Our Current Initiatives

Our current initiatives are fleshed out on three fronts; orphans and children to rescue, sisters to come alongside and nations to believe in.

We are working with strategic partners to maximise our impact and have also been working through our programs to ensure that we are aligned with the global fight against injustice and have identified which programs are addressing the Millennium Development Goals.

WATOTO

BUILD A VILLAGE: The Colour Sisterhood continues to raise awareness and finance to build homes, schools and infrastructure for war affected children in Gulu, Northern Uganda as a part of the Watoto project. We also build homes in Kampala and many teams have visited to build their homes as a part of the Sisterhood this year. ORPHANS

*NEW INITIATIVE
BABY WATOTO: Watoto are starting two new babies homes in 2010, in Gulu and Kampala. As a Sisterhood we have committed to help fit these homes out! So we are launching BABY SHOWERS FOR WATOTO. Many of the items that they need cannot be bought locally so we are asking women to host a baby shower in their community, bring the items required and we will send them to Uganda.

LIVING HOPE: This program for HIV+ women in Uganda has had an incredible impact in the two years it has been running. Your sponsorship provides job training, skills development, medication and health care, as well as basic necessities where required. Not only does it help to cut the death rate of women living with HIV/AIDS by providing the medication and necessary support but it is also giving these women a future and living hope for a better life for them and their children.

* NEW INITIATIVE
BE HER DIGNITY – Facial Reconstruction for Living Hope Women: One of the key problems emerging as Watoto have been working with the Living Hope women is the facial disfiguration of many of these women. The LRA used disfigurement as a method of torture and to prevent women running away. Many of these women have had noses/lips and ears cut off and see in the mirror everyday a reminder of the nightmare that they have lived. As a sisterhood we want to help to restore smiles to the faces of these women. It costs only around $3000 to restore someone’s smile and give back their dignity.

COMPASSION

SPONSOR A CHILD: There are millions of mothers around the world who just need a little help to support their child and give them a chance in life. Compassion seeks to assist the poorest of the poor in communities and we can be a part of that by partnering to sponsor a child. One of the key countries for Compassion is the Philippines, right on our doorstep there are thousands of children needing sponsorship. So this year at Colour 2010 all children sponsored will be from the Philippines, allowing us to have a greater impact and see a transformation in a community.

* NEW INITIATIVE
CHILD SURVIVAL PROGRAM: As a part of our community impact in the Philippines we want to support child survival projects. This is a maternal education program which provides ante natal care to the mother as well as education and health support for the mother and baby until the age of 3. Maternal mortality targets are one of the key MDGs that are falling behind globally and we hope that we will be able to contribute towards this goal of reducing maternal mortality. You can support this vital program through a monthly donation.

VISION RESCUE

BUILD A KITCHEN: Through your generosity, last year Vision Rescue were able to build and equip a new kitchen to feed 1000 street children in Mumbai, India. This has been an enormous boost to their work and released finance to go to other areas of the program. THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION!

*NEW INITIATIVE
PRAYING LIFE: There are 1000 children being fed and educated by Vision Rescue in Mumbai. These children are valuable, they have a future and a hope and they need someone to pray for them. They need someone to pray as you do over your own children, that they would be healthy and strong and change their world. Praying life over a child is not an idle thought, it is not a second best solution, it is a GOD idea and the prayer of a righteous woman will produce fruit.

A21

BE HER FREEDOM: We are partnering with A21 to rescue and rehabilitate girls who have been caught up in human trafficking. The refuge in Greece has been full since it opened and they have had to move to bigger premises in order to cope with the demand. So many women have had their lives given back through your sponsorship. For only $25 a month you can help us raise awareness, rehabilitate rescued victims, change legislation and ultimately create models of solution.

* NEW INITIATIVE
Prayer MAP
We have seen such incredible breakthrough over the last few years as we have really begun to harness the power of prayer through the Sisterhood. As we unite in prayer we are seeing things change in the spiritual realm that is forcing change in the natural. As a key part of our fight against human trafficking across the world we are focussed on praying over countries that are instrumental in the trafficking industry. We are asking women to pick a country and commit to praying against trafficking in that area. We believe that we can pray against corruption, pray for the law enforcement agencies, pray for a means of escape, pray for repentance from the traffickers and ultimately pray God’s perfect will in these situations.
We are specifically focussing on the nation of HAITI and praying for the children caught up in domestic slavery. We are standing in faith and prayer with our guest Dr Robi as he works on the ground through education to change this situation for hundreds of thousands of children.
We will attempt to keep you up to date with any news and updates for the areas that you are praying for and we are believing for good reports!

SISTERHOOD LOCAL - CHECK OUT BE THE CHANGE FOR HOW TO HOST A WORLD CHANGING BE THE CHANGE 'TEA PARTY'

This is an ever evolving aspect of the Colour Sisterhood. There have been amazing testimonies this year of women that have taken the message of sisterhood and started making a difference in their “back yard”. There are opportunities all the time in your neighbourhood so take the time to find the needs and see where you can be involved, whether it is through foster care, driving the isolated to doctors appointments, inviting your lonely neighbour in for dinner or simply stopping in the park to talk to a mum.

SHINE: One way that you can do something locally is running the shine program in your community. It is a program for young women designed to teach the message of value. It is run in schools, refuges, detention centres and beyond and has provided many doors to speak into the lives of women that have no positive influence.

KNITTING SISTERHOOD: Little did we know as we handed out knitting needles at Colour 09 what the response would be! Our office has been inundated with knitted items, from baby blankets to jumpers to scarves. In 2010 we are focussing on the local needs in your community so grab your needles, pick up a pattern, find a need and keep knitting.

VOICE OF THE MARTYRS

A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS: In 2009 we started a powerful partnership with Voice of the Martyrs writing letters to women that are being persecuted for their faith. We have continued through the last year writing to 3 other women and we have seen incredible testimonies as each of the women that we have written to have been freed from prison. You can be a part of the solution by taking the time to pray, write a letter and stand in solidarity with people persecuted for the faith that we share.