Chocolate, sustainability and homes for children

Chocolate Heaven

EVERYONE loves chocolate – and the Church of Scotland Guild is no exception.

One of the projects they have selected to raise money for over the next three years is using chocolate to provide employment, spread fair pricing for local growers and to help spread the word of God.

“Chocolate Heaven is a project partner of Pioneers, a Christian mission organisation that exists to take the Gospel to unreached people around the world. We mobilise teams to glorify God among those groups by initiating church planting movements in partnership with local churches,” says Ruth Box, a Mission Mentor with Pioneers UK and Guild point of contact for the project.

“We are working in partnership with a small chocolate kitchen on a beautiful island in South East Asia, helping Paul and Sarah, their children and their wider team, to demonstrate the love of God to the Dan people by means of providing employment, fair prices for local growers, producing and selling delicious chocolate – in some most unusual flavours to our taste! – and taking opportunities to share God’s good news with their employees and wider community whenever they have the opportunity to do so.

“Paul is an agriculturalist and Sarah is a vet, and together with their children they live on an island in South-east Asia. We can’t tell you exactly where this is, for security reasons, and Paul and Sarah are not their real names .

“Their work involves buying cacao beans from local farmers, giving a fair price for the beans, and turning those raw beans into delicious chocolate. To do this they employ around 40 local people and the wages they pay enable these families to be able to afford to pay for everything needed for their children’s education and to live more self-sufficient lives. Employing their workers also gives Paul and Sarah the opportunity to build good relationships with them, to help them in any way they can, and, most importantly, to live out the love of God before them and to share God’s Good News with them as they have the opportunity to do so, so it’s a very holistic environment.”

Ruth adds.

Ruth used to work for Mission Aviation Fellowship and was aware of the Guild projects from their support of MAF’s work in Papua New Guinea.

“I began working with Pioneers last year and heard that the Guild project cycle was coming to an end and that new projects were being sought for the next three years, so I discussed it with my team and we decided to submit an application on behalf of our Chocolate Heaven initiative – and here we are today! “I’m really excited to be a part of the Guild’s work for the next three years, and very much looking forward to getting on the road to meet many in person and to share the latest developments and opportunities for service in Pioneers, as well as to bring you the most up to date news about Chocolate Heaven that I can.

The Guild’s financial contributions will enable Paul and Sarah to expand the chocolate kitchen, to buy new equipment and possibly to set up a distribution centre near the island’s port. It’s incredible how expensive chocolate-making equipment is – for example, a tempering machine costs at least £15,000 and a refiner will set you back another £20,000! That might make you enjoy it all the more the next time you’re having a wee nibble on a bar of your favourite chocolate – or even a bar of Chocolate Heaven…

“We’d love to see many Guild folks committing to pray for the work of Chocolate Heaven, and for Paul and Sarah and their family as they serve God and serve the Dan people on their island.

“It would be a joy to hear of many of their staff and neighbours coming to faith in Christ.

“We long to see churches planted there and whole communities worshipping Jesus together in that area.

The island in South East Asia

“It would be a blessing to see the work of the chocolate kitchen be able to expand and employ many more local people in planting and harvesting; preparation and production; packaging and distribution; and to be able to provide sustainable, secure employment for lots more local people, enabling them to have a reliable income, to be able to send their children to school (both primary and secondary) and to improve their standard of living.”

The Vine

Trust The Vine Trust is an old friend of the Church of Scotland and the Guild and one of their projects has been chosen to benefit from the Guild’s fundraising efforts over the next three years.

“Despite the many challenges that have come with Covid-19, including the temporary suspension of our volunteering activities, we’ve been delighted to see our partnership programmes in Tanzania and Peru continue to thrive and grow – including the Kazunzu Village of Hope,” says the Rev Willie McPherson, Chief Executive of the Vine Trust.

“Kazunzu lies on the southern side of Lake Victoria, around 20 km west of Mwanza. The 53-acre site is owned by our partners African Inland Church Tanzania (AICT). The word ‘Kazunzu’ comes from the Zinza tribal language and means a ‘promontory’. It is an apt name for a piece of land that juts out into Lake Victoria, where AICT and Vine Trust will construct the Village of Hope,” he says.

“This place-based approach, will bring our building and medical programmes in Tanzania into closer collaboration. Having been involved in supporting the construction of orphanages and over 130 individual family homes in the Moshi area of Tanzania near Mount Kilimanjaro since 2010, Vine Trust was delighted to hear of AICT’s vision to create a sustainable Village on a large, 53-acre site, which they owned.

Families have been under increased pressure, with schools being closed, normal support and community services stopping overnight and being unable to draw on the support of other family members. These realities mean that more children, who might never have been identified as being at risk before the pandemic are likely to have experienced abuse or neglect over the past 16 months.

The vision was for it to become a focal point for their work in the region, developing a project with a placed-based approach where family homes were built alongside access to training, education, healthcare and employment. The Kazunzu Village of Hope began with a multi-faceted and sustainable model for up to 300 people living in individual family homes.”

