Year after year our joy continuously increases because of what the Lord is doing in the lives of young people in Ghana through AE Ghana Apprenticeship Programme.
2017 was a wonderful year for the SCAP. The Lord was gracious to us and we recruited 43 beneficiaries into the SCAP programme. The street children were put in various vocations of their choices – Hairdressing, Dressmaking, Computer training, Aluminium fabrication, etc.
The Social action has put lots of smiles on the faces of the beneficiaries and their parents (who were not able to afford to enrol their wards).
One of the highlights of the SCAP in 2017 was the introduction of a new segment “Women in Need”. This segment is targeted at some very needy women (18-24 years) who are not able to go through the 2-3 years of training. They were enrolled in a 4-week training programme to learn soap making and pastries. These ladies are now gainfully employed and are very happy.
We hope to be able to help many more children in the year 2018.
Even as we minister to the spiritual needs of people, per the street children project physical needs of people are also met.
Portia Bortey is one of the beneficiaries of the Women in Need program, she is now doing her soap making and other detergents at Santa Maria. Currently, she is the bread winner for her family.
Cynthia Yaa one of the beneficiaries enrolled in Beads making. She completed her training in six months, and is now gainfully established – making and selling beads. Cynthia has even taken on an apprentice and teaching him the art of beads making. She is very happy and thankful to God and AE.
Princella Gyan, was grateful to God and AE for helping her to acquire computer knowledge. She joined us for the Accra Mission. Her heart’s desire is to be able to serve the Lord wholeheartedly and also own a business to enable her fend for her family.
The Social Action Director visited some of the beneficiaries. They expressed their heartfelt appreciation to African Enterprise for giving them the opportunity to better their lives
Ten beneficiaries in the dressmaking segment graduated in 2017. In addition, both certificate and hairdryer were presented to those who completed the hairdressing training.
With the support of the Social Action Director, we presented laptops to the children who went into computer training.
AE Ghana is about to commence a mission to Accra South. In anticipation, we share a story about the ongoing impacts of the mission to Kumasi in 2016.
As one of 11 children, Precious’ family of 13 was constantly fighting to stay out of poverty. She couldn’t go to school, and was instead sent away to a faraway city to earn money for the family. Any money she made was sent back to her family in the village. It was hard to be just the house-help, and so lonely.
She fell prey to a man who made her pregnant, but refused to have anything to do with the baby. Back in the village, her family didn’t know what to do.
A young woman, with a tiny baby to care for, alone.
Precious became increasingly desperate, especially after her father had a stroke. She returned to the village and left her baby with her mother in the village. She travelled to Kumasi where she’d heard she could make money as a prostitute.
She hated the work and felt trapped.
But God had a plan for Precious.
African Enterprise conducted a mission to Kumasi, Ghana in October 2016. Precious stumbled on one of the rallies and heard the Gospel being preached! She gave her life to Jesus and since then has been growing in her faith, through AE’s Vocational Training Programme in Accra, Ghana.
Precious has learnt how to run a small business and is now making and selling soap. She also sends some soap to her village for her siblings to sell and is training up two assistants.
“AE helped me to become a Christian and through Bible studies my life has been impacted positively. I have understood God’s love and His forgiveness.
Today, I am able to pray with my family before I start work every day. Thank you African Enterprise for making this possible. I pray for God’s blessings on all the donors.”
Ernest Owusu didn’t look like a man who cared about Jesus. He filled his days with smoking poisonous, addictive substances with unsavoury friends in gangs. He had spent time in gaol for armed robbery. He took pleasure in exploiting other people so that he could thrive.
“I lived this lifestyle because I took pleasure in it. It was a way of getting my daily bread.”
At 26, his life seemed destined for disaster.
But God has a funny way of breaking into people’s lives.
On a cool morning in June, Ernest pulled a shirt on over the gun and dagger tattoos on his arms and went out to smoke. That day, a group of strangers approached Ernest and his gang and started talking to them. The strangers said they were part of an organisation called African Enterprise and that they had come to tell the men about Jesus.
They spoke about love and forgiveness, about a changed, purposeful way of living. As they spoke, Ernest felt something change in his heart. He decided to ask their God to help him.
“African Enterprise showed me the way to God. I am a changed person because Jesus has forgiven all my sins. Now I am happy.”
Ernest decided to join a church. Since AE’s Kumasi Mission in 2016, he has been learning more and more about his new God. He has also asked to join AE Ghana’s vocational training programme to acquire skills that will enable him to find a job.
Unfortunately, the gang that Ernest was a part of have started threatening him for his swift exit. Please pray for his safety, and for the growth of his faith, that the Gospel would transform his life in a powerful way.
