EDUCATE A PEOPLE . . .
. . . CHANGE A NATION
Our History:
In 2006 we started our sponsorship program, designed to provide tuition, a uniform, and school fees for a child in elementary school.
We still have about 22 children in that program. The costs are $25/month or $300/ annually for elementary children and $50/month or $600/annually for high schoolers.
Click here to see students awaiting School Sponsorship Only.
While this program is good, and over 200 children have gone through it, it only goes so far. Many children need more, including a place to live and be safe from abuse and human trafficking. They need help with homework. Doctor visits. Medication. Regular meals. Shelter.
So in July of 2016 we broke ground on our first care home (Shepherd's Care Home, details in middle section).
Little Lambs Preschool:
We officially opened the preschool in January of 2019 with 32 children enrolled. The feeding kitchen started with these kids and will expand to others in the village. The preschool provides an excellent foundation for learning as the children pick up English on top of their other lessons.
Children in Shepherd's Care Home still in need of sponsorship:
Children in Shepherd's Care Home fully funded for 2022
The Mission
Changing the fate of eSwatini. . .
. . . one child at a time.
"If we can change the trend
of lifestyles that lead to death, there is hope."
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Becky Spencer
Shepherd's Care Home
Children in a Family
Our first home opened in April of 2017. We started with a married couple with children of their own, which was a great way to introduce our new children to family living.
Now eleven children make up the Shepherd's Care family! That includes the house parents' first child, baby Jasper, who joined the family in April, 2020. It also includes Philani, who attends the School for the Deaf and comes home for about 13 weeks of the year.
Two more sisters are expected to join the family when the covid-19 crisis is over in eSwatini.
Children's Needs
It costs about $3,000 annually for the younger children to live in the home and about $4,000 for a high school student to live there. This provides housing/utilities, food and clean water, regular doctor and dentist visits, medications, school fees/uniforms, clothing/shoes, and toiletries.
So far all the children in Shepherd's Care need more than one sponsor to meet their needs.
If you click on the photo of the children below, you'll see a short biography with the amount still unpledged. You may make a one-time donation to help a child or ask to be added to the monthly sponsorship by clicking on the link below.
(Click here for a child sponsorship form.)
BUILD AWARENESS . . .
. . . SPONSOR POVERTY STRICKEN CHILDREN . . .
. . . RAISE UP EDUCATED, DEDICATED FOLLOWERS
OF JESUS CHRIST.
Our Future:
We're currently building an office with an apartment on the second floor so Becky and Tracy Spencer can stay in eSwatini for months at a time instead of only weeks. They feel called to stay in the village to "do life" with their neighbors.
Eleven more care homes are in the plans as funds become available, each one holding between 8 and 12 children.
We also dream of building an elementary school, because the children have to go a long distance for school. And the standard for passing is only 40%; we'd love to help them learn more than that!
Good Shepherd Church:
The church started meeting in the living room of the care home, then moved into the dining area of the feeding kitchen when it was completed. We're so pleased that our house dad, Goodenough Magwaza, is also a pastor. He's got the father-heart to truly serve the needs of our children and staff on site, as well as the 40-plus children from the village who also attend. More adults are added weekly.
The harvest is ripe in this village, with many people who have only known a mix of Christianity and ancestral worship. Please join us in praying for the love of Jesus to transform lives here!
(picture of a rally we hosted at the church in February, 2019)
Copyright Becky Spencer Ministries 2012
