Thursday, May 3, 2018

Our Plans for 2018

Dear partners of God’s mission in Cuba,
 
Twenty-Four years ago we stepped out to create EchoCuba which later merged with Americas Relief and became a ministry of Outreach Aid to the Americas. The original vision was to help the new emerging Christian Church in Cuba which had been silenced by the government for almost 30 years. In 2017, seven Cuban leaders representing over 80% of the Evangelical Community traveled to Miami to meet with us. Their report states that the Cuban Church is gaining capacity by training new pastors at various theological seminaries and is now conducting ministries with the elderly, children, young adults, and others in a number of different ways including in sports ministry, summer camps, evangelical campaigns, disaster relief, and many other ways—exactly what OAA has focused on for over 24 years!
 
2018 will be a year of building on our foundation and expanding capacity through the launching of new initiatives with our local partners, and creating new avenues for growth through partnerships & collaborations with International NGOs (INGOs) and U.S. Government sources. We will also continue to build on the strength of our "Americas Relief" brand in areas of disaster, resiliency, and humanitarian aid, particularly in Central America and the Caribbean.  
In 2018 we plan to continue providing resources and expertise to our local partners to help advance the fundamental freedoms, organizational skills, education, and social services that are the foundation of a healthy society. And we will also continue as an organization to be committed to serving the most vulnerable people, including people with disabilities living in developing nations.

We are proud to be one of the founding members of The First Frontier Cuba Network (FFCN), a selected group of U.S. churches and ministries united to help the Church in Cuba by developing a strategic response to the changes taking place there. The Network has initiated work with eight different Cuban denominations and includes all of the largest conventions such as the Methodists, Assemblies of God and the various Baptists Conventions. We expect to spend much of our efforts in this area in 2018.

By the end of 2020, our goal is to continue building strategic partnerships in order to ship 100 containers with food aid & health supplies to vulnerable and marginalized groups. We will equip entrepreneurs with training and assistance to help them start a new life, and we will help the emerging and suffering church in our region of the world with 1,000 laptop computers, 5,000 audio Bibles, and the tools and resources needed to operate 50 theological seminaries & Bible training centers, altogether creating a great impact in Cuba and the region.

Grace, peace, and love be yours in abundance,


 
Teo
 
Dr. Teo A. Babun, is President & CEO of EchoCuba which is a ministry of Outreach Aid to the Americas, Inc.

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