Rice BowlsTM News
Growing,
Growing, Growing...Fit for Every Economy
Everyday,
people are asking how the economy is impacting us as a non-profit.
We keep growing and
growing and growing!
Now, more than ever,
people are aware of basic needs. In times of heighten economic awareness,
individuals across the US
are stepping up to help with the ever-present needs, like water, shelter, and
food for children. Because people are drawn to the cause, we are able to
support more kids.
So, we’re going
across the continent of Africa and excited to announce a partnership with New
Hope Homes in Rwanda!
Additionally, please
join us in welcoming these new Orphanage Partners from across India: Rehoboth
Children's Home, Bethel Children's Home, Helping Hands Society, Violet
Children, Living Hope Children's Home, Living Hope Girl's Home, Bethesda
Children's Home, Blessing Hands, Apara Krupa Children's Home.
A Church or School Near You
Across the country, people are finding Rice Bowls are a great way to make a big impact. In any economy, Rice Bowls provide an opportunity for individuals to give to the Orphan crisis. We are excited to report that more than 25,000
The Children’s Ministry invited the church to join us in this project. It was very well participated in. My goal was to raise $1,000 and we surpassed that, which was a blessing. We did not just raise money we also taught in our Children’s ministry about helping others each week.
Kristi Kent, Rockledge, FL, Children’s Director, Grace Fellowship of Brevard
Campaign Total: $1502
I’m a public school teacher and my 8th grade students each took one home as a service project. Also, kids from our church participated. Several church members set them out at local businesses.
Ryan Copico, Monticello, AR, Public School Teacher
Campaign Total: $805
We are a small congregation – our outreach usually raises about $200-300. This effort was very successful and we would like to do this again in 2010!
Nancy Peterson, Galena, IL, St. Matthew Lutheran Church
Campaign Total: $395.70
Our high school girls club selected Rice Bowls as a way to live out their theme verse – Micah 6:8. They engaged the church, the younger girls’ club members and the boys club in their campaign. We learned about poverty and enjoyed helping the orphanages! Thanks!
Becky Beaners, Crestline First Baptist – GEMS Girls Club
Campaign Total: $1718.87
NEW:
Watch Videos!
Now you
can experience the work of Rice Bowls first hand. New videos are available
online! You can Watch and download a video to "Learn about Rice
Bowls" or share a video with your friends, family, church, or school about
how to "Make an Impact".
Visit www.ricebowls.org/video to watch videos or
check us out on Youtube. Both videos
feature one of our favorite artists, David Walker.
Violet’s Kids & Precious Children
In
late 2008, Rice Bowls board members Dodd Caldwell and Rev. Richard
Smith traveled throughout India. They visited current Rice Bowls
orphanage partners, like Precious Children’s home. Dodd relates, “There
were128 children. It is located right outside of Bangalore. The
facilities were very nice, and the property has several acres
enclosed. The children are able to play in the open space and have
cricket and volleyball fields. They have their own school and would
like to add an auditorium type area on the second floor above the
school.” Precious Children is also intentional about introducing
children to Christ and equipping kids to lead their generation. The
Rice Bowls vision is to partner with Christian orphanage like this one.
Here children receive a quality education and intentional discipleship
in a nurturing environment. |
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Of the 1.15 billion people in India, these are two of our favorites |
Additionally, Richard and Dodd visited
orphanages Rice Bowls prays to support in the future. One was run by a
Christian couple, Violet and Abraham. Dodd noted that the experience at
“Violet’s orphanage” was very different. “It was in a slum in downtown
Bangalore, located next to a slaughterhouse and over a raw sewage
canal. It does not yet have a name. It is extremely under-funded and
has no paperwork. Ephrata, [one of our Indian hosts], said that it was
probably the most deserving yet needy orphanage in all of India.
Abraham, pastor of the church next door, and his wife Violet run the
orphanage. The church serves many ex or current prostitutes in the
slum. Almost all of the children are orphaned because 1 or both of
their parents died of tuberculosis. 10 of the children had
tuberculosis. Violet serves hospice care to those dying of cancer and
other diseases, takes care of the homeless and prostitutes, runs the
orphanage, and nurses the sick in the area. Everyone in the community
calls her “Mama.”
Since this trip, we have prayed that God will
continually grow the ministry of Rice Bowls. Our vision is to continue
to support the work of partners like Rescue Children, as well as to
provide for life changing partnership with orphanage’s like Violet’s.
