In the first of a new monthly series of articles surrounding the launch of Compassion Australia’s new campaign – Compassion Child Sponsorship. IT WORKS – LINA ALARCO and CHOE BRERETON report on the difference child sponsorship in making in one Colombian neighbourhood…
Compassion’s programs work for one of three reasons: Christ, the church and sponsors. When it comes to the church, there is none better placed to bring love and transformation to struggling communities.
Poverty is often economically defined as living on less than $2 per day. But poverty, in its entirety, is complex. Not only does it manifest in a lack of food or access to safe water, but it can affect every aspect of a person’s life denying them opportunities and hope for a better future.
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Freddy Lizarazo, director of Confraternidad’s Child Sponsorship, with some of the sponsored children. “The biggest impact the church has in its partnership with Compassion is that the doors of homes are open for the Gospel,” says Freddy, director of Confraternidad’s child sponsorship program. “Through the Gospel, we are able to show the proposal of God’s kingdom, which is not only spiritual, but also for the integral development of people.” |
Compassion child sponsorship confronts the complexity of poverty, addressing the spiritual, economic, social, physical and emotional needs of every child. Thanks to local churches in countries where Compassion exists, sponsored children have safe places to play and laugh, the chance to see a doctor when they’re sick, access to education and the chance to discover Jesus’ incredible love for them. It’s the local church who works day in and day out to identify and meet the individual needs of children living in poverty. And through the ministry of their local church, children are shown and given the chance to respond to the love of Christ.
Confraternidad Church in southern Bogota, Colombia, is one such church that has become a beacon and safe haven for its community. Thirty years ago, they opened their doors for the first time, and a short year later they partnered with Compassion International. To date, their child development centre has assisted over 1,200 children.
“The biggest impact the church has in its partnership with Compassion is that the doors of homes are open for the Gospel,” says Freddy, director of Confraternidad’s child sponsorship program. “Through the Gospel, we are able to show the proposal of God’s kingdom, which is not only spiritual, but also for the integral development of people.”
The community was initially seeded by a motley crew of families that came together from different parts of Columbia. Some had been displaced by violence, others could not afford to live anywhere else. The unsubstantial wood and tin shelters made by these pioneering settlers have now mostly been replaced by cement homes. Streets are paved and there is more public transport to the area. But the level of poverty hasn’t changed, along with the perpetual violence and drug addiction. Crowded homes of up to 30 people living in one small space also presents a volatile environment where the risk of conflict or abuse is high.
In the 29 years Confraternidad Child Development Centre has been operating, it has looked to ease the burden of those in the community through love and practical measures, like providing medical care or counselling to all registered children who need it. Locals have come to know it as a place that takes great interest in their needs and development. To the young in the area, Confraternidad is an advocate; somewhere they feel safe and protected.
The centre’s remarkable care of those it encounters could, to a large extent, be due to Freddy who grew up sponsored through Compassion. He understands all too deeply what the church (and Compassion) can mean to those who on occasion feel helpless.
“As a sponsored child by Compassion, I have felt God’s blessing in my life,” Freddy says. “(Compassion and the church) put the desire in my heart of serving. I am sure of my calling to bless others (in need) and to show them what others (have given) me.”
Freddy knows every child’s name and background. If he meets them on the street he gives them a hug or handshake, and when they turn up again and again at the centre he grows increasingly glad, knowing they will be less likely to quit school or take drugs. Many of those who have graduated the child sponsorship program have gone on to marry good and caring partners, or completed degrees either through the leadership development program or on their own initiative. That’s the power of the church and the kind of transformation Freddy works hard to perpetuate.
Julio Quintero, pastor of Confraternidad Church for over eight years, believes in Compassion’s work too – work he sees as the Church’s duty. So strong is their dedication that Pastor Julio and Freddy, as representatives of the church, are now reaching out to children and young adults in Juan Rey, a neighbouring suburb just 10 minutes away. They are passionate about working with the young and teens who they see as the adults of tomorrow – in their young hands rests the destiny of their community and even their nation.
Julio and Freddy not only believe they are training children and teens to have a better life, but also to have an assured eternity.
“We are touching lives,” Julio says. “We are God’s tools to change lives for eternity. Our work has to do with generations.”
Compassion child sponsorship. IT WORKS. A special series for Sight readers.
