A Holistic Approach
Africa & Beyond works to bring the Gospel into our communities. We work to provide a holistic approach to solving some of our society’s biggest challenges, both spiritually and physically. Below you will find a summary of projects we are currently working on and will, by faith, see them through to fruition. If you would like to know more about anything listed below, we invite you to email us directly at JLPeters@africa-and-beyond.com.
Current Projects
Below is a list of current and ongoing projects.
Church Planting
Feeding Programs
A major hurdle for those living in intense poverty is hunger. To address the hunger faced by the most vulnerable, young children, orphans, elderly, and disabled, we have two feeding centers:
- Malawi: Since 2007, we have been feeding in a village called “Mtsiliza” located in a poor suburb of the capital, Lilongwe. We feed 100 vulnerable children Monday-Friday at our center which houses a preschool, microfinance cooperatives, and houses church activities throughout the week and weekend.
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Burundi: In 2020, in response to the COVID pandemic, we began handing out food rations in a village on the border between Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Then, in February 2021, we officially launched our second feeding center. Currently, we feed 500 children, orphans, widows, elderly, and disabled Monday-Friday. The center serves as a feeding site as well as housing church activities throughout the week and weekend.
Expansion of our Burundi feeding center to further reach the orphans, elderly, and disabled is our next step. We hope to purchase another piece of property near the feeding center where we can further assist these most vulnerable members of the community with basic services and health care.
Agriculture
Our feeding center in Malawi operates on donations and local farming efforts. We own an 11-acre farm in Malawi, in an area called “Mchinji,” where we grow maize and soy. The farm’s produce supports our feeding and schooling projects. Our ultimate goal is to produce enough food locally to sustain these initiatives.
Vocational Training
Many young adults are unemployed simply because they have never had an opportunity to learn a trade. Therefore, we have launched out into Vocational Training:
- Tailoring: At the feeding center in Malawi, our tailoring vocational school has 20 students and one teacher. It has successfully graduated 50 students, empowering women and young people with skills to earn a living.
- Information Technology (IT): In Burundi, we are currently working on a project to train young people in Information Technology. We have the facility and personnel and are gathering information to launch this project.
Leadership Development
Education
Malawi: In Malawi, less than 2% of the population finishes secondary school. Having an education is vital to breaking the cycle of poverty. We have found that schools easily become self-sustaining. Developing them is where support is needed.
- Main Campus: New classroom blocks are needed to serve the growing student body. We also need to expand the current facility that holds only a primary school to include a secondary school.
- Feeding Center Campus Expansion: At the feeding center, we have a small primary school (kindergarten-grade 3). Recently, we purchased property next door to the site in order to expand. We have put a fence around the property and hope to build at least two more blocks of classrooms.
- Blantyre Campus Expansion: We have a small primary school at our Blantyre church campus. There is adequate space to build enough classrooms to hold an entire primary school and perhaps a secondary school. Currently, students meet in a renovated shipping container and in the temporary church building for class.
Burundi: As in Malawi, lack of education contributes to the ongoing struggle to eradicate poverty. When we opened our feeding center in 2021, we quickly realized the need to add a school to the outreach. We purchased property next to our center and opened a preschool. We currently have four classes holding a preschool. Expansion onto a new property is now needed as our student body grows.
Agriculture
The ministry owns an 11-acre farm in Malawi that helps support our feeding and schooling efforts. In order for our farming activities to produce more, we need to add a well and solar pump to provide adequate irrigation during times of drought.
We are actively pursuing purchasing more property to farm in other nations to bring income to our community outreaches.
