GOD KEEPS DOING GREAT THINGS!

After navigating canceled flights, a rerouted international itinerary, a lost suitcase, over 60 hours of airplanes and airports, and 5 hours of dodging potholes on roads that, at one time, were paved, our team of six Americans finally arrived in the northern village of Shakawe, Botswana. Shakawe sits just a few miles away from the Namibia panhandle and is the newest Children of Promise site in Botswana.

Child interviews are a key piece of accountability for Children of Promise as we sit with each sponsored child every three years to get to know them and ensure that they are receiving the benefits that we tell sponsors they are receiving.

The first child that we interviewed in Shakawe that Saturday afternoon was a young lady named Katlo. I, Heather, was shocked and deeply humbled when Katlo found the bravery to tell us about some difficult things that she’s facing in her life. She cried, and we prayed that God would comfort and provide for her.

Following the interviews, I sat together with the local and national leaders of Children of Promise to discuss the concerns that Katlo brought up. Before I even mentioned specifics, Mrs. Keabetswe, the CofP coordinator in Shakawe, expressed how grateful she was that Katlo shared with us. Mrs. Keabetswe went on to talk in detail about Katlo’s life and the challenges she faces.

I love that sponsored children are KNOWN. They are known by God and they are known by the local volunteers who are the hands and feet of Children of Promise. It is extremely rare that the local volunteer and national CofP program director aren’t already intimately aware of challenges and concerns that come out of the one-on-one child interviews. l love that Children of Promise is LOCALLY SHAPED and GLOBALLY SUPPORTED.

In 2024 when the Children of Promise program was launched in the village of Shakawe, Katlo was one of the first children who was identified by the local CofP volunteers to be most in need. Her application for sponsorship was received by our office in February 2024, just shy of Katlo’s twelfth birthday.

Because of donations to the Gap Fund, Katlo was able to start receiving sponsorship benefits the following month in the areas of nutrition, education, healthcare, and spiritual nurture. All of these resources were provided to her through the loving outreach of her local church family. The Gap Fund filled the gap for Katlo until we were able to match her with a long term sponsor a few months later.

Prior to the development of the Gap Fund, some children waited up to three years before they were sponsored. Now, new applicants typically start receiving benefits within three months of applying!

Did you know that you can donate any amount at any frequency to the Gap Fund to help children like Katlo receive sponsorship benefits as soon as the month following their application? In addition to sponsoring individual children, our family gives a recurring monthly donation to the Gap fund because we’ve seen firsthand the impact it has on getting resources to children quickly. If you’d like to set up or increase a recurring donation to the Gap Fund, you can do so online at www.childrenofpromise.global/gap or by calling our office at 765-648-2190. Thank you for donating to the Gap Fund!