Next KidsHeart Africa mission meeting is Sun., Feb. 12
The next informational meeting for those interested in KidsHeart Africa will be Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6 p.m., in Room 3301.
This meeting will be led by Associate Pastor Mark Wingfield and Eraina Larson, director of missions for Buckner Orphan Care International. Larson is the direct coordinator for church involvement in KidsHeart Africa and will be able to answer questions not covered at the last informational meeting.
She also will show a 5-minute video specifically about Buckner’s work in Africa.
The Feb. 12 meeting will fall three days prior to the initial commitment deadline of Feb. 15. On that date, mission trip participants should be prepared to make a $250 deposit to secure their place in the group.
In the meantime, anyone desiring additional information about the summer trip to Africa should contact
Mark Wingfield at (214) 452-3128 .
KidsHeart Africa is a joint project of Buckner and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The goal is to create child development centers that will also serve as a location to coordinate and develop community resources to care for children orphaned by AIDS or at risk of being orphaned.
KidsHeart Africa will begin in Kenya, where Wilshire will work, and South Africa, but could spread elsewhere on the continent as opportunities develop and ministry partners emerge.
A primary challenge addressed by KidsHeart Africa is to assist children in being able to live independently as adults and not repeat the same high-risk behaviors that spread HIV. Education is a key aspect of a child being able to compete in the emerging economies of Africa. The governments in most countries provide free education once a child is school age but do not provide for early childhood education. In order to prepare a child for success, early childhood education is critical.
Orphan children suffer greatly when their parents die. The effects of are described in a UNICEF report on AIDS orphans:
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Orphans are less likely to go to school. A study in Zambia showed that 32 percent of orphans in urban areas are not enrolled in school.
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Orphans run a much greater risk of being malnourished and stunted than children who have parents.
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Orphans are less likely to get the health care they need. This is due to the lack of resources and sometimes because it is assumed they are HIV infected.
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Orphans are put into the position of having greater responsibility for their siblings and to survive day to day.
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Orphans suffer isolation because of the stigma of HIV/AIDS.
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Orphans are much more vulnerable to be exploited. They are much more vulnerable to be sexually abused, forced into prostitution or illegal activity in order to survive.
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Orphans often lose their inheritance after a parent dies. This is especially true of girls.
An estimated 25 million adults and children were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa at the end of 2003, and an estimated 12 million children have been orphaned by AIDS.
In 2003, 2.2 million people died from AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
At the end of 2003, 6.7 percent of the adult population in Kenya was believed to be infected with HIV. The country was home to 650,000 children orphaned due to AIDS.
If you would like to help provide a scholarship or partial assistance for someone to participate in this trip, make a designated contribution to the Volunteers in Missions fund or contact
Mark Wingfield at (214) 452-3128.
(214) 452-3100