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Metro Report January 2021

Helping children create a better future

Dear Friend,

We wish you all a blessed 2021 full of God’s blessings.

This newsletter starts with a huge thank you for the tremendous support Metro Kids Africa received last year. As you know our children’s programmes have had to close, for the present, due to the worldwide pandemic. We quickly adapted and saw a great need in diverting our resources to give out food parcels. Poverty has increased in South Africa and Uganda as many people have had to deal with the loss of employment. Therefore, the food parcels given to families were a huge help when money was in limited supply.

In 2019 Metro Kids Africa gave out 306 food parcels whereas in 2020 we gave out 1145 food parcels to families in Uganda and South Africa! That means 1145 families were supplied with a food parcel which provided them with all the basic food needs for the next month. Due to the incredible generosity over Christmas we start 2021 in a good place financially and already have 217 food parcels to deliver in the next few months.

These food parcels have had a huge impact in the lives of many families. Friday is a young boy who lives in a rural part of Uganda. He attends Messengers of Grace school and the school Director suggested Friday was from a family that would benefit from receiving a food parcel. David, our Ugandan Metro Kids Africa Director, visited Friday in his home and delivered the food parcel. This was a 4-hour journey over bumpy, country roads on a “boda boda,” which is the Ugandan name for a motor bike taxi. David said, ”I have never seen a more wonderful smile since we started the distribution of food parcels.” Friday’s mother wept with joy when she saw the food as her life is not easy. Her husband passed away and so she is alone in providing for her young children. She worries about how she will manage to give them all they need.

David, who is a former nurse, noticed that Friday had sores on his feet. It is common to see an infestation of the sand flea, also known as a jigger, amongst Ugandan children. The infestation occurs in their feet and can cause pain and serious infections. Children are at risk of this infestation because they often do not own shoes and walk on the mud floors in schools and their homes. Jiggers live in the sandy earth in Uganda. Seeing the need for shoes for Friday, David and the school Director went to a shop and bought him some shoes. Friday was so proud and delighted with his new shoes and we hope he feels better soon.

This is one story of how Metro Kids Africa is helping a child in Uganda. There are so many more children who have been helped in Uganda and South Africa and we pray we continue to share Jesus’ love and compassion for those in need. We don’t know when we will be able to get back to our normal weekly programmes, but we know we have staff teams who care and will continue to reach out and help those in the most urgent situations. A visitor recently joined the South African team for the day and after his day visiting families with the team he said:
“Had the amazing privilege to spend my day at our missions in Cape Town SA. The love these guys have for the community is evident in everything they do. Right now, there’s a huge need in getting ready for the year ahead running programmes for the kids and seeing to needs”.
James and I are thrilled we work with colleagues who will always care for the children and families we invest in.