As a way of bringing knowledge and hope, pastors that have relationships with Global Aid Network’s water and church planting strategy were given tools to help promote health and encouragement to their communities during COVID-19. To empower each pastor in their church and community response to the pandemic, GAiN has been connecting with pastors in Benin, Togo, and Tanzania through calling and texting to offer support and coaching.

As churches have become an important voice and leader in their communities, many of them have become intricately involved in the lives of individuals. The training each pastor received helped their churches respond to the pandemic by loving and serving their neighbours, which included sharing the message on how to reduce the spread of the virus as well as providing care for church members.

At the same time, government restrictions in response to COVID-19 have also heightened food insecurity in these countries. To help, GAiN is providing one to two months’ worth of food to pastors and their families (approximately 450 pastors in Benin, 200 in Togo, and 40 in Tanzania) as part of the Pastor Support Program. Pastor Pascal from Gbegbessa, Benin is one of those pastors:

“As I got to the GAiN office, I noticed bags of rice and am happy because I am going to bring food back home for children, my wife, and myself. We will cook food and rejoice. We are pleased with this work of love.”