Hi everyone,
My name is Sifa and I was born in a small African country called Burundi but grew up in refugee camps in Tanzania. In 2006 I was blessed to be able to come to Australia with my family and to make a new life here. It hasn't always been easy settling into life in a new country, but we are so blessed in Australia. We don't have to worry about security or where to find food. We can get medical help when we need it and education is available for everyone. But it is not like that in my home country.
Burundi is the second poorest country in the world and people often don't know where their next meal is coming from. Education, health care and other things we take for granted are only available to the rich. There is still a lot of fighting and every day people have to deal with insecurity.
As I was going through secondary school in Australia I thought about how different my life is because I was fortunate enough to be resettled here. But I couldn't stop thinking about my people back in Burundi. I became determined to do something to help and that's when I heard about Pastor Emile and the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church of Burundi (HELCBu). Despite the harsh conditions, Pastor Emile is a wonderful man of God who is committed to serving his community and caring for people body and soul. Together with a group of leaders he has developed a plan to build the first Lutheran church building in Burundi which will also serve as a school and health centre. As more money is raised, they plan to build classrooms and a dedicated health centre which will provide access to medical services for the wider community. Pastor Emile's vision is for the church to provide affordable education and health care, while also caring for them spiritually, and in this way help people escape the poverty trap.
URGENT UPDATE - 20 June 2019
The Burundian government has enacted a law that requires church bodies to have their own church building in which to worship, or else they will be deregistered. This has terrible implications for HELCBu and highlights the urgency of getting this building finished!
I invite you to partner with me in raising money to support this wonderful project. Our first goal, to buy land in Gitega, HAS BEEN ACHIEVED! Thank you to all who helped! The next stage will involve construction of the church building using materials and labour provided by the local members. The building is estimated to cost US$31,000. This is becoming more and more urgent as the government is deregistering churches without their own building to worship in.
Stage three will be construction of classrooms for the school. We are planning for 12 classrooms at an estimated cost of US$5000 each and then a three room administration building at a cost of US$10,000 (Total cost of school US$70,000). Stage four will be the construction of a dedicated health centre.
If you would like to financially support our brothers and sisters in Burundi, you can deposit your donation in the following account:
Account name: Shepparton St Pauls Lutheran Church Mission
BSB: 704942
Account number: 100741924
If you would like to know more about this project, please email me at [email protected]
Thank you for taking the time to read about this mission opportunity.
God bless you all!
Sifa
My name is Sifa and I was born in a small African country called Burundi but grew up in refugee camps in Tanzania. In 2006 I was blessed to be able to come to Australia with my family and to make a new life here. It hasn't always been easy settling into life in a new country, but we are so blessed in Australia. We don't have to worry about security or where to find food. We can get medical help when we need it and education is available for everyone. But it is not like that in my home country.
Burundi is the second poorest country in the world and people often don't know where their next meal is coming from. Education, health care and other things we take for granted are only available to the rich. There is still a lot of fighting and every day people have to deal with insecurity.
As I was going through secondary school in Australia I thought about how different my life is because I was fortunate enough to be resettled here. But I couldn't stop thinking about my people back in Burundi. I became determined to do something to help and that's when I heard about Pastor Emile and the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church of Burundi (HELCBu). Despite the harsh conditions, Pastor Emile is a wonderful man of God who is committed to serving his community and caring for people body and soul. Together with a group of leaders he has developed a plan to build the first Lutheran church building in Burundi which will also serve as a school and health centre. As more money is raised, they plan to build classrooms and a dedicated health centre which will provide access to medical services for the wider community. Pastor Emile's vision is for the church to provide affordable education and health care, while also caring for them spiritually, and in this way help people escape the poverty trap.
URGENT UPDATE - 20 June 2019
The Burundian government has enacted a law that requires church bodies to have their own church building in which to worship, or else they will be deregistered. This has terrible implications for HELCBu and highlights the urgency of getting this building finished!
I invite you to partner with me in raising money to support this wonderful project. Our first goal, to buy land in Gitega, HAS BEEN ACHIEVED! Thank you to all who helped! The next stage will involve construction of the church building using materials and labour provided by the local members. The building is estimated to cost US$31,000. This is becoming more and more urgent as the government is deregistering churches without their own building to worship in.
Stage three will be construction of classrooms for the school. We are planning for 12 classrooms at an estimated cost of US$5000 each and then a three room administration building at a cost of US$10,000 (Total cost of school US$70,000). Stage four will be the construction of a dedicated health centre.
If you would like to financially support our brothers and sisters in Burundi, you can deposit your donation in the following account:
Account name: Shepparton St Pauls Lutheran Church Mission
BSB: 704942
Account number: 100741924
If you would like to know more about this project, please email me at [email protected]
Thank you for taking the time to read about this mission opportunity.
God bless you all!
Sifa
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