Forty individual homes, a community hub, a primary school, health centre, vocational training facility, community farm and individual family “shambas” are all in the master plan and will form the backbone of the project. The large family homes will enable young families to serve as foster parents to four or five orphan children identified by the church in partnership with community leaders and social services. Self-sustainability, will come through agriculture, market gardening, fish farming and the development of a transport business thanks to the donation of the first of a number of Heavy Goods Vehicles for the project.

The potential for the “aqua culture project – fish farming” is particularly encouraging with the first harvest of over 20,000 Tilapia fish scheduled for July.

“In May 2019, building work at the new Kazunzu Village of Hope began.” Willie explained.

“Local builders and staff, supported by UK volunteer teams started the construction of the first cluster of homes. The homes are being built in small clusters of four, with each sharing a small ‘shamba’ or cottage garden, providing space to grow crops and keep some livestock. The homes themselves will typically each accommodate up to six children, the vast majority of whom will be orphans. Providing the children and families with access to quality school teaching, farming skills and vocational training will open up many opportunities for employment and sustainable livelihoods in the community going forward.

“The vision is live and already happening,” he said.

“The first eight homes with 58 residents are already occupied by families and children. The community hub which will become a focal point for all community activities and church on a Sunday is also nearing completion. With the Guild’s support, the project will be able to build, through direct funding to AICT, the rest of their village whilst supporting their selfsufficiency ambitions, enabling Vine Trust to fast track the project over the next four years, rather than 10 years. In the fullness of time when travel restrictions are lifted, we hope to run one of our national vision trips to let supporters see, first-hand, what Kazunzu Village of Hope and the Jubilee Hope Medical project are achieving.”

Home For Good

The final Guild project for this cycle, is Home For Good, a UK based charity which aims to find a home for every child that needs one.

Andrew Hornsby, Director of Strategic Engagement, explains: “The Covid-19 pandemic has undoubtedly exposed some of the greatest strengths of our society.

We’ve been reminded again of the brilliance of our incredible nurses, doctors, social care workers, midwives and all those in our health system who repeatedly go above and beyond to care for people at their point of greatest need.

“We’ve seen communities rediscover their neighbours again; taking round food parcels, checking up on elderly residents, picking up the phone to loved ones near and far to remind them they aren’t alone. It has been so encouraging to see churches and faith-based charities and groups at the centre of so much of this brilliant work as individuals and communities have stepped out of their comfort zone to love their neighbours.

“But alongside these beautiful, glorious, hope-filled displays of what humanity can do at its best, we’ve also been reminded of the enduring challenges in our society.

We’ve seen the loneliness epidemic, already lurking under the surface, touch the lives of many more people of all ages, as social and physical contact changed radically overnight. We’ve seen many people out of work, either temporarily or permanently and struggling with the loss of the financial security and sense of purpose and routine that work can bring. The surge in poor mental health among children and adults alike, and the alarming increase in calls to domestic abuse helplines are indicators of the toll that this virus has taken on so many.

“The care system is a part of society that has remained largely under the radar during this time. Prior to the pandemic, Scotland needed to recruit around 500 more foster carers to meet the needs of children entering the care system, many of whom have experienced significant adversity and challenges in their lives.”

The impact of the pandemic has seriously affected foster children in particular.

“With many foster carers being older individuals, the pandemic saw a significant proportion of them stepping back from caring for children and young people, due to concerns about catching the virus, leaving many young people having to be found a new home with little warning or preparation.

“Families have been under increased pressure, with schools being closed, normal support and community services stopping overnight and being unable to draw on the support of other family members. These realities mean that more children, who might never have been identified as being at risk before the pandemic are likely to have experienced abuse or neglect over the past 16 months. The statistics are beginning to show that as a result, we are seeing an increase in children entering the care system since schools returned and children have come into the eyesight of professionals again.”

Andrew adds: “Home for Good believes that the Church can be part of the solution. We seek to support the Church to stand strong, shine, and play its part in supporting the state with the challenges faced by the care system. Home For Good is passionate about finding a home for every child who needs one.

“Home for Good has been working in Scotland for over three years, inspiring individuals and Churches and developing a network of ‘Champions’ who are trained volunteers equipped to support those considering fostering or adoption or coming alongside those who already are. Individuals can also support the work by praying, giving, and offering practical solutions.

“We believe the local Church has a huge part to play in solving the shortage of homes that are ready and waiting to welcome children in Scotland today. 500 foster carers sounds like a huge number, but not as many as the number of churches across Scotland, which reach into every local community.

Home For Good is passionate about finding a home for every child who needs one.

We have a tangible and very achievable vision; if just one family from every church stepped up to foster or adopt and the rest of their church community wrapped around them with practical support, prayer and encouragement, the Church across Scotland would be able to meet the need.”

Andrew adds: “We have seen the Guild at work over the years and have heard remarkable things about all the other projects they have helped. We hope, with the Guild’s help, to raise the profile of fostering and adoption, and help people understand how they can play their part in supporting vulnerable children, supporting existing adoptive and foster carers, and helping to solve the great need of the care system in Scotland. Together, we want to find many more homes for children who need them, and support and enable churches to be places of welcome and understanding for children and their respective carers.

“As we move into a new phase of the pandemic and begin to rebuild our communities, we believe a good starting point is with our most vulnerable children. Each one is brimming with potential and provided with the love, safety and stability they need, we believe the Church can enable every child and young person to thrive.” ¤