Learn more about Rice Bowls Orphanage Partners->
Our “To Do” List
As
2009 gets off to a quick start, we are praying God would significantly
grow this ministry. This year, Rice Bowls is praying to:
Spread the word. To impact the Orphan Crisis, we want to give Americans a vision for the need and an ability to get involved.
Serve more partners. In 2009, we will come alongside more visionary Christian leaders as they bring orphans into God’s family.
Feed more kids. This year, we are praying to feed 3,000 kids. That is a 500% increase over our current ministry.
To
meet these goals, our newest staff member, Sajina Sarathy, will work
directly with orphanages in his native home, India. We will be adding
exciting resources to our website to help you connect with the cause
and share the ministry with others. Most of all, we are praying big!
Join us in 2009!
Listen for the Cause
Rice Bowls is excited to partner with these artists in 2009.
For more information regarding artists and events partnerships, email us->
The Grace of Christmas
This Christmas, we are praying that each our partners experience the Love, Peace, and Grace of Christ, our Lord...
For
you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty
might become rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9
Praying for 2009 in Haiti, South Africa, India, and Beyond!
Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike…
With
four hurricanes in four weeks, Haiti has experienced tremendous
flooding, loss of precious livestock and gardens, and tremendous damage
to the nation’s infrastructure. Haiti, the poorest nation in the
Western hemisphere, is expected to feel the impact of these storms for
a long time to come.
One orphanage director reports, “many families
have lost everything including personal belongings and in many
instances their homes.”
Rescue Children, a Rice Bowls Orphanage
Partner, is weathering the storms and looking ahead with promise. At
this point, the children and staff of this orphanage are remaining at
home. Outside, flood waters have reached their doorstep, but they are
safe inside. However, they have little food and water. Additionally,
communication has been very limited because they have had virtually no
electricity. Please visit ricebowls.org for upcoming news.
New Lesson Plans
Q: What do persuasive writing, multiplication, and world hunger have in common?
A: They are all a part of Rice Bowls’ newly expanded Lesson Pans.
These
Lesson Plans are designed to enhance your Rice Bowls campaign. As your
school or Sunday school spends four weeks collecting change in your
Rice Bowls, spend 4 weeks discussing the issues that impact world
hunger. These free resources are great for teachers and parents.
Download them from the Resources Section.
Rice Bowls Lesson Plans->
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Joining the Family:
Joining Hands
Jonathan
and Job are the newest members of the Joining Hands family in South
Africa. They are children of immigrants in a nation torn apart by
violence against foreigners. Their father is reportedly back in jail,
in the Congo, for smuggling. Their step-mother is reportedly in a
refuge camp. Neither parent has shown concern for the boys.
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These
two young teenagers found themselves near a church in Johannesburg.
This same inner-city church is home to a weekly ministry lead by
Joining Hands director, Linda van Dyk. Since meeting Linda, Jonathan
and Job have a home, food, and are attending school, through Joining
Hands, a Rice Bowls Orphanage Partner. As van Dyk reflects, these boys
are making the most of their new opportunities. “They are very clever
kids and quite keen to get on with their lives!”
Meanwhile, in South
Africa, van Dyk reports, “some of the staple foods have doubled in
price [in a matter of weeks]. The poor are in the kind of bind that I
don't even want to imagine!” Nevertheless, she reports that thanks to
your Rice Bowls campaigns, “us and ours are still eating.”
Welcome New Orphanage Partners!
This week, Rice Bowls is thrilled to announce 14 new Orphanage Partners. From rural areas on the eastern coast of Africa to major cities in the heart of India, these partners are committed to serving the Lord by serving children. Some homes have as few as 6 children, while others have as many as 50, but each one provides a loving, equipping family. Because of these homes, children have hope. Because of your Rice Bowls campaigns, these homes will have food.
Here is an overview of Rice Bowls new Orphanage Partners:
MISSION ONE MILLION
- Mission One Million cares for 300 children.
- Children live in 9 different homes across Western India.
- It takes less than 50 cents to feed one of these children for an entire day.
Read More->
PRECIOUS CHILDREN’S HOME
- Precious Children's Home is a Ministry of Prison Fellowship India.
- Located in Bangalore, India.
- This home is a haven for 128 children.
Read More->
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Mission One Million,
Mungood, India
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CHILD HAVEN
- Six children currently live at Child Haven.
- This home opened in late 2007, in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- Like Baby Haven, this Rice Bowls Orphanage Partner is a Masiphane Project, led by David and Caroline Webb.
