wfn.org | Children's activities point to 'better world'

[NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG]

March 5, 2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom·(212) 870-3803·New York
10-71B{108}

By United Methodist News Service

Children will learn to build a better world with a new curriculum prepared
by Church World Service.

"Build a Better World!" is designed for elementary school-age children in
vacation church school, camp, Sunday school or other settings. It features
four "journeys," each involving a story of a child, along with a related
Bible study, suggestions of hands-on activities and take-home sheets. Imani,
a giraffe whose name means "hope" in Swahili, serves as mascot through the
program. The colorful 24-page book includes a poster.

The journey to Ghana, for example, features Helene and Kojo, who are raising
rabbits to eat and sell as part of a farm project supported by Church World
Service. Questions are asked with a scripture, Matthew 15:32-38, related to
hunger. Activities include creating a rabbit hutch and rabbit, making a
rabbit poster, creating a display to publicize the rabbit project or raising
money for the rabbit project.

Other journeys are to Honduras, Cambodia and "around the block" to a family
at a homeless shelter.

Carol Wehrheim, the curriculum's author, recently won the Educator of the
Year Award given by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators. Church
educators from several denominations did field testing of the resource.

Up to 10 copies of "Build a Better World!" are available for free. Eleven to
99 copies cost $1 each, and 100 or more copies cost 75 cents each. To order,
call (800) 297-1516 or write to Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart,
IN 46515. The agency's Web site is www.churchworldservice.org.  

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United Methodist News Service
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