The Village Church Life Centre

We are commemorating the beginning of Phase I of The Village Church Life Centre with the dedication and groundbreaking of The Youth and Community Centre. Currently there is no facility of this type in Botswana and this is a unique time in the history of the country whereby the church has an opportunity to carry out its mandate in practical and relevant ways. We are excited that God has chosen us to participate with Him at this time.

What Is The Purpose?

The purpose of this Centre shall be to provide older children, pre-teens and in and out of school youth with programs and services that will help them cope with their current situation and develop strengths that will support a quality future.

What Is The Vision?

Our vision is to create practical methodologies to carry out the scriptural mandate “to exercise a pure and faultless religion – that of looking after orphans and widows in their distress” (paraphrased from James 1:27) by. . .

Utilizing spiritual intervention strategies as well as physical and emotional intervention strategies.
Standing in the gap for parents or caregivers who might not be able to provide good parenting to their children.
Providing a biblically based re-parenting program for children and youth.
Impacting youth success in life through the provision of biblically based after-school programs (including recreation, vocational training, study-skill training and more).
Providing ongoing opportunities to bring those seeking and receiving the services of the Life Centre to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

What Are The Programs

As a result of the extreme mobility of our community and the ongoing HIV/AIDS Pandemic, we are discovering a large and growing number of children and youth in need of spiritual, emotional and physical support that can only be provided effectively by the church community.

Poverty alleviation programs within church programs will need to emphasize vocational training and employment creation for unskilled workers, orphan care and destitute relief as well as specialized counseling and support services for at-risk children, youth and their caregivers. The programs designed to be housed in this building will address these needs.
The programs will include abstinence clubs, health promotion clubs and other empowerment and vocational training initiatives that focus on spiritual growth and leadership development.
Caregivers and parents in the program will be provided positive, biblically based training programs that focus on the needs of the caregivers as well as the needs of the youth.
The programs provided have the potential to function as a training lab and resource centre for regional and national stakeholders regarding best practices in youth support services to include youth evangelism.

What Will Be Happening At The Life Centre?

This project is designed to provide programs that will address the spiritual and moral growth of youth as well as educational and recreational programs that will support the development of leadership and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes.

The promotion of healthy lifestyles and behaviors that are necessary for personal confidence and self-esteem.
Life skills programs that promote the youth’s abilities to make positive, quality decisions.
Personal care and counseling that is culturally, socially and spiritually appropriate – providing ingress to needed social services in cases of abandonment and abuse including alcohol, physical and sexual abuse prevention interventions.
The skills acquired will include those necessary in the avoidance of risky behaviors as well as the ‘how-to’s” of nutrition, diet, hygiene, sport and leisure, family life and parenting skills.
Linkages to the labor market will be supported through various mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities as well as access and expand upon the national vocational training sites.
One of the greatest needs, particularly in the Northwest is access to healthy sport and leisure time activities. While this project provides much more to the community than “just” a recreational center, the importance of that portion of the project cannot be overlooked.