We are excited to announce our newest partnership and a brand new location of ministry!
We have partnered with a ministry in the Middle East to provide wholistic care for people with disabilities and their families. It is run by our friend and fellow believer in Jesus with a big vision to see inclusivity embraced throughout the country!
With this partnership, not only are children with disabilities receiving the unique care and support they need, parents will receive support and training unique to their children’s requirements, communities will become places where each child can feel embraced and have a place they belong, and there is the potential to change policies for the country!
Our partner is organizing high-level roundtable discussions involving key government stakeholders and international experts to establish the inclusive model as a deinstitutionalization model and seek accreditation from the Ministry of Social Development.
One key component to this model is an inclusive camp for children with severe or multiple disabilities. It’s a place where kids can be kids, and it’s the only one of its kind in this country!
Each child is partnered with a trained, compassionate volunteer to support them and care for their unique requirements, ensuring a fun and safe experience.
In a country that is 97% Muslim, this camp is the fragrance of life, showing the love of God and sparking spiritual conversations!
Details about this new ministry partnership
Wholistic care for families:
- Providing assessments (cognitive, mobility) of the children to tailor support and care.
- Conducting home visits and workshops to equip parents with personalized guidance to better support their children.
- Offering emotional and practical support sessions for parents.
- Organizing Family Day outings.
- Introducing a new on-call caregiving serve in the country.
- Equipping families to access suitable resources and opportunities within their communities.
- Motivated by the love of Jesus for those most vulnerable to experience His love.
Inclusive Community:
- Working with centers, initiatives, and small groups to ensure that each child leaves their home once a week to twice a month, so that their homes don’t become prisons.
- Working with churches to create inclusive worship spaces for people with disabilities.
- Training 40+ volunteers annually on safe care and cultivating a nurturing space.
Impact that goes beyond:
- Influencing governmental policies.
- Advocating for Change: implementing a Closing Ceremony, inviting and encouraging local and international NGOs to adopt this model. These steps are crucial in ensuring the broader adoption of inclusive programs in this country.
- Engaging the Church: many of the volunteers are believers in local churches, where they will share their passion of inclusion with their communities of faith.
What this partnership includes
*Gigi has received a generous outpouring of support in the U.S. along with her local church and businesses near her for this vital initiative.
Through this partnership, First Love walks beside *Gigi and supports her vision of an inclusive country by providing spiritual care, oversight, and financial support of her leadership.
What’s Next: Building awareness with U.S. based churches around global disability ministry
Additionally, First Love is working to unite churches in the Atlanta area around the concept of inclusivity. We desire to also connect U.S. churches with First Love’s international disability ministries, creating mutual partnerships and global awareness for disability ministry, specifically within Christian churches.
More often than not, the church in the U.S. is not inclusive and not accessible to people with disabilities. We seek to create awareness that outreach to families/people with disabilities involves a different mindset. It involves being intentional on reaching new people and making church accessible for everyone.
Through these church partnerships, our goal is to gather local ministry leaders and pastors in the U.S. and in 2 locations globally (Middle East and South Asia) to offer a Theology of Disability Training. The purpose of these types of gatherings is to gain a better understanding of the “Theology of Disability” and how they can reach people with disabilities in their own communities. This training would be conducted with the intent that participants would train their staff and church members. The potential for ‘train the trainer’ would ensue.
Our vision 5 years from now is to see 100 pastors and ministry leaders from the U.S., Middle East, South Asia, and other countries who, after receiving this training, begin equipping their churches in actionable steps toward making their ministries and facilities inclusive to adults, children, and families with disabilities.
More about our Local Partner:
*Gigi has more than 15 years of experience and expertise in disability ministry. She has a high diploma in Educational Leadership and a degree in Special Education. She has worked in various centers and schools and wrote and published two books. She is the former Director of the Education Department at the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and a member of the Consultation Committee for the 10-year strategy for Inclusive Education in her country.
In addition to her experience and expertise, *Gigi is deeply driven by a passion for serving individuals with disabilities and advocating for inclusive education. Her belief is that, “Inclusion isn’t just a choice. It is God’s design for how we are meant to live together. When we embrace the differences in others, we create a community where all individuals can thrive, learn, and fulfill their God-given potential.” *Gigi believes that her country needs people to effect real change, and she is honored that God has entrusted her and her team with His vision to carry out this important work.
*Name withheld to protect our global partner and the most vulnerable she serves.