Read More->
iTHEMBA
- "iThemba" is pronounced, "I-Tim-Ba" and means "Hope"
- Near Hillcrest in eastern South Africa.
- There are three homes at iThemba, each are Rice Bowls Orphanage Partners.
Read More->
More Hope, More Partners
As participation across the United States grows with Rice Bowls, we are excited to pursue partnerships with over a dozen new orphanages in Africa and East Asia.
These partners have been referred to Rice Bowls by a current Orphanage Partner and/or a friend of the ministry. They have had an on-site visit by a Rice Bowls board member or ministry representative. These Proposed Partners are doing incredible work – reaching children impacted by HIV, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and prostitution. Some of these Orphanages are also reaching out beyond the children directly in their care to support children as young as nine who are heads of their own household. This type of outreach seeks to support and provide for children who are taking care of their siblings after the loss of their parents. Some orphanages are also passionately and proudly serving girls in cultures that frequently do not value women.
These orphanages, as well as current Rice Bowls Orphanage Partners, are giving hope to children who have never had it before. As one Proposed Partner reports, “Hope is a powerful force. It can pull someone forward at their time of need and provide a reason for being. In South Africa the gift of hope is paramount.”
Havens in Crisis
A month ago, Baby Haven was full of thrilling news celebrating the
placement of five infants with their forever families. As we continue
to celebrate these placements, Baby Haven and its staff encounter
extreme challenges and request your prayers, as haven director David
Webb relates:
We urgently ask your prayers for the health of our babies, most
urgently for twins Rodney and Ronelle, aged five weeks. Rodney is in
the hospital. His sister Ronelle is in quarantine at our house after a
candid government doctor advised us that her chances for survival are
greater if cared for at home. Baby Aaron just left the hospital after
an apparent attack of the same sickness. Pray for our other children
that they do not contract the disease.
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David and Caroline Webb,
directors Baby Haven
and Masiphane Projects, Johannesburg, South Africa |
We buried our Baby Thoko
last Friday after a shockingly sudden death. [Our children] John and
Rob carried the coffin while Zach placed the flowers on top that were
almost bigger than the coffin itself. Jean sang a worship song and
Ayanda read a Scripture. Our children have had dozens and dozens of
foster siblings but this was the first who died while in our care. We
were grateful for many friends who gathered around, especially Ron who
was holding Thoko when he slipped away.
When we laid him to rest, he seemed to us a symbol for all that attacks South Africa’s orphans. Abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, left in a government hospital where he spent his first month with many sick and dying children and in close proximity to their diseases, placed with us only after he seemed likely to survive, then snatched away in an infection that manifested just a few hours before his death. To our surprise, no one suggested an autopsy or wanted to know the details. One doctor shrugged her shoulders and said “these babies die.”
We try to rest in the knowledge that the Lord who said, “Let the children come to me,” was content to bring Thoko to himself quite suddenly Wednesday morning. Please pray for my wife, Caroline, and all the staff who serve so diligently and faithfully for the sake of the children.
Also, pray for our visa situation to be resolved. Our last application has been in process for almost two years in an office that admitted to me recently that they had not yet looked at it. We were forced to apply for an emergency temporary permit at great cost and we feel some confidence that this will be granted, but if it is not, we could be in precarious legal situation within a week.
[Meanwhile], the last two weeks have been something of a blur as we try to be faithful with the havens in the middle of a national crisis. Some isolated incidents of poor South Africans attacking poor Zimbabwean [immigrants and refuges] escalated into city-wide, province-wide and now nation-wide violence. Over fifty are dead and over 100,000 are displaced as they flee the violence. The dead were often beaten, burned or otherwise tortured to death in mob violence.
We have given our guest apartment to take in a family who were fleeing the violence. They are Zimbabwean and as tensions mounted, their neighbors were threatening their lives. They left suddenly at night with a small mob taunting them to get out and stay out.
Last Sunday I had the privilege of giving the Sunday sermon and spoke on God’s love for the alien. The alien, the orphan and the widow are often identified together in Scripture as vulnerable people we are commanded to care for:
“The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” – Leviticus 19:34
In the Kingdom of God, we understand that we are all strangers. We are strangers to a world hell-bent on selfish goals and motivations. Strangers, by God’s grace, to sin that would attempt to entangle us. Strangers to people who perpetrate injustice, abuse the widow and neglect the orphan. Let me ask you… How strange do you feel? Do you feel your foreignness? I pray that you do!
– David Webb, June 2, 2008
More about Baby Haven->
UPDATE:
We are very happy that Baby Rodney seemed better today.
His sister, Baby Ronelle, is now in hospital and seemed worse. Pray for us all!
- David Webb, Orphanage Director, 6/5/2008
UPDATE:
BABY HAVEN - The baby we quarantined in our house had to be admitted to the hospital but she is already well and ready to be released. Her twin brother Rodney seemed better earlier in the week but has taken another turn for the worse. Please pray for him. None of our other children have shown signs of sickness and we believe Baby Haven is free of contagion. Thank you for your prayers!
OUR VISA SITUATION - Yesterday each Webb received a certificate entitled "Authorization for Illegal Foreigner to remain in the Republic Pending Application for Status." So although we are illegal, we have permission to be here for another 30 days. Our home church, Grace Covenant in Virginia, has pledged funds to pay our legal fees and we have hired an immigration attorney to represent us. Please pray that she is successful in pursuing our cause and that it will be heard with a successful result long before the 5 July deadline. There is, to the best of everyone's knowledge, no problem with our application. Administrative delays have kept our application in limbo for almost two years.
THE NATION - The country is quieter this week but there is threat of unrest as the foreigners who fled violence over the last 3 weeks are now living in makeshift refugee camps, most having lost everything in mob action. Our church continues to serve some of these camps where families are living in tents on mattresses on plastic tarp. South African winter is settling in and we ask your prayers for resolution for the displaced. The government is sending some back on prepaid fares to their country of origin but tens of thousands prefer to stay rather than endure starvation in their homelands. Pray for creative answers for these people!
- David Webb, Orphanage Director, 6/7/2008
Celebrating with El-Shadai
On May 31, 2008 El-Shadai Home for Children in Chennai, India, celebrated their eleventh anniversary. Founder and director Joseph Paul started the orphanage after a ministry experience with now Rice Bowls board member, Richard Smith. The mission of El-Shadai remains to give “Love to the Unloved, Hope to the Hopeless & Joy to the Joyless.”
Joseph Paul relates his continued quest, “As we enter in to new year our ambition and prayer is we want to fulfill His purpose to glorify His name. We want always to be center of His will and available to Him. My heart’s desire is to bring the children to an intimate knowledge of Christ.”
The ministry of El-Shadai continues to reach the surrounding community. Truly this ministry is not only impacting orphans today, but it is also shaping a community for generations to come. They recently hosted a very successful VBS, with 187 local children attending. Eighteen children from the village gave their lives to Jesus. The El-Shadai family is prayerfully following up with each child. Joseph Paul recently shared that the El-Shadai vision is for the community as a whole, “to reach neglected children by offering role models and by understanding their values.”
More about El-Shadai->
The Vision
Where there is no vision, the people perish? - Proverbs 29:18
A year ago, God had a vision to re-launch Rice Bowls; to connect Americans with the global orphan crisis, and to continue this organization's long standing mission to feed the world in Christ's name.
Because of that vision and your overwhelming response to the needs of vulnerable children, Rice Bowls is once again able to distribute funds to feed orphans in India, Haiti, and South Africa. Funds were dispersed through our network of Orphanage Partners to cover their food budgets for the next three months. Allocations where made based on Orphanage Partners' monthly food expenditures, and each was increased by 15% in accordance with rising global food costs.
"We thanked God for Rice bowl and for their vision," said Joseph Paul, the Director of El-Shadai, in Chennai, India. "On behalf of [the] El-Shadai family we extend our heartfelt thanks for your valuable support. May God bless you and all who contributed."
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Moses, age 14, is a member of the El-Shadai family
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Forever Families & More!
Baby “D”, Baby “J”, Baby “N”, Baby “S”, and Baby “E.”
Five adoptions in 30 days. That’s the news from Baby Haven, a Rice Bowls partner orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Baby Haven was founded because of the “large numbers of babies that had been abandoned in local hospitals. Many mothers who went to hospital to give birth learned of their HIV+ status and simply left the hospital without their baby. Other babies were found abandoned in rubbish bins, in fields and public places, and taken to hospital.” At Baby Haven, infants find loving, nurturing, consistent care, and connections to “Forever Families.”
So what is next for the Webb’s, the family of eight who founded Baby Haven? Start something new! Together with two committed house mothers, they opened Child Haven, a home for older children, early in 2008. As they welcome children to this new haven, please pray for:
- The coordination of programs that affectively provide “at-home care” for those of the children who have HIV.
