from abuse in their homes. Others just come looking for fun. Whatever the reason, these children come to town, but in town they encounter problems of even greater nature.
Whatever the reason, these children come to town, but in town they encounter problems of even greater nature. These children sleep outside shops, in whore houses, in the market areas, in buses, or any other place that they can find. These places don’t provide protection from the weather, but more importantly, these places leave them vulnerable to abuse from other children, youths, or adults sleeping in town, or just coming to town looking for a vulnerable child who they can abuse. The physical and sexual abuse faced in town is devastating. Hunger, lack of clothing, bad hygiene, and sickness are other obvious difficulties for children who have come to town.
These children face so much rejection in town. Most look on them as an eyesore and a nuisance. In fact the crimes amongst these children are on the rise. This leads to more and more difficulties. Police are inundated with cases involving children, and the huge task of sorting out who is innocent and who is guilty. Those who care are concerned with the treatment the children face in the cells. Others are the ones mistreating these children while they are in custody.
Most people feel like these children in town should just go back home. For many years now, organizations and ministries have tried to remedy this problem in town. But still, children flock into town, and many who have gone home come back after just a short time. Organizations and even the government have operated with the idea that these children belong at home and therefore they place focus on sending these kids home. For years, this has, in general, been the approach taken to remedy the problem in town. However, this has not seen lasting results.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
It is true that getting children back to their original homes with their parents or guardians is an ideal situation. The problem is in overlooking issues that need to be dealt with before this can successfully happen. Some of these children have experienced abuse at home and that is why they are running away. If they didn’t experience abuse at home, it is almost a given that they have experienced trauma and abuse in town. They have hurts in their lives that they need to work through. In the time that they have been in town, they have experienced so much and changed so much. They are no longer the same child.
They may feel like they can no longer relate at home. They may have habits they have developed in town that cannot simply be broken off as soon as they step into their village. They have friends in town who know them and understand what they have been through. At home, they may have no one who can understand the feelings they have. In fact, the people at home may be the very ones who have caused this child so much hurt and pain. The parents themselves have also experienced hurt and pain in their life and need to work through those issues and learn how to deal with them just as much as the child does.
Helping a child work through the hurt and pain in his life, give up some addictions in his life, and learn social skills can enable him to eventually go home and live a productive and purposeful life. In addition, parents and guardians need to learn many of the same things.
PROJECT RATIONALE
For many years, one general approach has been taken to remedy the situation on the streets. However, if it is to be evaluated, it has not worked effectively. In so many instances, “Street Kids” have been looked at as a whole, as “the problem of Street Kids”. A child has not been looked at as an individual with his individual problems. Every child has his own reason for coming into town. Every child has his own hurts, pains, habits, problems, vices, etc. If a child would have someone who would take the time to get to know him, show him they care, and then help him face problems in his life, that child could have a life-changing experience.
When a child is sent home, without dealing with the problems that have brought him to town or kept him in town, there will be no resolution. Most likely there will still be conflict at home, and he will come back. But if that child is given an opportunity to receive counseling, training, instruction, and most of all love, he will not only most likely be off the streets, but he will realize the great potential in his life, and become a blessing instead of a curse to his society.
PROJECT OVERALL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the Onesimus Children Homes is to rehabilitate children found on the street through activities of counseling, character development and self-esteem building.
PROJECT SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
This ministry will aim to: 1. Counsel children to help them work through emotional trauma emanating from all forms of abuse. 2. To impress the learning culture in the children and to get them caught up to an age-appropriate learning level. 3. To reunite child with parents or guardians and facilitate counseling for the child and parent/guardian. 4. To provide further counseling, training and follow-up for the child who has been re-integrated into home-life. 5. To provide a safe home for those who were not able to be reconciled with a guardian. 6. To refer others to institutions that handle special cases; those that are orphaned and yet in a position to learn skills are assessed to enter the Teen Challenge Program.MINISTRY DURATION, GOALS AND EVALUATION
The Onesimus Ministry will be ongoing, working in one and a half year cycles, to rehabilitate at least 60 children from the streets of Lilongwe every cycle.
Goals
The OCH through its workers and volunteers will pay great attention to the development of relationships with children, counseling and teaching culminating in the process of either referring them to Onesimus homes or back to the family unit capable of ensuring an adequate living environment. Through this process the OCH will:
* By the end of 18 months take care of 60 children
* Target to have 90% of the children restored to their homes at the end of each period
Evaluation
Onesimus ministry has two levels of management that guarantees proper and efficient monitoring and evaluation process. First, the Executive Board led by the Executive Pastor of the ICA monitors and evaluates the operation and financial records of the Onesimus ministry. Second, the Management Board, which is led by the Onesimus Ministry Director, meets every week in its attempt to get to grips with the day-to-day affairs of the Onesimus ministry.MINISTRY SUSTAINABILITY
Onesimus Ministry currently operates on the contributions from the International Christian Assembly and donations from here and abroad. It further plans to solicit funds from a well-regulated sponsorship program run from within the country.
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