Stand with Africa...
In God's Global Barnyard

A storybook for children

Welcome to the online version of the children's story book. Click on any of the areas or on "The World" to begin your journey!

Kenya: Chickens
Ethiopia: Cows
Malawi: Honey Bees
Kenya: Goats
Tanzania: Fish


The World!

God made the whole world and all the people who live in it. And Jesus showed us what it means to be part of God's family--to love each and every person.

In a family, when one person is in trouble or needs help, brothers and sisters "stand with" them. They say, "I'm sticking with you until we together figure out what is the problem--and what we can do about it by working together." That means people who have more share with the ones who have less, so all have enough.

The members of God's family live in North America, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America. This means God has made us brothers and sisters
to people all over the world. And if we are brothers and sisters in God's church, we should "stand with" them--and they should "stand with" us!

Right now, it's really important for us in the United States to stand with our brothers and sisters in Africa. The United States is one of the richest countries in the world, while some African countries are very poor. Being poor often means not having enough to eat. In the countries in Africa south of the Sahara Desert, one out of three people doesn't get enough to eat. Standing with brothers and sisters in Africa means working with them so nobody goes hungry.

How in the world do we work with people in Africa? We Americans have money that we can share with brothers and sisters in Africa. They have great ideas on how they can make life better. And God has blessed Africa with many good things. That's a wonderful combination that reaches from America to Africa!

Animals!
In Africa, many people live on small farms. In the United States only 2 people out of every 100 are farmers. In some African countries, like the ones described in this Story Book, 80 people out of every 100 are farmers and grow their own food!

So if we "stand with" brothers and sisters in Africa, we end up standing in the African part of "God's Global Barnyard." And there are a lot of animals in this barnyard!
When we think of animals in Africa, we often think of the wonderful animals we see in zoos: giraffes, baboons, rhinos, elephants, lions, and others. But in Africa, you also find the same animals that are on farms in our country, like cows, chickens, goats, and pigs.

These "barnyard animals" are an important source of food for many Africans. They help stop hunger! They also help people earn the money they need to buy important things for their families. But animals are most helpful as part of a bigger picture. That's why we work with African churches and other partners as they teach farmers how to grow more food in earth-friendly ways and to sell what they raise or make.

Animals also help the children of farmers to get an education, clean water and better health care. Animals plus all these things can help solve the hunger problem for the long-term. People are happy when they can work and provide enough for their families. Helping them do that is far better than just giving them food to eat now and then!