All Agathos programs fall under three main areas: Orphan Care, Community Development and Relief.
Our 1st of 2 programs under Orphan Care is the Kwethu Children’s Village in South Africa; founded by Agathos over ten years ago, and now under local management, it is our flagship program. Our 2nd Orphan Care program, Pastors’ Conferences focusing on orphan care and Biblical manhood.
Our 1st of 3 programs under Community Development is the Freedom, Wealth & Poverty program. The 2nd program is the Roho Mtakatifu Endowment Fund which funds training and economic development in Bungoma, Kenya at the Chris the King Parish. The third is Amangwe Zulu Crafts; a program in Loskop, SA empowering women and allowing them to support their families.
Relief, our third area of focus is made possible through our long-standing partnership with World Concern, distributing de-worming and other medications to millions in critical need.
Kwethu Children's Village
Located in the township of Loskop, Kwa Zulu Natal, Republic of South Africa, Kwethu Children's Village (KCV) is one of Agathos International's most important programs. Established in 2004 by Agathos, it has enjoyed the blessing of the local chief, the Afrikaner farmers, churches in the area and the governmental agencies that oversee the welfare of children. The Agathos village (as it is called by the locals) is a light on the hill in the community.
With the support and encouragement of Agathos, the orphan village came under local leadership in 2010 under the name of Kwethu Children's Village, and is now a cluster foster home continuing to care for our kids and others in need in the community.
John David and Barbara Borgman oversee operations at KCV. They were in the community actively caring for orphans when Agathos arrived in 2003. They became our good friends and staunch supporters early on and now head the management and leadership of KCV along with other prominent individuals from the community that serve on the board.
KCV is a powerful place to serve in either short- or long-term missions (teaching skills are in great need at this time). For more information, please contact John David here.
A consistent commitment of Agathos has been to empower those we work with to be self-sufficient. KCV has worked hard to gain support locally and to develop commerce allowing them to rely less on foreign aid. They raise chickens for sale and food, have a robust garden and seeded by an Agathos donor, have for years been the gathering place for local women who own and run Amangwe Zulu Crafts, a bead-making company. KCV has other business ideas to further stabilize their local support. Contact Marc Fulmer, here, if you are interested in learning more and investing in this effort.
KCV typically has between 24-30 orphans in its care, from infants to high school graduates, as well as some who are going on to college. There are plans to increase the number of foster care homes on the property so more children can be reached. If you or your church or civic group would like to help with this or to learn more, please contact John David Borgman here.
Relief
Part of caring for those in Africa who are suffering involves the distribution of emergency medical supplies. Agathos, in partnership with World Concern, Persecution Project Foundation in Southern Sudan, Pilgrim Africa in Uganda, Christ the King Parish in Bungoma, Kenya, Murwira Children’s Home in Zimbabwe, Adventist Health International in Chad, and Harvest City Church in Zambia, has distributed over 20 million Albendazole and Mebendazole deworming tablets, Vitamin A and a host of antibiotics to those in need. Please consider partnering with us to provide expand our distribution of these life-saving medications.
Pastors Conferences
Agathos holds Emergency Pastors Conferences; three-day events held in African communities that culminate with the presentation and signing of The Ndola Mandate. The mandate, which calls on the African church to care for orphans and widows was first written and signed in Zambia on August 11, 2006 by 124 Church leaders and pastors. Since that first conference, six other conferences have been held resulting in over 1300 pastors signing and committing themselves and their churches to orphan care.
Both the mandate and the conferences encourage African churches to reach out to their surrounding communities, to identify and rescue the orphans in their midst. By using their God-given resources, that by First World standards are scarce, the Church in Africa reflects the love of Christ to these children.
In addition to teaching the local churches to care for orphans in the communities, the Emergency Pastors Conferences have a strong focus on lifting up African men by teaching them about biblical manhood. The subject matter covers being a biblical husband, father and provider both spiritually and physically for his family as well as a leader in his community.
Freedom, Wealth, Poverty
Is a group of business friends who believe that poverty is best alleviated by the creation and stewardship of wealth. We seek to see economic life created in a way that uplifts the poor and their communities. We seek to draw each other into understanding and activity that would demonstrate a true compassion and love for the poor. We believe most of those in poverty want a job that provides dignity, economic opportunity and personal growth. We are committed to personally acting on these convictions as well as calling our friends to join us.
Roho Mtakatifu Endowment Fund
The Roho Mtakatifu Endowment Fund started in 2012 with the generous contribution of a U.S. donor. Thus far Agathos has funded the food storage facility in 2012 for Christ The King Parish High School, along with a woman’s sewing school in 2013 and soon, a new computer lab in 2014. All grants from this fund are for Christ The King Parish. Check out our blog for details of the sewing school and computer lab.
Mwangwe Zulu Craft
The Amangwe Zulu Crafts business project is jointly managed by women elected from among the crafter and experienced volunteers in design, financial management and marketing. The aim is to provide an opportunity for rural people to use traditional craft skills to increase their family income, as well as to maintain and promote the intricate and sophisticated beading tradition of the Amangwe Tribe.
Currently, beadwork and basketry is bought from approximately 30 women in the Injesuti/Loskop area, the heart of the Amangwe tribal area. These women represent four sub groups, several of which have been producing high quality beadwork for many years. They gather several times a month to bring their work, pick up new orders, admire each other’s work and to teach each other new techniques. Fair prices are given for the crafts which in turn is marketed to local shops and overseas.
Future goals include broadening our markets, providing workshops in money management, quality production and managing the business. We hope to be able to sponsor ethnographic work on the traditional beadwork patterns, meanings and uses, as well as opportunity for master beaders to produce special beadwork art pieces.
Amangwe can also arrange guided tours to beadworkers and basket weavers in the local area. Please go to their website to order and support these women.
PROGRAMS