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African Child Outreach

Bringing Hope to Abandoned Children - Providing Shelter, Food, Education

Your Donations Making a Difference

Linda and Lewis

Linda and Lewis are twins. They were only 4 years old when Pastor Sam found them living on the streets of Kitalie, with a mother that was severely mentally handicapped. Their father had abandoned them. Pastor Sam rescued them and brought them to their new home at Blessings Hope Center. Today they are healthy and strong and in the honors program at school; and they both dream of being doctors when they grow up ​

Betti

I remember the 2015 bittersweet moment this picture was taken. Betti clung to me with tears in her eyes. She wanted to come home the U.S., with me. My heart wanted to never let her go. I wanted to take Betti, and all the orphaned children home with me...I could not. But I can continue to make a difference in their lives. And so can you!  Thank you for donating!

Hildah

At a young age Hildah was abandoned to live on the streets, by her mother and an abusive stepfather. Hildah's mother now cares for her husband's children, but will have nothing to do with Hildah. Pastor Samuel found her and brought her to Blessings Hope Center. ​ Hildah has some difficulty seeing, but is otherwise healthy. She loves to sing and is very  bright, finishing 2nd in her latest class of 50.

Blessings Hope Children Enjoying a Group Sing-A-Long
With Connie. 2015:

The Children of Blessings Hope Center

Share Their Dreams

2016

Your Donations Feeding

Desperate Children

2017

Nellie

Nellie is beautiful young woman now. But she almost didn't grow up. She was just a child when Pastor Samuel  rescued her from the streets of Kenya. She and her brother and sister had been abandoned, and were discussing among themselves whether or not to commit group suicide, when Pastor Sam happened upon them. He took them home....and that was the beginning of Blessings Hope Orphanage. This smile and hug happened just after Nellie found out she is going to college; thanks to donations from generous people just like you!

Mildred

Mildred is the youngest of 9 children. Her father was working hard selling books, to care for his family, when in 2009 he traveled from Kitalie to Nairobi on a business trip. He never returned, and was assumed killed during post-election violence.  Mildred's mother did not have necessary resources to care for her children after that, and so regretfully asked Blessings Hope Center to care for Mildred, who is now working hard in school, and planning someday to be a teacher.

ACO Donations Now Being Processed by FCG As of May 18, 2020, African Child Outreach  is expanding our efforts to help these precious children by joining hands with FGC (Friends of the Great Commission) and Marnie Swedberg (https://www.marnie.com/).   It is our hope that this team effort will result in more desperately needed funds for the children. Your donations will still be delegated to the same children that African Child Outreach has been supporting since January, 2016. You will see a change when you press the "donate" button. Up until now, when you pressed the "Donate" button, you were taken to our PayPal page Starting today, when you press our "Donate" button, you will be taken to Blessings Hope Mission donation page located on the FCG website.​ Your donations will continue to provide food, education, medical care and shelter for children of Blessings Hope Center and for children still living on the the dangerous streets of Kenya Thank you for continuing to give!

HISTORY OF AFRICAN CHILD OUTREACH (ACO) African Child Outreach is a non-profit organization, founded by good friends Connie Ruth Christiansen and Terri Fletcher, after their trip to Kitalie, Kenya, Africa, where they met and worked with several pastors and their beautiful orphaned, adopted children; and where they witnessed firsthand the heart-wrenching sight of too many abandoned children, who are living alone, on the dangerous poverty stricken streets. There are more than 30 million homeless street children in Africa! More than 250,000 in Kenya! These children seem destined to a life of hopelessness, except for the compassionate hearts of men and women who are making a difference. The purpose of African Child Outreach is to raise funds to aid these wonderful people who are bringing hope to the hopeless by offering  shelter, food, clothing and education to the precious children of Blessings Hope Center Connie traveled to Africa in 2015, to speak at a conference, which was held at Blessings Hope Center in Kenya. It was during this conference that Connie met and fell in love with the many children represented on this site; and where she encountered the heartbreaking plight of the many more children on the streets of Kenya who are desperate for someone to help them. And she was determined to find a way to help the compassionate pastors who would willingly take more children in; if only there was more money, if only there was more food. ​Terri Fletcher, MS, Ed.,S. is a retired school counselor who spent more than 35 years working with children of the U.S. public school system.s She traveled with Connie to Africa in 2015.  In preparation for the trip, Terri worked tirelessly to motivate and organize funds, to buy new clothing and school supplies for the orphans of Blessings Hope Center; and to enhance their small medical clinic. After returning home to the U.S., Terri wanted to find a way to continue providing for the desperate needs of the many children that are now a part of her heart. African Child Outreach was the result of Connie and Terri working together to make a difference. Please join our efforts to meet this desperate need! Thank you!

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​YOUR DONATIONS HELPED MEET THIS NEED! Thank You! July 2019 Sisters Praise (5yo), and Doricus (13yo) were rescued after their stepmother tried to kill them with poison, and then she burned them with hot cooking oil. Pastor Sam and the Blessings Hope Center team stepped in to rescue the girls - they are now safe at Blessings Hope Center. Thank you!

ACO WELL 2.jpg

Children of Blessings Hope Orphanage stand in line to get a long awaited drink from the new well!

YOUR DONATIONS HELPED MEET THIS NEED! Thank You! February of 2019 the wells on Blessings Hope Center land dried up. These wells not only provided water for the more than 100 orphans, but also for the entire surrounding community. With your help equipment was rented to locate and drill for a new well! Thank you!

Grace

Grace's mother died in childbirth. Her father quickly abandoned her; her only other living relative was an aging grandmother who eventually did not have the strength or finances to care for her. Grace's grandmother reached out Blessings Hope Center, asking them to care for her. She began to thrive under the care of the orphanage, and she is now strong and healthy, athletically competitive, and in college, studying to be a tailor.

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These stories represent just a few of the children Pastor Sam and his wife Sharon have rescued and are caring for

and educating.​

It's a huge undertaking, and he desperately needs our support.

Thank you for giving!

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out

to me by chat or by email.

Blessing!

~Connie

ACO Sam.jpg

Connie Ruth Christiansen
  Author   Speaker   Teacher    Mentor    Musician 
Co Founder of African Child Outreach

Connie Ruth Christiansen
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