ISAIAH HEALTH AND WHOLENESS

       

  CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER           APRIL 4, 2011

Follow Isaiah Njimbu Chot as he describes life in Kasungami, DRC. You will see villagers, some of the homes, the area and meet Tete and David who were orphaned and abandoned until a kind woman found them and they traveled to Kasungami where the woman knew she would find help through Child Action Initiative. Tete and David are living with their benefactor, attending school and feel safe and loved.

Isaiah founded Child Action Initiative, in 2006 to educate orphans. The program has been expanded to provide new drinking water sources, improved medical services, rebuild Nazareth United Methodist Church and parsonage and construct latrines and a developmental agriculture program.



Please consider making a donation to Child Action Initiative through United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries Advance No.: 3021036. Please click on the DONATE button and follow easy steps. 100% of all donations go to Child Action Initiative and are tax deductible.

Thank you Jan Snider with United Methodist Communications for on-site interviews in Kasungami and Henri Giles, free lance writer and TV producer, Nashville, TN, for producing this informative DVD.

Blessings,

Bev and Ed Wentz, Dave Heiser

Beverly A. Wentz, R.N. (Retired; Edward L. Wentz, Jr., P.E. (Retired)

U.S. (UMVIM) Coordinators for Child Action Initiative
Oak Ridge United Methodist Church
Oak Ridge, NC
Greensboro District
Western North Carolina United Methodist Conference

David Heiser, P.E.

U.S. (UMVIM) Technical Advisor for Child Action Initiative
Fuquay Varina United Methodist Church
Fuquay Varina, NC
Raleigh District
North Carolina United Methodist Conference

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS WITH CHILDREN, PARENTS, GUARDIANS AND PASTORS

CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE NEWS LETTER     -      JANUARY 16, 2011

In a recent e-mail received from Child Action Initiative (CAI), founder Isaiah (Esaie) Njimbu Chot wrote:

“On December 18, 2010 a CAI Christmas celebration was organized with children, parents, guardians and pastors in attendance. The Children sang Christmas songs and read biblical verses in connection with Christ’s birth. Children playing the roles of angels and shepherds announced the good news of Christ’s birth. It was a very exciting event for all.”

“The World Vision Administrator for the Kasungami Area was in attendance and brought musical instruments for the celebration and blue and white material to be sewn into school uniforms” by the women.

“Child Action Initiative provided clothing as gifts and refreshments for the children.”

Isaiah stated: “This event was so important. Many orphaned children are not often lucky to enjoy such kind of event after the death of their parents. Due to socio-economic conditions many parents would prefer to buy clothes, food and organize gifts for their children but cannot afford them. Many orphaned children are neglected with no one to care for them. Their hearts are broken when they remember their parents who they cannot see again. So they need affection.”

CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE PROGRESS DURING 2010:

• 52 children successfully completed the school program for 2009 & 2010. These children were enrolled in the program for 2010 & 2011 school year;

• First phase of the Women's & Children’s Activity Center was completed. 10 women completed the sewing and knitting vocational training classes taught by Isaiah’s wife, Yvette. We are hopeful they will be able to market their products to earn income. A pharmacy has been added to the Center and is expected to open soon to dispense over the counter drugs as required;

• Nazareth UMC received new windows provided by Dave Heiser during his visit to Kasungami the summer of 2010; new doors were provided by an anonymous donor; dirt floors were replaced with a new concrete floor; the steeple was reconstructed and a cross added, various repairs to the brick structure were made. The corrugated steel roofing was donated by the local Catholic Mission. Labor was provided by church members ;

• Isaiah continues to enlist volunteer doctors and nurses from various United Methodist Churches in nearby City of Lubumbashi to periodically visit Kasungami and provide much needed medical services;

• The construction of two latrines and hand wash facility which was started at Nazareth United Methodist Church (UMC) this summer by Dave Heiser and Isaiah, has been completed by Isaiah and church members;

