5 Reasons Not to Sponsor a Child

5.  "There are already so many needy children here. "

       You're right.  There are indeed needy children in every corner of our country.  If you feel that way, our prayer is that you are doing something about those children in need. Mentor through a community organization or donate to the Boys and Girls Clubs.  Imana Kids is for all that but our focus is a little more specific than needy kids.  These kids also happen to be orphans.  Our goal, as a family of Christians, is to answer the mandate of James 1:27; that we are called to care for widows and orphans in their times of distress.

4.  "There are already so many sponsorship programs in 'third world' countries. Why don't you join them?"

     Again, you are right.  Many great, well known organizations have existed for a long time to provide children all over the world with education.  Those groups are in Rwanda too.  But they aren't at Kimisagara, they do not serve widows and they do not have opportunities to support orphanages.  We exist to support Kimisagara street kids and orphans as well as the young men, women and orphans that call this special place home.

3.  "Won't sponsoring a child make them dependent on Americans?"

  Children receiving sponsorship through Imana Kids are not getting a "free ride" (Although, would that be so awful?).  The children of Kimisagara have either been abandoned by their birth families, kicked out a foster home (not for behavior but for lack of resources) or moved to Kimisagara because their previous orphanage has closed.  Sponsorship provides these kids with boarding school: three meals a day, supplies, tuition, supervision, spiritual and academic guidance.  Imana Kids students have signed a contract outlining both academic and behavioral expectations.  The students know that they must work hard to achieve their academic goals and to continue their education.
  Dr. Bruce Wydick of UCSF found that sponsored children in six different countries were 50-80% more likely to attend college, stayed in school 1.5-2 yrs longer than non-sponsored kids, as adults were 35% more likely to have a white collar job and were 30-75% more likely to be in leadership roles in their communities (Wydick, Journal of Political Economy. 2013.)

4.  "I don't like not seeing where my money goes."

  With Imana Kids, you can see where your money goes.  Actually, we want you to.  Firsthand.  Our sponsored children will communicate regularly with you, you receive updates and report cards and we provide trips to Rwanda to meet and spend time with your sponsored child.  We partner with Visiting Orphans to take people to the Land of a Thousand Hills so that others may be shaped and changed to love orphans and widows well.

5. " I can't afford it."

  For some of us, this may very well be true.  However, we believe that if you truly desire to follow God's word, then tithing (10%) and giving each month is an amazing way to experience God's goodness and grace.  It does take a leap of faith!  For all of us, when we give more than we believe we can "handle," God continues to provide for our needs-and even beyond.

Pray about it....and don't be afraid.  Please email us if, tweet us or reach out to someone else that sponsors a child.  It will change your world as much as it will change theirs.

 

#GodMove

     This baby is called Moses.  He has been at Kimisagara since late July.  Look at the gaze that the adults that live in the orphanage are giving him.  Attentive and loving.  This baby makes eye contact, is on track developmentally, and clearly attached to Papa Antoine.  When asked where the baby slept, Antoine, gently rubbing Moses' back, replied "With me."  Just what this orphan baby needs.  Touch and nurture and love.
     Although Moses' his happy, he isn't healthy.  His belly is round and big, distended from malnutrition.  He waddles along near the derailed hallway, a 20 foot drop just a stumble away.  There are bug bites on his face and yeast in his mouth.  A good bath, some regular meals and diapers would make his life a little healthier.
     He is one of five new kids that have moved into Kimisagara since July.  The other four are preschool aged.  A set of twins and another set of siblings.  There are at least 98 children and young adults that need a sponsor now.  God is moving; a lot has been done to make a path.  Yet the needs are so great.
     Ryan and Kara Higgins spent the last week in Rwanda, touring schools, meeting with other advocates for vulnerable children and hiring a staff person.  The trip was a whirlwind of blessings.  Stones laid.
     Meet James Odongo.  He is officially our in country staffer.  We are beyond excited to have him advocating for all the widows and orphans of Kimisagara.  His story is one of pain, loss, redemption and hope.  "My purpose in life is to make disciples.  My second love is to serve widows and orphans," was his response to our proposal.  And it was obvious everywhere we went that this is indeed how he lives his life.  Touring schools, someone was always calling his name, embracing him and telling us what a difference James had made in their life.  As we introduced him to the children, some even had tears.  One boy said "James is the reason I accepted God as my Father."

