Africa New Life is doing too much good for me NOT to share this. If it sounds like it's really well written by someone super smart, it's because I didn't write it! The following is the latest summary of updates from Rwanda, mostly written by the Director of US Operations for ANL, Alan Hotchkiss. If nothing else, it will give you a glimpse for just how organized ANL is and how much good is being done, far beyond the amazing 5,800 child-sponsorships.
Food Is Campaign: Food is a HUGE part of our budget every year, totaling more than $350,000. Sponsorship does not/can not cover all of that cost so we're praying together that the Lord moves mightily during this campaign and in the coming months to provide the funding for food for all of our sponsored kids in Rwanda. You can check it out at: www.foodisrwanda.org.
Africa College of Theology (ACT): The first graduation of approximately 70 students with certificates (1 year degree) and diplomas (2 year degree) in ministry, will take place this fall.
Over the last month we've hosted 40 students from Africa and the US who are completing their in country residency and intensives related to the MA in International Development and Organizational Leadership that ACT is offering in conjunction with Eastern University http://www.eastern.edu/academics/programs/school-leadership-and-development/class-start-dates
Please pray for August 2-8: ACTEA, The accrediting agency for all African theological institutions will visit our campus to do an assessment of our readiness for full international accreditation. Normally full ACTEA accreditation takes between 4 and 6 years to achieve. But because of tireless efforts, we anticipate achieving it in less than two years. With this accreditation, any graduate of ACT will be fully qualified to enroll in graduate schools and seminaries worldwide.
ACT Computer Lab: It is finally in place for the students with full access to the internet! See photos attached.
Radio Ministry/Family Life: We are now broadcasting Family Life Today with Dennis Rainey with Africa New Life Bookends weekdays @ 5:30AM and 9:00PM with a sermon from New Life Bible Church on Sunday at http://www.kfmrwanda.com KFM is the most popular mainstream english speaking news and music mix station in Rwanda. In Rwanda there is not the same strict separation of the secular and sacred that has become so much a part of our way of thinking about media outlets in the USA, which gives us an enormous opportunity through this broadcast.
In addition to the radio show we now have funding and equipment to build a recording studio at ACT. Supplies will be shipped this fall and a team from Boise will come to handle construction in early 2015.
Medical Clinic: We are still on target to get the general practice clinic building up and operational by spring of next year, but have decided to hold off on beginning construction until fall. We have scheduled the groundbreaking to occur during the Rwanda Impact Alliance Conference in Rwanda Oct 1-6. We have simplified the building plans as well. By the time of the ground breaking we expect to have matched much of the $360,000 in matching funds which have been provided for this project, the total expected budget for construction should not exceed $860,000.
Bugesera Church: A final budget and plans are now in place to build the complete Church building seating up to 600 for under $110,000. River West Church has agreed to fund the first $45, 000 of this effort as a challenge grant. They have a team on the ground as I write and will be breaking ground for construction next week.
Bugesera Church Well: Two churches, Sunrise in Portland and Grace Bible in Houston, are combining to fund a fresh water well that will be similar to the project we did in Kageyo B last year. We will pump water from across the valley near to our church property in Bugesera. This will be the FIRST well in that area once it is complete…
Kageyo B Church/Child Sponsorship Office Construction: ANLMI and ANLMR have agreed to a plan and have the funding available to begin construction of basic offices, toilets and a simple multi purpose meeting facility near the school in Kageyo B. Donna is in Rwanda now finalizing plans for this with ANLMR. Once these plans are complete, construction, which is desperately needed there, will begin.
Kageyo A Church addition is nearly completed thanks to Anthony Casper and his team working in Chicago. Photo attached! The addition looks just like the original, providing room for 800+ adults and all of our sponsored kids to comfortably meet together for the first time.
Ernst and Young have completed their recent review of our financial controls in Rwanda. In this review E&A have taken a detailed look into our control policies, procedures and receipt patterns dating back to the beginning of ANLM's explosive growth in 2010. ANLMI Board Chairman Marvin Eggleston, Treasurer Richard Everett, ANLMI General Manager Donna Henry, ANLMR Executive Director Fred Katagwa and the financial teams from both ANLMI and ANLMR are now focusing on a plan to implement the report's recommendations and will soon provide a detailed outline of this strategy for us. Thanks to each of the members of the ANLMI Board for personally contributing to make this effort possible. This review, which is in addition to the audits both ANLMI and ANLMR conduct annually, was requested by Pastor Charles to help us improve our financial systems both now and for the future.
New US Staff: Thanks to generous grants from the MJ Murdock Foundation and Mission Increase we've been able to add three full time staff in Portland as well as building a solid foundation for our newest office in Chicago led by Anthony Casper. Pictured below is Matt Stein, engagement coordinator for the newly launched Food IS and Radio food campaigns. Matt will also be working to build a solid follow up system for the hundreds of folks who travel to Rwanda with us each year. The two women pictured are both interns. Krista who will be serving in Team Trips and Amanda who will serve in Development Administration and Grant Writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment