“I can see where, if a gang is willing to help take care of children, maybe even giving them food, that kind of thing, that would be a draw for them to join a gang,” said Yoder. “I don’t think of young children. I think of young teenage boys, especially, that I know in Port-au-Prince that I’ve got a concern about, just because that could be a draw, being able to help themselves or help their families by joining the gang.”

As much as 90 percent of Port-au-Prince is under gang influence, according to previous UN reports, resulting in blocked roads, limited public services, rapidly increasing costs for essential supplies, as well as many Haitians fleeing their homes.

Amidst the unrest and economic insecurity, CWO works with in-country leadership and staff to understand and address the emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of Haitians. Their main purpose is reaching families with the gospel, says Yoder.

“We just pray that God will speak to these children and their families as they go through this difficult time, and that the gospel takes hold with people. We’re seeing ministry continue on, not in every place where we’ve been in the past, because people have completely left one of the towns where we had a feminine training center, but in Port-au-Prince, in other places, we’re seeing ministry go on with our churches and the feminine training center and the feeding program.”

Yoder asks fellow Christians to pray for CWO’s staff and ministry, as well as for divine intervention.

“Just pray that somehow God will intervene and things will change in Haiti to where people can be reached for the gospel. Pray for safety of our staff as they continue on their continuing ministry, despite the difficult situation they’re in. And if they want to give, it would be great to have new donors join in and support the ministry as we continue on.”

Header photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach.

AMG will soon celebrate 50 years of work in Guatemala. AMG has built schools, medical projects, clinics, and hospitals, responding to others’ needs. Today, it works with a large network of churches and schools in the country.

Over the last ten years, one of the biggest focuses within the country has been combating the widespread abuse, neglect, and trauma in the lives of children.

Even more alarming are the numbers of children, both girls and boys, suffering at the hands of sexual violence in desperate situations.

The local statistics show that on average 17 reports of child abuse are filed daily, and numbers are much higher than this because so much goes unreported.

Brian Dennett with AMG says, “Much of the abuse is happening very close to home, with seven out of 10 aggressors being family members.”

Over 10 years ago, AMG partnered with International Justice Mission (IJM) from Washington, DC, to open a child protection facility that works to rescue children, prosecute abusers, and provide Christ-centered counseling for children and their families.

AMG also provides legal support for families by working to put abusers behind bars. 

To be a part of restoration and transformation and really focusing on their dignity and hope for them is such a blessing. 

Abuse is especially common in areas of Guatemala City. (Photo by Juan Carlos Pavon via Unsplash)

Dennett says that the organization has seen great results from their work in Guatemala City, and has become a model or test site in how they will combat these issues in other countries as well.

AMG and IJM are also both working to create systemic change within the government.

“Together with IJM,” says Dennett, “We’ve co-written a groundbreaking law that speeds up the process of child abuse cases and avoids re-victimization of those kids. The law was actually passed by the Guatemalan government, by Congress, and has been a major victory for children’s rights.”

“Our vision to restore these children and build a culture where abuse is not tolerated has been just one of the greatest endeavors that we have undertaken,” says Dennett.

As AMG seeks to provide the healing of Christ, their work is seeing fruit.

At just 10 years old Camille was being abused by her grandfather. Her world collapsing, her teachers and the AMG team noticed her complete lack of joy.

“She had lost her happiness, her voice, any hope,” says Dennett. “But through our child protection program and our team there, she found healing, including her family. She received counsel, legal protection, spiritual care, and really just a lot of love surrounding her.”

Today, Camille is smiling again. She has hope and is dreaming of a future, possibly even helping other girls like her.

“Her story really represents a lot of children in Guatemala and other countries, where we’re able to rescue, heal, and really provide a new life, all wrapped in the joy of the Lord, coming to know Jesus, and who they are in Jesus. And of course, like everything we do, the gospel is at the heart of our work. The love we have for and from Jesus motivates us.”

Restoration is beyond emotion and the organization uses a spiritually motivated methodology with a child’s identity being rooted in Christ.

“Every child we work with is hearing the truth about who they are and who Jesus is, and that they are loved, they are valuable, and that they are just beautiful masterpieces created by the Lord and never forgotten,” says Dennett.

AMG is trying to raise around $50,000 to expand its program in Guatemala to provide safe environments, counseling, individual and group therapy, and spiritual formation for children, bringing relief and restoration.

Please join AMG in prayer and advocacy for these victims of abuse and give if led to break the silence and bring hope and justice.

