May 2016
fromthestreets Growing up too fast
Growing up in today’s world can be tough for any child. They face a wealth of challenges and social pressures that didn’t exist 10 years ago. Mix this with a dysfunctional family life and a poverty-stricken household and the reality of day-today life can be cruel for many all over the world. India is a country facing huge challenges due to its fast development in recent decades. The money poured into these new economic advances doesn’t always reach poorer communities as they witness the demise of their state and public services. Millions of people live on less than a dollar a day, most of them in terrible living conditions. This puts enormous amounts of pressure on families, many of which fall apart under the stress. Outlets are found in alcoholism, among other things, which serves to exacerbate the issues.
Meet Amir Amir* was only 8 years old when his mother abandoned him. Taking his older brother, she eloped with their local pastor and left the young boy with his alcoholic father. When his father was unable to cope Amir was adopted into the care of his grandmother who died just two years later, leaving him alone again. ➤
Pavement Project
Pavement Project is a unique Bible-based counselling process that equips children-at-risk workers all over the world to raise children’s self-worth and restore a sense of hope for the future.
The sleeping hands pocket card Amir chose during his counselling
It’s no wonder then that Amir* fell in with the wrong crowd. With no support system, no one to care for him, and no form of guidance to help him navigate his early teen years he developed an addiction to pornography – an issue that is becoming more and more pertinent among young people in India. Children are bombarded with material that is highly unsuitable for such an impressionable age, and it’s largely attributed to the images and stories they see in the media. Amir’s addiction worsened, and he and his friends would watch pornography at every available opportunity. Eventually Amir began to distance himself from his friends too. He became completely withdrawn from the real world and would binge even more regularly. These behavioural traits are not uncommon among many other young people – with easy accessibility on their smart phones and other devices, it’s no wonder this kind of addiction is on the rise.
Attitude adjustment An SGM Lifewords’ Pavement Project worker was first introduced to Amir by his school, after a teacher became concerned about his attitude. The worker was amazed at the way he opened up about his experiences during the counselling session with the green bag – he had finally found an adult that he could talk to. When Amir heard about Jesus he began to cry. He was incredibly touched to know how precious he was to God – that he mattered, and that he was loved. With tears flowing down his cheeks he declared, “I’m not going to keep bad company anymore. I want to start again.”
Meet the workers The green bag is currently active in 15 countries around the world, and is bringing hope to thousands of children each year. This life-changing resource is helping to restore self-worth and impact young people’s lives for the better. A huge part of the project’s success can be attributed to the Pavement Project workers – who incorporate the green bag counselling process as an integral part of their care with the children they meet. Here’s what they have to say about their experiences: Dharmarj, a Pavement Project worker from India said: “The pictures in the green bag speak to children so much, far more than words are able to. We ran a practice session recently, and I was overwhelmed with how powerfully the images spoke to me too. I went through a lot in my childhood, and this counselling process proved wonderful to me, even now in adulthood. I am more excited than ever to use the green bag – thank you so much for Pavement Project!”
At the end of the green bag counselling process he chose the “sleeping child” pocket card to represent the way he was feeling, saying, “In God’s hand I will sleep well, with peace in my heart.” Now Amir is a completely different person. His face beams with life, he never skips school and he’s made lots of new friends. The Pavement Project worker says of her experience with Amir: “This is the kind of transformation an encounter with the green bag can bring to a child. Bible stories come alive and become personal, and the children can see that they have so much purpose in God.”
Please pray with us for the situation in India. That children like Amir will find an adult that they can confide in and who will help them to overcome their addictions.
We are always looking for new organisa SGM Lifewords work with existing partn
Josephine Teka from Kiberia in Nairobi, Kenya told us about her experience of counselling a young girl called Akello*: “Her dad was an alcoholic. He would beat his wife while the children were watching. Home life was a mess – and of course this had a huge affect on Akello. She was so quiet and withdrawn and struggled at school. We had a great counselling session with the green bag, and she prayed for her father and the family as a whole.
Akello is much happier since the green bag counselling
“A month later in our follow-up session she told me she was still praying for her family. In the time she had spent praying she had already seen a huge transformation in both her father and her attitude towards him. In fact, she even said, ‘I can see God is answering my prayer for Daddy, he doesn’t fight with Mummy anymore.’”
