Marina is one of 23 siblings — her father has four wives, and was known as a harsh, distant man.

Marina, a student at CWO’s Village of Opportunity. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

Although Burkina Faso is largely Muslim, Marina’s mother heard the Gospel at a local church and began following Jesus. Eventually, her father did too, and the family dynamic has changed.

Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach (CWO) says, today, the ministry is holistically supporting Marina’s faith and future through the Village of Opportunity (VOO).

“Marina is now a sewing student at the Village of Opportunity and excited about growing in her faith, learning a trade… and her whole family is just excited about the possibilities that come from that.”

At the VOO, students gain more than a career start. “Community is very big at the Village of Opportunity,” says Yoder. “Our leaders there treat these girls like their family.”

For Marina, the community aspect is crucial since she is also grieving the loss of a dear friend. At the VOO, Marina sees the Body of Christ at work.

“She’s got the support of our staff, but also the other young ladies that attend the vocational school there. They encourage each other [and] they grow together in their faith,” says Yoder.

“Our hope is that they (students) will go back to their villages and make a difference and share what they’ve learned, but also share about Jesus and share the Gospel with the people around them.”

Students at Village of Opportunity (Photo courtesy of CWO)

Pray for Marina and her classmates as they train, grow, and shine Christ’s light in Burkina Faso.

“If God calls you to give financially to support this ministry, costs have gone up for the food and things that we need to minister to these young ladies. We appreciate God’s people coming together and doing that.”

Click here to give to CWO’s ministry in Burkina Faso.

Header photo courtesy of CWO.

Though the ministry began as a way to reach single moms, grandmothers raising their grandchildren need support too and are often dealing with challenges that are new compared to when they raised their own children.

“We have meetings with the grannies and speak into their lives, helping them with parenting skills now that some of them are in their 80s and raising their grandchildren. [We are] just sharing the Gospel with them and giving them tools that they can use to raise their grandchildren,” says Greg Yoder with CWO.

The response has been positive, as the grannies are grateful for the meetings and excited that somebody is coming alongside them to share the support they need to raise their grandchildren.

Some of these families also have physical needs, and CWO is partnering with other organizations to meet those needs through food, clothing, and other essential items.

Recently, CWO was able to help several grannies get scales so that they can weigh their products and sell them for a fair price at the market.

“[It’s] been exciting to come alongside them in that way, and the donations that people have given have helped in a physical as well as a spiritual way,” Yoder says.

Through this ministry, the grandmothers are not the only ones being supported. The children raised by their grandmothers are able to live more stable lives.

“These kids are hurting,” Yoder says. “If they’re being raised by a granny who’s generations older than them, it can be difficult for both of them, and looking at your grandmother raising you can be really difficult.”

This ministry also helps boys go to camp to learn from male mentors. And for married grandmothers, some of the grandfathers are coming alongside them to help raise these children.

As many of the grandmothers are believers, it’s exciting to see them pass their faith to their grandchildren. As CWO helps them invest in these young people physically and spiritually, they are passing on a positive legacy.

“We’re just excited about what’s happening in South Africa with this ministry,” Yoder says. [There is an] excitement that these ladies have when they come together, being able to share their stories with each other, and ultimately receiving the healing that they need, that really comes from God’s love and what he can do in their lives.”

Men Molding Men camp helps boys learn from male mentors (Photo courtesy of CWO)

Please pray for workers and volunteers as CWO continues to find new groups that want to meet. Pray that the information shared will be valuable and transformative for these grandmothers and their grandchildren.

For those who want to give to this ministry, donations can go to the general fund so that CWO can do things like buy scales for grannies, help boys go to camp, support other ministries like Healing Hearts and Men Around the Fire, and continue the many programs that serve children being raised by a single parent.

Header Photo Provided by Single Moms Raising Sons, a ministry of Christian World Outreach

“I can see where, if a gang is willing to help take care of children, maybe even giving them food, that kind of thing, that would be a draw for them to join a gang,” said Yoder. “I don’t think of young children. I think of young teenage boys, especially, that I know in Port-au-Prince that I’ve got a concern about, just because that could be a draw, being able to help themselves or help their families by joining the gang.”

As much as 90 percent of Port-au-Prince is under gang influence, according to previous UN reports, resulting in blocked roads, limited public services, rapidly increasing costs for essential supplies, as well as many Haitians fleeing their homes.

