Fountain of Joy
Since 2001, NLF staff have trained outcast pregnant girls and very needy girls skills to help them become self-reliant.
The two year programme teaches sewing, embroidery, cooking and home economics.
While studying at Bible School and working in the slums of Kenya, Glorious & Josephine Shoo became aware of the plight of the many teenage girls who had been sentenced to prison as a result of abandoning their babies. Others had abortions or were involved in prostitution. Most of these girls came from extremely poor families, were without support, had little or no education and and living on the streets. They were caught in a hopeless cycle of poverty and immorality.
What others call 'trash' we call 'treasure'
Josephine has a special affinity for these girls and considers them her 'treasures' when many others in the community have rejected them and treated them as 'trash'. She was highly determined to fulfill the vision she carried in her heart, and believed God could change their lives and make new what others might call wasted. Upon returning to Tanzania, she started a ministry for unwed teenage mothers by using her own home to teach the girls about the Lord and to begin sewing classes to teach them to become skilled seamstresses.
This led to the development of the Fountain of Joy Ministry where the girls are taken off the streets and welcomed into the Fountain of Joy. Their medical needs are addressed and their education level assessed and developed as necessary. They are also given the opportunity to participate in vocational training. This assists them with employment once they have completed their training at Fountain of Joy and are ready to re-integrate back into their local community.
How the Program Works
Many of the unwed teenage mothers come from extremely poor families, and many of them have very little if any education. In order to be able to get a job, they must have some type of marketable skill. So by training these young mothers in sewing helps not only these women, but all of society.
The Fountain of Joy offers a two year training program to these girls. Each day they begin with a Bible class, including praise and worship, prayer and testimony time, and teaching. Most of these girls are not born again when they come to the Fountain of Joy. Almost all of them are saved by the time they graduate.
Other practical daily classes include:
- Home economics
- English as a second language
- Sewing/tailoring
- Food and nutrition
- Child care and parenting skills
As a result of NLF these young girls lives are changed, their babies given a wonderful start in life and they are able to support themselves with employable life skills.
