Jamaa Letu, Sponsoring Our Orphans
During the late 90s, a request came from the African bishops of the United Methodist Church to the Pacific Northwest Conference. They asked us to provide help to the innocent children who were victims of war, famine, and the destruction of schools and hospitals because of the unrest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The conference responded by building two orphanages called Jamaa Letu, which means “our family” in Swahili. The girls’ orphanage, built in 1999, can house 60 girls. The boys’ orphanage, built in 2002, can house 25-30 boys. (The orphanages are located in Lubumbashi, which is the second largest city in the Congo, with 1.8 million people. Although the Congo is rich in minerals, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. It is multilingual, and 90% of the population is Christian. Only 35% of children complete high school, and barely 5% attend university, with the girls much more likely to drop out.)
Since the orphanages were constructed, many members of our congregation have faithfully supported an orphan every year, year after year. That commitment of $493 for an orphan and $500 for a college student has been met by individuals, families (even some who have moved away), by groups, and even committees within the church. It costs about $4000/year to provide food, clothing, medical care, and schooling for an orphan. If any of you would like to join us and sponsor an orphan or make a donation, you can do so by writing a check to KUMC or paying on the app. Be sure to include “orphans” in the memo line.
You can visit the website to learn more or to see photos of the children at www.pnwumc.org/hfca or hopeforthechildrenofafrica.org.