• September, 2010, Dave Heiser met with Ms. June Kim Coordinator of UMCOR’s Sustainable Agriculture & Development (SA&D) program. This meeting enabled Dave to learn about the programs goals and objectives and how it will benefit CAI;

• Dave Heiser, Bev and Ed provided Power Point CAI presentations at our respective home churches in 2010. In early October, we were invited to make a presentation to The Foundry, a very large Sunday school class at Edenton Street United Methodist Church (ESUMC), Raleigh, NC. Dave was also invited to meet with the Congo Subcommittee at ESUMC to discuss the scope of CAI to determine if there is mutual interest in working with or supporting CAI.

Women's and Children’s Activity Center

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of Child Action Initiative.

Blessings,

Bev & Ed Wentz, Dave Heiser

Beverly A. Wentz, R.N. (Retired) & Edward L. Wentz, Jr., P.E. (Retired)
U.S. UMVIM Coordinators for Child Action Initiative
Oak Ridge United Methodist Church
Oak Ridge, NC
Greensboro District
Western North Carolina United Methodist Conference

David M. Heiser, P.E., B.C.E.E.
U.S. UMVIM Technical Advisor for Child Action Initiative
Fuquay Varina United Methodist Church
Fuquay Varina, NC
Raleigh District
North Carolina United Methodist Conference

DAVE HEISER'S RECENT MISSION TRIP TO KASUNGAMI, DRC

CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER                                           15 AUGUST 2010

PREFACE: In the previous edition of Child Action Initiative (CAI) Newsletter, we introduced
David (Dave) Heiser an environmental engineer from Raleigh, NC who joined us to support CAI.  Dave recently returned from a trip to Lubumbashi/Kasungami, Democratic Republic of the Congo where he worked with (Isaiah) Esaie Njimbu Chot, founder of CAI and his wife Yvette as well as the parishioners of Nazareth United Methodist Church. Following is Dave’s report.

Blessings,

Beverly A.. Wentz, R.N. (Retired ) and Edward L. Wentz, Jr., P.E. (Retired)
U.S. UMVIM Coordinators for Child Action Initiative
Oak Ridge United Methodist Church
Oak Ridge, NC 27310
Greensboro District
Western North Carolina United Methodist Conference


June 2010 Mission Trip to Kasungami, DRC to Support Child Action Initiative

On June 25, 2010 I embarked on an 18-day individual mission trip to the City of Lubumbashi, DRC to support Child Action Initiative (CAI), which is an Advance mission project of the United Methodist (UM) General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), begun in 2006 to provide education and clothing for the orphaned children in Kasungami – a “village” of 42,000 refugees on the south side of the city. My host was Isaiah Chot, the founder and Executive Director of CAI. The warmth and friendship with which I was received by both individuals and three separate United Methodist Church (UMC) congregations, was truly overwhelming. My trip was a follow up to the first visit to Kasungami two years earlier by Ed and Bev Wentz from the Oak Ridge UMC near Greensboro, NC. However, the population of Kasungami has increased from about 20,000 in 2008 to over 40,000 in mid-2010, which was evidenced by the very large number of children that congregated everywhere Isaiah and I went. A large percentage of these children are orphans and the primary reason for the CAI mission.

I accomplished everything on my agenda and more. One of the primary goals of the trip was to construct two Vented in Place (VIP) latrines near Nazareth United Methodist Church (UMC) and the new Women’s and Children’s Activity Center. These latrines will be used by the UMC congregation during church events, but will also fill the requirement of having sanitary facilities available for use by future United Methodist Volunteer in Mission (UMVIM) work teams. After purchasing the materials in town, the residents mixing the “concrete” for the portable slabs, and digging the deep pits by hard labor, the two latrines were mostly completed by the time I left the DRC in mid-July. The next related task for Westerner UNVIM team members will be to learn how to use these “seatless” pit latrines.

