It’s hard to teach with your back against the wall, but that’s exactly where educators found themselves in the cramped and crowded classrooms of the John Laing School – a Community School of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in the Synod of Zambia. More than 200 eager learners were squeezed into three 5x5 meter (about 16x16 feet) rooms. The only place for the teacher to stand was against the chalkboard. Such tight quarters make education almost impossible.

Many of the rural villages (kebeles) in the fertile central highlands of the Shewa region are not accessible by car or truck – the only option is to trek for hours by foot or horse. The Oromo people in these villages are mainly Muslims or practice Waaqeffanna (an Oromo traditional belief system). For the past several years, Reverend Teferi Berkassa has led a team of evangelists attempting to reach the Oromo people in these far-flung villages. Evangelists pack all their belongings on horse-drawn carts and trudge miles on dirt paths to reach a village.

Please join us as we pray for the people of Madagascar, including our mission and ministry partners with the Fiangonan’i Jesoa Kristy eto Madagasikara (FJKM), Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar.

In late January, and again on February 10, two cyclones battered most of Madagascar. This included a direct hit on Toamasina, which is the largest city on the coast. The damage was extensive to churches, schools, residences and agriculture. Tragically, we were reminded lightning really does strike twice. With two successive major storms smothering the island with rain and high winds, compounding the misery and extending the road to recovery almost beyond sight.

The staff and board at Tumaini Children’s Ministry have continued to provide loving care and support for vulnerable children in Kenya’s Central Highlands during a season of transition.

In 2022, Tumaini began re-integrating children with relatives or guardians in compliance with government mandates. As of August 2025, most children have successfully returned to family care. Tumaini continues to provide school fees and uniforms; food supplements for families; and regular visits from social workers and a chaplain to ensure children are thriving. University students from Tumaini also receive tuition assistance.

In a time of transition, Namumu Orphanage Center is an oasis of health and life in their community. God is moving, and children are learning, growing, and flourishing thanks to your faithfulness. The following is just a glimpse of this inspiring environment for families. 

Graduation is not just a milestone. It’s a victory!  

Our recent visit to Tete Province, Mozambique, was both productive and deeply inspiring. I traveled with Outreach Foundation Trustee Tom McDow and my wife, Elizabeth. While we had hoped for a larger team, we scaled back due to lingering unrest following Mozambique’s national elections.

We visited several villages alongside our local partners, including project director Sebber Banda, assistant director Rev. Carlos Faquione, and Presbytery Moderator Rev. Valentim Manuel. In Chimphako, we laid the groundwork for a new church to be built in 2026.

For many years, The Outreach Foundation has worked with partners in western Ethiopia in six United Nations refugee camps. Hundreds of thousands of refugees remain in the camps. Through partnership with U.S. churches and donors, we have been blessed to minister to and provide hope through trauma healing, Bibles in the Nuer language, and Christian education. A retired Outreach consultant recently traveled to Ethiopia and was given permission to visit several camps. He was hosted by the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) West Gambella Synod. Here are excerpts from the report:

Last year, Zimbabwe experienced its worst drought in over 40 years. The skies stayed silent, the crops withered, rivers dried up, and cattle died in alarming numbers. It was a year of scarcity, sorrow, and struggle.

Over 30 Years of Bearing Fruit in Madagascar

Dear Friends at The Outreach Foundation,

Greetings from Madagascar. It is hard to believe that The Outreach Foundation is already 45 years old! So much has been accomplished in that time to share the good news of Christ around the world. So many lives have been transformed and improved because of Outreach and its faithful staff, supporters, and partners.

In the serene town of Siavonga, Zambia, nestled along the shores of Lake Kariba, stands the Namumu Orphanage Center, a beacon of hope and love for countless children in need. Within its gates, three girls, Samalia Hamunyongo, Antia Samende, and Edina Sikavumbu, found not just a shelter but a family that embraced them as their own.

