The Agape Home for Babies and Children with HIV/AIDS
Roy & Avis Rideout
The Agape Home for Babies and Children with HIV/AIDS, located in Chiang Mai Thailand, really began as the realization of a vision given to its founder, Avis Rideout. Avis saw the tragedy that often attends the care of those with HIV---the effects of rejection and abandonment on an already fragile system. The Agape Home has been home to more than 230 children since opening in May 1996, and is currently home to about 75 children. The goal of this ministry is to provide the love and care of a family, and the knowledge that their lives matter and have value.
Agape's primary ministry is to provide a loving Christian home to the children entrusted to our care. This includes all the things one would associate with life in a family: love, care nurture, shelter, relationship, education, and belonging. In the Agape Home family, this also includes growing up to know, love, and serve Jesus. It is the presence of God in the lives of the Agape Home children that touches the hearts of all who enter.
Through the Agape Home Child Sponsorship Program, funds are raised to help meet the day-to-day child-care related expenses of the orphanage (e.g., food, medicine, clothing, educational costs, and full time child care). The Agape Home children exchange correspondence with their sponsors, delight in getting to know something about their sponsors, and are blessed by the knowledge that people all over the world pray for them regularly, and consider them to be a part of their families. Sponsors receive several updates each year from Agape with a photo and news of their sponsored child. Sponsors also receive correspondence back from their sponsored child, and a treasured experience through their participation.
In addition to the orphanage, the Agape Home Ministry also includes a number of other important programs and projects that are reaching out with Christ's love in the wider community. An example of this is the Mother and Baby Home---an assisted living hospice-type home that is located directly behind the orphanage on the back corner of the property. This space provides home, care and community support for women with HIV, and their children, during the time when mom is no longer able to look after herself or her family without help.
The Agape Home also welcomes visiting missions' teams. Pastor Phil and several other members of CCCN have participated in multiple construction missions trips to Agape Home since 2000 to help them build their current facilities. If you would be interested in participating in a future trip or sponsoring a child, please contact the CCCN contact listed below.
Prayer Targets
- An increase in the number of child sponsors ($25/month) to enable reaching more children in need and for the health and welfare of the children
- For the leadership, that they would have the wisdom of the Lord in all the details and aspects of the ministry
Email:
Web: www.nikkisplace.org
CCCN Contact: