Borscht, Bibles, Brazil and Bermuda
Spring in Ukraine
Despite the constant barrage of rockets, drones and shells, The Salvation Army in Ukraine is trying to take advantage of the warmer (northern) spring weather and take some of its various activities outside.
After a long and cold winter, most of it spent in apartments, corps and bomb shelters, the sunshine and warmth are good for the body, mind and spirit of children and adults alike.
In Dnipro, corps leaders, volunteers and parents helped the enthusiastic scouts safely prepare traditional Ukrainian borscht (beetroot soup) and build a fire to cook it on. The scouts then had plenty of energy for a couple of games of football (soccer).
“Our scouts and their parents are the best,” said Dmytro Rak, corps leader. “We just mentioned the idea of making borscht and immediately they offered their support … We thank God for the opportunity to be here during this difficult time.”
The leaders also ‘experimented’ holding Bible study outside. It was so popular that it looks like becoming a regular event, when safe to do so.
Caring for the vulnerable
The Brazil Territory runs four centres that care for vulnerable children and their families living in extremely challenging community.
The Community Development Lead from IHQ International Development Services has just returned from visiting the centres. She explained that the programs run there invest in families over the long term.
The hope and goal is to break the cycles of poverty and violence for the next generation by strengthening family and community bonds and giving children and young people the opportunity to be the protagonists of their own lives.
For more information on International Salvation Army Development programs, check out The Salvation Army International on Facebook.
Housing4All
The Salvation Army in Bermuda recently participated in the “Housing4All” campaign. This movement brought different organisations in Bermuda together to take part in events to raise awareness about homelessness in the country.
To honour the campaign, The Salvation Army’s emergency housing shelter in Pembroke, Bermuda, hosted a volunteer event, which brought in people to build a new community garden outside the shelter.
Marjorie Armstrong, a caseworker at the emergency shelter who came up with the idea, said that building a garden would not only be a great volunteer opportunity but would also help the shelter’s residents in the long run.
“It will help to feed them, and it will allow us to feed other people as well,” she said. “It is going to be self-sufficient. It will also help our people by keeping them busy.”
The community garden event gathered 15 volunteers from a charitable community group called Bermuda Is Love, as well as staff members from The Salvation Army including Lieutenant Lester Ward, executive director, Bermuda Community Services.
For Lester, the experience was rewarding in every aspect. Not only were they able to turn a piece of land into a garden in such a short time, but they also enjoyed their time and made new connections.
“The biggest takeaway from this is not just the garden and the goods, but rather the relationships that have been built,” he said.
Thanks to the creation of the garden, the residents will now have something to care for that will provide food for them and others in the community. In addition, new doors have been opened future volunteer collaborations.