Amidst the unrest and economic insecurity, CWO works with in-country leadership and staff to understand and address the emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of Haitians. Their main purpose is reaching families with the gospel, says Yoder.

“We just pray that God will speak to these children and their families as they go through this difficult time, and that the gospel takes hold with people. We’re seeing ministry continue on, not in every place where we’ve been in the past, because people have completely left one of the towns where we had a feminine training center, but in Port-au-Prince, in other places, we’re seeing ministry go on with our churches and the feminine training center and the feeding program.”

Yoder asks fellow Christians to pray for CWO’s staff and ministry, as well as for divine intervention.

“Just pray that somehow God will intervene and things will change in Haiti to where people can be reached for the gospel. Pray for safety of our staff as they continue on their continuing ministry, despite the difficult situation they’re in. And if they want to give, it would be great to have new donors join in and support the ministry as we continue on.”

Header photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach.

Christian World Outreach’s (CWO) Greg Yoder says, “First of all, we thank God that these people that were kidnapped have been released, and [we are] just grateful that their lives were spared – others have not been.”

Their safe return brings relief, but it also highlights the ongoing instability gripping the nation, fueled by gang violence and targeted kidnappings.

Children’s feeding program by CWO in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

Around 1.3 million Haitians have fled their homes and are now internally displaced — a 24% increase since the end of 2024.

“We have seen or heard reports of some of the towns, especially in the north where people have been displaced to. The way it was described — it being one of the cities — it’s like ants,” says Yoder.

“You just add more people, which probably adds food insecurity in those areas. That’s how it affects ministries like Christian World Outreach.”

CWO is seeing the impact of displacement firsthand through its children’s feeding program. “We’re just seeing an increase,” says Yoder. “Eighty children gathered in one of our places where we have a feeding program, which is a little bit higher than the norm.”

Pray for an end to the violence and instability permeating Haitian life, and for people to turn to Jesus for hope. Ask the Lord to sustain CWO’s ministry with supporters and spiritual encouragement.

Yoder also urges prayer for the newly freed captives: “Emotionally, that God would heal there. I’m not sure what all they went through, but I’m sure that emotionally it was a draining month. [Pray] that God will work in their lives and they can get back to somewhat of a normal life that they had at that center.”

*Some reports say nine people total were kidnapped from the compound.

Header photo from 2020 of a suburb of Port-au-Prince. (Photo courtesy of Reynaldo Mirault/Unsplash)

The missionary, Gena Heraty, is known for her decades-long care for children with disabilities. EU officials are working to secure the group’s release.

The kidnapping happened not far from the Haiti office of Christian World Outreach (CWO). CWO staff weren’t targeted, but the ministry is feeling the strain of daily unrest.

“We have not directly been affected by any kidnappings or anything recently,” says CWO President Greg Yoder. “But it’s caused ministry to slow down and sometimes be postponed, especially in the Port-au-Prince area.”

Women learning sewing skills at a feminine training center. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

That’s already forced closures elsewhere. In Mirebalais, another hot zone for gang control, violence has emptied the streets.

Yoder explains, “Recently, with the gangs kind of taking over Mirebalais, that shut down our Feminine Training Center there because pretty much everybody left town.”

Still, CWO isn’t pulling out. If anything, the team sees the chaos as a reminder of why they’re there in the first place. Haiti needs Christ more than ever.

“Our goal is to use those opportunities to share the Gospel. Our hope is, even during these difficult times, that it makes people think about their lives and eternity.”

CWO-partnered churches and training centers continue to meet when they can — sometimes online, sometimes in person, always looking for safe ways to encourage believers and train up leaders.

Pray for God’s protection and encouragement over those who were kidnapped. Petition the Lord for their safe return!

Yoder also asks, “Pray for the believers, that they won’t get discouraged. Pray for them as they evangelize in their communities. Pray for safety of the staff there as they try to continue on with ministry.”

Learn more about CWO’s Haiti ministry.

Header photo features a child in Haiti. (Photo courtesy of TopSphere Media/Unsplash)

Public schools aren’t the only ones gaining attention these days. Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach says parents in Sri Lanka are increasingly drawn to their after-school tutoring program. 

At first, “parents are a little leery that we’re trying to just convert their children, but then they learn that that’s not what we’re doing,” Yoder says. “They’ve grown to love what we do and [are] open to hearing that Jesus loves them, and wants nothing more than [for] them to love Him.” 

