How Do You Help Orphan

Kochnor at Abundant Life in 2015
“Mama Ayen how do u help orphan? Now i am a orphan for both father and mother. How do (can) u help me in this situation. i am in school and i have 5 brothers and 3 sisters, i don,t have power to feed them. If possible u can help me in the name of our almighty God. (Amen!!!)”

Petero Kochnor Mayom, a student attending Abundant Life Primary, wrote this message to me in 2012. Of course my heart melted, and we immediately attended to his needs. He was one of the many orphans who were welcomed as students in our two Christian Primary schools in Akot. Living Water Community Transformation waives all fees for orphans, provides a uniform, school supplies, and a meal daily. In addition, food is sent home with the orphans for weekends and holidays. This food serves as an incentive for the family who allows them to attend school. Culturally an orphaned child lives with a relative, but is not allowed to attend school. Orphans are expected to work at home to help the family with whom they are living. Kochnor, as the oldest of his family, was also responsible to provide food for his younger siblings.

Kochnor has remained in touch with me over the years. The following is message received from Kochnor, probably in 2014. “when I am (was) still not been (being) help(ed) by ACM i was not sure were (where) i could find food, and I was hopeless in my future. i was thinking about my academics, and also about of how my brothers and sisters could stay alive because i don’t have parents. When I was been (being) help(ed) by ACM (Akot Christian Ministries) things become easily (easier) because i got food in ACM school when the school is (was) operating. and if it is (was) a holiday i was given sacks of flour. ACM take (took) responsibility for all my needs. my brothers and sisters now have hope for the future.”

Orphans Showing Off Their First Pair of Shoes at Abundant Life
Kochnor was (and continues to be), a dedicated student. Unfortunately, he was not able to graduate from Abundant Life Primary. In 2015, while living with the family of one of our school staff, an unknown gunman entered their tukel (mud hut) during the night and began firing shots. This was an attempt to kill Kochnor, in order to even the score in revenge. A few months earlier a person from Akot was killed by someone from a neighboring rival community. Kochnor’s relatives had migrated from this rival community more than a generation ago. Revenge killings has been a long standing problem in this area of South Sudan.

Thankfully no one was hurt in this shooting. A couple of ACM staff members quickly whisked Kochnor off to Rumbek, the capital city of Western Lakes State. Our beloved teenager had no family to live with in Rumbek and no way to obtain food. LWCT began to provide a scholarship for Kochnor to enroll in a Catholic boarding school to enable him to complete his education. This was the beginning of a new program for ACM primary school orphan graduates.

We praise God for His provision for these precious ones. They continue to make us proud by earning the top scores in their secondary school classes. “My grade is A. (I am) Number 2 out of 179 students”, wrote Kochnor in 2018.

Kochnor’s Secondary School Graduation 2019
Kochnor wishes to thank you for your support of LWCT. He has posted a thank you note, and a prayer request for his final exams.
“I would like to express my gratitude and happiness to all my supporters in the USA being led by Mama Ayen and all the ACM staff….may our Almighty God bless you all because of your charity work. May you pray for me because we start national exams on 16th/Dec/2019.”

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds–his name is the Lord– and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.” Psalms 68:4-6

Thank you for being His hands and feet! That’s how u help an orphan!
Ann Rao