Sweaters for the slums of Zarate

Argentina - They received the sweaters from a church in Germany when it was 38 degrees Celsius, last December. Now that winter has entered the country, OM team members in Argentina found a good destination for the warm garments.

The weather in parts of South America has been ´Antarctic cold´. Record cold temperatures have hit Argentina in the past few weeks. People suffered from the cold; a number of persons died.

In the slums of Zarate, children were freezing. A local church organises programmes for kids and provides practical aid in the slums of this city, about a hundred kilometres away from the country’s capital Buenos Aires. The OM team from Buenos Aires supports the work - sometimes with special gifts.

Besides the 56 German winter sweaters, the children in Zarate received toothbrushes and toothpaste, supported by a Sunday school in The Netherlands. “Many children didn’t know what a toothbrush is”, says Markus Leder, team leader for OM in Buenos Aires. “Some of them share theirs with their entire family. In these circumstances, toothpaste is a real luxury.”

In a puppet-show, the church members and OM´ers explained the kids how and why to brush your teeth. Besides that, they took time to share God´s love with every child.

Prostitute

Some of the kids in the neighbourhood lose their childhood at an early age because of the circumstances they live in. Carolina is one of them. “We met her during a visit to the slum”, says Markus. “She is fourteen years old and lives with her grandpa. He is too old to provide an income for both of them, so he solicits his granddaughter as a prostitute to the guys in the neighbourhood for ten pesos. That is about two dollar fifty.”

One of the guys impregnated her and now, she’s about to give birth. The OM team provided warm clothes for the baby, a stroller, a bed and most importantly a warm blanket. “When we met her, she had collected fifty pesos to buy diapers.”

Prayer

The church, supported by OM, is taking the message of God’s love into the sad circumstances of people’s lives in this neighbourhood. Many of the children in the slums of Zarate, as well as their parents, have gotten to know the Lord through the programmes and practical aid.

“Please pray with us”, says Markus. “For Carolina - and all the other children and adults living in these neighbourhoods. Praise God for the work that’s being done and pray that it may continue to bear fruit.”

OM’s role in the Church is to mobilise people to share the knowledge of Jesus and His love with every generation in every nation. OM pioneers and leads initiatives to redeem lives, rebuild communities and restore hope in over 110 countries.