Did you know that 85% of people who come to Christ and continue in their faith are those who make decisions for Christ when they are between the ages of 4-14?* This age group is a strategic window for the Kingdom of God, not unlike the 10-40 window. If we focus on children between the ages of 4 and 14 in our evangelistic and discipleship programmes, we are likely to make true, genuine, life-committed followers of Jesus Christ, and we are likely to have a generation, or multiple generations, that can transform the world! Jesus himself focused on the 4-14 window when he said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) This project expands that window from 4-14 to 3-18 to be sure!

Along with Jesus, we want to see the Church mobilized, sensitized, challenged, motivated and even resourced to focus on this age group.

Two of the exciting Africa children's programmes we are currently working on include God’s Precious Little Ones and Open Schools Audio.

God’s Precious Little Ones is an awareness and prevention programme educating people in Africa about the reality and dangers of child trafficking. Annually, 1.2 million children become victims of human trafficking.** Over decades, the numbers multiply into an atrocity. Human trafficking is “the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.”*** Through some recent investigative journalism, we came to hear of Thulani’s story. A brilliant soccer player, he was approached by an “agent” who offered to place him in a professional football club in France. His friends and family scraped together the money for an air ticket and bid him farewell. Arriving in France, he was beaten, drugged and forced into male prostitution. Of the many others who are living with Thulani he says, “They are not playing soccer, and they are never going home. Neither am I.”****

Open Schools Audio is an initiative seeking to help marginalized children obtain basic numeracy, literacy and life skills since so many children in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially orphans and street children, are not given the privilege of a basic education. Neither are they given the basic emotional and spiritual support they need to flourish.

Please prayerfully consider a gift of R100 so you can be a part of us reaching the strategic age window in Africa.

*http://4to14window.com/
** http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/fullreport.php
*** http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html
**** Angelique Ardé (Freelance Journalist & Editor); Loryn Tuffin; Graham Sayer; Justice A.C.T.s – Alliance of Christians Against Trafficking

Never before has the path from childhood to adulthood been so precarious in Africa. On a continent where 14.2 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS, and where a per capita income of less than $5 per day is the average, life is challenging.* With peer pressure at an all-time high, youth are faced with difficult decisions about sex, work and money as they endure the hardships of poverty, illiteracy and disease. Navigating this journey well requires biblical guidance and wisdom, of which there is a serious lack in the lives of teenagers in Africa. As a result, TWR has an initiative called J2Y which stands for “Jesus to the Youth.” This project introduces young people to the One who can steer them safely into the future, helping them to make wise decisions and live godly lives.

Two of the exciting projects we are currently working on under Project J2Y are Grandma’s Village and The Entrepreneur.

Grandma’s Village will be broadcast in Kenya. It is a drama series consisting of 52 fifteen-minute episodes covering the key concepts of the "It Takes Courage!" youth curriculum.** The drama is about a grandmother raising her two grandchildren after their parents die of HIV/AIDS. The family lives in a fictitious rural African village, yet they find themselves in a situation which epitomises the actual experiences of families in Kenya. Through the radio programs Kenyan children are equipped to deal with similar issues in their everyday lives, while being presented with Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life.

The Entrepreneur is a program series designed to educate young people about starting their own businesses to escape the grip of poverty on the African continent. It consists of twenty‐six 30-minute programs, airing once per week covering topics related to business development, such as: developing a business idea, writing a business plan, financing and start-up costs, marketing your business, and most importantly – Christ-centered business ethics. Also, an entrepreneurship workshop at a local church will be offered once a month to disciple and teach participants.

Through both these programs, our passion is to see young people be lifted out of poverty, make it through hardship and ultimately grow up into people who truly know God, are growing in God and are living for God’s glory.

Please prayerfully consider a generous donation of R100, and you can be a part of providing the youth of Africa with a biblical roadmap into the future.

Christianity is spreading in Africa, but it is still a difficult place for a child to survive. The continent has seen unending physical ravages from war, natural disasters and man-made strife. In addition to the staggering HIV/AIDS crisis, an African child dies from malaria every 30 seconds, and the life expectancy in many African countries is less than 50 years.(source: Operation World, 21st Century Edition; World Health Organization)

To bring African children into the family of God, TWR has created Witness at the Water, a vibrant 30-minute radio drama about children in a fictional African village who encounter the same things in life as the programme’s listeners. They bring their questions to a wise, old woman living by a river who teaches them God’s answers. Witness at the Water takes 15 minutes of each episode to accept questions and comments from the listening audience through phone and text messaging, thus giving children a personal connection to the broadcasts.

Your gift of R 100.00 per month (or whatever you decide) can keep this programme on air. Currently the programme is being produced in Shona for Zimbabwe.