Kenya East and Southern Africa
Shaping tomorrow’s leaders
one of World Renew’s local partners, Anglican Development Services (ADS) Mt. Kenya, is helping young people discover their strengths, build confidence, and grow as leaders through Youth Running Clubs (YRC). These clubs are safe, supportive spaces where pre-teens and teens come together to learn life skills, practice leadership, strengthen their values, build healthy friendships, and engage in com munity activities. Through mentorship, athletics, and guided discussions, participants become more resilient and confident through a renewed sense of purpose for their future.
One of these young people is John M., whose journey reflects the deep impact of this program. John joined a YRC in his community feeling uncertain about his abilities but eager to grow. As he became more involved in the program, his confidence improved. “I got motivated and shifted to serving God’s plan,” John shares. “During my time as a captain in the Kijana Ajibika Club, I learned how to make decisions that would not lead to regret.”
John’s leadership role opened doors he had never imagined— including the chance to lead a church service and address
In Zambia, thanks to gifts like yours, 9,339 women have joined a Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA) and become more confident to support their families.
the entire congregation. This milestone strengthened his public speaking skills and gave him a new sense of courage.
For John, the transformation goes far beyond leadership. “I used to be a person who had bad ethics, but now I have changed,” he says. “I am a very successful person who has high moral standards, and behind my success is the Kijana Ajibika Club. This club encourages me to dream big and strive hard for excellence.”
As he reflects on what he has learned, John offers a message to his peers—one rooted in shared humanity: “Whether we are Black or brown or white, we all bleed the same red blood. There is no need to think you are superior or inferior to others. You can be successful, but you also have to sacrifice for your goal, or your goal will be the sacrifice.”
John’s story is just one example of how YRCs are nurturing character and hope among young people. Through the clubs, more teens are learning to rethink and realign their goals for a brighter future.
Prayer Requests
BY THE EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA MINISTRY TEAM
• Pray for healing and containment of an Ebola outbreak that began affecting communities in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and nearby countries this spring.
• In Malawi, economic instability has led to recent challenges, including for farmers who are struggling to find markets to sell their crops; please pray for conditions to improve.
• Pray for vulnerable families across the East and Southern Africa region who are facing food insecurity amid extreme weather, economic shocks, and health challenges.
A recipe for resilience LatIn America
Nicaragua
MARISOL* grew up in a small rural village in Nicaragua. Her family depended on farming to survive, but they struggled to meet their basic needs. From a young age, Marisol worked alongside her siblings—watering crops, feeding animals, gathering firewood, and harvesting whatever the land could offer. In those long days, she also learned to bake. “I watched my mother and aunts wake before dawn to prepare cornbread and other baked goods,” she recalls. “The smell and the laughter made even early mornings joyful.”
At 15, Marisol met Antonio*, the father of her two sons, and they moved to a nearby community to start their life together. But severe droughts threatened their future. Two crop failures in a row left the family without stable food or income, and their children often fell ill. “I looked at my sons and knew I had to do something,” Marisol says. “I began thinking about what I could do with the little I had.”
Marisol enrolled in a local bakery training initiative and took out a small loan to buy ingredients and firewood. But
In Haiti, 45 people were trained on post-harvest grain storage and 3 communities developed a grain storage system in the last year, thanks to gifts like yours.
her business struggled. Then she joined World Renew Nicaragua’s Young Entrepreneurs Training program, implemented with local partner Ray de Sol, and she gained practical business skills and new confidence. “I learned about planning, costs, communication, teamwork, and leadership,” she shares.
Today, Marisol’s bakery is thriving. She has paid off her loan, invested in equipment, and sells multiple cakes each week. “My dream of opening a small bakery in the city feels closer every day,” she says. “My confidence and faith have grown—just like the dough I mix. If you persevere, you will get there."
Prayer Requests
BY THE LATIN AMERICA MINISTRY TEAM
*Names have been changed to protect identities
• Pray for climate resilience, as communities across Latin America face stronger storms, droughts, and floods.
• As global economic pressures drive up costs and limit access to markets, pray for food security and livelihoods across Latin America.
• Please hold in prayer World Renew Latin America staff and local partners, that our long-term, community-led work would bear lasting fruit.
A shared path to learning and peace West Africa
Niger
A FEW YEARS AGO, disagreements sometimes arose between neighboring villages in Djibo’s area of Niger, often when animals strayed into fields and damaged crops. While these challenges affected daily life, people continued to look for ways to move forward together.
When World Renew’s local partner, Showing Everyone Love (SEL), introduced Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), this created new opportunities for cooperation. To take part, people had to come together, agree on shared goals, and meet regularly. Over time, those gatherings became spaces for discussion, learning, and mutual support. As Djibo explains, meeting often, receiving training, and sharing in the joy of saving and borrowing helped people focus less on past disagreements and more on what they could build together.
Djibo was selected as an agriculture advisor in his savings group, alongside others who supported income, health, and family responsibilities. After weekly savings meetings, group members listened to a radio program produced
Gifts like yours help fund the broadcasting of trauma healing programs across 6 stations, reaching 41 communities and an estimated 17,000 listeners in Mali.
by SEL and discussed what they learned, sharing experiences and finding practical ways to apply new ideas.
After several years, Djibo was chosen to serve as an Agriculture Village Agent, supporting other agriculture advisors in his village. Through this role, he began attending training and sharing meetings with advisors from neighboring villages. Traveling, learning, and talking together helped build respect and understanding across communities.
