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WHAT DOES ‘HOLISTIC CARE’ LOOK LIKE?

WHAT DOES ‘HOLISTIC CARE’ LOOK LIKE?

At Hope for Life, we talk regularly about how your support is enabling holistic impact in Rwanda. But what exactly does that mean?

We believe that to be human is to be multi-faceted. Many different aspects of our lives combine to make up the totality of who we are as individuals. As such, to us, holistic care means the physical, spiritual, psychological, emotional, relational, educational, and financial aspects of each unique individual are addressed. It ideally involves working alongside the child and their family. Holistic healing is not a quick fix. On the contrary, it usually takes a great amount of time because it is complex. It is also not easy, full of setbacks and challenges. But we firmly believe the process is worth it in order for children to have flourishing futures.
9-year-old Mabel’s story if a wonderful example of the impact holistic care can have. Mabel is part of Hope for Life’s (HFL’s) Community Sponsorship program. Children in this program live at home with family, and receive services to help ensure extreme poverty does not force them to the streets.
Mabel spent her early childhood experiencing extreme poverty in a single-parent household with her three older sisters. When her mom was able to find temporary work, her and her siblings ate well and her older sisters were able to attend school. But when she couldn’t, they struggled. Sometimes they would go for days without eating. In the rainy season, sickness was rampant as the cold and rain would seep through gaps in their mud hut. If they got sick, all they could do was pray as there was no money for medicine. As the youngest of four children, there was not much hope that there would be enough resources to send Mabel to school.

Thanks to partners like you, however, Mabel’s life today is very different from her early years. When she joined HFL’s Community Sponsorship Program in 2015, she was able to go to school for the first time in her life and enjoy access to regular medical care. Her mom is able to focus on working and providing a better future for her children. In fact, after seeing her dedicated work ethic, HFL helped Mabel’s mom secure permanent employment! Your support also helped provide some much needed home repairs, providing increased security and warmth for the entire family.

By addressing these various aspects of Mabel’s life, her and her family are able to focus on making their future bright instead of worrying about survival. As a result, Mabel is truly thriving. She is in first grade and is often ranked near the top of her class! The first person to speak fluent English in her family, she is a great source of pride for her mom and sisters. She’s even started teaching them some English at home. Her mom glows with pride, talking regularly to friends and neighbors about the fact that as a result of her regular employment and HFL’s support, all four of her children are now able to attend school and create greater opportunities for their futures.

When the trauma of extreme poverty is reduced or even eliminated, the damaging cycle of poverty can be broken and children like Mabel can have flourishing futures. Thanks to your love and generosity, the unique needs of the whole person are able to be served, giving each child a chance at a sustainably abundant life.

“I want to thank you for helping me. Thank you for sending me to school. Before, I couldn’t go to school and our house was so bad and we were very poor. Now, I am eating and I am speaking English and our house is good and I love my teacher so much. I got really sick last year and missed a lot of school and got low marks. I knew I had to work extra hard so I could pass and then I ended up with 100%! I am working so hard and God is helping me and you are helping me.” -Mabel

SAVE THE DATE!

Mark your calendars for Friday, May 15th for Hope for Life’s 2020 Gala in Seattle. More details to follow.

OUTREACH PROGRAM UPDATE

The new Outreach Program has officially started! With your support, 41 boys were served on the first day of operations. They received a warm meal, had an opportunity to bathe and wash their clothes, speak with our psychologist and community resource officer, and participate in a worship service. The Outreach Program will continue to offer drop-in services twice per week for children in need. Thank you for making this new program possible and sharing a message of hope and encouragement with these children!

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