- Their newest children, a brother and sister who are battling malnourishment and parasites.
Thanks to growing participation, Rice Bowls is finalizing details to partner in supporting Child Haven.
Did you know?
In Haiti, the price of rice has risen nearly 80 % from September, 2007 to April, 2008. Rice is the dietary stable of the Haitian population, as well as the majority of the world. Worldwide, the cost of rice is up 146% over the past 12 months.
Economics of Orphans
Everywhere we turn, someone is reporting on the US economy. But what does this have to do with Global Hunger and the Orphan Crisis?
A lot.
Around the world, there is a new dimension in this quest to feed the nations. For decades, hunger ministries and relief efforts have focused on availability – getting food to areas in need. Now, there are additional barriers due to affordability. Not only is there a challenge to get the food to those in need, it is an even greater challenge to pay for it.
As the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports, “World food prices have risen 45 percent in the last nine months and there are serious shortages of rice, wheat and maize.”
And it’s impacting Rice Bowls Orphanage Partners:
- At Jyothi Home for Children, a proposed Orphanage Partner in Kakinada, India, the director reports that the, “drastic fall in [the] dollar rate and lack of prompt sponsors is hitting us very bad.” It used to cost $25 per month to feed a child. But in a matter of weeks, that cost has risen by nearly 10%, to roughly $27 per month.
- Rising food prices have led to riots, lootings, and killings in Haiti. Rescue Children, a Rice Bowls Orphanage Partner near Port-au-Prince reports: “Things are very bad in Haiti now with food costs escalating out of sight. A gallon-size can of powdered milk has now risen to $32 US. A flat of eggs from $20H after Christmas to $30H.”
Learn more with
Rice Bowls Resources. Check out
Today's Orphan Crisis and
Helpful Links.
Introducing: Rice Reports
Stories from real life Rice Bowls Campaign Coordinators – just like you!
Visit Rice Reports. This latest addition to ricebowls.org is a chance for you to meet Campaign Coordinators across the country. Do you know someone who should be featured? Contact us today and tell us their story!
This is also a working title. Sure, “Rice Reports,” is okay – but we think YOU can do better. And we’ve got free stuff to prove it. Send us your ideas and you could win a Rice Bowls t-shirt. Contest submissions due by April 30, 2008.
A Season of Prayer
As Lent began, we entered a Season of Prayer for vulnerable children around the world. From tremendous financial gifts to increases in Rice Bowls participation, we have seen God’s hand on this ministry. In particular, we praise Him for the work He has done through this season in our Orphanage Partners. We are reminded that He is in control, and we are blessed to be a part of His work.
A Blessing of Time in South Africa
Linda, who directs ministry at a Rice Bowls orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa comments, “we have truly found out that God is the father of the fatherless, that we are just his hands.” Linda related the story of two boys form the Joining Hands family. Zachariah and his little brother Pontzo came to Joining Hands after being “locked up all weekend in a one-room hut made of tin, while the mother goes from bar to bar, sleeping with men for drinks. We started to look after them for weekends only. Then the mother took the opportunity to disappear.” Their mother has since reappeared and is dying from complications of AIDS and alcohol abuse. But thanks in part to your participation in Rice Bowls, her children will be raised in a loving, Christian home. What’s more, the children and orphanage staff have been able to share meaningful time with this mother, enabling her to die with dignity and to grant her children closer. Considering this family and the tremendous gift of time they have been given, Linda praises the Lord, saying, “He loves you right up to the finest details of your life.”
Prayers from India. Prayers for the Future.
As we continue to pray for God’s hand and His will to be done through this ministry, join Rice Bowls in praying for individual orphans. Download a Prayer Calendar online.
From the reflections of Joseph Paul, director of El-Shadai Children’s Home in Chennai India, we hold to God’s promises as written in Haggai 2:19, “…From this day on I will bless you.”
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Eighty-One and Counting
It’s
all because of you! Thanks to spare change you collected, 81 children
across the world will eat adequate, well-balanced meals! Thirty-two
colleges, churches, public schools, private schools, and homeschool
groups from 15 states all worked to generate these funds. As these partners serve the front
lines of the hunger crisis, your spare change supplied each of the them with 100% of their food budgets for the next two months. Orphanage Partners receiving these funds
are:
Mike
Van Dyk, of Joining Hands Foundation remarked, "We're blessed and
excited by the breakthrough your gift represents...it's great to know
that others in the body of Christ care for the downtrodden, even if
half a globe away."
