Ministries Join Forces to Impact YWEA
The Church of God Youth and Discipleship Department has joined with Women’s Discipleship Ministries and Girls Ministries for the first time ever to make a global impact.
In keeping with the Youth World Evangelism Action (YWEA) mission and vision, the 2017 “YWEA COTA Project” will be planting a future of hope in South America. By joining forces with Women’s Discipleship Ministries and Girls Ministries, YWEA 2017 will make a lasting impact in the lives of girls, boys, and women in the city of Cota, Colombia.
“For the last 50 years, the area surrounding Cota, has been devastated by war, drug cartels and corruption,” stated Dr. David Blair, international director of Youth and Discipleship. “The nation is in disarray as 67% of its children live in poverty and over 60,000 street children are at risk for violence and abuse. With each child’s horrific story, it is clear that the city of Cota is losing the hopes and dreams of tomorrow due to the hardship and fears of today. This scenario leaves young moms and children desperate and without hope.”
This was the case with a young mom and her daughter named Slendy. They lived in a remote farming area where abuse and starvation were experienced daily. The situation declined to the point that the only food available to give Slendy was coffee. This created severe malnourishment and affected Slendy’s physical development to the point that at the age of three, she could not walk or speak. This desperate situation drove her mom to seek help from Rosaldo Perez, who served as director of a safe house for girls in Cota. However, there was no safe house for women, only a safe house for girls… so the young mom gave Slendy to Rosalba to live at the Provision De Amor before it was too late. Here, Slendy received nutritional food, healthcare, education, and Christ’s love. She has blossomed into an amazing 13 year old who has hope for her future as she excels at her Christian School.
In 2010, YWEA made an initial investment to help the ministries where Slendy lives and goes to school. However, there is much more that is needed. According to Blair, the COTA Project has the following goals:
1. Purchase a Safe House for Boys – Rosalba Perez pioneered the incredibly successful Safe House for Girls ministry. Using this same model, YWEA will help them establish a Safe House for Boys.
“The need for a safe, stable environment for boys to experience God’s love is crucial,” Blair continued. “Columbia is a dangerous country that is plagued with drug cartels, gangs, trafficking, and violence; the most vulnerable are defenseless boys who are recruited into gangs or disposed of through death squads.”
2. Finish Construction on the New Christian School – Perez helped establish a thriving Christian School currently serving 270 students. There are amazing testimonies of how girls from the Safe House that have gone are ranked in the top 10 in Colombia in education based on the quality education of the Christian School in Cota.
“Many girls who graduated from the school have grades that are now some of the highest in the whole country!” said Blair. “With your help, YWEA will help complete a cafeteria, technology center, high school restrooms, furnish all the classrooms and build a Pre-school.”
3. Renovate the Safe House for Girls with the Help of Church of God Girls Ministries- The Safe House for Girls provides a wonderful atmosphere of loving provision, in a beautiful setting, on the side of a hill in Cota. Several girls have passed through the program and moved on to higher education and vocational opportunities.
“Sister Rosalba reports seeing the Hand of God in restoring, loving and providing for these young women,” stated Janet Blair, coordinator for Church of God Girls Ministries. “The Safe House for Girls currently houses 25 girls, but it desperately needs renovations to better take care of these special children and teens. Remodeling would provide a hot water system for showers and expand the house to accommodate up to 35 girls.”
4. Establish a Safe House for Women – “While the Safe House for Girls has been extremely successful, there is currently no place for unwed mothers or abused women, stated Lorna Gosnell director of Women’s Discipleship Ministries. Church of God women from across the United States are going to change that reality by establishing a safe house for women.”
Cota is located in the central Savanna province of Colombia. The country has a population of 48 million people. Thirty-seven percent of the population is under 19 years old and over 15 million are children. Because of war, many children are abused, displaced by violence, orphaned and at high risk. Drug cartels and violence means some 60,000 street children are at risk of starvation, abuse, neglect, exploitation through sex trafficking and child labor. Three million children between the ages of 5-17 do not attend school due to the extreme poverty, abuse and violence. YWEA seeks to raise the awareness of this epidemic by promoting Project Priceless-Not for Sale campaign and partnering with Safe Houses and agencies that are rescuing children.
“The YWEA Cota Project 2017 will make a real impact on the lives of girls, boys, and women,” said Rob Bailey, assistant director of Youth and Discipleship. “YWEA, by partnering with Girl’s Ministries and Women’s Discipleship Ministries, will bring Rosalba Perez’s vision to life, but we need your help! These ministry projects are all critical to the women and children in Cota. The YWEA dream of ‘planting a future of hope’ is only possible through the prayers and financial assistance of local churches and individuals across America.”
Mark Swank who serves as coordinator of Youth Missions for Youth & Discipleship stated “We encourage pastors and leaders to support this vital initiative by praying for the city of Cota and making a commitment to YWEA 2017, Your financial backing and support will make the YWEA dream a reality.”
To learn more about the YWEA initiative, please visit myywea.com or call 423-478-7225.
