Every Child Ministries, Inc.

Haven of Hope is ECM's solution for children in crisis in Ghana, W. Africa.  Haven of Hope Children's Home welcomes orphans, abandoned and abused children, homeless street children, children from shine slaves, and others who need a safe, loving shelter.  Haven of Hope works closely with the Ghana Department of Social Welfare, seeking to show the love of Jesus to outcast and downtrodden children, and to help them heal from their hurts in a safe, loving, home-like atmosphere for more than 30 children in crisis.  Haven of Hope Academy, located on the same campus as the children's home, is a boarding school where we seek to meet the academic needs of children from both the home and the community.  The school welcomes children from nursery through Jr. high school, seeking to help them get caught up and develop their skills educationally.  Haven of Hope Academy provided quality education to over 450 educationally deprived children last year.

African nationals are trained on two levels in DR Congo.  First, they are trained at our African Leadership Training Center, in rural Congo.  Graduates become teachers of teachers.  Second, others are trained through seminars taught by these graduates.  As a result, churches, communities and other groups are enabled to start ministries to teach and guide the youth of their communities.

ECM's Orphans & Vulnerable Children Program targets war-affected children, beggar children, and other needy children of Uganda, with smaller programs in DR Congo and Ghana.  There are two branches to the program--a sponsorship program and a community outreach program.  In the sponsorship program, we seek to find a sponsor to provide funding to assure the child stays in school.  There is also a weekly club for these children to provide them with personal guidance and spiritual care.  In the community outreach program, we provide day-camp like teaching and developmental activities several times during the year for all the children of the community. 

Similar programs in Ghana and in DR Congo assist orphans to stay in school while living with extended family by paying school fees and providing extra help with meals, medical expenses and other needs according to the specific needs of the area.

The Way Home is an ECM program in Eastern Uganda that aids "grannies" who are raising orphans. The program helps keep families together by securing land that can be passed from generation to generation, improving housing, improving crops, assuring that children stay in school, and sharing the Gospel.

Mwinda means “light” in two of the major languages of Congo—both in Kituba (Kikongo) and in Lingala. (Say Mween-dah) Psalm 119:30 says that the entrance of God’s Word gives light, and the new generation in Congo is urgently in need of that light to lead them in better paths.

The Kituba-speaking people of Congo have had the Bible only since 1982, and distribution has been limited since a Bible is a major purchase for most Congolese families. Even some Sunday school teachers do not have one! The Bible is a big book, and it’s still new to many Christians.

Many of Congo's churches are eagerly teaching their youth the truths of God’s Word, using methods learned from Every Child Ministries’ trainers. Hundreds of thousands of children and youth gather each week in churches in their own communities, all hungry to learn more about the eternal truths of the Bible. Now the constant plea is for Bible lessons aimed at children and youth. To meet this need, Every Child Ministries has now developed The MWINDA Project.

The Next Step Program provides support for a young adult for three or four years, helping to move them from sponsorship to independence. The program equips ECM's sponsored children for adult life so that they are fully prepared to live on their own once their sponsorship is complete. Children move into the Next Step Program, with staff approval, after the completion of the general child sponsorship program.

Children in the Next Step Program, working with ECM staff, develop a written plan to guide them as they make the transition to a more independent life. The young person may choose to attend university, start a business, or choose some kind of vocational training or apprenticeship to enter a trade. The sponsors are given the option to support the young person through these critical steps until they are fully ready to start life on their own. Once they complete their training or higher education, they move on from the Next Step Program and begin supporting themselves while still receiving emotional support, mentoring, and spiritual guidance from our international staff.

Family Empowerment provides education, guidance, spiritual mentoring, training, medical help, and employment opportunities for entire families, not just one or two children.

ECM staff work closely with the parents to help them develop and implement skills that will allow them to be self-sufficient and provide for the physical, educational, and spiritual needs of their children.

Wayne and Bonnie Hollyoak's ministry, In HIS Care, finds a variety of ways to reach children who are in need in Uganda. This ministry is a blessing to children of all ages and their families.

* Ministers to a fishing village by distributing jerrycans, long bars of soap, and food distribution.
* Medical Center for Mukuuba Landing Site dedicated on July 21, 2022. This center is a free medical center for the Mukuuba Landing Site in Bwerenga Village.
* Tailoring programs-where students learn and then have opportunity to make money tailoring as they continue learning.
* Cobbler program- students learn shoe making and many leaders from around the country are learning and taking the skills back to teach youth and even incorporating it into their school.
* All about Albinos Program -provides hats, sunglasses, even full outfits and custom-made sun lock and lip balm for children with albinism.
* In HIS Care is in the process of working on free Christian radio and proclamation stations.

Beautiful Blessings is a ministry of ECM missionary Sharise Riether in DR Congo. It is a safe place where babies and young children are cared for while their mothers are learning a trade to lift themselves out of poverty. Sharise’s goal is to love and care for children so they know the love of God, combat malnutrition, and have life and joy in their eyes. Sharise explains below how Beautiful Blessings partners with the Tabitha Centers to make a difference in the lives of mothers and children. We have heard good reports from the women and children who are coming. A supervisor for Tabitha Centers said that one woman who was skipping classes because of her child, has started attending them consistently! The Mama told them that it was because she knew her child would be fed and taken care of, so it gave her even more reason to come to her class. Beautiful Blessings is making a difference. The big goal is to open new Beautiful Blessing programs near other needy Tabitha Centers.