Grace To The World
Community Development
Here at Grace we believe that God’s heart is for all people to experience His love and His life in all its fullness, and that His plan is for each of us to realise the potential that He has placed within us to be a conduit of that love and life to the people around us.
We recognise however that we live in a world in which systemic injustice, generational disadvantage, discrimination and lack of access to basic resources often traps individuals, families and communities within a cycle of poverty and scarcity, robbing them of the dignity of choice for today, and the ability to hope for the future.
We desire to love and serve individuals and communities by resourcing and empowering them in a way that respects their autonomy and enhances their dignity, while fostering a God given sense of purpose and hope that will inspire them to pursue the goals and dreams that will enrich their lives and bring lasting, sustainable benefits to their communities.
We partner with people and organisations in Uganda, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, and invest resources in poverty alleviation measures such as health care, education, skill training, housing, nutrition and sanitation.
UGANDA
Hanan Life Ministries is a registered organisation based near Iganga, Uganda and was founded in August 2019 by Mike and Sally Townsend. At HLMI we are dedicated to alleviating poverty in all its forms – that is, physical, relational, spiritual and creational – by providing hope and a future for the poor and vulnerable. We aim to strengthen and develop communities:
- By promoting and teaching Christian values of love, compassion, mercy and justice.
- By strengthening family values and enabling families to stay together.
- We do this by offering practical training programs and assistance to enable the poor and vulnerable to learn skills that will improve the health of the individual or family and offer a way of saving and/or producing income.
- Currently this is achieved by teaching and enabling people to practice urban farming, raise poultry, and learn the skills of brick making and tailoring.
- Our weekly radio programme reaches most of Eastern Uganda and covers subjects such as saving and budgeting.
- We are committed to establishing churches that embrace communities and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- In May 2022, HLMI purchased land in nearby Nabikoote where we have built toilets, an admin and storage building and are currently building a multi purpose training centre from which to run our programmes.
LESOTHO
Sepheo works with children living and begging on the streets in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital. Our vision is Excellence out of Poverty; that Lesotho’s Poorest will Become Lesotho’s Best. We know it’s audacious, but we believe it’s possible. Sepheo is the local word for purpose. We want to see every child off the streets and living out their purpose. We do not treat the surface issues of poverty alone, but identify what has driven the child to the street and focus our effort there. With support, children – and families, where they exist – choose and implement their own solutions.
Josh and Belinda Groves founded Sepheo in response to the needs of children on the streets they had come to know over a period of 18 months. Having developed relationships with about 120 kids and a number of their relatives, Josh and Belinda decided to commit themselves full time, launching Sepheo.
VIETNAM
“Pursuing Justice through empowering communities to transform their society”
For over 25 years we have partnered with AOGWR Vietnam, and Paul and Deb Hilton and Kelvin and Bec Windsor to combat poverty and the challenges it presents.
Based in Danang in Central Vietnam, AOGWR supports communities to access basic services and improve their livelihoods, provide education and training, improve health and safety, advocate for the rights of women and children and those with a disability, and respond to humanitarian emergencies
Over our many years of partnership we have participated in rural development projects such as community livestock programs, clean water and sanitation programs and establishment of rural health centres, as well as various child safety projects such as provision of bike helmets, swimming lessons, life skills education and online safety training.
CAMBODIA
We partner with two members of our Grace family, Will and Anne Downie, who have been working in South East Asia since 2007, and in Cambodia since 2011.
RAISE Cambodia exists to raise awareness and support for people living in extreme poverty, working in collaboration with village officials, communities and other partner organisations.
Through our partnership with RAISE Cambodia we have assisted with water and sanitation projects – provision of water bores and water filters, and assisting with the construction of toilets, as well as provide assistance with the education needs of vulnerable children through provision of school fees, text books and uniforms.
THAILAND
Our partner Rob Garnsey, along with his wife Daeng, run Seeds of Hope Thailand.
Based in Chiang Mai, Seeds of Hope trains local men and women in aspects of project management such as project finance and design, as well as building and trades such welding, bricklaying and plumbing.
They also assist those who are disadvantaged and vulnerable within their community by building and repairing homes, and through provision of food and education supplies
UGANDA
“Transforming a nation one child at a time, one household at a time, one community at a time”
Jenny and Russel Barton started Operation Uganda in 2005 in one of the biggest slums in Kampala, and have now expanded into the war affected north of Uganda.
Their mission is to help keep vulnerable children in their families and at school, and to strengthen and develop communities through skills based training, education and development projects and initiatives.
Their scholarship program focusses primarily on orphaned and vulnerable children, whilst their empowerment projects helps women who are widowed or solo mothers in destitute situations.
We have supported the work of Operation Uganda through their child scholarship program, financing the construction of school buildings in Abim in Northern Uganda, provision of school supplies, construction of a community library, and participating in their annual Christmas hamper appeal.