Header Image by Kaufdex from Pixabay

However, dangers lurk here, too. Pornography sites get more website traffic in the U.S. than Netflix and top social media platforms combined.

“Many people see it as a victimless crime; I can do it in secret, and nobody knows, [but] we know, as believers, that God sees those things,” The Lighthouse’s Brandon Bower says.

(Photo by Limon Das from Pexels)

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, 43 percent of Americans think porn is morally acceptable.

“If we look at all of these people as children of God, whom God loves deeply and cares for, it makes it harder to engage in online pornography,” Bower says.

Porn addictions, like any other sin, can be overcome through the power of Christ. “Pornography is a huge struggle and one of the huge factors that leads to sexual abuse in families, churches, and nonprofits,” Bower says. “It’s something that we have to address.”

Contact The Lighthouse here for help, or turn to a fellow believer you trust.

“The local church is God’s gift to the believers to be able to deal with these things. I would challenge anyone listening to go to their local church and talk to someone about their struggles,” Bower says.

“We know that people struggle with this, and they don’t need to hide any longer. They can find help and healing.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Gilles Lambert/Unsplash.

One in five mobile searches are for pornography, and less than a third of young people believe porn is bad for society. In 2019, 11 percent of men and 3 percent of women in the United States reported having porn addictions.

Based in northern Indiana, The Lighthouse deals with more than drug and alcohol addictions. Executive Director Brandon Bower says, “Close to 100 percent of these guys (in the program) struggle with pornography.”

Pornography can sometimes be a coping mechanism for child abuse survivors. Not all, but many of the men in a residential program at The Lighthouse can trace the roots of their addiction, whether porn or otherwise, to childhood trauma.

Approximately “80 to 90 percent of the men in our program with addictions have been sexually abused in their life,” Bower says.

Take Scott, for example. An alcohol addict for 40 years, Scott came to The Lighthouse after secular treatment programs failed to help. When asked a routine question about abuse, Scott answered, “No.”

“He came back about a week later and said, ‘You know, I wasn’t honest,” Bower says. “I was abused from the age of nine to 13 by one of my family members. That’s why I drink. But no other rehab centers ever talked about my sexual abuse.’”

After walking through Scripture with The Lighthouse staff, Scott found freedom in Christ.

“I remember the day when Scott came back and said, ‘I forgave this person, and do you know what? I don’t have to drink anymore,’” Bower says.

“By dealing with it one-on-one in counseling, he found freedom from alcohol, as well [as] from that burden he’d been carrying for many, many years.”

Help more guys like Scott by partnering with The Lighthouse here. Pray for the salvation of those battling addiction and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance through the recovery process.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Manu Del Moral/Unsplash.

Pierre Houssney, executive director of Horizons International says, “There are more stressors on the people. There are economic pressures, there’s unemployment, and that just makes…a lot more increased opportunities for conflict — whether that be marital conflict or other kinds of domestic abuse.”

(Photo courtesy of Horizons International)

Horizons International serves Muslims in Lebanon through nine ministry centers. They build relationships with Muslims and refugees, share Gospel hope, and disciple new believers from a Muslim background.

Unfortunately, Houssney says, “Many of them are in difficult homes. Many of them will experience domestic abuse.”

Houssney recently spoke with someone from the Lebanon Ministry for Public Health who also works on the government’s Mental Health Initiative. “He was saying that the calls into the hotlines that they run have nearly doubled in terms of reports for domestic abuse, and then also for reports of people who are thinking about suicide.”

In light of the pandemic, Horizons International is talking with their staff about how to prevent emotional isolation with the refugees they serve. They are checking in on refugee families and providing emergency aid along with reminders of Jesus’s love.

To set a positive example for families, the ministry has a curriculum that teaches God-honoring family principles. Horizons International’s family curriculum “confronts the cultural idea of what a family should be and it replaces it with the biblical method of raising children [and] marriage. It talks about communication, it talks about loving one another, [and] it talks about mutual respect according to the biblical model. So we’ve seen a lot of results in that.”

(Photo courtesy of Horizons International via Facebook)

Also, Houssney says, “Many of our staff have expressed the heart to be able to reach out beyond our direct circle of influence. We’re starting to learn how to use media in order to do that by producing videos that will be addressing prevention measures or any kind of encouragement that we can be giving to people at this time.”

Horizons International needs your help to continue ministry to Muslims and Syrian refugees in Lebanon. To give to Horizons International, click here!

