Bombali Bana Transformational Development: Seeing Lives Changed and Families Resourced

Tommy sat in front of his house watching his two grandchildren play with the other neighbor kids. Since his own three kids have left to find their own fortune, Tommy and his wife have been raising the grandchildren. With the deep recession and high unemployment they have not been able to find work, but their needs are being met through the contributions of others from the Wesleyan Church they attend. They will tell you that God is good and He has supplied all of their needs.

Though their story is not too dissimilar to many here in our area, Tommy and his family don't live in West Michigan. They live in the small village of Bombali Bana, Sierra Leone in West Africa.

In the fall we began a special three-year project, to help the people of Bombali Bana through World Hope International. Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is 34 years, and 28% of children die before the age of five. But 60% of all illness could be solved with things as simple as fresh drinking water and mosquito nets.

Our project will work with the village leadership and the church leaders in six areas: agriculture, education, community health, leadership mentoring, anti-trafficking and spiritual formation.

Most important of all we hope to change their worldview to one in which they can not only identify their own problems within their village, but also one in which they can come up with their own solutions, using their own resources. Then they will be able to solve future problems and live stronger lives knowing they are blessed by God.

Already the staff of World Hope has begun to work with the local people to construct three "drying floors" where the rice and seeds can be dried for storage. They have been contacted the state health department to bring a mobile health clinic to the village twice a month. They hope soon to construct a home for the Wesleyan pastor who now walks two hours just to get to the village.

You can make a difference for Tommy and his family and every family in Bombali Bana. Join us in praying for Bombali Bana, raising awareness of this project at Central Wesleyan and contributing to Faith Promise Giving to support this project and future short-term teams.