One of my greatest fears as a mother to Spencer and Chloe was how to keep them safe. Safe physically, emotionally, spiritually and psychologically. That is no small feat, and in this day and age of social media, bullying, false narratives and mental health, it is harder than ever. Now take those two children and add another 466 children in a country where inappropriate touch is common and personal boundaries are never talked about, and we have the possibility of disaster.
We recently took all of our children’s campus and teaching staff through a course from Ministry Safe, a ministry that helps other ministries protect children and those who serve them. It was eye opening and mind bending for many in attendance as they have never been taught about inappropriate touch, reporting and protection. We became very aware of how many of our staff have been sexually assaulted or abused when they were young. That knowledge really ignited my desire to explore and implement more Trauma Informed Care (TIC) on Project Canaan.
We wanted to show the older kids the same video series that we shared with staff, but upon watching it again the Spiritual Life team determined that it was too graphic and could bring fear rather than knowledge. So what did they do? They got to work and created their own curriculum, complete with incredible graphics to teach our children about keeping themselves safe.
They each had notebooks and were able to ask questions about the topic taught such as grooming, peer to peer abuse, staying safe and reporting behavior. Hannah and Mbongeni taught the class to group after group for several days and it was incredibly powerful. We have a wonderful team. (photo of Hannah and Mbongeni).
The Spiritual Life team then moved straight into a new curriculum for the kids who have turned 12-years-old and have heard their story. Many of them don’t remember much of it after a year or two, and then we see them struggling with their identity. This new curriculum was inspired by a conference many of us attended in Kenya with Rivercross Global, whose main mission is to equip God’s people to help children break free from trauma.
“My Story Matters: Real stories. Big feelings. A God who cares” is a seven-week course and was created by Hannah and Mgongeni. It is designed to help them embrace their individual stories in the context of a unique family environment. It’s brilliant, thoughtful, Christ-centered and I could not be more proud of the team that Allen is leading!
Life with 466 children is challenging, invigorating, and keeps us all on our knees. Thank you for your love and support of this ministry and its people.
Janine