On Sunday 29^th May Romsey Baptist Church launched a new church partnership with the Wesleyan Church of Corail, Southern Haiti, through the charity Compassion.

To celebrate this we welcomed Julian Muwanguzi and her husband Robin, as well as Clare Hartley, the South East Partnership manager for Compassion (an international Christian child development and child advocacy organisation). Julian is a formerly sponsored child through Compassion who has now graduated and is close to fulfilling her dream of becoming a molecular biologist. She spoke passionately about the difference Compassion made to the life of her family, especially after her father, the sole breadwinner, died.

Inspired by Julian’s testimony, 12 families from the congregation came pledged to sponsor children from the Corail Child Development Centre. This now entitles these children to regular financial support, as well as spiritual nurturing at the Centre. Perhaps they will grow up and be able to fulfil their dreams too now!

If you would like to sponsor a child from our new church partner in Haiti, please see Mark or contact him on compassion@romsey-baptist.org.uk

To find out more about what sponsoring a child entails, you can visit the Compassion website at www.compassionuk.org.

Corail is in a mountainous area and the warmest month in the year is June with an average of 30ºC; the coolest month is December with an average of 23ºC. The climate is humid with a rainy season in March to May.

The unemployment rate in Corail is 80% and the nearest medical facility is a 30 minute walk away. The church (which holds its services in Creole) serves the people of Corail through its Compassion assisted project, Corail Child Development Centre, addressing the spiritual needs of the children living in their community. It owns its own project building but the project does not have an electricity supply or access to a telephone.

In order to ensure that the children develop physically, Corail Child Development Centre provides nutritional food, medication and healthcare, hygiene classes, as well as health screening and sports activities. The main religion in Corail is Protestant, but the children registered in Corail Child Development Centre come from a variety of religious backgrounds. The staff and volunteers seek to share the gospel with them in a sensitive and appropriate way and support and encourage spiritual growth through the example of Christian role models, devotions, Bible stories and Christian education. The staff of Corail Child Development Centre supplements the children’s schooling through preschool activities and classes. They are encouraged to grow and develop emotionally and socially by having a safe place to play, home visits by social workers, organised clubs, parties and etiquette classes. Corail Child Development Centre’s care extends beyond just the children. Their families are also involved in project activities, mainly through health and literacy classes, parent meetings and committees.

More news will follow here as we develop the partnership.