Houssney says they also want to link arms with believers around the world in prayer.

“For me and my family, every time we eat a meal, we pray for those who don’t have meals at this time. Many of the refugees here in Lebanon specifically, they’ve run out of food and they don’t have opportunities to work. They can’t even leave the home in order to work even if there were work opportunities. So just be praying for those that are in need.

“And always be praying with a listening ear — not only telling God what you want Him to do for you but also asking God, ‘How do you want me to respond, God, within my own area of influence?’”

Finally, Houssney encourages Christians to check on families in our community circles and model Christ’s love. You never know who could be silently suffering behind the doors of their own homes.

“Be bold in asking difficult questions because most people who are in abusive situations have a lot of shame about that and they don’t share openly with that. Most of the time, they need somebody to care enough to ask the tough questions and not to just accept the easy answers.”

Header photo courtesy of Jason Wong via Unsplash.

It’s the latest international link to an ongoing battle against child trafficking and sexual exploitation in the Philippines. On August 7, police rescued six victims and three at-risk children during an anti-trafficking sting.

Compassion International photojournalist Edwin Estioko says the online sexual exploitation of minors — also known as cybersex trafficking — is a new kind of evil for the archipelago. “The Philippines has the worst and most cases of online sexual exploitation of children,” he states.

“[There are] three reasons for that: we are a largely English speaking country, we have a lot of easy online payment schemes, and then we also have so many internet cafes – even in the remote provinces.”

In partnership with local churches and other global ministries, Compassion is waging war on cybersex trafficking.

Why does cybersex trafficking thrive in the Philippines?

Every month, the Philippines Department of Justice receives more than 3,000 reports of children being sexually exploited and sold online. As noted here and here, the Filipino children that Compassion International supports are the same ones targeted for exploitation.

Estioko confirms the accounts, recalling a statement made by one of his church partners.

“The only real reason why families engage [in this] is because of poverty. They don’t have money to feed their children; their children are starving.”

(Stock photo obtained via Unsplash)

Over 21-percent of Filipinos live below the poverty line, the Asian Development Bank reports. Furthermore, an estimated nine percent of young people between six- and 24-years old are not in school. Approximately half of the children not in school belong to impoverished families.

Cybersex trafficking can bring in $189 USD per child, per day; that’s approximately $9,908 Philippine pesos. It’s an attractive income source for desperate parents who need to put food on the table.

Compassion International offers an alternative: poverty relief in Jesus’ name. They’ve been working in the Philippines for 47 years, serving more than 94,000 children and 371 local churches. Learn more about Compassion Philippines here.

How does Compassion help?

At each of its child development centers, Compassion and local church partners offer at-risk kids eternal hope and everyday help.

“We are helping them [by] releasing them from poverty, giving them hope, educating the children so that they will be employed later on; we are giving them discipleship,” Estioko says.

Last summer, Compassion teamed up with International Justice Mission and World Vision to combat cybersex trafficking in the Philippines. This year, Compassion is launching a nationwide awareness campaign to educate parents and community members.

Frontline church partners provide a safe place for children and help protect them from exploitation and abuse.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Compassion International)

IJM trained Compassion staff members to identify warning signs of abuse. If a child is at risk, Compassion intervenes quickly to ensure that each child knows he or she is known, loved, and protected. At the same time, Compassion staff also reach out to IJM for further action.

By sponsoring a child through Compassion, you can help introduce little ones to Christ, meet their daily needs, and protect them from online predators. Most importantly, remember to pray. We’ve listed a few prompts in the sidebar.

“Please do continue to pray for our country, for Filipino children, [and] the non-beneficiaries of Compassion,” Estioko requests.

“Pray for safety from online predators.”

Header image courtesy of Edwin Estioko / Compassion International.

(Image courtesy of Safe Families For Children/National Child Abuse Prevention Month)

Safe Families For Children’s (SFFC) National Director Tim Nolan says they’re trying to get in front of a problem before it becomes a problem.  Specifically, “Safe Families helps prevent child abuse by supporting the parent through a temporary crisis and providing supportive care for their children.”

For example, he says, high stressors with little-to-no support play a significant role in abuse and neglect. “Perhaps a loss of job, and a loss of housing, but not having anybody help you to navigate through that, having no family members in the area who can help you care for your kids during that process.”

Sometimes, a stressed parent has no idea how to ask or to whom they can go for help.  Nolan says, “There are a number of organizations in the community — there are child welfare agencies, social service organizations, but also hospitals, police stations, fire stations, those are all organizations [that help].  Anybody who has contact with a person in need will introduce them to Safe Families, and they can utilize the services of the Safe Families program.”

