Put Feet to Their Faith with Operation Baby Rescue

One in two children, under the age of 5, suffers from malnutrition in Guatemala. In rural areas, 80 percent of children suffer from chronic malnutrition. Most malnutrition is caused by water-borne illnesses. Operation Baby Rescue is an initiative which provides life-saving treatment to thousands of children battling the effects of malnutrition in impoverished communities. In 2011 alone, they were able to raise nearly $180,000 and provide funding to rescue 148 babies from malnutrition. This year they are seeking to raise an additional $1.2 million, which will be enough to rescue 1,000 babies’ lives! They do this in the following ways . . . 

• Rescuing the child: Many of these children live in the remote mountainous regions of Guatemala. Rescuers can travel up to six hours each way over rough and rocky terrain to reach children in need.
• Treatment at the Baby Rescue Center: The average stay for a child is two weeks.
• Hospital visit/stay: Some of the children require additional attention which the Baby Rescue Center cannot provide.
• Housing and care for additional family members: Many families accompany their children to the Baby Rescue Center and need a place to stay while their children are being treated.
• Food and clothing supplies: These are often sent back with the family once the children are nursed back to health.

You can involve the children in your ministry in a project to raise money for Operation Baby Rescue by either hosting one fundraising page which you ask families to donate to, or by encouraging families - or small groups - to set up their own fundraising page which they can share with friends and family to raise money for Operation Baby Rescue.  You can hold special fundraisers - cookie sales, car washes or even yard sales and then donate the money the kids raise to their project to help babies.

When you "Put Feet to Their Faith" and involve children in an opportunity to live what they believe and help others, you will see your kid's faith grow by leaps and bound and in the process, give them a heart for others around the world!