International Partners
FISCH (Future for Iringa Street Children)
Our friends Rich and Lissie Gercke set up the charity in 2007, having both gone out separately for GAP years and met each other in Iringa, Tanzania. In response to the needs of children Rich and Lissie met on the street, they felt led set up FISCH with the help local Tanzanian people that they met out there and knew shared the same heart for these children. Iringa is situated in the southern highlands of Tanzania, with a population of about 250,000.
FISCH seeks to provide a holistic response to the needs of street children. This means not just physical (food/shelter), but social, educational and spiritual too. They try to support children back to living with relatives, and into education to equip them with the skills to become self-sufficient, to give them a hope for a future, all within the context of sharing and demonstrating the love of Jesus.
What is the need and opportunity? In Tanzania, life in the villages is becoming harder and harder. 18% of children (0-18) are either orphans or vulnerable children. In Iringa, this number is higher than other regions at 24% (that’s almost 1 in 4). FISCH try and meet some of these needs by providing a number of different programmes from their main site – Breakfast club, Saturday feeding Project, Sewing training, Counselling, Short-term accommodation, Food parcels, FISCH Church, FISCH Football club and much much more.
Some of the difference FISCH makes each week:
- Since Sept 2007 FISCH has fed between 70-100 street children every Saturday
- 20-30 children who sleep on the streets visit their drop-in centre daily to receive breakfast and use the facilities
- FISCH support children back into full time education, and some have now even progressed onto University!
- In the last 5 months FISCH has supported 17 children who were living on the street through short term. accommodation and rehabilitation, back to living with a relative in a family unit.
- In Tanzania, FISCH employs six full time staff who are all local people, including one former street child.
Click here for FISCH’s latest newsletter!
For more info, you can speak to Lissie or Rich Gercke by emailing rich@gofisch.org and check out: www.gofisch.org
Ronel Geldenhuys
Serving with: Ellel Ministries, South Africa
Focus of ministry: Bringing healing and discipleship across East and Southern Africa through the power of Christ (Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18).
What & where has God called you to? Ronel felt called to leave Guildford and St Saviours Church in 2006, moving to South Africa (SA) to work with Ellel Ministries. Ronel is based at the HQ in SA, where she is responsible for the Training and Equipping programmes. In her other role, as the Regional Deputy-Director of Ellel Africa, she regularly travels around East and Southern Africa overseeing Ellel’s work. Much of her time is spent in Rwanda and Kenya supporting local teams with running Healing retreats and training programmes (healing, discipleship and restoration). Ronel is also involved in trying to establish the same kind of work in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
What is the need and opportunity? The continent of Africa is hurting, many of its people are broken and in need of God’s love and restoration now, on a daily basis. The Church in so many places is a traumatised church trying to heal a traumatised nation. So, Ellel Ministries is focussed on bringing healing and equipping in discipleship. Many Africans have experienced significant trauma (through war, rape, ethnic conflict, family breakdown, rejection, abuse…), often resulting in physical, mental and spiritual problems (hatred, unmet needs, suicide, bitterness, bloodshed, immorality, witchcraft, deception, paralysing fear…). Ellel work to try and restore Kingdom order, as the power of Christ brings healing and in the process allows them to equip believers. At the heart of this discipleship is Luke 9:11: ‘Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed the sick’. This is what Ronel feels she is privileged to be involved in.
For more info, check out: www.ellel.org.za
Tom and Mojdeh Hawksley
Serving with Elam Ministries
What is the focus of your ministry? We have been with Elam Ministries for over 25 years and been privileged to see the organisation thrive. Mojdeh has been involved in translating the Bible; editing a Christian magazine, and for the last ten years leading Elam’s women’s ministry. Tom has had different roles, but one constant has been Bible teaching.
What and where has God called you to? God has called us to serve Iran’s church. There is much to be encouraged about. Back in the 1980s when we first began ministry to Iranians in Karachi, Pakistan, we sensed there was openness to the Gospel. That has kept on increasing. Secular academic research in 2020 showed there were about half a million Iranians from a Muslim background who have turned to Christ. Hundreds of thousands of new Iranian Christians are keen for Bible teaching. It is our joy, with the team at Elam, to play a part in providing this teaching. In this Mojdeh has a very special role ministering to women. Within Elam she has a team that hosts regular conferences (this year on zoom) for ladies. Mojdeh is keen to see that Iran’s new Christians have a default attitude of respect for women as equals – in the church and mission. Tom is involved with Elam’s work among men and whenever he travels tries to hold meetings where the men have an opportunity to talk about their struggles with sexual temptation.
The ‘where’ is Iran, but it is not wise for us to live there. So we live in Farncombe, and before Covid we used to travel a lot to neighbouring countries to minister to Iranians.
What is the need and opportunity? When Elam Ministries was founded in 1990 the heart-beat was to provide Bibles and training for Iran’s church. That is still the need. The internet has made a massive difference in terms of access to Scriptures, but still Christians need to have their own printed Bible. Thankfully there are ways of making this happen. New Christians need training: discipling and grounding in the Bible. The internet has made this possible, even in this Covid season. This has been a blessing. More people can come to conferences, from anywhere, however ‘closed’ the country. In the post Covid world we are looking forward to travel again to the region to be involved in residential training. There is also a tremendous need for counselling. People have messy lives and need to talk things through with older Christians. This happens best face to face, but still a lot can happen on Zoom.