On my recent trip to Tumaini-Huruma Children’s Ministry in Nyeri, Kenya, I was able to visit with Tumaini-Huruma board members, worship with and visit the staff and children, while also discussing changes that have taken place at their homes since the last visit in July of 2023. Eighty-six children are in the Tumaini-Huruma Children’s Ministry with 59 of these children being reintegrated into the homes of their parents or guardians. Two social workers are making regular visits to the homes of these children, supplying them with needed food and personal items. These social workers, Ms. Falisa and Ms. Njoki, live at the Huruma home and are key to the reintegration program helping make functional homes for these kids to go back to.

Dear friends,

Greetings from Madagascar!

It is great to be back after being in the U.S. for more than five months visiting churches. We enjoyed visiting churches in nine states and reaching others via Zoom. We appreciate the Madagascar Mission Network for sponsoring a Zoom event last November. It was wonderful reconnecting. Highlights included participating in the Matthew 25 Summit at New Life Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. We are sorry that we were unable to visit all of you supporting our mission in Madagascar; please let us know if you would like us to share at your church the next time we visit the U.S.

Friends,

We have received wonderful news from our partner leading holistic evangelism in Tete Province, Mozambique. Renovations have been completed at the Khanga Medical Clinic and the cornerstone laid for a new school and church in the rural village of Monequera.

Long time Outreach partner Home of Hope Zimbabwe just sent word that Joan Trevelyan, its founder, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Joan was the heartbeat behind Home of Hope’s ministry, which is to meet the needs of poverty-stricken people –women, men, and especially children in and around Harare, Zimbabwe. Joan was joined by her son Craig to serve the Lord in this ministry both of whom were an inspiration to those around them. Home of Hope has brought joy into the lives of underprivileged people in Zimbabwe for many years, all thanks to the vision of Joan Trevelyan. Although Joan will be especially missed, the mission and ministry will continue at Home of Hope, thanks to its exceptional staff. Please be in prayer for Joan’s family, the Home of Hope staff, and the people of Zimbabwe as they mourn the loss of Joan. A small funeral service will be held for family and close friends, officiated by Craig’s cousin who is a pastor from South Africa

Read the update below from Trustee Berry Long on the current work of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Mozambique:

“We are grateful for The Outreach Foundation’s partnership with our Holistic Evangelism Project and the support of Sebber Banda and Rev. Carlos Faquione. Sebber and Carlos are doing a wonderful job of leading our project, and I thank the Lord for the talents and dedication of these amazing servant leaders.

Read this wonderful update written by our friends Bob and Kristi Rice. They write…

Dear friends,

Last week our network of facilitators for the Healing Hearts, Transforming Nations (HHTN) workshop gathered to share how we saw God at work through the workshops in 2023 and to pray together for God’s work of healing and reconciliation in South Sudan. As I (Kristi) looked around the room of people who have been trained within the last couple of years I was humbled and grateful for the gift of working together in pursuit of helping people to know and experience the true life that Jesus came to give us. Several people shared about the deep divisions and mistrust that they encountered between clans or communities, or even within families. But in each workshop, they saw evidence of the Holy Spirit bringing freedom and healing from those wounds and divisions and enabling people to forgive as they looked deeply at the love and forgiveness of God

Stu Ross, Africa Mission Specialist for The Outreach Foundation, and his wife Annie were recently hosted by Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya, President of the Presbyterian Church of Rwanda (EPR). During Stu’s visit, they were able to see three churches in the region. Gakenke Parish Church was the first they visited. This church has been closed for two years because it cannot meet the government standards for electricity and working toilets. Rev. Pascal noted that getting this church opened was a main priority. Money will be donated, and the church should be finished in the next several months.

Challenges start early for children in Zambia. Drinking the water may give you cholera and other diseases. Hanging out on the streets leads to trouble and abuse. Education can be a way out but the government schools are overcrowded and the private ones are beyond what they can ever afford.