In the coming months, join Rice Bowls with your own campaign to supply funds to the these Orphanage Partners and others!
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Season of Prayers
As we enter into the season of Lent, please join Rice Bowls in a Season of Prayer. You can download the Prayer Calendar regularly. In addition, we are asking for 40 people to commit to pray for these 40 days. Will you commit to:
- Pick a time and Pray at that time each day. Starting Today!
- Pray that we will see a dramatic, passionate response to the escalating Orphan Crisis around the world.
- Pray that God would use Rice Bowls to be part of that response.
- Pray for more and more individuals to have the vision to make a tangible difference in the lives of children through this simple project.
If you would join us in this season of prayer, please email your commitment to pray, one of your prayers, and any additional comments to klandon@ricebowls.org.
New Ideas for 2008
Plan now for this year's Rice Bowls campaign. Pick the time of year that is best for your group!!
JANUARY: Take
Rice Bowls to work. Place bowls by vending machines, on desks, or pass
out at a staff meeting. Rice Bowls are an easy, low pressure project allowing your team to serve together while they work! Email Rice Bowls for a Rice Bowls at Work Planning Kit.
FEBRUARY: Celebrate
Valentines Day at your school with a Rice Bowls project. As
students pass out valentines to one another, pass out Rice Bowls as
well. It's a simple way for kids to serve kids. Email Rice Bowls for a School Planning Kit.
MARCH: Easter
is early! March 23! As you celebrate Jesus our Savior, embrace His
words, "Feed my lambs... Take care of my sheep... Feed my sheep...
Follow me." (John 21: 15, 16, 17, 19) Distribute Rice Bowls on Easter or use them throughout Lent.
APRIL: No
time to plan a Spring Service Project? Does your school, student
organization, or civic group do one project per semester? With busy
spring calendars, it can
be hard to coordinate schedules. But with Rice Bowls, your members have
a daily, simple opportunity to serve - and make a big impact! All you have to do is Order Online.
MAY: Spring
Cleaning! As everyone prepares for garage sales, dorm room move outs,
and classroom cleaning - it's a great time for Rice Bowls! The spare
change you find around the house can make a big, big difference.
JUNE: Celebrate
the Day of the African Child, June 16. Recognize the power of
passionate youth by mobilizing students around you to take action! Join
in celebrations across the world or organize one in your community.
JULY: Planning
a Mission Trip? Summer Camp? Special Retreat? When your team gets off
the bus at home, continue your experience with Rice Bowls. It's a
tangible way to continue your service and worship. Plus,
you can all get back together to count the change and share memories of
the trip! Email Rice Bowls for a Trip Planning Kit.
AUGUST: VBS!
This year, add a simple project to your Vacation Bible School. Rice
Bowls get the entire family involved and a great way to connect
visitors to your church's mission to actively serve the Lord. Email Rice Bowls for a Children's Ministry Planning Kit.
SEPTEMBER: Headed
back to campus? Plan a Rice Bowls project for your school this fall.
Pass them out to your hall, greek organization, service club, or Bible
study. Organize an event on campus to educate everyone about the Orphan
Crisis - invite professors to speak and students to present. Email Rice
Bowls for a Campus Planning Kit.
OCTOBER: Celebrate World Hunger Sunday, October 12,
or World Food Day, October 16. Incorporate the message into Teaching,
Children's Messages, Youth Activities, and Sunday School! Email Rice Bowls for a Church-Wide Planning Kit.
NOVEMBER: Celebrate
the Season with Rice Bowls. Place Rice Bowls on your Thanksgiving
table. As your family enjoys dinner, pray for the needs of orphans
across the globe. Then, have everyone take home a Rice Bowl and return
it for Christmas!
DECEMBER: World
AIDS Day is December 1. Use Rice Bowls to support Christian orphanages
who are serving children made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Organize a prayer vigil or educational program in your community. Email
Rice Bowls for a World AIDS Day Planning Kit.
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Rescuing Children in Haiti
Rice Bowls is pleased to proud to partner with Rescue Children Orpahanage, of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Haiti is the
poorest country in the western hemisphere, and 15 % of Haitian children
are orphans. The AIDS/HIV crisis, low vaccination rates, and the
scarcity of clean drinking water are key factors impacting kids in Haiti.
The mission of Rescue Children Orphanage is to help destitute and
disadvantaged children by providing safe drinking water, healthy food,
clothing, housing and medical services, to assist in providing
education and vocational skills training, and to give them hope while ministering to their spiritual needs.
