impact 2021
REPORT
GOOD N EWS TO THE
world
God’s church is most alive when the body of believers are sharing and living out the Good News of Jesus. We at Nazarene Compassionate Ministries can see this life being cultivated firsthand though faith expressions of local congregations. As the Body of Christ builds relationships and nurtures one another toward deeper discipleship, God’s transformation across people, communities, and nations is more and more apparent. And the great joy and opportunity is this: each of us is welcomed in to become part of this good work of the Lord. In the next pages you will read how people are caring for the marginalized and most vulnerable and how they are seeking and building partnerships in community. The congregations joined in these efforts are dynamic and incarnational as they embody the call to love one another. They are actively living into God’s transformation of their communities. Praise be to God! This annual report represents not what NCM is or does. Rather, it represents what NCM has been privileged to facilitate through local churches who are
FOLLOWING THE E X AM PLE OF J ESUS —
responding to God’s call to compassion. Each set of numbers and each statistic represent people acting in the name of Jesus to bring hope. Together, we are the church offering good news to the world.
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries partners with local Nazarene
NELL BECKER SWEEDEN
Director, Nazarene Compassionate Ministries
congregations around the world to clothe, shelter, feed, heal, educate, and live in solidarity with those who suffer under oppression, injustice, violence, poverty, hunger, and disease. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries exists in and through the Church of the Nazarene to proclaim the gospel to all people in word and deed.
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IMPAC T REPORT 2021
IMPAC T REPORT 2021
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WHO WE
are
THE CHURCH IN AC TION
Nazarene Compassionate Ministries (NCM) is the church in action. We are an outflow of the Church of the Nazarene in our world, working to mobilize local congregations to live out Christ’s call to care for those considered the “least of these” (Matthew 25). Through your partnership, NCM walks alongside local churches when they are looking for ways to meet the needs around them. We use a holistic ministry model that both proclaims and demonstrates the gospel of Christ, resulting in lives that are transformed through Christ. Together, we partner with congregations around the world to provide tangible expressions of Christ’s compassion through church-led community development and emergency relief work. We are seeing lives and communities transformed through these nine areas of work:
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Anti-Human Trafficking
Clean Water
Economic Development
Emergency Relief
Food Security (Access to Food and Sustainable Agriculture)
Health Care
Holistic Child Development
Refugee and Immigrant Support
Women and Girls
IMPAC T REPORT 2021
NA Z AR E N E COM PASSIONATE M INISTR IES (NCM) IS THE CHURCH IN AC TION
IMPAC T REPORT 2021
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HIGHLIGHT
HE ALTH
care
I N T E G R AT E D H E A LT H C A R E I N A F R I C A
In 2020, five countries in Africa began implementing a new kind of project that integrated clean water, sanitation, hygiene, health care, and economic development. Programs in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, and Zambia are thriving in their second year despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. Across the five countries,
Anne’s
STORY —
• 15 new health alliances were initiated between churches, health workers, and other community groups • Community health volunteers have visited more than 4,500 homes • A multi-faceted approach means that entire communities can be transformed as people become better-connected, healthier, and more financially stable
247 households constructed or improved sanitation facilities through education.
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IMPAC T REPORT 2021
In Liberia, 53 mothers actively participate in vocational groups with the project.
6,700+ people across the five countries increased health literacy via trainings.
Anne, 42, is a community health volunteer with the new health alliance in Kenya. The volunteers travel throughout the community, connecting people to existing clinics and running sanitation and hygiene trainings. “These activities have influenced family, my community, and me a great deal,” she says. “I am grateful for the training that has made me a community health volunteer.” Anne’s father didn’t believe in education, and without one she had few opportunities open to her as an adult. When her husband left her and their four children to work outside of the country, the Nazarene church and her neighbors surrounded her and made sure the family had what they needed. Later, when she heard that she could give back as a volunteer, she jumped at the opportunity. “I am delighted to be even of small assistance to my community,” she shares. “They stood by me when I needed them the most, and they still do.”