“I can see God is answering my prayer for Daddy” Kathleen Quellmalz works for the Safina Network which is based in Tanzania, she says: “Many of the children I come into contact with are from broken families and so decide to go and live on the streets. They face crime, drug abuse and repeated rejection. “The green bag is such a treasure with its beautiful illustrations and pictures. I find them the greatest help during counselling sessions. Recently I helped to train nine more workers from Safina, so they too could benefit from this great resource. The results have been astounding, and everyone is saying how much of a difference the pictures are making. It’s so much easier for the children to relate to!” *Names have been changed in line with our child protection policy
ations to help us bring the Bible’s life words to children-at-risk around the world. Please pray for ners, and for new partnerships to be made, so that we can reach even more young people.
The green bag sponsorship brings new hope
Residents of Afuá – a town made entirely of wooden bridges and stilt houses
In the last issue of From the Streets we told you about bag sponsorship, which enables Pavement Project workers to counsel dozens of children each year. Thanks to your help we have been able to bring new hope to a remote community situated in the north-western end of the island of Afuá, Marajo located in the state of Pará in Brazil. The town is comprised entirely of wooden bridges and stilt houses, with a population of around 35,000. The organisations and churches within the community were desperate to get their hands on a green bag, but even between all of them they were unable to front the costs – a household monthly income is around £35. Your donation is equivalent to twice that amount. Children and young people are now getting the chance to hear Bible stories that will bring new meaning to their lives – and it’s all thanks to your support!
and can become heavy after a long day of working with the children. A 7-inch tablet will be far more convenient for Pavement Project workers to carry around with them – and will mean they can have it on them at all times. No opportunity to help a child will ever be missed again. The Portuguese prototype of the app is ready to be tested in Brazil over the coming months. Then it will be translated and taken to Africa and India. The app will only be introduced if the children experience the same impacting change as they do when they are counselled with the physical green bag. If all goes well, Pavement Project workers all around the world will be able to download the app and start counselling children in the blink of an eye.
The future green bag As well as new bags, we are beginning to work on a prototype app to provide a digital (tablet-based) version of the Pavement Project tools. This will allow us to equip many more workers to reach many more children. The current green bag weighs 3-6 kilos,
All around the world, SGM Lifewords has been helping people share God’s Word for over 125 years, and we’re still doing it today. If you love it – share it! That’s our philosophy and we hope you’ll get involved, and share the Bible’s life words where you are.
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Pavement Project is an initiative of the SGM Lifewords global family of organisations, working hand-in-hand with people and communities-in-need to help them share the Bible in a one-to-one way. Charity No. 219055. Registered in the UK.
To receive From the Streets online visit www.sgmlifewords.com/uk/get-involved/keep-touch You can also keep in touch with all the latest Pavement Project news at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/SGMLWPavementProject
Get involved We’ve seen thousands of children counselled since the green bag started, but with your help we can introduce even more young people to this lifechanging resource! One way to get involved is to organise a fundraiser or prayer meeting at your church. In fact, there are loads of fun ways your community can contribute, here’s just a few starter ideas to get your creative juices flowing … ■ Cake sales – a delicious treat to follow on from a Sunday service! Plus, who doesn’t like cake?
■ Knitting for charity – easy, gratifying and sure to have everyone in stitches! Why not make your hobby a fundraiser and sell some novelty tea cosies or soft toys? ■ Give it up – for us! – give up something you like for a week (or longer!) and use the money you save to raise a few pounds. It could be anything from chocolate to your morning coffee. ■ Film night – everyone loves a good film! You could bring your church together one evening, show a movie and charge everyone a small entry fee, or invite donations.
What next? Please use the response form to let us know if you would like to sponsor a green bag. If you would prefer to throw a fundraiser to raise money, you can set up your own page via JustGiving.
Please send us photos and stories from your fundraising events on social media or by email – we’d love to share them to inspire others to do the same.
Don’t forget you can watch videos of SGM Lifewords work with street children and see the green bag in action at youtube.com/Lifewords.
Happy faces all round for a group of children from Tanzania.
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SGM Lifewords 1A The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London se1 7qy T: 020 7730 2155 E: uk@sgmlifewords.com Registered Charity No. 219055