In this section of our site we talk about who we are, what we believe, and how we go about our work. We begin with our people because they are our most valuable assets. We are grateful for each one who serves with us, whether American, African or Indian.
Our beliefs come next because they express what we believe about God, ourselves and our work. They provide the basic motivations for all we do.
An explanation of our values follows. Faith, humility, honesty and ambition express our character as an organization, or at least they describe what we aspire to be.
Finally, you will find an explanation of our strategies . These are the means we use to deliver aid. They are anchored in the belief that the best use of our donor's funds is to partner with local Christian leaders who are part of their communities. We have found this approach to be extraordinarily effective in changing lives. We invite you to take a closer look at us. And thank you for a moment of your time.
A Brief History of Children's Relief International
In the West, efforts to help the poor go back to the early centuries of our era, most of it by Christian missions who built and serviced untold numbers of hospitals, care centers, hospices, orphanages and feeding programs - all activities that today come under the umbrella of development.
Children's Relief International is a proud member of this ancient community of faith and work. We were founded in early 2000 with the initial goal of providing aid for the community of Dondo, Mozambique, a cluster of villages totaling 60,000 souls. The work began in partnership with Jeronimo and Noemia Cessito, local Christian leaders who had a vision to help their community. They named the project Ray of Light, and in the ensuing years it has grown to include several schools, a medical clinic, farm, AIDS hospice, child sponsorship program and several church plants. You can read more about our work in Mozambique here.
In 2003 we started a second project in Kenya located just west of Nairobi in Kikuya County (the area where the film Out of Africa was shot). It's called the Mayatima Project after the Swahili word for orphan, and as the name suggests, its focus is on the care of HIV-AIDS orphans in that area. It was started by George and Jane Kairie, local Christian leaders who provided the original vision for the work and who continue to direct the project to this day. In the past three years, the project has grown to include a poultry and dairy farm and nearly 100 children enrolled in a child sponsorship program. You can read more about our work in Kenya here.
In 2006 we began the King of Kings project located in south-eastern India among the Dalit (untouchable) caste. It's 3-fold ministry includes a boy's home, a microfinance program among rock quarry dwellers, and church planting in surrounding villages. You can read more about our work in India here.