At Rescue Children, the orphans of Haiti find a family and a future.
Read more about Rescue Children _> |
Welcome to South Africa!
Rice Bowls is pleased to announce our partnership with Joining Hands, a
small grassroots orphanage in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The story of Joining Hands is the story of children like Khanyisileis,
Bukiwe, and Bongani. These siblings were living by themselves in
Soweto, a particularly poor section of Johannesburg. Bongani dropped
out of schools for 3 years to beg for food for their family. He and
Buki were not even teenagers, but they struggled to keep they family
together and care for their baby sister, Khanyisileis.
Then they came to Joining Hands. At this Rice Bowls orphanage, the
children are under the care of faithful, compassionate adults who
provide loving attention and top quality care for every child. Today,
the children attend school, where they are receiving awards for
academic excellence. They are involved with friends, church, and
recreational athletics. Like all children at Joining Hands, they are
discipled to grow as Christian leaders, equipped to serve Africa in the
coming decades. Learn about Joining Hands ->
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Local charity tops statewide 'Angels' list for good works
By Trevor Anderson, Spartanburg Herald Journal
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Secretary of State Mark Hammond will name Rice Bowls Angel Award recipient
on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, a news conference held at the State House
Auditorium in Columbia.
“It is our privilege to accept this award on behalf of the 143 million
orphans around the world as well as the faith and love of those courageous
workers who daily serve them, remarked Richard Smith of Hope Point Community
Church, a member of the the Rice Bowls Board of Directors. “There is no greater
joy than to be a funnel of God’s mercy which has been showered upon us
all. We pray that this honor will produce a new revelation of need, a new
wave of compassion, and new ray of hope for these precious ones that we are
called and enabled to help.”
The Annual Scrooge and Angels ceremony recognizes some of the state’s best
charities each year when it comes to charitable giving, and highlights some of
the worst charities soliciting in South Carolina.
Christmas came early for a Spartanburg-based nonprofit that put 98.7 percent of its funding toward preventing hunger in developing countries this year.
Rice Bowls Inc., known for its use of plastic coin banks resembling rice bowls to collect spare change for orphanages around the world, was the best charity in 2007, according to the South Carolina Secretary of State's 12th annual "Scrooges and Angels" list, released Wednesday.
Fighting world hunger
"That certainly makes me feel good, but I can't take any of the credit," said Rice Bowls founder and area pastor Alastair Walker. "I'm just amazed at how the Lord has used Rice Bowls to raise millions to feed the hungry around the world."
Walker founded Rice Bowls in 1978 after returning from a missions trip to India, where he said he saw extreme poverty. Since its inception, the organization has raised about $30 million to fight world hunger.
Secretary of State Mark Hammond gave special recognition to Rice Bowls and the other nine "angels" at a reception Wednesday in Columbia.
"Rice Bowls is a wonderful, sound organization," Hammond said. "I'm pleased to honor them, and I'm pleased that they are a part of our state."
Katie Landon, director of program growth for Rice Bowls, accepted a plaque from Hammond at the reception.
"We were thrilled to be honored among other great organizations," Landon said. "It's a pleasure to be recognized for gift-giving effectively."
Other state charities that made the list included Bluffton Self-Help Inc. of Bluffton, Cooper River Bridge Run Inc. of Charleston, Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons of Aiken, Friendship Medical Clinic of Conway, Healing Species of Orangeburg and Scott Hannon Memorial Foundation of Irmo.
Good Works Inc. of Chapin was second on the "angels' list, as 98 percent of its funding was used for its mission.
Hammond listed a California group, Shiloh International Ministries, as his top "scrooge" charity. He said the group, which provides medical necessities to children and the disabled, put less than 4 percent of its funding toward its cause.
One South Carolina group, Children's Charitable Foundation of Anderson, made the worst charities list, as only 7.9 percent of its funding went to its mission.
Rice Bowls is an "Angel"!
Secretary of State Mark Hammond will name Rice Bowls an Angel Award recipient
on Wednesday, November 14, 2007, at a news conference held at the State House
Auditorium in
Columbia.
“It is our privilege to accept this award on behalf of the 143 million
orphans around the world as well as the faith and love of those courageous
workers who daily serve them," remarked Richard Smith of Hope Point Community
Church, a member of the the Rice Bowls Board of Directors. “There is no greater
joy than to be a funnel of God’s mercy which has been showered upon us
all. We pray that this honor will produce a new revelation of need, a new
wave of compassion, and new ray of hope for these precious ones that we are
called and enabled to help.”
