We exist to empower children to rise beyond poverty. This month, we’re highlighting three different examples of this in action.
1) Iron Sharpens Iron – The Power of Peer Learning
We have mentioned it for some time, but now we are just a few weeks away – CRY’s third Education and Humanitarian Forum for African leaders is almost here.
This is one of our most ambitious projects to date, bringing together leaders working with vulnerable children from 16 African nations, gathering in Arusha, Tanzania, from 11th–15th May.
Across the programme, a rich series of sessions will bring together education leaders and practitioners from across the continent to share insight and practical approaches to transforming learning environments in Africa.
Above are some of the children at the school CRY helped build within the Maasai community, which we will be visiting as part of our focus on serving unreached communities through education.
Topics will also include funding, partnerships and sustainability, innovative teaching in low-resource settings, and a Q&A on key issues in African education.
There will also be sessions on "Jesus in the Classroom" (led by 24/7 Prayer), leadership and staff development, parental engagement, advancing God’s Kingdom under oppression, and vocational pathways beyond primary school.
The forum will conclude with a session from the Tanzanian team on reaching the unreached through education.
Apart from the 24/7 Prayer session, all sessions are led by local and native partners. Guided by the principle that “iron sharpens iron,” we believe those working on the ground are best placed to strengthen one another.
Organising this forum has been a journey amid world conflict, instability, and fuel shortages, but we are now just weeks away.
Please pray fervently for this gathering. It is one of our most strategic and impactful initiatives, bringing together leaders who are shaping the future for vulnerable children and young people across Africa.
Above is the summary from our last forum to give you further insight into what it is all about.
2) Building Bridges
Two years ago, while exhibiting at our good friends’ conference, Jesus Culture, a pastor visited our stand and shared that he and his wife had felt called to the nation of Madagascar for many years, but had not known where to begin.
We spoke about our work on the island, exchanged details, and left it there.
A few months ago, through what can only feel like a God-ordained plan, we were reconnected.
Through this renewed connection, we at CRY were able to help organise parts of their trip for them to visit the Le Triomphe Children’s Home in Madagascar, our long-standing partners. They spent a couple of days at the home and had the most wonderful time.
Here is what they said about their visit:
It was such a privilege to spend two days with the wonderful people at Le Triomphe, and we are so grateful to CRY for making it possible. We were so impressed by the work that Ninah and Elyh and the team are doing, and their heart for the kids to genuinely thrive in all aspects of life is really beautiful. We were also massively impacted by our time spent with the kids. They are so special and precious and they welcomed us into their family with warmth and smiles (and dancing).
Many of their histories are full of pain. But, because of Le Triomphe, their stories are not over! Their present is blessed and their future is bright. We miss them already and, God willing, will be back soon.
At CRY, our heart is also to act as a bridge for those exploring what God has placed on their hearts. When we connect with trusted, like-minded people, and when feasible, we see it as part of our calling to help weave those connections into their journey.
Above, Chris and Annabel, Church leaders at KingsGate Cambridge with Ninah and Elyh, CRY partner in Madagascar.
This story reminds us that God has a plan for each and every one of us, and that, in His time, it will prevail.
This month, we encourage you to reflect on what God is calling you to do. Perhaps that aligns with our mission—while not all are called to go, you can make a difference from here in the UK.
You can pray, give, fundraise, or volunteer. There are so many ways for you to help empower children to rise beyond poverty.
This month, we are delighted to welcome our new Finance Officer, Jonathan. What an amazing God story this has been.
During his interview, he shared that he used to volunteer at a children’s home in Jaffna, Sri Lanka—his home city and country.
As it turns out, this is the very same home we have been supporting for over a year!
What a coincidence—or rather, a God-ordained plan.
To close this newsletter, it feels only fitting to tell you more about this incredible work and to give you the opportunity to sow into it.
Founded in 2003 in Jaffna, the Jaffna Children’s Home provides safety, care, and a future for some of Sri Lanka’s most vulnerable girls. Despite the challenges of a previous war, their mission never stopped.
Today, they support 24 children referred through courts and probation services — many orphaned, abandoned, or having faced abuse and hardship.
They provide more than basic needs like food, education, and healthcare — they create a true sense of family, helping each child grow with dignity, confidence, and hope.
The impact is life-changing: former beneficiaries have become doctors, university students, musicians, and athletes. Each child’s story is being rewritten.
With CRY’s support, this vital work continues.
You can be part of their journey and help empower the rise by donating to these girls. 100% of your donation goes directly to Jaffna, supporting the girls at the home.
