PATH OF HOPE

Over 90% of the population in Shinyanga lives in rural areas, working hard to raise enough food and livestock to survive. The dry season lasts six months of the year, and frequent droughts extend it even longer and put additional pressure on families. The region’s education system is severely under-developed due to poverty, lack of resources, and the traditions of local people who only consider sending children to school when younger siblings are old enough to care for the livestock. In the local towns, HIV/AIDS has fractured families and left many children to live with grandparents or relatives who are unable to provide enough support for food, clothing, and education.

Path Of Hope (POH) is a church-based ministry serving children affected by HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty. Path Of Hope works with churches in the villages to serve kids throughout the region by supporting them in their home and school environments. Staff and volunteers visit the children throughout the week to encourage them and their families, pray with them, and assess their needs. Saturday mornings find the Path Of Hope church sites teeming with children, ready for “program day” which includes discipleship, worship, activities, and a meal. The communities’ receptivity to Path Of Hope is remarkable considering how little exposure most of the people have to Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. 

Children in the Sponsorship Program are cared for holistically, meaning that spiritual, physical, educational, and community factors are all considered in providing care for each child. The kids are given the opportunity to attend a local school, and Lahash engages in ongoing training and development efforts with the program staff to creatively and compassionately improve the children’s lives.