vivanews Hong Kong edition - issue 2

HK.Viva(issue13)20&01.pdf

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23/05/2013

FACEBOOK.COM/VIVATOGETHERFORCHILDREN

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INFO@VIVA.ORG

HK@VIVA.ORG

| ISSUE 2

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WHAT’S INSIDE

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From a children’s centre in Vietnam to volunteering with Viva in Oxford: read the story of a former child at risk

08 Learn about the top three challenges in international development today from our Programme Development Manager

10 Read how one man’s determination changed the headlines in Kampala, Uganda

18 Local supporter Karen shares about her trip to Delhi

Viva(issue13)02&03.pdf

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WHO car s?

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t only voices tha t o n n ig a p m a s?’ c d gr y, hur ting an Our ‘Who care n u h y n a m so ts stion of it also highligh , d desperate que rl o w e th d ren aroun it. homeless child are answering o h w rs e iv g re the amazing ca ated to the ic d e d is s w e n f viva are This edition o different ways, in , o h w s lt u d a ble children. ra thousands of e ln u v g in lp lives to he devoting their lved then visit o v in t o g y d a alre watch the If you haven’t to y a d to s e r hoca elp answer h viva.org/w n a c u o y w d out ho video and fin too. that question

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All the children named in vivanews have had their names and photos changed in accordance with our Child Protection Policy Cover photo courtesy of Patricia Andrews

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EDITORIAL

Shiisa and her mum, Isobel

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HI, MY NAME IS SHIISA AND I AM NEARLY 12. I LIVE IN KAMPALA, UGANDA, WITH MY MUM WHO WORKS FOR VIVA AND THAT IS WHY I AM WRITING THIS PAGE FOR YOU.

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Normally a grown-up writes the beginning of this magazine and tells you all about the children Viva helps. But this time there are lots of stories about the grown-ups who are helping and so I am introducing them.

possible then I will open a restaurant on ice. What I am trying to say is that I have really big hopes for the future. But sometimes I think if I hadn’t been adopted I would probably look, think, speak and act VERY differently.

You could probably have guessed I was adopted even if I didn’t tell you, from the picture of me and my mum.

I was very little when my mum decided to adopt me. In fact the babies’ home where she found me is in the Uganda network now, and they are still helping babies to find good homes like they did for me.

I feel so sad to see children who have no home and no one to love them. A couple of days ago mum and I were driving and we passed a girl who had collapsed on the road.

We were not able to stop there but mum called some people from the network whose organisation was across the road and they rushed out to help her. She had run away from home and had not eaten for three days. But now someone is helping her.

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At school people in my class all have nicknames and mine is ‘FIZ’ which stands for Feisty, Energetic and Independent-minded! I really want to be Uganda’s first-ever figure skater. But if that is not

That is why I know Viva’s work is so important, even though it means

my mum has to go away sometimes to other parts of Africa to help the networks.You will see when you read all the stories what a difference these grown-ups are making. On page six there is a story from a girl who came all the way from America to help Viva - and she is adopted just like me. There is also a really good story about Pastor George who lives in my city and is helping children here, so you should go to page 10 and hear about him.

And don’t forget that you are making a difference too by praying for Viva and giving your money, so thank you very much!

- Shiisa Booth-Clibborn 03

Viva(issue13)04&05.pdf

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FOR MANY OLDER CHILDREN, FITTING IN WITH THEIR PEERS SEEMS SO IMPORTANT. THE CLOTHES THEY WEAR, THE MUSIC THEY LISTEN TO, THEIR WEEKEND ACTIVITIES ARE ALL UNDER SCRUTINY. “BUT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT” IS A FAMILIAR CRY TO MANY PARENTS, AS CHILDREN SEEK TO AVOID THE POTENTIAL TEASING THAT STANDING OUT FROM THE CROWD CAN BRING. BUT WHAT IF THE SIMPLE ACT OF ATTENDING SCHOOL WAS WHAT MADE A CHILD DIFFERENT? 04

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their futures, they felt increasingly keen to start attending.