Djibo is proud of the role he has played in supporting this growing spirit of cooperation and progress. “People now live in peace,” he said. “And they are always looking forward to the next meeting, so that they can find themselves on the same path to learning in harmony.”
Prayer Requests
BY THE WEST AFRICA MINISTRY TEAM
• As families displaced within Mali seek safety, shelter, and a sense of home, pray for God’s loving hand to guide and protect them.
• Pray for families facing chronic hunger across Niger, that their daily needs for food and water would be met with dignity.
• Lift up World Renew West Africa staff and local partners, asking for unwavering commitment to God’s call for justice and mercy.
Harvesting new opportunities Asia 8 Cambodia
52, lives with her husband in Cambodia. For years, the couple relied on traditional farming practices that left their livestock vulnerable to disease and predators, while unpredictable weather threatened their rice crops. Income was unstable and insufficient, and the family had to sell rice set aside for their own meals and borrow money to get by.
Everything began to change when Mea connected with a Community Agriculture and Business Advisor (CABA) through a project supported by World Renew and our local partner, OREDA. CABAs are trained community-based advisors who support farmers with improved techniques, business skills, and market insights. Together with CABAs, the agriculture project helps smallholder farmers like Mea improve their livelihoods.
In 2019, Mea had the opportunity to join a village chicken producer group through the project. She received training in poultry management and vaccination, regular coaching from a CABA, and exchange visits with successful farmers. Through the program, Mea began to shift from traditional techniques to a market-oriented approach for raising poultry.
In the last few years, thanks to gifts like yours, 3,123 families in India have started kitchen gardens to grow fresh vegetables at home.
By 2022, Mea grew her efforts into a business. She became a community chicken collector, sourcing chickens, ducks, and eggs from other farmers to sell at the weekend market. With access to the project’s investment fund, she has been able to purchase larger quantities each week— creating a steady source of income while freeing up time to manage her own farm.
Today, Mea has enough food for her household and a vision to continue growing her business. She credits the program for helping her build confidence. “I have gained new skills; my family has sufficient food and an increase in income that improves our living conditions,” Mea shares. “I am committed to continuing to practice improved agriculture techniques and approaches, and I will pass on the experience I have with new group members and other farmers.”
Prayer Requests
BY THE ASIA MINISTRY TEAM
• Heavy rains in Bangladesh have posed challenges for farmers and caused water logging in some remote communities; pray for relief and minimal flood risk.
• Please continue to keep vulnerable families affected by the ongoing conflict along the Cambodia–Thailand border in prayer.
• Pray for safety for World Renew Asia staff and our partners as we travel between communities and support families as they overcome poverty and hardship.
Finding hope amid ongoing insecurity
FAMILIES IN DAMBOA, in Nigeria’s Borno State, have long endured attacks by armed militants that have forced many to flee in search of safety. For years, insecurity shaped daily life, limiting movement, disrupting livelihoods, and keeping entire communities on edge.
In 2018, after security conditions showed slight improvement, Adama and her family returned to Damboa and settled in Estate Camp. But peace was fragile, and life remained extremely challenging. Survival was a daily struggle. No one could safely farm more than 1.25 miles from the town, and fear lingered over every attempt to earn a living.
Adama’s husband, who worked as a local surveillance guard to help protect the community, could not farm like others because of his security duties. As a result, the family was left without a stable source of food or income. “Because of his surveillance duties, my husband cannot farm like the others. Life became very hard. [He] sometimes did small labor jobs, but the money ... wasn’t enough to feed a household of ten,” Adama explained.
Thanks to gifts like yours, 10,465 displaced and vulnerable people in Titao, Burkina Faso, including 5,285 children, received food assistance.
The situation worsened during the lean season—the period between harvests when food stocks are depleted and households must rely on expensive market purchases. As prices surged and supplies dwindled, hunger became a constant presence in Adama’s home. Then World Renew’s local partner, ZOA—with funding support from Canadian Foodgrains Bank—implemented a cash assistance response in their community. Adama described it as a turning point in their lives. “The ZOA cash assistance helped us a lot. We were able to buy enough food to feed our family. ... It gave us breathing space and helped us recover.”
For Adama, the support was more than just money. It restored dignity and a sense of stability and gave her family the space to imagine a better future.
Prayer Requests
BY THE WORLD RENEW INTERNATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM
• Pray for God’s provision for communities in countries like Nigeria, where media attention has moved on, but fear and hardship still shape daily life.
• Lift up families in Burkina Faso who have been displaced within their own country, asking that they would find safety, shelter, and a sense of belonging.
• In your prayers, please remember people across the Middle East living with long-term stress, grief, and uncertainty, and ask God to renew their hope.
Born to create
GENESIS reminds us that God created the earth and all that is in it—and then invited humanity to participate: to steward, shape, and care for creation with intention. As children, imagination came naturally. We built worlds from cardboard boxes, believed change was possible, and trusted our ideas mattered. Over time, many of us learned to trade that creativity for routine and practicality. But creativity is not something we outgrow; it is something we can reclaim.
At World Renew, creativity fuels lasting change. It helps communities imagine different futures, solve challenges in locally grounded ways, and respond with resilience when obstacles arise. Your generosity makes space for imagination to flourish so people can do more than survive; they can dream, innovate, and build hopeful, sustainable futures. We invite you to get creative coloring the drawings in this issue, or invite a child to join you and share the stories of hope.