Another major accomplishment was the agreement reached with World Vision to obtain two free and three additional drinking water wells at half price installed in Kasungami, to augment the 8 or 9 existing wells (some of which do not produce water during the dry season).

One of the main tasks to be accomplished for the village, which was given the highest priority by several leading ladies of Nazareth UMC, is the implementation of the developmental farms program. The village Chief has graciously provided two large plots of fertile farmland to CAI. However, until the farms are properly developed, the buildings and animal pens are built, agricultural education is provided, and seeds are supplied, the people will not be able to use these farms to sustain their health and provide livelihoods.

While in Kasungami, I purchased eight new 4’ x 6’ windows manufactured locally and installed in the Nazareth UMC, which has had no windows or doors since the wars of the past decade. After several frustrations during manufacturing, the windows were constructed of heavy metal frames, with half of the units having hinged sections for opening, and were installed in the church building. What about glass, you ask? The fabricator replied “Oh, that’s extra”! Several men slept on the church floor for the first two nights, to make sure the windows did not “walk away” during the night while the grout was setting!

On my final day in the DRC, I received my biggest blessing. I was in Lubumbashi during the largest celebration for the local UMC Conference ever, namely the 100 year anniversary of the UMC in the South Congo/Zambia Episcopal Region! Celebrations took place Friday through Sunday, with multiple visitors and dignitaries from foreign countries and Provincial government authorities in attendance, culminating in a joyous ceremony on Sunday at Jerusalem UMC. The service on Sunday, conducted outside the sanctuary due to the 5,000 plus people in attendance, started at 9:30 AM and concluded at 4:15 PM, with scores of groups singing and dancing throughout the ceremony! Congolese people have endured countless years of hardship and wars during the past 100 years, but God was truly present at this celebration, and blessed all who were in attendance – especially this lucky traveler!

Before I left, Isaiah and I compiled a list of 21 needs for CAI and Nazareth UMC. In addition to the water wells, several items on the list include structural and electrical needs for the church, the proposed new parsonage, the Activities Center, and the farms. However, the high priority needs on this list at this time are: the addition of a room to the Activities Center for a kitchen, kitchen appliances, and an interior door to the room in the rear of the building. These items will make it possible for the women of the village to have a safe and clean place to birth their children, and to stay for a short time in case of complications. Thus, electrical power to this building is also a high priority.

It is anticipated that several UMC mission work teams will be needed in the near future to accomplish the goals currently established for the continued support of CAI. These teams can be planned any time of the year, but the most opportune time to send work teams to the South Congo is during the dry season, which runs from April through October. The biggest need at this time is to find the funds for the three new wells to be drilled by World Vision, who has asked for our half of the costs by mid-September 2010.

Blessings,

David M. Heiser, PE, BCEE
U.S.UMVIM Technical Advisor for Child Action Initiative
Fuquay-Varina United Methodist Church
Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Raleigh District
North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

PHOTO GALLERY:

Nazareth United Methodist Church, damaged by civil war, is shown on the left with a new roof and repaired steeple. Dave facilitated the fabrication and installation of side windows. A concrete floor has been added and walls have been plastered. The white building on the right is the Women’s and Children’s Activity Center. Its construction was started in 2009 by Isaiah with funds received from an UMCOR grant. Bricks for the building were fabricated and construction provided by the members of Nazareth UMC. This building is used for meetings, tutoring, counseling, teaching girls and women to sew and crochet. It will also be used as a birthing center.

Carrying handmade bricks for the VIP latrines.

Digging a pit for a VIP latrine.

Dave Heiser testing well water while villagers watched.

Children eligible for education & support by Child Action Initiative.

Windows being installed in Nazareth UMC.

Dave and Isaiah (wearing NC State Wolfpack shirt given by Dave)
 distributing soccer balls inside the newly constructed
Women’s and Children’s Activity Center.

Children preparing for a soccer game.