Older brother Jamil (right) with classmates from the ‘Dare to be different’ programme

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Raised in a small community on the outskirts of Delhi, India, brothers Amit and Jamil spent their days just like the other local children – running errands, doing chores or playing outside with friends. School definitely wasn't on the agenda. Like many families they didn’t have much money: their father worked long hours for low pay in a local store and their diet of rice and dahl, eaten in a tworoom shack, was no different from their neighbours.

with Amit and Jamil and invited them along to the next round of ‘Dare to be different’.

The boys warmed to Sonu’s friendly enthusiasm and eagerly came along. Sonu laughingly told us of the disappointment on their faces at the end of the first session when they realised they would have to wait three more days for their next class!

Over the weeks Sonu helped Amit and Jamil understand more about hygiene and healthy diet, talked Then the brothers met them through key sex education Sonu Malhotra. A volunteer from a nearby church (a member principles, showed them some practical ways of staying safe and of Viva’s partner network in taught them about their rights as Delhi), Sonu had recently been children. In particular, the trained to lead a life-skill and mentoring programme called ‘Dare right to education was a to be different’. Excited by the new surprise to the boys: they hope he felt the programme could had never really thought offer local children, Sonu couldn’t about school before, as wait to go out into the community they didn’t know many and get started. It was through an children who went. But as they began to understand the outreach day organised by his church that he came into contact important role it could play in

So they asked their father if he would pay their school fees, promising in return that they would work incredibly hard and find a way to get the other school materials they needed.Their father agreed and the boys kept to their end of the bargain too – they approached Sonu about getting help, and thanks to both his church and a few other contacts in the network Amit and Jamil now have books, stationery and school uniforms.

Because of Sonu’s willingness to help the children in his community, and with the training and support of the network, Amit and Jamil dared to be different – breaking the mould and choosing education and a future. But Sonu hopes that soon they won’t be so different, as he works with other children and families in the area to empower them to take hold of a better future too.

Sonu helps Amit and Jamil with their reading and writing

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Viva(issue13)06&07.pdf

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by Rebekah

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YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW IT TO LOOK AT ME BUT I WAS ONCE CONSIDERED TO BE A CHILD AT RISK.

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It’s a time I do not remember well. I do not remember waking up, sleepy-eyed, in the Centre for Abandoned Children in Vietnam, suffering from third-degree malnutrition.

I have no memory of my mother’s face and do not know

I KEPT ASKING MYSELF THE QUESTION - WOULD I HAVE REMAINED AN ORPHAN MY ENTIRE LIFE?

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if I even laid eyes on my father.

I can’t recall the kind young woman on staff at the Centre whispering lullabies into my ear to stop my crying. Everything I know of my early years I learned from my parents – my adoptive parents that is – and it seems like a dream in my comfortable reality.

Yet there has always been the thought of ‘what if?’ What if I wasn’t placed in a rehabilitation centre for my illness, or

Rebekah is currently an undergraduate student studying International Development at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA. She has recently returned home after a five-month internship at Viva’s UK office. watched over by attentive caregivers, or adopted into a loving family? Would I have remained an orphan my entire life?

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Pondering these possibilities only highlights the immensely blessed life I have. For it was at a crucial moment in my childhood that I crossed paths with people who changed the course of my life forever.

Caring adults who saw the danger of my situation and intervened, enabling me to thrive and become the person I am today.

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AND INTERVENED That’s why I am so drawn to what Viva does: they provide a powerful presence during the most formative years of children’s lives. At a time when fear and anxiety are present every day and huge questions about what will happen in their futures are looming over them,Viva is there, pulling together all kinds of caring, knowledgeable