Run by volunteers, the program offers tutoring in math and English. “They use Bible stories and songs to share Christ, as well as giving them education,” says Yoder.

Ministry in Sri Lanka. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

However, not everyone in the community wants to hear the Good News. 

“There is some resistance to the Gospel [due to] Sri Lanka being mostly Hindu and Buddhist.” 

CWO works with dedicated local leaders in Sri Lanka who live out the Gospel while meeting educational and physical needs. Pray for one CWO partner facing persecution. 

“The Buddhist priest is trying to force this homeowner to stop renting to one of our leaders [who] has a house church,” says Yoder. “We’re working to help him find another place, if he does get kicked out.”

Yoder asks that you also pray for wisdom for CWO as they connect with local gospel workers. 

“Word is being spread that we’re coming alongside ministry leaders,” he says. “They’re coming to us and saying, ‘Hey, can we partner with you?’ So that’s a challenge, but it’s also an opportunity.”

CWO’s vision for gospel-centered ministry goes beyond mere financial partnership.

“We are encouraging them to find funds in-country. Some of them are doing that,” says Yoder. “They’re looking to their churches and saying, ‘Hey, we need to step up. If we want to share the gospel with our community, we need to invest in that.’”

CWO partners with ministry leaders who want to share the gospel, whether they’re doing a church plant, house church, or any kind of evangelism in their communities. Learn more about their mission and how you can be part of it here.

Header photo from Galle, Sri Lanka courtesy of Fredrik Öhlander via Unsplash. Cropped from original version. 

“It’s outside of Port-au-Prince, so they’re (the gangs) expanding in their territory,” Yoder says.

“There was a pastor and several of the people from his church who were killed by gang members, and I believe they also burned the church down.”

Estimates vary, but most agree that gangs now control at least 90 percent of Port-au-Prince. When gangs took over Mirebalais at the end of March, CWO partners had to shut everything down and run.

“We had one of our feminine training centers there, and that town is pretty much shut down. Everybody’s left, and the gang members have taken over,” Yoder says.

Believers sent a dozen orphans in their care to live with family members in a nearby town.

“People are migrating away from these areas, and then it adds a burden to the families and the people of other areas,” Yoder says.

The United States designated two Haitian gangs as terrorists earlier this month. “They’re acting very much like terrorists taking over, looting, and just advancing to more and more territory,” Yoder says.

Handiwork of women from CWO’s Feminine Training Centers in Haiti (Photo courtesy of CWO)

The activity in Haiti reminds him of terrorist actions in Burkina Faso, he adds.

“We just have to rely on the Lord’s wisdom and discernment to find ways we can help these people,” Yoder says.

Church partners in Haiti continue their work in eight locations, but the needs are growing daily. Yoder says, “We’re looking for ways we can help those we know and those in great need of food and shelter.”

Send financial help through CWO here.

Ask the Lord to guide and protect Gospel workers in Haiti. Pray that their daily needs will be met.

“I don’t know the answer at this point, but we just pray that God will intervene in what’s going on in Haiti and that, even during these hard times, Christ will be shared,” Yoder says.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of TopSphere Media via Unsplash.

On Monday, the capital city came to a standstill as businesses, schools, and vendors shut down in protest. A demonstration of roughly 200 people gathered in Harare’s Freedom Square. The government responded with heavy police presence, arresting at least 95 protestors who were accused of throwing rocks at law enforcement.

Greg Yoder, President of Christian World Outreach (CWO), says, “Even though these protests are kind of limited to the capital…it does affect the whole country. As power changes from one leader to another or is possibly changing, it does cause people to think, ‘Okay, what’s going to happen now?’”

Kids supported by CWO in Zimbabwe. (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

Amidst political uncertainty, Zimbabwe’s youth face challenges of their own. Over half struggle with substance abuse, and high unemployment leaves many feeling lost.

CWO supports vulnerable children and teens in Zimbabwe through the Our Kids program, which provides food, medical care, and education in Jesus’ name.

“The children we work with are vulnerable children — maybe an orphan or double orphan,” explains Yoder. “So we come alongside caregivers and try to help them and even give them training so they know how to take care of these children that they’ve brought into their homes.”

For teens, the focus is on sharing the Gospel and setting them up for a bright and productive life. Yoder says, “We recently had a camp with teenage boys and girls and they were asked the question: ‘If you dream about your future, what would you want to do?’”

