About us
COMPASSION FOR AFRICA demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ not just in words, but in very practical ways that build the Kingdom of God and lead to human flourishing, resulting in lasting joy and peace. As Jesus said, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for one another” (1 John 3:16, TNIV).
COMPASSION FOR AFRICA is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Joe Gorman, ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene and Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.
COMPASSION FOR AFRICA is dedicated to serving local communities in Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi by coming alongside the residents of these countries through local pastoral leadership to share holistic compassion in Jesus’ name. Our mission is to connect global resources with local needs to build capacity for sustainable community development. We do this by giving a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” We thus partner with local people by “doing with” rather than “doing for.” We never do what local people can do for themselves.
COMPASSION FOR AFRICA provides those with means concrete ways to leverage, channel, and connect their resources (spiritual, economic, relational, and professional) with those most in need.
COMPASSION FOR AFRICA develops and empowers local communities and individuals through the following projects:
- Empowering at-risk girls in northern Ghana by helping them establish pig-raising businesses that will provide ongoing income for school fees and supplies, books, and personal items.
- Supplying sewing machines, training, and sewing supplies for HIV/AIDS widows and girls unable to attend school.
- Digging bore hole wells to provide fresh, clean water in communities where local residents must walk great distances for water and whose meager water sources often cause illness or even death (to date we have dug 11 wells in Ghana.
- Building schools in under-served areas.
- Creating literacy programs in DRCongo.
- Providing housing for HIV/AIDS widows and their children in Rwanda.
- Developing sustainable business models for the handicapped and those with HIV/AIDS.
- Developing animal rearing projects for handicapped adults and special needs children.
- Delivering emergency medical assistance for children and youth.
- Establishing a regional medical clinic in Namankwan, northeastern Ghana that will provide short-term, acute care as well as educate the community on best personal healthcare practices that will prevent many common illnesses (GPS coordinates: N 10.44.594 and W 000.13.241).
The girls, boys, women, men, and communities we work with make less than $2/day and most often less than $1/day. According to 2008 figures from the World Food Bank, 69.2% of the population of Sub-Saharan Africa lives on $2 a day or less.
While we serve as a ministry partner of Nazarene World Mission and Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, we are not an official organization of the Church of the Nazarene
