YWAM Life Connection Kolkata Calcutta India

YWAM Life Connection

Started in 2006, Life Connection is a ministry of YWAM Kolkata Calcutta. Challenged by the situation of the Children at Risk, the ministry desires to be an answer for the cry of the small ones. In the Bible book of Lamentations, the description of the miserable condition of Israel people is a close portrait of what can be found nowadays in the streets of Kolkata Calcutta and Howrah:

"Even the jackals feed their young, but not my people Israel. They ignore their children's cries, like ostriches in the desert. The parched tongues of their little ones stick to the roofs of their mouths in thirst. The children cry for bread, but no one has any to give them."

Lamentations 4.3-4

Life Connection mirrors the YWAM urban ministries in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The model of the process for the rescue and restoration of street children was developed by the team in Brazil and is being followed here, with adaptation for the local culture and challenges.

VISION: Life Connection desires to see children at risk, especially street children, in Howrah city, to know God's love, grow with good character and live in healthy families.

MISSION: To rescue, restore and reconnect street children with their families and reintegrate them into society. To prevent them from falling into a cycle of social, physical and emotional ills. To build relationships with them in their own environment and to provide an alternative environment to help to disciple them.

To accomplish this, the Life Connection team will work in the following areas:

Streets. The Rescue House staff reaches out to the children in their own environment (the streets and station platforms with the goal of building close relationship and showing them God's love so that the healing process can begin.

Housing: Rescue House makes children aware of the possibility of a better life than the one they have on the streets and shows them their immense value. The Rescue House is a place between the streets and restoration where the child has the opportunity to build relationships with Rescue House staff that will begin the process of a life transformation. Rescue House activities include: bathing and clothing, breakfast and lunch, Bible study, pastoral counseling, first Aid care, educational games, drama presentations, lectures (English language, music, etc).

Families: The Rescue House staff also reaches out to the children's families. A closer relationship is built in aim to know the best way to help them. The discipleship and restoration of broken families makes it possible for children be reconnected with their families, which is best for them.

PHASES

  1. The project starts with contacting children at the streets of Howrah and establishing the Rescue House.
  2. Then according to the demand of children being helped among other factors we will start the phase 2 (Boy/Girl Restoration House). Phase 2 begins when a child have a need to move out from the streets entering in foster care provided by us as part of the programming of the child's recovery from any emotional and physical abuse.
  3. The phase 3 provides opportunity to children to get educated in a professional skill so that they will be able to reintegrate into all society's spheres, and to be able to provide for their own needs.

Links:

- YWAM Belo Horizonte http://www.bhcentro.ywambrazil.org/en/index.php