“One of the young ladies shared that there’s only one clinic in her area. She wanted to become a doctor so she could come back to her area and be able to help the people.”

(Photo courtesy of CWO)

CWO also works with local churches to support these kids. “We’re trying to encourage the leaders of churches to come alongside these young people and be able to minister to them. So we try to connect with a church in that area…and work with the leadership in those areas where the kids are.”

As Zimbabwe faces an uncertain future, ministries like CWO are pointing the next generation to Jesus Christ.

Yoder encourages, “Pray for our staff that are working with these young people as they go through the program. They can invest in their lives. These kids are the future of Zimbabwe, and so to raise up Christian leaders is important.”

Financial support is another way you can make a difference. “This program costs about $45 a month to help send these kids to school, to help them with medical, clothes, food — whatever their needs are — and to support the caregivers too.”

Connect with CWO’s Zimbabwe ministry here.

Header photo: Zimbabwe’s president, Emmerson Mnangagwa. (Photo courtesy of News Measurements Network Live/Flickr: Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal, https://rb.gy/cx6qlr)

Women learning sewing skills at a feminine training center (Photo courtesy of Christian World Outreach)

Greg Yoder with CWO says that even though armed security forces are in the capital too, “not much has changed in Port au Prince itself, as far as reducing the risk of doing ministry right there.”

But he says Haitians are resilient. “The women want to come to the classes for the feminine training center. The people still come to church, and the kids still come to the feeding program,” he says. 

“If [the violence] gets too close, we just don’t have classes, we don’t hold the feeding program, we won’t hold church. But they (local staff) continue to want to do ministry, share the gospel. Our hope is that gang members come to know the Lord through us being there and the Haitian people being resilient, and pastors still ministering to people, and teachers still speaking into women’s lives.” 

Yoder says their ministry in Port-au-Prince will end only if gangs take over the property — and even if the Lord allows that worst-case scenario, ministry outside of the capital will go on. He explains that a network of churches in the countryside is standing united. 

“The churches in the countryside are still able to meet, and they are coming together,” he says.

A church in Haiti (Courtesy of Christian World Outreach via Facebook)

One of the ways these churches support one another is through a “Harvest Feast.” Part of that gathering is families bringing produce from their gardens.

“They use that [produce] to sell — the church does — to help support the church, but they also help by giving to people in need. Some of those people may be people that are displaced because of the gang violence in Port au Prince,” Yoder says.

“They want to help each other. I’ve seen that happen where they take offerings and help support the need of another church. It’s a true picture of what Christianity should be about as we work together to share the gospel.”

Please pray for protection for CWO staff, church attendees and class participants in Haiti’s ongoing crises so that gospel ministry can continue in Port-au-Prince.

“If people have a heart to give, give financially, so we can continue to do ministry. Costs have gone up for everything.” 

Learn more here about how Christian World Outreach is making a difference for Christ. 

Header photo from 2020 of a suburb of Port-au-Prince called Petionville (Photo courtesy of Reynaldo Mirault via Unsplash)

This exit drops ECOWAS’s membership to 12 countries and highlights growing frustrations in the critical regional bloc.

For Christians in Burkina Faso, this change could make an already dangerous situation worse. Greg Yoder with Christian World Outreach (CWO) explains, “ECOWAS has been a thing that’s supposed to be helping the 15 countries work together and help economically, but also with peacekeeping.”

Students at the Village of Opportunity (VOO) with CWO in Burkina Faso. (Photo courtesy of CWO)

Over the past several years, Muslim extremists in Burkina Faso have been destroying churches and killing or kidnapping believers. Now, without ECOWAS, there’s concern that Burkina Faso will struggle even more to fight these extremist groups.

The country already feels the impact economically. Yoder says, “What they’re seeing is it’s caused prices to go up for food and necessities, anything.”

Yet, CWO persists in offering skills training for young women and medical care in Burkina Faso — all in the name of Jesus.

“Ministry continues on,” affirms Yoder. “It does put a strain on the funds, but our staff there are very frugal and they do whatever they can to stretch the dollars. They buy in bulk and do whatever they can. So we are grateful for what God’s provided for us, and we try to do our best with what we have.”

Pray for God’s continued provision.

Learn more about CWO’s ministry in Burkina Faso.

Header photo: The UN Security Council attends a UN ECOWAS meeting, 2017. (Photo by UK Mission to the UN New York/Lorey Campese, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59944675)