“For Every Child, Save a Child”

Overview/Instructions

Thank you for your interest in Africa 360! The “For Every Child, Save a Child” project is specifically geared toward Imagine No Malaria, one half of the Africa 360 initiative in the Upper New York Conference.

Here’s how it works:

First, be sure to familiarize yourself with the background about Imagine No Malaria, by visiting and so that you can use this as a teaching tool before beginning the craft.

Each child/youth in your congregation creates a craft that has their name on it. See page 2 for a sample craft, or create your own!

The craft is about showing children and youth that they can encourage the congregation to live generously: each craft represents one “pledge” to give over a specified period of time (the calendar year, school year, Lent, Advent, etc) in honor of the child/youth.

Each member of the congregation choose a child’s craft, and that child is who they will pray for over the specified period of time. They pray for that child, and save a child through Imagine No Malaria in their name every (month, week, as decided).

If your church decides to do longer-term pledges, include on each pledge card (attached to the craft) an address label with “Given in honor of ______” with the child’s name. This way, the Christian Ed director can keep track of who has a prayer partner (if the partner includes their address, the child can send a thank you note!)

For more information about keeping track of pledges, connect your church’s treasurer to Laurel O’Connor, Field Coordinator of Africa 360 at .

If the church decides to do something shorter term, consider filling half-gallon milk jugs with change, each decorated by a child. But don’t forget to keep track of which members of the congregation are praying for which child – this creates a unique intergenerational opportunity that raises awareness for Imagine No Malaria as well!

There is a video that goes along with this craft and project idea, that can be found along with other Imagine No Malaria resources in the Africa 360 Toolkit at


“For Every Child, Save a Child”
Project Instructions

Materials:

½” Clay Pots

½” Styrofoam balls

Clothes pins

Popsicle/Craft sticks (if you can find craft sticks with adhesive on one end, normally used for puppets, that will make it easier)

Glue Dots

Regular Adhesive (Liquid glue)

Card Stock (construction paper won’t stand up straight)

Markers/Sequins/Beads/Flowers

  1. Use a glue dot to adhere the clothes pin to the top of the popsicle stick.
  1. With an adult’s help, pierce the styrofoam ball through the center (this can be done ahead of time, but make sure the popsicle stick fits in the hole you’ve made), and color the ball green.
  1. Glue the styrofoam ball into the clay pot.
  1. Trace your hand on a piece of cardstock and cut it out – write your first name on the hand.
  1. On the front of the popsicle stick, write Imagineand on the back write No Malaria (test the marker, sometimes pen works best)
  1. Around the rim of the pot, write Planting seeds of life
  1. On the rest of the pot, if you’d like, the name of your church
  1. Decorate the hand, the popsicle stick/clothes pin, and the pot/styrofoam using whatever materials you have; sequins, flowers, markers all work.
  1. Assemble your masterpiece! The hand goes in the clothespin, and the popsicle stick goes in the styrofoam ball. Glue it in if it’s too wobbly.