One of our biggest goals in our community development is to be careful in how we perform our relief work. There are incredible physical needs in Togo. Half of the population makes less than a dollar a day in Togo. However, we do not want our people to be dependent on the mission, and in the same way we do not want the mission to be dependent solely on its supporters. By the grace of God we want to grow to a point that the ministry becomes self-supporting. We also hope for the locals to become self-supporting. We want to reach out in good deeds to equip others so that they can become self-supporting and also Christ followers.
The community development started when Dela began to make tie and dye products. She creates batik designs on fabrics to sell locally at the market and out of the home. The funds she made from this she would use to support the family and the neglected children they took into their home. She continues with this work, and it has grown so that we are selling some of her products here in the States to support the ministry and this has been a huge blessing to the mission. Right now we are still thinking and planning on Community Based-Orphan Care which is helping, mentoring, and equipping families to take care of their own children and families who are orphans as long as their lives are not in danger. We believe in coming alongside the people in the community to mentor, equip (with microfinance training, small businesses, and nutritional and parenting classes), and share the Gospel with them so that their lives and the children’s lives will be transformed. This method will allow us to help those in most critical needs, yet not to build a dependency.
All these community development activities are done in the name of the Lord so that people may see God’s love in us and will come to know Christ through good deeds.
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