Rebek ah back g , age four, in arden in Seatt her le

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Rebekah, age two, in her adoptive parents’ home in Thailand

with churches. In my studies one of the things I’ve researched is how the work of faith-based organisations compares with that of secular charities with similar goals, and my time at Viva has shown me what a powerful vehicle the Church can be. Local As an International churches have a legitimacy in Development student I’m always being encouraged to go their communities that an and ‘see the world’ and get real- outside organisation may never achieve and the motivation and life experiences to measure ability within congregations to against the academic theories support and care for struggling we are learning in the classroom. So it was great to be children is just enormous. in the Viva office and not only see first-hand how programmes At the end of the day though I’ve loved my time at Viva not are developed and rolled out, for the interesting programmes, but also see the fruit of that the chance to write, the work – hearing stories of learning, or the fun people I’ve children rescued from forced labour, saved from worked with (although those things have been great!) It’s gang violence on the streets or empowered to because I’ve had the opportunity to help speak with government make sure that children, officials about their not so different from me, rights. are given the same chance in life that I was It’s also been brilliant to see how Viva is prioritising working once given. people to answer those questions and provide a safe and caring community for these children. So I decided that I wanted to pack my bags and head off for a closer look at what they were doing, hopefully helping out at the same time.

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HK.Viva(issue13)08&09.pdf

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TOP

3 TODAY CHALLENGES

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Though small in size, Hong Kong's GDP was ranked eighth highest globally (per capita) last year.

Our city is also renowned for being one of the most generous places in the world, offering a great deal of support to people at home and overseas. But how can we make sure we’re helping in the best possible way? Viva’s Programme Development Manager, Jane Travis, shares some thoughts on what she considers to be three of the biggest challenges in international development today.

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Want to delve deeper?

Find out more about how Viva pulls together strong networks of well-equipped and supported local people at viva.org/together

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Are we supporting not supplanting?

When thinking about how to help struggling people - in Viva’s case particularly children - it’s so important to make sure that any resources we offer are not supplanting local efforts but are a support to what’s already in place.

Before I came to Viva I worked for 10 years in emergency and relief settings in Africa. In the aftermath of a crisis one thing I saw repeatedly was the quickness of the local church to respond when there was a need.

Before the big international players arrived on the scene the churches would be housing people, feeding them, donating clothes, helping locate family members.

That’s not to say that the bigger relief agencies aren’t doing good work. But local churches and organisations have a relationship with the local area - and a physical presence within it - that just can’t be replicated by outsiders. If we really want to help then it’s vital that we recognise and resource that.

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HK.Viva(issue13)08&09.pdf

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Want to hear more from our staff about how they got into their jobs and what motivates them in their work? Check out bit.ly/inside-viva to read more personal stories from our Inside Viva series.

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Are we valuing local culture?

In this sector there is often talk of ‘respecting’ the culture of countries we go into, as if the main point is simply not to offend people. But we’ve got to go beyond that and actually value the culture of the place in which we’re working and learn from it. Local communities have so much God-given talent and compassion, we can’t afford to simply impose our ideas onto a situation and overlook the unique contributions of the very people we are trying to help.

Of course there are traditions that need to be challenged: when babies are aborted just because they’re female, or children are ritually sacrificed to bring good luck. But still the point stands that we’re not offering help in a vacuum - we’re offering it to specific people in a specific place at a specific point in time, and if we don’t appreciate the value of their context it will be impossible to provide help that is truly effective.

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#3 READ MORE Jane is describing Viva’s Early Encounter programme, currently running through six networks across Latin America.You can read more about it at bit.ly/earlyencounter

Are we meeting real needs?

One of the best bits of my job is talking with project leaders, caregivers and pastors all over the world as together we learn from one another and grow programmes that really have a positive impact on children’s lives. Their input is vital for understanding exactly what the real needs are, so that we’re finding solutions that target the root of the problem.

A tangible example of this was when we first began working with the networks in Latin America to address the needs of street children. There was, understandably, a big emphasis on getting children away from the influence of drugs and gang culture and back into school. But the reality was that families who relied on income brought in by their working children were now struggling even more, and given the choice between an afternoon lesson or an evening meal most kids were opting to head back to the streets to earn money for food. As we listened to and learned from the networks’ discoveries, together we developed a way to support whole families to keep their children away from the dangers of street life for good.

