Again more donations for the Stephanos Foundation

Apeldoorn – May, 2017. Again, we can look back on our incomes with great gratitude. The year 2015 was important because we received a great legacy, in 2016, the donations went up further. In total, we received €1.167.472. This is €236.694 more than we expected.

According to our treasurer Leo den Boer, there are three reasons for this: “First, because the Stéphanos Foundation has a very loyal, growing and generous group of supporters, which is resembled in the increase in donations. The second reason is that we were able to increase our activities in Zambia in 2016. Two new fieldworkers went to Zambia in early 2016. Finally, I want to mention the action to fight the hunger. Because of the drought, there was a bad corn harvest. In 2015, there was also a bad harvest. Because of two years without a good harvest, many people were starving. In response to this, people donated over €50.000 to fight the hunger.”

Stéphanos gave different kinds of help during the period of hunger: taking in extra children in the day care programs, giving extra meals during the weekends, giving emergency help to students of secondary schools (food) and to the Outreach areas and the Family Adoption Program (food, seed, irrigation projects). Those projects were made possible with help of the Reformed Congregations and the Reformed Congregations of the Netherlands (two Dutch reformed Church congregations). Also other churches, companies and individual people donated money to help financing those projects.

Many actions were carried out in Malawi and Zambia in 2016. The annual report shows that in South-Malawi, over 7.000 children were helped in the orphan village and surrounding villages with (Biblical) education and farming activities. Not only the children, but also their families and villages are supported. All the developmental aid Stéphanos is able to give, is given with the Bible in the hand.

In several villages in the centre of Malawi, developmental and Biblical work is combined. Besides sharing the Gospel, knowledge is shared about how to earn yourself a living, by means of a developmental aid program for farming.

In Zambia, the children’s Bible by H. van Dam was published in Cinyanja/Chicewa in 2016. It was translated from Dutch by Stéphanos fieldworker Anneke van Asselt. Cinyanja/Chicewa is spoken in both Malawi and Zambia. A few copies already arrived in Zambia and are used gratefully in Sunday schools, among others. Also other organisations in Malawi and Zambia are interested in this Bible and will make use f it. In 2016, also the new fieldworkers Annemieke Treur and Irene Swets started with their work in Zambia. The activities concerning Biblical education, literacy and the sponsoring of schoolchildren can be continued.

The main aim of Stéphanos is to give diaconal help and education from a Biblical viewpoint to the most vulnerable, especially orphan children. This help is based on a reformed fundament. The aim of giving material help is to promote independency and to avoid dependency.

The annual reports can be read here: http://www.stephanos.nl/wie-wij-zijn/anbi