Children playing with new soccer ball provided by Dave

Drawing water from a hand dug well for irrigation.

Isaiah’s wife, Yvette, and son Eddie.

Isaiah, Dave and Mary Kabwik at Nazareth UMC service.

Child Action Initiative Newsletter 7-July-2010

Dave Heiser & Isaiah Njimbu Chot

CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE NEWSLETTER JULY 7, 2010

DAVID (DAVE) HEISER JOINS U.S. SUPPORT OF CHILD ACTION INITIATIVE

Isaiah Njimbu Chot, founder of Child Action Initiative (CAI), Kasungami, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and we are pleased to announce that David (Dave) Heiser has agreed to join us in supporting CAI. He left for Lubumbashi/Kasungami Friday June 25, 2010 and plans to be there until July 12, 2010.

Dave was born in Denver, CO but his family of five moved to south Asia in the early 1950’s when he was five years old. He lived in India, Pakistan and Iran off-and-on until he was 15, having spent the last two years in a boarding school in Switzerland. His father was a civil engineer, constructing dams, hydroelectric power plants, and irrigation canals. While in south Asia, Dave helped his mother on frequent mission trips to remote villages and leper colonies to serve those in need.

He joined the US Air Force after high school, and traveled the world for 4 years on active duty. After marrying JoAnn in 1973 and then receiving a BS in Civil Engineering from Penn State University in 1975, he has worked entirely in the environmental engineering fields of water supply, wastewater, storm water, air quality and municipal landfills. He worked for 6 months in Hong Kong with his present company in 1993, designing water treatment plants.

Their three children are now grown and live away from home. The eldest is married with three daughters. The second daughter is planning a wedding October 10, 2010. JoAnn and Dave now reside in Fuquay Varina, NC where they have lived since 1991 and are members of Fuquay Varina United Methodist Church.

Dave has been on numerous mission trips in the past 20 years, with many stateside outreach projects (mostly with the church youth), but also to Guatemala and Hong Kong. In October 2009, he received training from the United Methodist Church and SIFAT (Servants in Faith & Technology), Lineville, AL, to become an individual volunteer in mission (VIM), and intends now to begin his mission work in earnest, concentrating on the water and sanitation needs of the developing world.

With Dave’s vast water and waste water engineering experience, he will be meeting with various well drillers in Lubumbashi to discuss needs for additional water wells in Kasungami. He will also be locating prospective sites and construction of latrines for the members of Nazareth United Methodist Church, Kasungami, church with which CAI is partnering.

Dave, thank you for your decision to join us and support Child Action Initiative.

A full description of Dave’s meeting and working with Isaiah and associates in Lubumbashi & Kasungami, DRC will be forthcoming on this CAI blogspot, upon his return. Please stay tuned.

Blessings,

Beverly A. Wentz, R.N. (Retired) & Edward L. Wentz, Jr., P.E. (Retired)

U.S. Coordinators for Child Action Initiative

Oak Ridge United Methodist Church

Greensboro District

Western North Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference

Shoes for Isaiah's Kids

Shoes for Isaiah’s Kids

After Isaiah’s visit to Oak Ridge United Methodist Church, Oak Ridge, NC in November, 2009, our grand-daughter, Sydney, decided to ask her family and friends to donate money for “Shoes for Isaiah’s Kids” instead of giving her gifts at her 6th birthday party. Enough money was donated for Isaiah and Yvette to purchase 30 pairs of sneakers and socks for the orphans of Kasungami.

Thank you to all who contributed to this ministry.

  Students with new sneakers and socks

      

                                           Isaiah, students and new sneakers

  

   Ed , Sydney and Isaiah

Blessings,

Bev &  Ed Wentz

U.S. Coordinators for Child Action Initiative

Oak Ridge United Methodist Church

Oak Ridge, NC

Greensboro District

Western North Carolina United Methodist Annual Conference

Autobiography of Isaiah (Esaie) Njimbu Chot Founder of Child Action Initiative

Autobiography of Isaiah (Esaie) Njimbu Chot Founder of Child Action Initiative

I was born and raised in Zaire, Africa now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. My father was a United Methodist Church Minister.

