Leading for Change

An update from the Canadian Baptist Ministries

Guardians of Hope

Leadership Conference, Kigali, Rwanda

February 26-28, 2013

“The Guardians of Hope are volunteers in our churches willing to serve and encourage spiritually and physically people living with HIV and AIDS.” shared an AEBR pastor. “They are leading change!"

This past week, Erica and I have been sharing with our colleagues in Kigali, Rwanda, for our second annual GOH leaders training conference. We are thankful for our team mates (Kathleen and Bruno Soucy, Laura Lee and Darrell Bustin, Gato Munyamasoko, Andre Sibomana, Isaie Gawakere, Sam Kalinda, Esperance Niyigena, and Ernestine Kamarora) for the wonderful ministry they are leading with churches of the Rwandan Baptist Association. This year’s conference sought to strengthen the groups core competency in areas of home-based care, the self help group approach, and group management. 

Bruno Soucy and Sibomana leading a morning session on stewardship

During one of our discussions, we asks the 45 participants what it meant to be a guardian of hope. “We are strengthening others for the hope of the future!” shared one of the women leaders. “Character is a must -- we are not working for earthly rewards. GOH is about Christians living with integrity”

Another leader shared, “As Guardians of Hope, we are showing our faith in deeds of love. We care for and visit the sick in their homes, and speak to our communities so that we can prevent the spread of HIV."

Erica and Isaie facilitating a discussion on the challenges facing groups 

One of the vital roles of the GOH in Rwanda is providing front line support and care for people living with HIV and AIDS. The 29 GOH groups receive training each year on effective home-based care and  volunteers from the groups receive tool kits that they use in serving the bed ridden and sick. The groups also assist people living with HIV reach local hospitals and clinics for medical care and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

 A home-based care tool kit

In the community of Kisuga, GOH has been focused on the problem of poor nutrition and low caloric intake. The group has been trying to help families through kitchen gardening and training. Each month the 60 members “weigh-in” to track their weight gain as they participate in the project. “Everyone brings something small from their gardens, and we show them how to prepare healthy meals with local foods.” Together they find support and encouragement as they seek to live positively with the virus.

Erica and Ernestine

“We encounter many challenges,” shared one leader. “We bought a goat for a family so that they would have manure for their garden, milk for their family, and baby goats for income, but the family was so hungry that they ate the goat. We want our people to see that God has a long life ahead for them, that there is a future for them. They need to walk in that hope!”

In another group, in the region of Gatunga, the GOH have been working together in a community sorghum farm. They projected a profit of 300,000 Rwandan Francs ($500 Canadian dollars) for the year, but by drying and safely storing their crops they have been able to sell it at peak times. In just the first three months of this year, they have already exceeded their projected year’s profit. “We are not only paying health insurance for all of our members,” shared the group representatives, “But at this we will have enough profit to buy four cows for our group. Our plan is for every member to receive a calf from these cows."

Aaron and Isaie leading training on problem analysis

In another group, the GOH have been working together to cultivate a shared banana plantation. “We have had great success with a new variety of Asian Banana -- So much that the government is paying us to teach others on cultivating this new banana! With this unexpected income,” shared a group leader. “We are purchasing mattresses. We had already purchased one mattress for every guardian, but now we have been able to go around a second time. Every home has two mattresses now!!!”

In Rwanda, the GOH project stimulates micro-enterprise development through matching grants. Village saving and loan programs enable the groups to save and borrow money to expand their activities and improve the sustainability of their projects. Increased household income of guardians caring for AIDS orphans, as well as those living with HIV, is a central goal of the project.

Over the past two years, Erica has been helping the GOH associations to adopt a self help group approach in their communities. As the groups meet more frequently, not only are they benefitting economically, but emotional and social support is enhanced as they share their problems and concerns, pray for one another, share their faith, and seek local solutions to local problems. Through a self help approach, the groups are being lead for change from the ground up!

The Participants of the 2013 GOH Leaders Conference, Kigali

Please pray for the Guardians of Hope in Rwanda. We hope to have a short video update ready to share with you in the next week. A link will be available here on our blog at www.fivekennys.blogspot.com

To learn more about what CBM is doing in Africa and around the world, please see our website at www.cbmin.org

Darrell and Laura Lee Bustin

We are also very thankful for our new team mates, Darrell and Laura Lee, who are currently in language study in Kigali. We appreciate their help at the conference, where Laura Lee led a devotion and Darrell spoke on the integrity of Christian leadership. Please remember the Bustins as their daughter, Bronwyn, prepares to go to University in Canada this coming June. We also think of their son, Caleb, as he attends school in Kigali.