During our last visit to India, we were able to visit the healthcare project that Bridge supports in Delhi.

Each day, thirty women go out into the slums to help local people with their health needs. This includes giving advice on nutrition, dealing with minor ailments and helping access hospitals for more major conditions.

 

We heard an inspiring story of one health worker helping a woman experiencing difficulties during late pregnancy. The worker initially took the woman to the local Government hospital, but this had a waiting time of over 36 hours. She then took the mother to a private hospital where she negotiated a discount on their normal fees. After the baby was born, she went back and negotiated a further discount on the fees and took the initiative on raising the funds to pay this much reduced bill!

“We heard many stories of the tenacity of these healthcare workers and the enormous benefit they are providing to their community.”

The slums in Delhi are still a very difficult place to live and Bridge is able, through our support of the healthcare workers, to make it a little bit easier. Some of the health care workers are without sponsors so if you would like to support one then please visit our donation page.


 

The impacts of war are devastating, with many people experiencing or witnessing terrible atrocities. One of the largest conflicts in the world is in Sudan and millions of people have fled the country, often leaving family and possessions behind.

Bridge recently had the privilege of connecting with a group of women working in a neighbouring country that are trying to help these refugees. We heard stories of former doctors and lawyers who had lost everything, including proof of their qualifications, meaning they could no longer work.

The team we met are a true inspiration and are currently providing several sessions each week focused on trauma healing. They have also set up training sessions to help these Sudanese women gain employment, for example as care assistants or by helping them set up their own jewellery business.

Bridge has been able to provide some funding to support this initiative, but we are looking for partners who could help provide regular support for these refugees – both financially and through prayer. If you are interested, then please get in touch.

It’s so good to be able to provide another positive update on life at Mutende children’s village and school in Zambia, after our visit in February. The children (and staff) seem well and happy, and we always have a lot of fun. Our visits are spent doing activities with the children, dealing with practical issues like maintenance, and catching up with staff and the Zambian board overseeing Mutende.



One of the benefits of regular visits over the years is that we can see the children progressing, which is such a joy. On our recent visit we were having a closer look at the provision for the older children, as the transition from school life to the next phase of education or employment can take a year or more. We’re looking at ways of helping to bridge this gap as this is a critical time in their young lives. They need emotional and financial support as they develop the life skills to become independent.

We’re so grateful to all the supporters who give to the children throughout their time at Mutende, and for those who are continuing their support as they face the joys and challenges of adult life. We publish a newsletter dedicated to the Mutende project, so if you’d like to receive this please fill in this form.

A growing aspect of the work of Bridge has been to support people in prayer. More recently we have been able to travel to other countries to join others to pray, often with people working in very difficult situations. There is something very powerful about both putting “boots on the ground” to pray in a specific location and about praying in unity together. We’ve been encouraged in seeing answers when we pray in this way, and for the effect this has on strengthening everyone involved. This is something we want to continue to explore in the future.

We would also like to support those who have a heart to pray in the UK. We’re looking for opportunities to arrange prayer get-togethers, prayer trips or share more about what God is doing as fuel for prayer. We’ve experienced some very creative ways of praying and we hope to bring some of what we have learnt to these times.