What About Vulnerable Children?

This Sunday will be one of my more controversial sermons in the last year. I almost want to encourage you not to come to CCR this Sunday. I can't imagine that I won't offend everyone including my own spirit. If the Lord leads me as I am praying no one will walk away feeling comfortable.

I've gone on a long journey for many years wrestling with what is the responsibility for people of faith with vulnerable children. I've adopted 2 children, been an advocate for more adoptions, at one time sponsored 200 children to attend school, employed lots of people, facilitated many university scholarships, and started a school. I could make a nice CV about what I've done, but I find it has been short.

Though I've done what some may consider a great amount I emotionally avoid engagement. I don't go to orphanages and pretend I don't see street children. I've grown weary of unending problems and dependency. I'm weary of short sighted projects. I'm weary of expatriates who are unwilling to commit themselves, but put band aids on problems and snap photos to send back home as they request more money.

I've thrown my life in Rwanda into a vision of developing leadership that will be a source of transformation for generations. I'm convinced I can't be an advocate of the poor if I am not for the establishment of the middle class.

I tend to work with statistics to discern if my intuition is correct. I put some startling statistics together 2 weeks ago.

· 1 % of population has attended any type of Post-Secondary Education.

· 3% of Rwanda's population could be considered middle class (A/B audience) by Rwanda's media. (About 300,000 people or 50,000 households)

· 34 % of households are headed by widows.

· 13 % of households are headed by children.

· 26 % of the population under the age of 14 are orphans (Somewhere between 825,000 and 1,000,000 children).

Do you see the problem? On this side of heaven, it is more than just the Lord's command to care for orphans. I don't think it will be possible for Rwanda to become a middle income nation (as we've been praying for) if we don't effectively deal with these vulnerable children. They will become an economic weight that will break all gains. Also, many are under the age of 14 and thus were born after 1994. Given the Genocide was a major factor that created this dilemma, but we are now dealing with the second generation of this phenomena and a cyclical problem is developing.

It's time to go on a painful quest with an open bible, willing spirit, and hands ready to act. This Sunday I'm going to lay out some principles that I believe we must engage for the future. It won't be an easy journey, and I promise to offend almost everyone. No one will escape responsibility. If I preached for the favor of man I'd just keep ignoring the problem, but it's time for CCR to engage this dilemma.

Dave Jenkins

P.S. To get a sneak peek you may want to read the following link in Rwanda News Agency: 'Middle class can help end problem of orphans'