I attended Africa University, Zimbabwe, Africa majoring in Sociology with orientation in social development. This Institution provided me opportunities to grow and develop in my personal and social professional life. I was blessed and fortunate to attend this well regarded United Methodist institution of higher learning.

While pursuing my degree in the university’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Science program I volunteered at Fairfield Children’s Home at nearby United Methodist Old Mutare Mission Centre. I worked in a variety of capacities with children and women continuing until I graduated. My mind was opened to the experiences of working with people and experienced what it meant to be poor or an orphan. I also had a good opportunity to discuss national issues affecting the development of the African communities with university students from different countries.

During my stay at Africa University, God put in my heart a big vision to create a ministry with its mission to assist needy communities: poor families, orphaned and vulnerable children. He made me ready to embrace my dream to serve others.

The year 2006 was one of the best years of my life. I successfully completed my studies and graduated from Africa University. It was also the best year because I managed to meet and restore my union with my beloved wife Yvette after returning home to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Yvette and I married in 1997 with full attendance by family, church members and friends; it was one of the most important events in my life. Unfortunately a short time later in 1998 our union experienced sad days. The unrest due to civil war that my country was experiencing affected us. Yvette and I were involuntarily separated; she was moved to a refugee camp and lived in Tanzania. We could not easily communicate until 2005, a year before my graduation. So it was a special event to meet again and restart a new life together. With praise and glory to God we were blessed with the birth of our son Edward Mushid, April 16, 2009.

In the DRC I began to search for a way to address communities’ concerns/needs that I felt brewing around me. Through investigations and discussions with the residents I learned that Kasungami was the most affected and neglected. Kasungami had a high concentration of displaced people, squatters, victims of HIV/AIDS and malnourished people as well as orphaned and vulnerable children. In 2006 Child Action Initiative was born.

In Kasungami I also became very aware that children did not have the support and nurturing they needed to realize their fullest potential. I also discovered they didn’t have enough to eat; they could not afford to go to school; many of the residents are victims of: malaria, typhoid, waterborne diseases; poor sanitation, etc. In 2008 my friends Bev and Ed Wentz visited Kasungami – Lubumbashi. They also discovered and confirmed that the community was facing a lot of social challenges such as: educational needs for orphaned children; lack of adequate safe drinking water; need for nutrient food; lack of medical facilities and lack of latrines. This created in me a great concern about children and what I would like to achieve. This was the starting point of realizing the dream.

September to November 2009, I was selected for a scholarship and was fortunate to attend seminars sponsored by Servants in Faith and Technology (SIFAT), Lineville, Al, U.S.A. for indigenous missionary and community leaders of development training. This gave me another opportunity for capacity building with students from around the globe in Christian Community development and appropriate technology with the purpose to share God’s love in Practical Ways.
Yvette and I have dedicated our family life to Christ. We are currently serving the community of Kasungami, DRC through Nazareth United Methodist Church, the center of activity for Child Action Initiative. Through Child Action Initiative we are working with children and touching families with various activities.

To conclude, I wish to thank Africa University for accepting me into this fine institution of higher learning, providing financial aid and a quality education which I could not have afforded on my own. I would also like to extend my sincere appreciation for this support. I also wish to thank Oak Ridge United Methodist Church (ORUMC), Oak Ridge, NC and members Bev and Ed Wentz for their assistance by establishing the first ORUMC Annual Africa University Scholarship Fund which enabled me to complete my studies at Africa University and provide additional support along the way. Thank you to SIFAT for the opportunity to attend their Practicum in 2009. I can now serve because good people made my academic life possible.