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HIGHLIGHT
E M E RG E NC Y
relief
LO N G - T E R M R E CO V E R Y I N N E PA L
In 2015, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook Nepal, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring tens of thousands more. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries responded at the time through local churches, and a new long-term project was developed to help improve resilience in the face of emergency relief. Through the holistic model, people are able to develop safety nets that they can use in the face of another emergency. At the six-year mark, • An integrated, long-term model is now standard for Nazarene disaster response • Savings groups and vocational trainings are thriving • Child development centers are transforming entire communities
Suku’s
STORY —
Suku, 50, is the father of three children. He took out a loan to pay for their education years ago, but chronic health issues prevented him from repaying it. The event triggered mental health issues, too, and the anxiety he felt about the future made it difficult to work. The cruel cycle caused both his physical and mental health to decline rapidly. Through his children’s connection with Nazarene holistic child development projects, Suku connected with coordinators for the integrated emergency relief project, who helped him access counseling and learn coping techniques. The Nazarene savings group nearby also decided to invite him to join, and he opened a small grocery shop.
Children participate in holistic activities that care for mind, body, and spirit.
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Savings groups empowered 58 families to start small businesses and grow safety nets.
Businesses also help families experience improved food security and better health.
Suku’s small business improved each day, and so did his health. Soon, he was able to pay off his loans and expand the business to involve his wife. Through mental health care, dignity affirming work, and spiritual renewal, Suku’s story was transformed.
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HIGHLIGHT
HOLISTIC CHILD
development
Childhood shouldn’t have to be marked by hunger, poverty, or fear. And yet, children represent half of those living in poverty globally, making them more likely than adults to live under the poverty line. The cycle is perpetuated by the lack of access to good food for healthy growth of bodies and good education of healthy growth of minds. It becomes too easy for poverty to become a poverty of hope, too. That’s why holistic child development through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries addresses a wide range of needs by ministering to a child spiritually, educationally, physically, and socially. Child development centers offer safe and healthy spaces for children to grow.
Rania’s
STORY —
Rania* is living in Lebanon as a refugee after fleeing Syria with her family. There, she attends a Nazarene school, which provides spiritual, educational, emotional, and physical care. “I love this school,” Rania says. “It is a good one.”
In the Philippines, child survivors of online sexual exploitation receive traumainformed care.
Children living as refugees in Bangladesh receive counseling, educational support, and a safe community.
Families in Rwanda raise piglets to overcome food insecurity through child development centers.
The school devised innumerable ways to maintain a community of support during the pandemic, and they also provided mental health care and food support to families struggling through lockdown. Often, children living as refugees miss years of schooling. The Nazarene school welcomes students where they are at and provides holistic care. “I didn’t feel like I was a new student at all!” Rania says. “Students have talked to me from the very first day. … We felt welcome in this new school.” *Names of children are changed for safety.
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story
THE PHILIPPIN ES: CHANG ING THE
Mariel* was deeply troubled by the separation from her family when she came to the Shechem Children’s Home. At 15 years old, she was already a survivor of the online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC), a crime involving media sold online. Shechem is an assessment center, where survivors receive care like therapy, educational support, and spiritual guidance while the next best step is determined. Because a high percentage of OSEC cases are perpetrated by family members— around 41 percent are facilitated by biological parents and 42 percent by other relatives (International Justice Mission)—initial separation from family is a safety precaution. But it can make it extremely difficult for the children, and it is important to avoid secondary trauma. When Mariel struggled, she had the support of Shechem’s social workers and therapists. Her therapist suggested a technique where Mariel could “talk” with her mother. In doing so, Mariel also became more comfortable sharing her feelings with the adults at Shechem. “So now I realize I can change, and I know what I would do if I am dysregulated,” Mariel says. Traumatic experiences cannot be erased in a few months. When it comes time for long-term placement, some of the children are reunited with their immediate families, who have received training and resources from Shechem social workers. Children who were abused by their immediate family are placed with a safe foster family or a long-term shelter. When Mariel is ready, her time at Shechem will have equipped her to grow and thrive in Christ as she continues to heal. *Names are changed for protection.
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FINANCIAL F I S C A L Y E A R 2 021
Revenue
summary 2021
2020
2019
Greatest Needs
$2,315,003
$1,905,054
$1,825,925
Designated Programs
$3,375,444
$2,729,119
$2,383,299
Child Sponsorship
$3,832,312
$3,649,863
$3,800,996
Total
$9,522,760
$8,284,036
$8,010,221
10M 9M 8M 7M 6M 5M 4M 3M 2M 1M 0 2021
Greatest Needs
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IMPAC T REPORT 2021
2020
Designated Programs
2019
Child Sponsorship
IMPAC T REPORT 2021
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“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. … Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:35-36, 40 NIV
(800) 310-6362 INFO@NCM.ORG NCM.ORG
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