CIS Child Development Program
FIELD: Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union)
COUNTRIES: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia
THE NEED:
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have experienced painful social and economic consequences. These have especially affected the most vulnerable people—children—who are often living in difficult and unsafe circumstances.
In a fragile economy, parents are forced to work, leaving children alone. That has proven to be fertile ground for children and youth to become victims of drugs and alcohol abuse. According to the UN, children and adolescents who are living on the street or in communities with high drug and alcohol use are also particularly at risk for contracting HIV. And children from poor families or disadvantaged backgrounds are also more at risk for human trafficking, which is too common in several CIS countries. Early intervention is the key to offering children and youth opportunities for a different path and a successful future.
Beyond these social problems, CIS communities also experience a spiritual void. Under communism, people living in former Soviet countries were not allowed to practice faith, and that legacy has continued. Even today communities in CIS rarely promote spiritual values. Children and families are in need of real hope.
OUR WORK:
Our goal is to minister to the holistic needs of vulnerable children through local churches who care for their well-being. Through Kids Clubs, we minister to the whole child through spiritual nurturing and discipleship, educational programs, life skills development, nutrition, health care, emotional support, and advocacy.
Kids Clubs in CIS are reaching many groups of children. There are clubs for kids in church neighborhoods, clubs associated with orphanages and “fostering homes,” clubs for kids with special needs (where parents are included in the work as volunteers), clubs focused on students with remedial education needs, clubs for children living with HIV and AIDS, clubs for children living on the street, and clubs for especially poor children living the villages of Armenia and Kyrgyzstan.
Currently more than 600 children and teens are directly benefiting from Kids Clubs ministries throughout CIS, and there are also children participating in other outreach efforts.
Many of the participants come from broken homes, and through these ministries, they have encountered the love of Christ and a church family they can share their lives with—and many of them have come to faith in Jesus. Through the interaction with children, we also reach out to parents to show love and build a relationship.
We believe that children have a special value in the Kingdom of God, based on Jesus’s words (Matthew 18:1-5; 19:13-14). NCM CIS is fully committed to reaching and ministering to children throughout the former Soviet Union.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
For US $25 you can provide a child with Kids Club ministry for one month.
SUCCESS STORIES:
• Alina, 7, lives in Ukraine. She has been attending her club for two years. Now her grandmother is attending the local Nazarene church and actively helps with the club. Sometimes Alina’s mother comes to church too.
• Mari, 13, is from Armenia. She started attending a Kids Club at a local Nazarene church three years ago. Her favorite activities are playing games, doing crafts, singing praise songs, praying, and listening to Bible stories. “I always feel that my teachers love me,” she says. “While attending the club, I learned that Jesus died not only for adults but for children too. He is my Savior, and I will always serve, love, and praise him.”
• Nataliya, 15, lives in Ukraine. She started going to a Kids Club when she was 7. “At first, I just liked to play with other kids, drink tea and eat cookies there,” she says. “Later, I wanted to learn more about Jesus who created me and loves me very much.”
Now Nataliya helps serve the younger children at her Kids Club by helping with crafts and games and also helping clean up afterward. “I am happy to be part of God’s family and serve him,” she says.
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