News Interviews Interview: Ray of Hope Amazon | Interview: Ray of Hope Amazon |
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Page 1 of 2 Words: Adenike Derrick LM: I think it’s very important. One verse that is on our hearts is ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’, Matthew 22:39. There is so much need all around us. I love seeing and hearing about all the different charities that are working with people in need. It is amazing what work is going on around the world. Even in our own country there are people in desperate need. God’s heart is for the lost and broken. We strongly believe that both worship and justice go hand in hand together and I think we need to respond to that. SB: How important do you feel the work you’re doing is to the community? LM: The immediate impact for a village in realising that someone cares is a profound sense that they are a part of a global community. Many if not all of the villages feel abandoned and uncared for by their government and the world around them. Balbina was our most ambitious project to date. Villages were placing their children as young as 6 years old into small canoes for a three hour journey at 3am simply to reach the nearest school. Many of the children being simply exhausted would fall from their canoes into the night waters, needles to say several children were lost to the river this way. Having opened a school in the remote location not only do the children benefit but we discovered that it gave the whole community hope and brought families together to form a co-operative. Together they have planted manioc trees and other crops which they harvest and sell in the nearest town. SB: Have you come across any hurdles in trying to not only establish the charity but also sustain it? LM: We have been amazed by the growth of the charity. It’s been going for 4 and a half years now. God has been so faithful and with each step He has always provided just enough. SB: What plans do you have for the future of the charity? Any new projects? LM: Our focus has been to build schools and provide education for the children which we will continue to do. However over the past couple of years God has started to open other doors. We are now running a special needs program, working with children who are marked with physical problems and emotional traumas associated with abandonment, poverty and the daily difficulty of running and trying to live a normal life. We are supporting three pastors who God has clearly put in our path. These men play an important role in the work of Ray of Hope as they encourage and minister to the people of the Amazon. Last year we purchased a piece of land in the Amazon jungle with a vision to build a health, education and community centre. It will be a place where we can hold health clinics, provide further education, teach on special needs and other issues. A place to bring the communities and leaders together, for Christian education and to teach new life skills. This is by far the most ambitious project to date and we are seeking as much support as possible. SB: Has the Christian faith been instrumental in driving the charity? LM: Yes it most certainly has. God has been at the centre of the charity from day one, we follow His lead not ours. There is no way Ray of Hope could have accomplished all that it has without Him and through this work we are seeing people changed and lives saved. We all very much feel this is God’s work and we are the vehicle He is using to do this.
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Ray of Hope is a charity based in Manaus, Brazil that dedicates themselves to helping and assisting children’s lives in the Amazon. The charity tirelessly works to help improve resources whilst equipping children and mothers with knowledge and advice. The charity have been able to offer schooling facilities to children who in previous years may have missed out on education due to their location. Ray of Hope recently released an album featuring some of the children from different Amazonian villages called’ 
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