The Annual Scrooge and Angels ceremony recognizes some of the state’s best
charities each year when it comes to charitable giving, and highlights some of
the worst charities soliciting in South Carolina.
Change for Change
With dimes, nickels, pennies, and quarters, small gifts can
change the world! On October 30, 2007, Rice Bowls received our first donations under our
new model. These funds will directly serve Rice Bowls orphanages around the
world. Thousands of Rice Bowls have been ordered and shipped. Paradise
Baptist Church in Ball, Louisiana was the first to collect, count, and return
the proceeds from their Rice Bowls campaign - totaling $235.72!
"The
children really had fun giving their change and knowing they were going to help
hungry children," says Nancy Taylor of Paradise.
In the following week, donations came in from Alabama and South Carolina, as well. In a matter of
days, over $6,500 was already directed to serving vulnerable children.
Get started today->
Welcome El-Shadai!
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Planning, praying, proposing, paper work, and now -
Partnership! We are thrilled to announce that El-Shadai, an orphanage in
Chennai, India, is the first official Rice Bowls partner. We are thrilled to
have the opportunity to serve Jospeh and Lydia Paul, who have faithfully served
children in need for more than a decade.
Currently serving 43 children,
El-Shadai has a mission to uplift and rehabilitate down trodden, destitute
children. They do so by providing good shelter, education, food and clothes and
rearing orphans as useful citizens of India. El-Shadai is committed to showering
an abundance of love and care on a personal level, regardless of color, caste,
religion, sex or creed.
As we celebrate with El-Shadai, we join them in
prayer for: the children and their exams, building projects, new children and
their adjustment to the home, the health of the staff, and new ministry
opportunities.
Learn about El-Shadai-> |
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Lesson Plans Now Available
Teachers, administrators and homeschoolers! Are you looking for a service-learning opportunity? Engage your students in a variety of academic areas while challenging them to serve their peers across the world. Rice Bowls will launch new lesson plans each month. The first plans, designed for middle school students are ready for you to download. Designed by a public school teacher, these plans are adaptable to a variety of settings. Visit Lesson Plans->
The New Rice Bowls
After 27 years and over $20 million in funds raised for the
hungry, the ministry of Rice Bowls has been called to do even more for the
world’s children.
In response to this call and to the orphan and HIV/AIDS
crisis plaguing many nations, Rice Bowls has prayerfully determined to make the
following changes:
- Rice
Bowls will now be provided at no cost.
- Rice
Bowls will partner with Christian orphanages in developing countries.
- Rice
Bowls will collect the funds from each organization's campaign, and send
them directly to these international partners.
- Rice
Bowls will now be an ideal project for schools, colleges, and community
organizations, as well as churches.
As Micah 6:8
tells us, we are “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God.” This call to justice
and mercy sometimes means walking in new directions. As Rice Bowls founder Dr. Alastair C. Walker remarked,
“Over 3,000,000
have already been used...and we believe that many more will be used...around the nation and beyond."
Rice Bowls is excited to see long time partners continue in
this new vision to maximize the impact of their giving. We are also pleased to invite
new partners to join in this quest to make a tangible difference in the lives
of others.
For more information, explore the Rice Bowls website at
WWW.RICEBOWLS.ORG or contact
Katie Landon, Director of Program Growth at (864) 699-3917.
Take the Lead: Have you Used Rice Bowls in the past?
Join Us Now!
As Rice Bowls begins directly equipping Christian Orphanages around the world, we need your leadership. If your church or organization has used Rice Bowls in the past year, we invite you to learn what the new direction means for you and to prayerfully consider joining us as we combat the Global Orphan Crisis.
We hope that your church or organization has given to a variety of world hunger efforts in the past and we pray daily that you continue to do so. Rice Bowls is honored to have equipped you to give to these programs for nearly three decades.
With contributing factors like the
AIDS/HIV Crisis, the number of vulnerable children continues to rise.
We invite you to respond to this specific, growing need. We know that there are children that are being overlooked throughout the world...and we think there is so spare change that is being overlooked in your car, home, or back pocket. Without adding a single thing to your church or organization's budget this year, you can make an impact by turning that spare change into food for orphans.
Contact us today and be a Lead Church->
Q&A for Current Church Partners->
We want to hear from You!
Join us in praying for Rice Bowls' new direction.
Tell us what you think of the new website.
Share you quote or Rice Bowls story.
Request updates from Rice Bowls.
Submit your comments here.