A GROWING ARMY GLOBALLINK
TheSalvationArmyfirstmadea presenceinLiberiain1988and expandeditsworktoneighbouring SierraLeone,in2010 Justlastyear,Guinea joinedtheLiberiaandSierraLeonefellowship, makingitthe133rdcountrytojointheArmy world.
TheSalvationArmyisexpandingin westernAfrica,andIwasprivilegedtoseethe growthfirst-hand.
InLiberia,wevisitedtheSustainable AgricultureinLiberia(SAIL)project,a farminginitiativefundedbyCanadians
Wemetmorethan30farmerswho travelledagreatdistancetogreetandthankus inperson.Theyshowedtheirgratitudeby sharingproducegrownontheirfarms afeat madepossiblethankstotheagriculture trainingprovidedbyTheSalvationArmy.
InSierraLeone,wewitnessedthe inaugurationoffourmotorbikesgiftedtothe division Withthesenewbikes,officersand staffcanreachmorepeopleandbuildthe kingdomofGod
community members gather every Sunday.
By Kathy Nguyen
InGuinea,wevisitedtheSalvationArmy corpsinCoyahwheremorethan20faithful communitymembersgatherforachurch serviceeverySunday.Thebuildingisowned byJean-Paul,amanwhowasinspiredtogive hisbuildingtoSalvationistsafterhisson-inlawshowedhimtheamazingthingsThe SalvationArmyisdoing
“Wearecontinuingtogrow,”saysLtColonelLukaKhayumbi,theterritorial commanderforTheSalvationArmyin Liberia,SierraLeoneandGuinea.“Anditis withthegloryofGodthatwecancontinueto reachouttothoseinneed.”
FromthefarmlandsacrossLiberiatothe bustlinghilltopsofSierraLeoneandthecalm ofruralGuinea,TheSalvationArmycontinuestomeethumanneedandtransformlives, andtheworkineachcountryisonlygetting biggerandstronger.
The Salvation Army corps in Coyah, Guinea, where
INVESTING IN INDIA’S CHILDREN
By Major Heather Matondo
Formanychildrenaroundtheworld,accesstoeducationisnot alwayseasy.Childrenlivinginruralvillagesoftenwalklong distancestoattendschool,ortheydon’tattendatallbecausethe nearestschoolissimplytoofaraway.
Formanyyears,TheSalvationArmyhasbeenprovidingopportunitiesforchildrentonotonlyhaveaccesstoschools,butasafeplaceto live,eatnutritiousmealsandhaveeasyaccesstomedicalcare
DuringavisittoIndia,ImetRanya(namechanged),someone whohasbenefitedfromthesupportofTheSalvationArmy.Sheis16 yearsoldandisfromasmallvillageinIndiawherehermotherand fatherarefarmers
AfterGrade5,therewasnoschoolcloseenoughforRanyato attendsoshebeganlivingataSalvationArmychildren’shostel.If shedidnothavethisopportunity,sheknowsthatshewouldbe spendingherdaysworkinginthefieldswithherparents
Therearesomanychildrenthroughtheyearswhohavelivedin thehostelstoattendschool,andbecauseoftheopportunityto receiveagoodeducation,arenowlivingasuccessfullife
ThiswasevidencedwhenImetalocaldoctorinBapatla,India,whooncelivedinTheSalvation Army’sboy’shostel.HenowhasasuccessfulmedicalpracticeandgivesbacktoTheSalvationArmy byprovidingcarefortheleprosypatientsatTheSalvationArmyEvangelineBoothLeprosyHome.
Hisstoryoftransformationwon’tbethelast,andRanya’sstoryisonlyjustbeginning.
Storieslikethisarepossiblethankstothegenerosityofsponsorswhocare.TheSalvationArmy BrighterFuturesChildren’sSponsorshipprogramcurrentlysupportsmorethan700childreneach yearwholiveintheresidentialcareofTheSalvationArmy.
A CONTINUED DREAM
In2020,TheSalvationArmyinCanadaandBermuda,in partnershipwithTheSalvationArmyinSriLanka, completedtheSafeWaterandLivelihoodDevelopment (SWALD)project Theinitiativeestablished18waterboreholes toprovidemorethan6,800familiesinthePolonnaruwaregion withcleanwater,implementedagriculturetrainingtomore than3,000farmers,andsupportedmorethan130womenwith businessandlivelihoodsupport.
Thisfive-yearprojectwastheresultoftirelesseffortsfrom thelocalandinternationalprojects’team,thebeneficiariesand thedonorswhosupporttheinternationalworkofThe SalvationArmy
Buildingonthesuccessofthisproject,wearegearingup foranotherSWALDprojectinSriLanka.
ThroughourpartnershipwithourfriendsinSriLankaand TheSalvationArmy’sWorldServicesOfficeinWashington, D.C.,we’rebringingmorecleanwaterandlivelihooddevelopmentprogrammingtotheAnuradhapuraregion
Thisnewprojectwillseetheconstructionofsixadditional waterwellsandlivelihoodsupportandagriculturetrainingfor morethan100farmersacrosssixremoteareas
Theselife-savingprojectsareonlymadepossiblethrough thesupportofourdonors,andwe’reexcitedtocarryonthe dreamofcleanwaterforall.
To
To become a sponsor, visit SalvationArmy.ca/brighter-futures
By Kathy Nguyen