“Here I am, Send me” Isaiah 6:8


Isaiah (Esaie) Njimbu Chot



Yvette, Eddie and Isaiah Njimbu Chot

Community of Hope

Community of Hope
By Judith Santiago**

March 15, 2010—Asha*, 10, and her brother Kosey*, 8, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), were orphaned when their parents were killed in DRC’s ongoing civil war. Displaced from their homes because of intense fighting, Asha is confused and afraid, as she watched over her younger brother, and decided to stay alongside the river.

For three long days, Asha and Kosey waited to be found. A displaced woman named Angie* heard Asha and Kosey crying and after hearing their story, she was moved to take them under her care. Arriving in rural Kasungami, southeast of the city of Lubumbashi, Angie shared the children’s story with the pastor of the Nazareth United Methodist Church-South Congo Conference. The children were sent to Child Action Initiative where those orphaned by war or HIV/AIDS are cared for and raised.

Child Action Initiative, supported by a United Methodist Global AIDS Fund grant through the health unit of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), offers children like Asha and Kosey a community of hope and a place of refuge. The children were placed with the project’s foster families, and received counseling and training on self care, while they were lovingly nurtured back to physical and emotional health.

The Child Action Initiative program serves about 50 children who receive nutritious meals and one-on-one spiritual and emotional counseling. Tuition support, school uniforms, shoes, and all the materials they need to attend school and settle into a normal life are provided with assistance from the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. The children are placed in suitable primary schools and each child’s development is closely monitored.

“I have experienced God’s love and blessings because these children are going to school,” said Angie. “They will gain skills that will enable them to contribute to their own lives.”
While Angie was not in a position to adopt Asha and Kosey, she is secure in knowing that these children will not end up in the street, vulnerable to crime, gangs or violence.

Orphan’s Plight
Kasungami, a region where the incidence of contracting HIV/AIDS is high, is a densely populated squatter settlement and home to hundreds of internally displaced people who fled during the civil war, or moved there in hopes of finding work. About 800,000 children in DRC are orphaned by war, half of whom are children affected by HIV/AIDS. The disease poses a threat to human dignity, family life and community development, as children are left to fend for themselves after losing their parents.

Some children are accused of witchcraft or blamed for their families’ misfortune, and are often isolated from their community. Since they cannot afford to go to school, many children end up risking their lives by engaging in prostitution or taking on dangerous mining jobs to earn a meager living. Others experience psychological trauma and attempt suicide because of life pressures.

Help to Overcome Life Challenges
Every child that comes through Child Action Initiative comes with a different set of social and physical problems. The program is helping vulnerable children overcome their trauma by providing emotional and spiritual counseling sessions, as well as much-needed individual attention. The children meet once a month for a spiritual orientation, where those coping with the loss of their parent can find healing, love and support.

The counseling sessions also address AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. Through quizzes, games and drama activities, the children learn how the HIV virus is transmitted from one person to another. The sessions play a key role in the positive development and behavioral change of each child coming for assistance. Eventually the children learn how to cope with their trauma, as well as overcome the negative influences of their environment by gaining new perspective and hope.

Children like Asha and Kosey who are part of this program are much happier and healthier because they are learning to be children, rather than guardians over other siblings. The program is helping to shape the children’s behavior, while also providing trade skills, like sewing or knitting, which will help secure their future responsibly.

UMCOR Looks into Future Child Action Development
The health and hunger units of UMCOR is in talks with Child Action Initiative to increase the project’s capacity through an integrated approach that will provide the Kasungami community with three new wells, pediatric and maternity clinics for HIV/AIDS patients and expecting mothers, as well as a demonstration farm to hold farmer field trainings, which will produce healthy crops in a sustainable way.

Through these additional relief projects, the Kasumgami community will be empowered to grow their own food for market and live healthier lives.

*Names have been changed

**Santiago is the Project Manager for UMCOR Communications

Posted with permission from Judith Santiago.