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HK.Viva(issue13)10&11.pdf

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HEADLINES LIKE THESE WOULD CAUSE A PUBLIC OUTCRY IN HONG KONG TODAY. BUT IN THE MUKONO DISTRICT, JUST EAST OF KAMPALA, UGANDA, THEY WERE NOTHING UNUSUAL. IN FACT, THEY WERE ALL TOO COMMON: CHILD ABUSE WAS JUST A PART OF EVERYDAY LIFE. 00 10

HK.Viva(issue13)10&11.pdf

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EXCLUSIVE

CHILD MISSING, D E R E D R U M D E T C E P S U S C

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However, three years ago, one man decided that enough was enough. He caught a vision of a community where children would suffer no longer. Where they would be kept safe, supported, nurtured and loved. That man was Pastor George Kaniike: a hard-working church leader who believed passionately that things should and could be different in the area where he lived and worked.

Pastor George had been inspired by his experience of working with Viva’s partner network in Kampala, particularly their advocacy training on the importance of standing up for children’s rights and taking practical action to keep them safe. After what he learnt through the network, George felt able to go back to his community and change it.

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Viva(issue13)12&13.pdf

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Pastor George caught a vision of a community where children would suffer no longer. Where they would be kept safe, supported, nurtured and loved.

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Returning to his church team with renewed vigour, George was determined to teach them how to protect children and share the valuable information he had gained. Together they began to formulate child protection policies and started putting them into action within his church and local community project. Now, that might have been where many people would have stopped.

Making an impact in the immediate vicinity is probably all you can hope to achieve when you’re responsible for a busy parish; after all, there are only so many hours in the day.

But not George. His vision was much bigger. He began contacting community leaders and members from neighbouring villages, to convince them to join his pursuit of a safe community for children, and his enthusiasm was contagious. Wherever he went to spread this message of hope, people were impressed by his passion and encouraged by his pragmatic approach to improving the lives of children.

On one occasion, members of

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the community George visited were so excited by what he was teaching them about how to protect children that they insisted he stayed until after dark and begged him to come back and give them further training.

What started small steadily gathered momentum as more than 30 villages in the surrounding area came together and established child protection committees. These groups encouraged local people to look out for their neighbours’ children and report any concerns and any known cases of abuse, and Pastor

has begun to pay off with encouraging results. A total of eight people from the district who had previously abused children are now serving time in prison: a mother who beat, burned and broke her child’s hand and seven men who were convicted of child rape. They have been brought to justice and are facing punishment because the community is working together to create a safe environment for its children.

So, what is the secret of his success? Pastor George says, “Being a part of the network,

On one occasion, members of the community George visited were so excited by what he was teaching them about how to protect children that they insisted he stayed until after dark.

George and his team are now well equipped to offer advice and refer cases to the relevant authorities quickly and efficiently.

This combination of focused collaborative learning and action

learning from others and having their support has been vital.That is what gave me the confidence to believe that change was possible and the determination to make it happen.” Pastor George is not

Viva(issue13)12&13.pdf

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Pastor George is not a charismatic powerhouse, a dynamic figurehead or a superhero. He is just an unassuming, faithful man who had a vision of hope.

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Pastor George Kaniike

a charismatic powerhouse, a dynamic figurehead or a superhero. He is just an unassuming, faithful man who had a vision of hope and turned it into a practical reality in his district and beyond. His personal mission to make a difference for the children of Mukono has inspired and

encouraged other community leaders to follow his example and put a structure in place that will ensure ongoing success.

The newly-formed committee overseeing child protection in Mukono.

Pastor George is in the back row, with a raised hand.

This was clearly evident at the end of 2012 when a two-day conference organised by the network brought together a wide cross-section of the community including the police, local councillors and teachers. After discussing topics including community policing, child abuse, child protection, the Children’s Act and domestic violence, they went on to form a committee that is now overseeing the work of child protection in the Mukono area.

But perhaps the most visible legacy of Pastor George’s personal campaign is something that is more noticeable by its absence.

Something that even people who haven’t heard about him can’t help but observe. The local newspapers don’t feature headlines about child abuse any more.

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Viva(issue13)14&15.pdf

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What does ‘FAMILY’ look like?