The next part of the puzzle is how to best help a family in crisis.  This is an opportunity for building community, building hope, and keeping a family together.  Bethany Christian Services is inviting families who have room in their hearts and homes to consider joining Safe Families for Children, is a national movement of compassion and hospitality.  Nolan describes it this way:  “It is not foster care, and it’s not adoption.  The families retain full custody of their children throughout the process.  We often refer to it as not ‘substitute parenting’, but ‘co-parenting’.”

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services)

Safe Families for Children (SFFC) is a network of volunteers from local churches who can provide host families to help parents who need temporary care for their children as they work through unmanageable or critical circumstances.  The average length of stay for a child within Safe Families is around 30 days, he explains, “So it’s a short amount of time.  It’s not a long-term, multi-year commitment, but it is an opportunity to show compassion, on average for 30 days, so that a parent can get stabilized and strengthened, together, with their family.”

Parents are actively involved in their children’s lives and develop a relationship with the host family.  Bethany staff works with the parents during this transition to identify steps to regain stability and to be reunited with their children quickly and safely.  To see this succeed, it takes local believers who are willing to step out of their comfort zones.

“Pray that churches would recognize the need to step out and reach into the community, and be that compassionate arm for families in need.  Families may not come to the church asking for help, but the church can reach out and ask if they need help.”

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services)

Nolan says the success of SFFC depends on relationships.  “When we are able to demonstrate how hospitality and compassion was first shown to us, we are able to demonstrate and show that same compassion and hospitality to families in crisis by sharing the hope we have in Christ, by providing that safe and stable environment.  We provide an opportunity to share the Gospel while working with the parent and those kids.”

Since its inception in 2002, over 4,600 families have hosted children with the Safe Families program.  During this time frame, over 28,000 children have been matched with a volunteer host family.  “It’s a ministry of local churches, first and foremost, that wraps around families in need in their communities.”  The initiative takes place in 108 U.S. cities, the U.K., Canada, and Kenya.  The worldwide program is motivated by compassion and dedicated to keeping children safe and out of foster care.

(Photo courtesy of CSG SUP Gear Ltd, https://www.cheapsurfgear.com/collections/sup-paddle-board-gear)

Thousands of refugees try to cross into Europe via the Mediterranean route through North Africa, and specifically Libya. In 2016, the report stated 25,846 kids tried to cross this way — double what it was the previous year. Nine out of ten children who traveled this route were unaccompanied minors.

UNICEF researchers interviewed women and children who attempted the Mediterranean route into Europe. Three-quarters of the children reported abuse or harassment in some way by an adult on their journey. One-third of refugee kids indicated they had been victimized in Libya. Almost half of the women and children said they had been sexually abused.

The Empty Schoolbag

With so many refugee kids unaccompanied or on the streets in camps, the potential for continued abuse is high. Rita El Mounayer, Chief Channel Officer and Deputy CEO with SAT-7, says they want to help get refugee kids off the camp streets. SAT-7 is a Christian satellite television ministry to the Middle East and North Africa, and El Mounayer went with a few other SAT-7 staff members to visit refugees in the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon.

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA)

El Mounayer explains, “I’m from Beqaa Valley. This is where I was born, this is where I lived the majority of my childhood. When I went there and I saw the needs, of course there is need like the food and the drink and the clothing and heating, but you see a big need of keeping the children off the street.”

While she was there, El Mounayer asked the kids what it is they wished for or wanted. She expected immediately gratifying answers such as more toys, better tents, or food. But their answer surprised her.

“They said, ‘We want to go to school.’ One particular boy, he said, ‘Wait, wait!’ He went and got something and he brought me a schoolbag. He said, ‘I carried it all the way from Aleppo!’ Then he opened it and said, ‘But look, it’s empty.’ This gave me and the team with me, because we were three or four people from SAT-7, the passion to do something for these children.”

A Rescue for Refugee Kids

The SAT-7 team also visited a refugee family in their tent, and El Mounayer noted something interesting. “This room has nothing, just mattresses. In this room, they sleep, they eat, the women cook, they socialize, the children play in this room. But in the corner of that room there is a television set hooked to a satellite, and children, to keep them off the street, they watch television.”

Not all refugee kids can go to school, and in fact, around half of refugee kids are out of school right now. But many have access to satellite television. So SAT-7 did something about it.

