Are you constantly amazed by the depths of God’s love described in these verses like we are? 

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (John 4:9-10)

God loved us by sending his son Jesus into the world, who laid down his life for us. And as the Apostle John writes, this truth gives us a powerful reason to love others.

We love because he first loved us! (John 4:19)

All around the world, Anglican Aid’s partners are taking these verses to heart. The love these faithful Christians have received from Jesus is overflowing to their communities – and particularly to the smallest and most vulnerable members: little children. These children live in difficult circumstances and are often unloved or forgotten by the rest of society. But through the love of local Christians, lives are being transformed, giving these precious children hope for the future. 

Jules, Nowadia and Rose are three children whose lives have been transformed through Anglican Aid’s partners in Burundi, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  

Six-year-old Jules is the youngest child in his family, living in Nyagisenyi village, Burundi. Until last year, he had only ever had severely polluted water to drink.

As a result, Jules suffered from frequent stomach-aches, diarrhoea, and intestinal worms, even being hospitalised many times. It seemed that he would never be well enough to attend school. 

However, since Anglican Aid partnered with the Diocese of Gitega to provide his village with clean water by improving and protecting 22 natural springs, Jules’ health has improved dramatically! He has just completed the first term of his first year in primary school and has performed well. 

Jules is now full of joy and hope for the future. “When I grow up, I would like to be a doctor to help people,” he said. 

When Nowadia was born with a cleft palate, neighbours never visited or congratulated the family. “They used to say that this child is a curse and I shouldn’t breastfeed her but let her die to get out of this trouble,” said Nowadia’s mother. 

Staff from the Community Based Inclusive Development Organization (CBIDO) run by the Diocese of Kagera in Tanzania, met Nowadia in 2023 when she was three months old, unable to feed properly and undernourished. The staff helped her mother improve her baby’s feeding and arranged for her to have two rounds of surgery to address to cleft palate. 

Nowadia is now healing and growing well and CBIDO is following up to help with her speech as she grows. “May our Almighty God bless you for what you have done,” said Nowadia’s mother.  

Twenty-year old Rose was a student at Mulenda Institute in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For most of her time at school, she studied in difficult conditions: her classrooms were crumbling and overcrowded, and she lacked basic school supplies.

But when Rose’s school was renovated by Anglican Aid partner the Diocese of Kindu, in partnership with Openwell Education, the quality of her education improved enormously.

Rose has since achieved first place in her state school exams and is now going on to university. “I’m going to study law to be a lawyer to defend our village, because there’s too much violence, and also defend the oppressed,” she said. “Thank you for rehabilitating our Mulenda Institute – thank you very much!”

These are just three examples of how Anglican Aid’s partners around the world are loving children in great need because Christ first loved us.  

This End of Financial Year, you have the opportunity to join with Anglican Aid and our partners to show Christ’s love to more children like Jules, Nowadia, and Rose.  

“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (John 4:11)