Survival Program – 2024 Final Report
During a home visit, the Survival Specialist shares a Bible story with Violet and teaches about the importance of telling stories to help her children learn.
Thank you, Amplify Church.
Your gift is helping mothers and babies thrive through the Survival program, based at Center for Evangelism Mawagala in Iganga, Uganda. Your support is currently providing proper nutrition, access to medical care and a broad range of life-saving support for 19 infant-caregiver pairs. Your gift ensures babies born into extreme poverty have the opportunity to thrive, setting them on the path to a healthy, hope-filled childhood.
This report includes recent statistics, photos of Survival program activities and additional highlights. We hope you feel blessed to read this report, as you are such a blessing to mothers and babies living in difficult circumstances.
Guy Wasko
Ministry Progress at Center for Evangelism Mawagala
July 2023 – July 2024
22
babies and mothers served
1
pregnant mothers
received prenatal care
2
babies, on average per month, received malnutrition treatment
5
babies reached their first birthday and have transitioned to the Sponsorship Program
Hope for Justine, a Caregiver
Justine holds 7-month-old Jonah in front of their house.
To my dear friends in Jesus Christ,
I am very grateful to the almighty God for the opportunity to be part of the Survival program. I have 5 children, and Jonah is the youngest at 7 months old. He is growing very well!
We live with my husband Andrew in a two-bedroom house. In one of the rooms, I have a small retail shop in which I sell goods for income, earning 10,000 Ugandan shillings weekly ($2.70 USD). My husband is a day laborer in our community and earns 50,000 shillings ($13.50 USD) weekly. This year Mawagala Child Development Center gifted me 30 small banana plants to plant. Next year they will be another source of income for my family. Through the program, I have learned entrepreneurship skills which are helping me manage my small shop and grow my business.
Jonah is happy and healthy. He will reach his first birthday in November. He plays with his hands and uses them to crawl. When I bring him to the center for program activities, he enjoys playing with dolls and watching other children. The program staff are so loving and caring when we go to the center, and they also visit us in our home. The medical treatment we receive through the program is highly appreciated. I am very grateful for the Survival program!
May God bless you,
Justine
Letter edited for clarity.
Recent Activities at Center for Evangelism Mawagala
Survival staff at Mawagala Child Development Center organize and conduct monthly activities and classes to help caregivers learn and build on skills including parenting, child development, health, hygiene and child protection. With practical lessons such as guidance in exclusive breastfeeding and early stimulation activities for developing their babies’ motor skills, parents gain knowledge and confidence in child-rearing and maintaining a safe, loving home. Every activity is infused with God’s Word and prayer. Pictured below are some of the recent activities benefiting mothers and babies in the Survival program.
Caregivers attended a training on food preparation, storage and nutrition at the church. The facilitator explained how proper nutrition is critical to their children’s health and that contaminated or mishandled food can be a major source of sickness in the home. Caregivers learned about the nutritional benefits of different types of food, how they help the body and how to best handle and prepare them. They committed to handling their food properly to avoid food related sicknesses.
The growth of the babies in the program is monitored and measured monthly at the church. Here, a volunteer measures Malvin with the help of his mother. Nutritional supplements and training have helped the children to stay within the normal range of growth according to their weights and heights.
Spiritual care and discipleship are an important part of the Survival program. In a recent discipleship class, caregivers learned about love. The Survival Specialist shared about the biblical principle of showing love to all people, both friends and enemies. The mothers learned that love is central to the heart of God, and God himself is love.
During a home visit, the Survival Specialist explained how telling stories to a child can help with their brain development. Techniques and training in motor and cognitive stimulation are regularly taught to mothers in the program.
At the church, a Survival Specialist led a group activity on strategies for conflict management. During the activity, mothers learned how to peacefully manage conflicts in their families and communities. They discovered that listening to each other, involving leaders or mediators, praying together and practicing forgiveness can all help in resolving conflicts.
This lesson taught caregivers how to exhibit the fruits of the spirit to their children and how to train their children to do the same. During the lesson, a mother would pick cards portraying the fruit that their partner exhibited at home, and then the father did the same. They also committed to work on displaying the fruits that he or she was not exhibiting toward their children. The lesson pointed caregivers to their need for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to help them bear these fruits on a daily basis.
While mothers and babies are a primary focus of the Survival program, all caregivers are supported and encouraged with training and resources to help their children thrive. This training was specifically for male caregivers and focused on the father-heart of God and how he expects men to be fathers to their families and also to the children in their community who have no fathers.
Survival to Sponsorship Transition
It’s time for celebration in the Survival program! Five healthy babies have passed an important milestone: turning 1 year old. These children will now transition into Compassion’s home-based Sponsorship Program. They and their mothers will continue to receive caring support from the church and program staff, as well as sponsors who will support them as they grow physically, cognitively, emotionally and spiritually.
Rashim
Patricia
Monica
Innocent
Dirane
Survival Program Spotlight: Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment
Malnutrition is an underlying cause in more than a third of all deaths of children under 5 (UNICEF). These deaths can be attributed to stunting, severe wasting and restricted growth inside the womb. But most of these deaths can be prevented through proven and simple interventions. With this in mind, the Survival program incorporates several key services to preserve the physical well-being of these precious little ones:
-
- Caregiver education on preparing healthy meals.
- Therapeutic feeding services.
- Provision of food packs that include essential nutrition and vitamin supplements.
- Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life.
- Regular monitoring of each baby’s height and weight to ensure their growth is on track for their age.
A Letter of Gratitude from Pastor Wilberforce
Pastor Wilberforce stands in front of the church where Survival participants and their caregivers receive physical, emotional, and spiritual support.
Dear Friends,
Receive our greetings in the mighty name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful to God for your help in ministering to mothers and children in our community through the Survival program. Since we launched the Survival program in 2017, 160 mothers and children have been served by the program and their lives have been impacted in so many ways.
Through monthly prayer and discipleship meetings, mothers have learned to pray for their children and read the Bible. We have seen a significant reduction in marital issues as parents learned lessons on forgiveness, patience and love. The classes and curriculum we offer to the caregivers have impacted many families in our community. They have developed greater self-esteem and learned about income generation, children’s rights, family health, and how to best raise their children. All these benefits have come through the Survival program, and we are grateful to God for your support.
This year, 18 mothers received capital to begin small-scale businesses. For example, Beatrice, a mother to twins in the program, received funds to support her vegetable garden. After a large harvest, she was able to buy 10 healthy hens, make bricks to expand her house, and pay school fees for her other children with ease. Friends, this is a great testimony to us, and we are grateful to God!
The medical treatment provided to the children and mothers through this intervention is also a tremendous support. We have had no maternal deaths during the last three years, and this is because of the Survival program. It is a blessing to have this intervention at our church. We pray to the almighty God to bless you so much.
Your Friend,
Pastor Wilberforce
Letter edited for clarity.
Your Gift Matters
Thank you, Amplify Church! Your gift is making an eternal impact on the lives of vulnerable moms and babies in Uganda. Thank you for investing in them and partnering with Compassion International to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. May God continually bless you!