Next Steps
Resources
Step by Step Plan
We are so excited to partner with you! We hope to make the Kids for Kids initiative an easy project for you, so please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Our goal is to resource you well; feel free to use as many (or as few) of these resources as you need to make your event successful. Below are a few tips, tricks, and instructions to help you along the way.
- Set Your Goal!
Now that you’ve signed up online (http://kidsforkidsvbs.org) you can set your fundraising goal. Every $25 raised provides approximately 30 meals. Every $30 raised provides 2 Bibles. We encourage you to aim high! There is no penalty for not reaching your goal and we’ve found that groups will usually hit the target you give them. Celebrate as you make progress towards your goal every day! - Get Resourced!
Approximately one month before your event, you will receive from us a kit that includes posters, Rwandan fabric, and coin envelopes for each child. Consider placing the fabric on a table and displaying the poster nearby. You might even want to mount the poster on a foam board (found at most local craft stores) so that you can stand it on the table. Envelopes can be distributed to every child in your program at the beginning of your VBS program or children’s ministry so they can collect donations at home.Additional resources are available online. We’ve got videos, photos/graphics, and daily devotional and Scripture readings ready to share.
- Raise Money!
How you run the day to day aspects of this initiative is up to you! Some ideas we’ve seen work well:- Show a video and read the devotional each day during your large group time, snack time, or as its own rotation.
- Give each child an envelope to take home and return each day.
- Collect money every day and count it up before the program ends for the day.
- Choose a fun receptacle to collect the coins (water jug, large plastic swimming pool, or even food related items-lunch box, grocery sack, etc.).
- Consider making it a competition (boys vs. girls, children vs. adults, teams of small groups, etc.) and use two or more collection bins. Don’t forget to update and communicate the totals each night so the teams know where they stand.
- CELEBRATE! Don’t forget to celebrate every day and every donation. No amount is too small, and every dollar raised this summer will be put together to provide many meals. We are better together!
- Consider challenging your adult congregation on Sunday to match the funds raised by your group.
- Track Your Progress!
Our resource page online includes a virtual meal counter. You can share/project the website to your big screen, enter your goal and your updated total raised, and the counter will display your progress! - Turn in Your Donations!
You did it! Please collect all donations at the end of your VBS program or children’s ministry and provide one check or online donation to Africa New Life Ministries.Online donations can be made at http://africanewlife.org/vbsmeals.
Please indicate “VBS” or “Children’s Ministry” in the memo of your check and mail to:
Africa New Life Ministries
7405 SW Tech Center Drive, #144
Portland, OR 97223 - Return Unused Supplies!
Please return fabric and any unused envelopes to Africa New Life Ministries using the address above or the prepaid box provided with your original shipment.
Thank you for joining us to help transform lives in Rwanda! Watch the progress online as others around the country join you-we can’t wait to see how God uses this to make a difference in the lives of many children!
COMING SOON: more resources to help your kids raise funds for Bibles! Check back in a few weeks to see new videos, a Bible counter, and more.
Meal Counter
0 Total Meals
Videos
Kids for Kids Introduction
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/733613059" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>Kids for Kids Day 1
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/733613360" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>Kids for Kids Day 2
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/733613300" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>Kids for Kids Day 3
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/733613250" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>Kids for Kids VBS Day 4
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/733613215" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>Devotionals
COMING SOON: All-new devotionals to teach your kids about the importance of Bibles! Check back in a few weeks for these devotionals, or use the ones below to guide your children’s understanding about the importance of food.
Day One
Did you know that children in Rwanda are a lot like you? They go to school, they like to play games, and they even have chores to help their parents around the house. Some of their favorite activities are playing soccer, jumping rope, and drawing. Many of our friends in Rwanda even have the same names as you and your friends! Elizabeth, Angel, Stephen, Christopher… are all kids like you. They learn how to read and do math in elementary school and are learning about Jesus at church!
Just like you, God made them special, in His image, and loves them very much! The Bible tells us that Jesus welcomed children to come and sit with Him and learn from Him. That means children like you from all over the world!
Matthew 19:14 says, “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.’”
What is your favorite school subject? I wonder if our Rwandan friends are also learning those subjects. Maybe you share favorite activities with them! If you could visit, what games would you like to play with them?
Day Two
Because our friends in Rwanda don’t always have access to food, they need our help! We can help send money to buy food for school lunches so that these children can eat every day! Many of the students have to walk long distances to school. They need food to give them the energy they need to make that journey and concentrate in their classes.