     During the trip, 8 schools were visited.  Three were colleges/universities and the remaining were boarding schools for primary and/or secondary.  The boarding schools all provide a clean, safe living space, three meals a day, excellent academics and clubs/sports.  Some were private while others were associated with another ministry and were Christian.  The Imana Kids board will work this weekend to decide on which of these schools is the best "fit" for the children of Kimisagara.  We hope to have the prices and profiles within the next 10 days.
     Additionally, the de-bedbugging of the orphanage was a success.  The older boys received a lesson on bedbugs; then excitedly went to work on applying the mattress covers and the diatomaceous earth.  Each of them grinned ear to ear, chatted nonstop and even applied a little of the earth on their faces.  One of the young women said "We may sleep too late if the bugs don't bite us."  We all decided that we could get an alarm clock if needed!

     The other development that took place in country is that we met 4 women from James' church who were former prostitutes.  All of them are joyful and loving, working hard to leave behind their old lives.  We believe that they may be the perfect women to fill the role of nanny, "Auntie" for the younger children at Kimisagara.  This would employ them and provide loving care to the little ones.
     Please take some time to consider sponsorship.  We need commitments from our sponsors because we know it would be devastating for a child to be sent to school only to be sent back to the orphanage again because of finances.  Not only are you investing financially but also emotionally.  These kids are just as excited to have someone to write to and pray for, someone to call their own.
   

     Imana Kids gave their first school presentation today and it was a joy to be welcomed by hundreds of sweet children that were eager and excited to help their "new friends" in Rwanda.
     Sunrise Point Elementary in Overland Park, Kansas, invited Imana Kids to present at their pep rally and launch of a school wide reading campaign.  All the staff, students and family will  be reading Giant Steps to Change the World by actor Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya.  The story talks about a variety of leaders, from Mother Theresa to President Obama, that started little and made a big impact.

    The school is also committed to doing a fundraiser along side the reading.  They will be raising funds for our nutrition program, with the hopes of providing regular fruits and veggies to the kids of Kimisagara.  How cool is that?  Each class will be filling "shoes" with money through the month of September.  We are honored and humbled that they asked to partner with us.
     In addition to the fundraising, it is a thrill to know that hundreds of children are telling the story of the street kids of Rwanda to their parents tonight.
   

THANK YOU, THANK YOU  to our friends at Sunrise Point!  

Kiwanis and Bedbugs

     Did that get your attention?  We have still been very busy around here.  Last week we had the honor of presenting Imana Kids to a local chapter of Kiwanis.  What a great group of people and a good fit for Imana Kids to partner with!  The presentation was our first "business oriented" talk, so we are were a bit anxious but left feeling that we did the children of Kimisagara justice.  We are excited to see what unfolds with the local chapter.
     Tickets have been purchased for two board members to travel to Kigali in late September.  The board members will be on the ground for 4 full days, with each day filled to the brim with meetings.  We are considering inviting some of the older children to tour the boarding schools with us; hoping that this will ease some fears/nerves and generate a lot of excitement for their future!
    Bed bugs.  They may be here after the Apocalypse.  Challenges in first world countries at killing these nasty bugs is enormous.  Then throw in TSA restrictions, clay surfaces, children and limited access to electricity.  That equals a big, big problem.  We feel strongly that we can not ignore the problem because it is hindering the quality of life of some amazing young people in Kimisagara.  That being said, people are good.  Really good.  Phone calls to local exterminators have turned into mismatched friendships and people want to help.  People do care that kids on the other side of the world can't sleep at night because they are getting bit.  We  are grateful that God shows up everywhere.  Including connecting with exterminators.
     Did you now that crushed chrysanthemum can kill bed bugs?  Us either.  It's safe to expose children to, isn't difficult to purchase and we are clearing it with TSA as well.  Our next need is some airtight mattress covers.  These can be purchased at Walmart for $30 but we are hoping that asking some supply companies for help may be fruitful.  In other words, fall flowers, plastic sheets and duct tape are just what we need!
     September we will be launching our first newsletter.  It will feature a child each month as well as any events and progress reports.  Stayed tuned.
PS If you live in the Omaha metro area and have a pest problem, check out these guys!

Tough Choices.

     Imana Kids board members had some big decisions to make this week.  Gracious donors have raised over $4000 to assist us in our start up costs.  How big is that?!  We feel so humbled and thankful; not to mention a little intimidated to be moving forward...

     Moving forward means spending some of this donation money.  It means deciding when and whom should be traveling to Rwanda.  Truthfully, most of the board would love to be the ones to head to Africa and attend the meetings that need to occur so that we can continue to work toward our goal of a January start date in the boarding schools.  However, we know that what we want and what we need are usually very different things.  As a group, it was decided that Ryan and Kara Higgins should be the first two board members to return to Kigali.  We want our donors to be aware of the "whys" behind each of our decisions.  Ryan and Kara adopted two children from Rwanda in late 2009; the director of Hope for Homes (the governing agency for vulnerable children) was a part of their adoption and there is established rapport between her staff and the Higginses.  They also have several friends, both Rwandan and American, that live in Kigali and will provide assistance with meals, lodging and travel.  The board also felt that Ryan was the most business-minded of the group.  