“We took the educational curriculum…from Syria and we adapted it to the Lebanese curriculum. We started in March 2015 a program called My School. We started from grade one with Arabic, English, and math…. Every year, we [add] another grade, so now we are in the process of grade four, and repeating grades one, two, and three.”

El Mounayer says these educational programs impact more than just the kids. “The interesting thing, when I visited the camps another time, you see they’re sitting the floor and learning with their mothers. The mother is learning too a bit of English, a bit of Arabic, and how to read and write.”

Critical Thinking…Why Does It Matter?

The SAT-7 program My School has been impactful over the last several years. In 2016, more than 1.3 million children across ten Arab countries watched My School every day. But now, SAT-7 has decided to launch an entirely new 24/7 educational channel called SAT-7 ACADEMY. The new channel should begin broadcasting this summer.

One of the bigger reasons for a 24/7 educational channel for refugee kids and teens is the need for critical thinking skills development.

El Mounayer, having been through the education system in Lebanon, explains, “Our educational system is just learning by rote. So you memorize things, but you don’t understand those things. All you want is to pass an exam and then go to university. I remember, this is a personal thing, I went and studied in England after high school and I was shocked because there was no conclusion to anything. I came to my teacher and I said, ‘So what’s wrong and right?’ And he said, ‘Well, you have to figure it out. You have to think about wrong and right.’ But this is not the education system in the Middle East. In the Middle East, you memorize, this is wrong, this is right, [and] you follow.”

(Photo courtesy of Open Doors USA via Facebook)

That’s where SAT-7 ACADEMY comes in. “This is a channel where we continue with the curriculum for children, teaching them to read and write, but beyond that, the critical thinking, analysis, how to make their own choices in life, [and] teaching them how to accept others, even if the others are different. We are in a diverse society. If you don’t agree with me, it doesn’t mean you’re my enemy. This is what makes us rich living together in society,” she reflects.

“By helping teachers, by helping parents, and by helping children [who are] not going to school, you are introducing a new culture and approach for education where people start thinking, analyzing, knowing what is wrong and what is right, making their own choices, and therefore, will not be followers anymore.”

While SAT-7 ACADEMY won’t explicitly talk about the Gospel, it will advertise for SAT-7’s other channels that share the message of Christ in an obvious and hopeful way, with the intent of turning people’s hearts towards God the Father.

Education and a Personal Reflection

Education holds a lot of meaning for El Mounayer personally, and her background is a big part of why she is so passionate about this ministry with SAT-7.

“I come from a very poor family. My dad with two daughters and three boys that came later on, even though we were poor, sometimes dad borrowed money to put us in a private school to give us an education. And he told us time and time, ‘Listen, I don’t have inheritance to give you — not a piece of land, not money in the bank, not a building, not even a flag. I don’t own anything in Lebanon. But I can give you education, because education (he was military) is a weapon in your hand, especially for girls.’”

El Mounayer shares, “Now, each time I stand up and speak to people with my position now in SAT-7, I just think and remember my dad. My dad passed away more than 15 years ago. I remember him because he invested in my education [and] I had a second chance in life, and I achieved what I wanted to achieve and what God wanted me to achieve. I hope, like my dad gave me this chance, that we as Christians and especially at SAT-7 give these millions of children a chance to get a proper education.”

(Photo courtesy of Christian Aid Mission)

Please pray for SAT-7 ACADEMY’s launch this summer, that everything would be released smoothly and that millions more children in refugee camps and across the Arab world would grow cognitively and spiritually. Pray that kids and families who watch SAT-7’s various Christian programs would come to know Christ as their Savior.

Header photo courtesy of CSG SUP Gear Ltd, https://www.cheapsurfgear.com/collections/sup-paddle-board-gear

In light of April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we spoke to Tom Nolan of Bethany to learn more about their ministry, Safe Family for Children (SFFC). He shares how everyday people are changing lives for families with a high risk of abuse.

Addressing the cause of child abuse

We’ve all been there. The day-to-day pressures and stress weigh us down to a breaking point. We lose it. For some of us, that means we snap at a cashier, throw a coffee cup, or splurge on a particularly unhealthy treat.

For others, particularly those with constant pressure and no outside help, stress can manifest itself in the abuse or neglect of a child.

Nolan says this is typically the cause of child abuse: a buildup of stress within isolation.

“The reality is that families are struggling, and sometimes children are the victims of family struggles,” he explains.