Did you know that God cares about us and our needs? The Bible tells us that God even takes care of the needs of little birds! So how much more will He take care of our needs and the needs of our friends in Rwanda?!
Matthew 6:26 says, “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
This week, we get to be a part of meeting the needs of our Rwandan friends! How many school lunches would you like to help provide? What are some ways you can earn money this week? Who can you ask to donate their money to help you meet your goal?
Day Three
Have you ever felt your tummy grumble when it’s getting time to eat? I’m sure your parents remind you often that you need to eat good food, like vegetables, to grow up strong and healthy. Food is very important to keep you well, to grow strong bones and muscles, and even to help your brain think and learn. Without food we get tired and weak… and I know I get very grumpy!
Children all over the world need food, just like you do, to make it through the day. We know that God cares about our needs. The Bible tells us that God loves us and wants to provide for us. The Bible also says that we can ask God for what we need!
We read in 1 John 15:14-15 that “We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.”
What you do when you are hungry? Do you ask your parents to help you when you are hungry? Let’s pray for our friends in Rwanda and that God might meet their need for food and nourishment!
Day Four
[Turn out the lights. If you are unable to do that, ask children to shut and cover their eyes tightly.] Sit quietly for a moment in the darkness. [After the darkness has settled in, turn on the light!] When the light came on, did any darkness remain? NO! Light drives out the darkness! Did you know that Jesus is called the “Light of the World?” As Christ followers, we are called to live like Jesus and to learn to be like Him. That means when we follow Him we get to shine His light!
Isaiah 58:10 tells us to “Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.”
The Bible tells us many times (many more than we’ve talked about here!) to feed those who are hungry and care for those in need. Jesus even says that whatever we do for those in need is what we do for Him. We’ve learned that children in Rwanda are hungry and need help to eat every day. When we help feed them, we shine the light of Jesus! Not only will the children in Rwanda feel the love of Jesus but we also spread that love to all of those we tell about what we’ve been a part of!
Who have you talked to this week about the children in Rwanda? Who could you tell next week? Even though our mission project will soon end, the story can continue!
Day Five
WOW! How did you do? Did you meet your goal? No matter how much you raised, you have made an impact in the lives of children in Rwanda! Did you know that your offering will be added to the offerings of other kids across the country to provide thousands of meals?! Together, we can make a difference!
Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us that “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively.”
How can you continue to support children in need? Next time you feel hungry, would you say a prayer for other hungry children? How can you remind your friends here to pray and care for our friends in Rwanda?
Let’s pray now to thank God for how He is already meeting these needs in Rwanda!
Fun Facts About Rwanda!
- Rwanda is also called the Land of a Thousand Hills because most of the country is covered by rolling, grassy hills.
- The Karisimbi Volcano is the highest point in Rwanda and is located in the Virunga Mountains.
- Rwanda is the fourth smallest country on the African continent.
- Rwanda is only one of three countries in Africa where you can visit mountain gorillas in the wild!
- Rwanda is the cleanest country because they have a community cleaning day which takes place the last Saturday of every month, called Umuganda.
- Rwanda has a “No Plastic Bags Allowed” policy throughout the entire country.
- You are not allowed to walk across lawns in Kigali; you must stay off the grass.
- Rwanda’s Parliament has more female members than any other parliament in the world.
- A popular game for kids in Rwanda is jump rope or football (which is soccer in America).
- Rwanda soil cultivates tea, coffee, and the best tiny bananas.
- Akagera National Park is located in eastern Rwanda and hugs the border of Tanzania. It’s varied terrain shelters wildlife including zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, and hundreds of bird species.
- A favorite kids food in Rwanda is Matoke, which is a cross between bananas and mashed potatoes.
CREATIVE IDEAS FOR ENGAGEMENT
Click below to see some creative ideas to weave the Rwandan theme through your entire time of VBS, camp, or other children’s ministry. The purpose of these ideas is to help your kids engage personally and deeply in the stories and needs that they are hearing about from Rwanda, to help expand their awareness of other cultures and experiences, and to deepen their sense of partnering with other kids!
Click to download Creative Ideas PDF.
Rwanda Map
Click on a link to download a map of Rwanda:
For questions about the Kids for Kids VBS/Children’s Ministry program, please contact our Church Partnership Manager, Jeremiah Smith. Or, feel free to call us at 866.979.0393. Thank you!