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1-2 June 2013

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Everyone’s family is different and while lots of children have very happy childhoods there are many others across the world who cannot say the same.Yet the Bible says that God is the originator of the concept of family and that his love is powerful and sufficient even in situations of considerable pain.

So this year we’re focusing our prayers on asking God to strengthen and repair children’s family lives and bring the fullness of his fatherly love, protection and encouragement into their situations. Hundreds of thousands of adults and children across more than 40 countries will be praying over the WWP weekend.

VISIT US ONLINE 14

FACEBOOK.COM/WWPRAYER

ray Will you p with us?

PRAY@VIVA.ORG

VIVA.ORG/WWP

Viva(issue13)14&15.pdf

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INVOLVE YOUR CHURCH

PLAN TO PRAY

Invite

your friends to a prayer breakfast or prayer walk the WWP booklet is packed full of statistics, stories and prayer points and it also has specific ideas in the back for creative ways to pray.

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Ask

your pastor about using the prayer slot in the Sunday service for the WWP. You’ll find a variety of set prayers (and accompanying PowerPoint slides) at viva.org/wwp

Take just five minutes on Put a notice in your church

your own on both the Saturday and Sunday mornings to pray for children, either a specific child or situation you know of, or maybe a country that’s on your heart.

Decide as a family that you will pray for children at every meal you eat together over the weekend.You could choose a different family member to pray each time.

bulletin, newsletter or prayer diary, encouraging church members to pray.

Tell your church children’s worker about our prayer activities for kids (also online) so that your young people can be praying for their peers.

SPREAD THE WORD

Download

our special WWP Facebook cover photo now and get it on your timeline so all your friends know you’re joining in.

Use

your own personal website, e-newsletter or Pinterest board to encourage people to pray. We’ve got all the logos and graphics you need online so you can easily share the WWP message.

Go

old-fashioned and just talk about it! Whether it’s in a conversation at the school gates, by the coffee machine at work, or when catching up with a friend, you can encourage anyone to get involved.

YOUR WWP CHECKLIST Put the WWP dates in your diary Talk to your pastor about using the prayer slot at church on Sunday 2 June for the WWP Visit viva.org/wwp to watch the 2013 video Share the link with five of your friends Get the WWP Facebook cover photo up on your timeline

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HK.Viva(issue13)16&17.pdf

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Mi nombre

es Jade

My name

is Jade

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HK.Viva(issue13)16&17.pdf

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If you told someone your name and nationality and they didn’t believe you, you would be able to prove it by pulling out your ID card, driver's licence or passport. But what if you didn’t have any of those things? What if the only proof you had of being a citizen of your own country was your word?

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Jade Cariño was born in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, at 3.16am on 9 May 2010 to Bartolomé Guachin and Marilyn Argueta Cariño. But that information was never recorded officially, thanks to a lack of 400 quetzales.

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Money had always been a struggle for the family, as Bartolomé’s job as a farm worker did not pay well and he and Marilyn had five children to support. To make matters worse, the couple had been having problems for some time and had just officially separated when Jade was born.

The midwife who attended the birth was supposed to register Jade with the National Registry of Persons, but when her fee (approximately HK$400) went unpaid that task was left incomplete. A few weeks after Jade’s birth the family tried again, but Guatemala’s

late birth registration process is complex and even if she had the money Marilyn would still have struggled to meet all the requirements needed to receive Jade’s birth certificate.

Thankfully, the local network in Guatemala City heard about Jade’s situation and offered to help. They are currently running Viva’s ‘I exist’ programme, which is designed to help children who have no birth certificate or are struggling in some way with the registration process.

Members of the network, such as lawyers, social workers, or local leaders with government contacts help with the legal process and financial contributions are made where they are needed. Since the programme began last year the network has taken on the cases of 163 children. 41 of them are now officially

registered as citizens and the team hopes that the others will not be far behind.

Through ‘I exist’ Jade was able to gain a birth certificate and be legally recognised as a citizen of Guatemala. Now Jade is registered she is eligible for health services and will be able to start school when she is old enough, neither of which would have been possible without a birth certificate. It also means that as she grows up she will be able to do all the things we take for granted – find a job, learn to drive, get a passport, cast her vote.