Some of these struggles are accumulated stress situations–like a pile of unpaid bills sent to collections. Other stress factors might be a parent’s mental health, substance abuse, or a sudden illness.

These things can happen to anybody, but for the parent without a spouse or outside family to turn to for help, it can be particularly devastating.

Stepping up so families can get to their feet

Jennifer was able to keep her children because of Safe Families for Children. (Photo and story courtesy of Bethany Christian Services).

In many cases, by time someone from the outside steps in to help, abuse has already taken place and the family is permanently scarred by what has happened. SFFC aims to address the issue before anything happens so that families can stay together and learn how to deal with stress healthily.
The idea is really quite simple.

“The most important and most effective solution to addressing child abuse is relationship, Nolan says. “If you have a relationship with somebody, then a person has someone to reach out to when they get to that point of stress in their life that could lead to child abuse and neglect.”
This isn’t a job for trained professionals only, but for the family who has the resources to help out another family. As Nolan explains, it’s volunteer-driven and professional supported.

The local Church

SFFC is run through local churches that volunteer to help families in their area. Nolan says, “The idea is that the Church has within its four walls the resources to meet the needs of the community. And so if we can build relationships within churches to meet those needs of children and families, then we’re going to reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect.”
He explains that sometimes these resources are as simple as helping a parent find a job, providing their child with a coat, or bringing them with a meal. Other times, it’s taking care of their child while they recover their ability to give their child a safe home.

Building trust and Biblical hospitality

An isolated family in peril needs somebody to step in and help. However, it may take time for them to trust a stranger. SFFC wants families in need to have people they can trust to lovingly share their burden with them. As their name suggests, they want to provide families with a safe family. If you want to get involved, you can find out how by visiting Bethany’s website or SFFC.

Nolan says it’s one way to show Biblical hospitality. He also says when families ask why an individual through SFFC is helping them, it provides a great opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

Be praying that more churches will step forward to join the program and that families will volunteer to help families in need. Pray for the protection of children who are currently in dangerous situations.

(Photo courtesy AsoCriGua via Facebook)

Guatemala (MNN) — Guatemala is not what you would call a “friend to children.” On the streets, hundreds of children are abducted and murdered or trafficked each month. In the home, there doesn’t seem to be much of a sanctuary, either, as kids are often abused physically and sexually.

The fear of violence has led to a spike in illegal immigration to Mexico and North America among unaccompanied minors in the last two months. In the last week alone, hundreds of teenagers from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala have sought refuge in Texas.

It looks like the numbers will continue to grow in America since the government is responsible for children until they’re united with a relative or sponsor in the states.

But, Mexico has cracked the whip, sending a number of immigrant children back to their home countries.

One girl deported from Mexico back to Guatemala was fortunate enough to not be forced back into the violence that had surrounded her before. Instead she found sanctuary in the Association of Children’s Homes in Guatemala (AsoCriGua) — a Kids Alive International partner which is becoming known as the best care provider in the nation.

Kids Alive’s Corbey Dukes works with the group and says their primary goal is to protect children and improve the system. “We work within the network of children’s homes in Guatemala to improve standards of care and to make sure kids are being not just treated fairly, but are receiving all the therapy, all the discipleship, and the standards of children’s homes are high,” Dukes explains.

Six years ago, AsoCriGua was formed after Christian homes initially came together for prayer. Now, more than 1,000 children are being supported, encouraged, and ministered to in the AsoCriGua homes.

And even more kids outside the homes are benefitting from the group’s efforts because “we are also working with Guatemalan government agencies in trying to improve the overall system of child protection and child custody within the country.”

Currently, AsoCriGua represents about 20% of all children in Guatemala’s protective custody, and they couldn’t do it on their own. “No single home can really make a country wide impact,” Dukes says.

Instead, the Association is made up of 15 Christian homes working to bring forth excellence that honors God.

To keep that excellence going and standards high for children in the country’s system, the group is hoping to expand the number of homes involved with the Association, discuss with the government how they can partner with resources, and develope a trauma training series.

This new year, AsoCriGua hopes to see the trauma training series come to life. “We’re going to be having some specialized training for all of our homes and trauma therapy for children, because basically no child ends up in protective custody in a Christian home in Guatemala who hasn’t experienced trauma.” Dukes says the Association hopes this will enable them to be a more powerful healing force.

AsoCriGua wants to continue their protection, ministry, and healing so children can grow and be prepared for a life built on Jesus. Consider partnering with them through prayer or financial support.