As we contemplate the year and the season we are in, we want to express our gratitude for what has transpired this year.

* We give thanks to the families in Mozambique, who put their trust into a future they initially were not quite able to envision. We thank them that they are open to change, willing to make the necessary adjustments in their lives, and, as a consequence, are able to reap the benefits. We are grateful that they continue to work relentlessly and show us that there is no hurdle too big to achieve a better life and future.

* We give thanks to a dedicated Care for Life team in Mozambique, most of which are from similar circumstances as the families they are serving. We thank them for investing in their own country in such a meaningful way. They see beyond the current poverty prevelant in most of the country and have a vision for what it can be. They work hand in hand with the families, encouraging them, teaching them, motivating them, and supporting them. The Families Preservation Program comes to life with their efforts.

“Going to Mozambique with Care for Life was a dream-come-true. Initially I was overwhelmed by the poverty I saw; mothers holding babies begging with outstretched hands for anything to curb their hunger, children on the streets playing in tattered clothes, or people digging through dumps to find food to eat or toys to play with. I asked myself many times how this was fair. However, as I started to work with them I felt their love through their kindness and helpfulness.

We had a wonderful summer with the Care of Life volunteer HELP teams. One of the tougher assignments was to make brick molds with the children in the villages. This turned out to be a lot harder than we had expected! The children, however, had a great time sawing the wood into pieces and watching us use power tools. They would jump back in surprise as we fired up the handsaw or the drills. As soon as the initial excitement subsided they would soon be crowding around as others from the village came running to join the ever-growing circle of spectators.

Getting an education is a decision that families in many parts of the world have to make – a decision whether to invest in the future of their children or whether to use them to help their current economic situation – be it working in the fields or taking other jobs to help survive.

Alberto Daniel (34) of the community of Ngupa is a wonderful example of a father who whole-heartedly took on Care for Life’s Familiy Preservation Program and was able to create a home for his wife Lidia (26) and their three children Rosa (6), Helena (4), and Joao (2). As part of the goals he set, he built a modest two-bedroom house, a kitchen, a latrine, and even an additional house in his own backyard for his mother. None of this was easy for Alberto, but in spite of the difficulties he remained committed.