     It was also decided that board members will continue to contribute as much of their own personal money as they can during trips regarding Imana Kids business.  

     Additionally, responsibilities were delegated among members and a monthly meeting schedule was established.  This weekend some of the board will be traveling to Urbandale, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, to give two presentations at Gloria Dei, a Lutheran church interested in sponsoring children as well as sending a Visiting Orphans team to Kigali in the future.  And on August 15 we will attend the Omaha Kiwanis Chapter meeting to present our nonprofit opportunities.

     We also wanted to share some "updates" on the kids of Kimisagara.  They have been on holiday over the last few weeks after taking national exams in the public schools.  Their holiday is spent in the orphanage, helping Papa Antoine with chores and watching over the little ones.  The older boys have been unable to sleep more than a few hours a night because of bug problems.  We have been trying to decipher the situation: bed bugs vs bat bugs vs fleas vs mosquitoes.  Our hope is that in the near future, when the first board members return, we will have the necessities needed to rid the sleeping area of the pests so that for the time being, these kids can rest well at night.  

    In addition, we are excited to be invited to send some of the young men and women to Esperance Institute's first English certification program in Kigali.  Check out their website to learn how they are empowering young adults through education. 

     We are at approximately 30 families/individuals that have expressed a desire to sponsor a child for the 2014 school year.  Thank you and expect to hear from us after the have more specific monthly costs outlined. 

Thanks for stopping by....

    If you are new to our website, you can visit Room4More!!! to learn more about the history and birth of Imana Kids.  Long story short, a team of teachers, midwives, students and business people have come together to keep a promise to 93 beautiful children, widows and young adults in Kimisagara Orphanage in Kigali, Rwanda.  

     This is our baby.  Our really big, fast moving baby.  In one short month we have submitted our nonprofit status, hosted 4 fundraiser/launch parties, turned in two grant proposals, established relationships with other sponsorship programs, committed to 2 additional speaking engagements and connected with at least 20 future sponsors.  Whew!  Our heads our spinning at the speed at which God is moving us forward....

     Our launch parties have been great.  We are so blessed by those of you that donated your time, prayers and tithes.  We want you to know that we each decision we make, we take prayerfully and after seeking wisdom from others.  We want each of you to know that we get it; how difficult it is to pledge to a new nonprofit that is run by some misty-eyed volunteers.  It takes all our courage to ask for what you are giving. 

     This is why we ask.

     We ask because each of these children deserves more than rice and beans every day.

    We ask because every face here has a story.  When asked what that story was, these sweet kids could not tell them well.  They could not articulate what they liked to do for fun or what it was they wanted to be when they grew up.  Life inside small, dirt packed walls does not lend to dreaming about tomorrow.

    Asking for help, humbling ourselves to seek financial support is difficult.  But our struggle for these children is a small price to pay for keeping a promise to our new family in Kimisagara.

     We woke up to an email this morning from the director of Hope for Homes.  Hope for Homes is the governing agency for vulnerable children in Rwanda.  They would like to meet with us face to face.  Soon.  Very soon.  This is wonderful news and a bit unnerving!  Working along side existing agencies is vital.  We desire to partner with as well as staff other Rwandans with Imana Kids.  Our wise friend @Rwagasore Peter, reminded us that we can can give a man a fish or we can give that man a fishing pole and some bait.  That is exactly our desire.  Poles and bait.

     Meeting face to face with Hope for Homes means that we need to send 3 board members to Kigali for at least 2 business days.  During this time, we will meet with Hope for Homes as well as hire an in country staff person and talk with the headmasters at the boarding schools that we plan to send the kids of Kimisagara to.  Once these meetings have transpired, we will be able to begin matching our sponsors with their students.      We really can't move forward until we get on the ground again in Kigali.  Our desire is for every penny to go directly to educating Gloria, Issa, Claude, Josephine and every other life lived in those dirt walls.  

     This is what it looks like: 50 people giving $50.  Or 100 people donating $25.  You get the picture.  Under the "Donate" tab on www.imanakids.org there are directions to give online.  You'll get your tax receipt and you'll get us moving forward.  Not everyone can go to Africa or give $100 a month.  But every can do something.  

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -JAMES 1:27