Zambia, Nepal & The Middle East:

Lifting Families out of Poverty in Jesus’ Name

Today, 46.9% of the world’s population are living in poverty (World Bank). At Samaritan’s Purse, we are helping many of these people cultivate a livelihood that will feed their families, as a practical demonstration of God’s love.

In Zambia, deprivation is a profound challenge. With 60% of its population living in poverty, it is a social crisis that is affecting families on a huge scale – and women and children are the most vulnerable.

GIVE HOPE TODAY

Launched in 2017, our livelihoods project in Zambia was started to help church leaders elevate the poor and vulnerable in their community out of poverty in Jesus’ Name. We do this through a combination of resource provision, skills training, and developing support networks for the poor – all made possible through the generosity of our supporters.

“This savings group has come to bring hope for small scale farmers like me.”

– Mary

Now, a few years into this project, we praise God that we have 150 churches actively supporting 3,000 vulnerable families! On top of this we have formed 150 women’s savings groups that are empowering women to lead their families into a brighter future.

Mary is one of these women.

The very little money Mary gained from farming had to support her whole family, including medical and school costs for her children. Never having enough to invest in her farming to make it more productive, Mary was trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Thanks to the prayers and gifts of our supporters, Mary was able to access a new women’s savings group set up in her village by Samaritan’s Purse.

“This savings group has come to bring hope for small scale farmers like me,” shared Mary.

The savings group enabled her to increase her flock to 10 breed animals, transforming her income and ability to provide for her family.

Since the Zambia Livelihoods project began, we have seen 789 decisions for Christ.

We are always encouraged to hear testimonies like Mary’s. But the most important impact of this project has been the spiritual effect it’s had on hundreds of individuals.

As well as serving those in need physically, every branch of the livelihoods project meets regularly for times of Bible study and prayer. One of our team-members put it plainly: “Our mandate is to point people to JESUS through this programme.” This has had a dramatic impact over the years.

Since the project began, we have seen 789 decisions for Christ!

So today, we thank God for all He has done so far. But as we enter the final year of this project, we know there is much more work to be done.

This year, we hope to see the number of women’s savings groups grow to more than 200 – continuing to improve the lives of hundreds of families. We also plan to continue developing support networks for the poor.

Would you prayerfully consider partnering with us in bringing hope to impoverished communities like these around the world? You can do this by giving monthly to Animals, Agriculture and Livelihoods Projects as a Good Samaritan Programme partner.

BECOME A MONTHLY GIVER

With your help, we can share the love and hope of Jesus Christ with many more vulnerable families.

Goats Give Families in Nepal a New Future

You can also support our work in Nepal where we are providing goats to families. Goats produce nutritious crop fertiliser, milk that can be sold, and offspring that can help build a family business. This is making a massive difference to those mired in economic despair – people like Kenchyap.

At 62 years old, Kenchyap had been living with a lot of debt, and was worried about passing this burden on to his children.

Goats are helping people in Nepal climb out of generational debt.

Thanks to our supporters and donors, we were able to bless Kenchyap with goats to help him overcome his financial challenges. Kenchyap himself felt this gift would help him get debt free within five years by breeding more goats and selling them on. He was also thankful for the love and care he received through believers (our staff).

With your support we can extend this life-changing gift to many more families in Nepal.

Honeybees Build Livelihoods in the Middle East

We are also building livelihoods in the Middle East through beekeeping. Bees pollinate crops, thereby increasing fruit and vegetable yields, as well as producing nutritious honey and beeswax that can be used for candles, cosmetics and other products.

Each person receives six beehives, along with a complete starter kit and necessary training, during which stories of faith will be shared as a Gospel witness to attendees.

Over in Liberia, this initiative has been a huge blessing to people like Dorris.

Through our programme, Dorris has learned how to maintain her hives safely so that she can maximise their yield: she uses smoke to calm the bees and cleans the area every day to protect her product from pests like ants and beetles.

In less than a year as a beekeeper, Dorris is already harvesting honey from her three active hives. She plans to use her honey profits to ensure her two young children have clothes and nutritious food, as well as to help pay their school fees.

Participation in the regular conversations about God have also inspired Dorris to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“I’m learning that as a Christian, others should be able to see a change in me. I don’t belong to myself. I belong to God. I should be a light so that people will see and come to God.”

With your help, we can extend this same life-changing provision to vulnerable families in Iraq—supplying bees, training and equipment so that they can make a living.

Our prayer is that this physical representation of God’s heart will pave the way for many to enter into a transformative relationship with Jesus Christ.

Thank you for your prayers and gifts for these projects. Your support is making an eternal difference.

Helps provide beehives to families in the Middle East, along with necessary training and complete starter kit.

Will go towards setting up a Women’s Savings Group in Zambia.

Provides goats to Nepalese families in need and teaches them how to care for the animals.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.’

- 2 Corinthians 8:9, ESV