Marilyn recently told us that Jade, now almost three, has become quite a talkative child and that she has a new favourite sentence: “Mi nombre es Jade!” Thanks to the ‘I exist’ programme she now has the vital piece of paper to back that up.

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HK.Viva(issue13)18&19.pdf

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D th th th w pr m st th

by local Viva supporter

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Tents of slum people right next to the roads, the acrid smell of urine, a mind-boggling number of Hindu deities and myths, the frenzied chaos of the streets… that was my experience of India as a young backpacker. There were moments of beauty, yet mostly it was tiring and relentless, even repulsive. I was relieved to get home to Hong Kong. Fast-forward ten years and I found myself in India again, this time on a trip with Viva visiting their partner network in Delhi. And what a different view I have of India now…

The same poverty, chaos and hardness I remembered from ten years ago were still present, but this time I had the chance to meet and talk to Indian Christians who are dedicated to improving the lives of those struggling children and their

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families. The big hearts and immense faith of these people really inspired me. Every one of them spoke with such enthusiasm for the work they are doing, despite the obstacles they face, that it was hard not to be inspired by their passion.

One story that particularly stuck in my mind was that of Vinay, a man from a small, local NGO that took part in the Viva Equip training (just one area that the ‘Who cares?’ campaign supports).Vinay’s project runs a small school on the outskirts of

V th re ca m co fe ju as tr V C pu m lim he th co as ch

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Delhi, and when they began they didn’t have much more to their name than a heart to help the local children – kids who, without the school, would probably be picking rubbish for money or begging on the streets and would never have the chance to learn.

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Vinay talked about the struggles they faced at the start, not really knowing how to properly care for the children or how to manage their finances so they could get school supplies and feed the kids. They were really just going by trial and error. But as they have gone through the training and mentoring from Viva Equip they have developed Child Protection policies and put solid systems in place to make the best use of their limited funds. I saw how Viva helped them to stand up on their feet and gain the confidence – and ability – to aspire to help even more children. It was a great

Children in a community where another project is located

heaps everywhere, and many testament to how the body of Christ can support one another more tragic and challenging sights. With Nitin and Gary's in doing God's work. help, I learned more about the The Viva team in Delhi are also underlying social causes like child neglect, the marginalisation brilliant – I spent a lot of time travelling between projects with of women and rural-to-urban migration. It really helped me Nitin and Gary, who are both understand the importance of Network Consultants, and Viva’s commitment to found them to be a treasure networks, as the enormity of trove of information, stories the challenge requires an and wisdom. Our journeys equally large response and were far from boring! During the trip we came across street seeing committed and children who were begging and well-qualified people like this working together to achieve sniffing glue, children with TB something big was so inspiring. living in slums with poor sanitary conditions and rubbish

On my first trip to India, all I could see were the negatives. The scale of the poverty was just overwhelming for me and I felt paralysed by the experience. But now I have been freed from that fear, that inaction, by seeing the power of the unity and passion of people like Vinay, Nitin, Gary and

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others. Now I am challenged to play my part, and I hope that my support of Viva is just the beginning.

Karen ,C Nitin w hristine and ith Vin ay

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HK.Viva(issue13)20&01.pdf

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Viva is all about life!

We are inspiring lasting change in children’s lives through the power of collective action because we have a vision to see children safe, well and fulfilling their God-given potential.

We believe that a network of community organisations and churches, locally focused and united in purpose, is the best possible vehicle for bringing lasting change for children.Through 35 partner networks we are increasing the unity, quality and impact of work for children at risk, our joint action training 23,000 caregivers and changing the lives of over 987,000 children.

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Viva, General PO Box 9053, Central, Hong Kong t: +852 9860 9766

Mixed Sources Product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fibre. www.fsc.org Cert No. SA-COC-09174

e: hk@viva.org

w: www.viva.org

Viva is an operating name of Viva Network (Hong Kong) Limited. Viva Network (Hong Kong) Limited is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity with company no.1657942, and registered in Hong Kong SAR at 21/F, Sunshine Plaza, 353 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.