'Encounter Zambia' helping homeless and orphaned children

The Encounter Zambia team will work in partnership with local Zambian churches and the charity HOPE for Africa from 23rd July to 7th August, to share God's love with some of the world's neediest children, many who are vulnerable and orphaned.

Zambia is a country situated in the southern half of Africa, it was estimated that there are at least 80,000 children living on the streets in Lusaka, the capital. Many of these kids who are aged from 4 to 16 have been orphaned by AIDS and abandoned with no one to care for them. In addition, due to 85% of the population living below the poverty line, there are many vulnerable children in Zambia. Due to the high incidence of AIDS and poverty, the average age is just 17.

Country Profile : Zambia

Population 10.8 million (UN, 2003) Capital Lusaka Major language English (official), Bemba, Lozi, Nyanja, Tonga Major religions Christianity, indigenous beliefs, Hinduism, Islam Life expectancy 33 years (men), 32 years (women) (UN)

Peter Wooding, the UCB Europe's senior news editor, will lead the mission team. According to Wooding, the mission team which consists of 20 members are all from Northgate Church in Chester, England.

Week One:
The team will be split into three groups. One of them will be performing street entertainment with a clear Christian message to the homeless kids of Lusaka. This will include mime, singing, clowning, and escapology. Then the children will be invited to take part in fun activities including balloon modelling and juggling workshops, and sports clinics.

Another team will be running a series of workshops for local pastors and church workers on children's ministry. In many churches in Zambia, there is very little or no children's activities, nor any children's teaching during their church services. The team tries to equip church workers to reach out and communicate the love and life of Jesus to children using a variety of creative means including puppets, crafts, drama and sports.

And the third team will be travelling straight up north to Chililabombwe providing a leadership school for local pastors and setting up a micro enterprise initiative.

Week Two:
The Encounter Zambia team will work with three different local churches in Lusaka, to demonstrate how to apply the teachings by putting on a series of outreach events, including a children's holiday club, with a clear gospel message.

"This will be very much a pioneering mission, as children's outreach events and Sunday schools are almost non-existents in many of the churches in Lusaka. It's our hope that the churches will be inspired and equipped through our team to carry on this work. Many of the churches don't even have a room for their children to meet in, so they often sit through the main meetings or sit outside in the blazing heat. So we're funding the construction of children's shelters for the three churches we'll be working with." Wooding expressed.