2021 has been an incredible year. At Forward Edge, our hearts swell with gratitude for all God has done. His awesome faithfulness through another difficult year has been such a blessing to witness. Children around the world are discovering their true worth and purpose and growing in intimacy with Jesus, and that is the greatest blessing of all.
Today, we celebrate some of the top highlights from this year:
Children help their families in Cuba – In Cuba, food and medicine costs have skyrocketed this year. As a response, several of the children in our program there decided to help their families by starting their own small businesses for extra income. Alexis is a young man who learned from a relative how to make aluminum rings out of useless coins. Once finished, he gives them to a friend to sell. María is a young woman and another shining example of generosity: She plants cactuses of different kinds in old containers, and once the plants are established, neighbors come buy them. María then joyfully gives the money to her grandma to buy the loaves of bread they need for the day. We’re inspired by the resourcefulness and generosity of these children!
Our preschool in Kijabe, Kenya has a new building and expanded. Thanks to Forward Edge partners, we were able to build a preschool building complete with two different classrooms and a teacher’s office this year! Before, the students were crammed in an old dining hall. This expansion has allowed the school to almost double in size. Our preschool welcomed 23 children over the summer and is equipping them with the vital early education needed to succeed in primary school and beyond!
Our first-ever “Over The Edge” event was a success – On August 21st, the Forward Edge family rappelled down the side of the Portland Astoria building in downtown Portland, OR to raise money for children in our programs. In total, there were 68 rappelers and a total of $195,000 raised. For those of you able to join in person, you know just how special this day was.
We had our best Worth & Purpose Virtual Banquet to date – In October, the Global Forward Edge Family gathered virtually and in-person to look back on the miraculous ways God has built the ministry of Forward Edge since 1983, hear the heartwarming story of Peter, and announce the new CEO of Forward Edge, Tim Ainley. Together, we raised over $400,000 to support and expand our programs for the vulnerable! Our deepest thanks to everyone who was able to join!
Siloé School opened in Oaxaca, Mexico! – Over the summer, Siloé School, a private Christian elementary school for children in our program officially opened. In November, the school hosted an Awards Ceremony to recognize students with the best bimonthly grade point average. Students have already improved a great deal academically since the school opened a few short months ago. Praise God!
Operation Enduring Homes is still thriving in Mexico – Missionaries Tom and Wendy Hogan lead this homebuilding ministry in conjunction with our Mexico children’s program. So far they have completed 11 new homes for families in most need! The block factory they manage along with the construction of homes provides jobs for 11 families in the community. We’re so thankful for this life-changing program.
Of course, there are many cherished and truly beautiful moments from this year, and we simply can’t count them all. We hope you enjoyed looking back on these moments as much as we did. Cheers to a fantastic year ahead in 2022!
Berenice was used to seeing the same narrative play out around her growing up: a life marked by poverty, wealth inequality, and barriers to education. Most families in her area in Oaxaca, Mexico have traditionally come from smaller villages in search of a better life and are facing severe unemployment
Viola lives in the slums of Kampala, Uganda with her parents and five siblings. Living conditions in this area are cramped and unsanitary. Viola’s family lives in a small, brick, two-bedroom house. The whole family shares one room and the other one is used to house chickens and a goat that
Have you ever experienced an offer of generosity from a family member, friend, or acquaintance that was well-intentioned, but…misplaced? Perhaps a friend making you a meal you’re allergic to or a parent buying you a piece of furniture you have no room for. Of course you say thank you, but
It started with a simple nudge—a last-minute feeling that I was forgetting something important. Rushing through the airport, I couldn’t shake the urge to buy a Bible. I didn’t know why, or who it was for, but I trusted the feeling. A week later, in a small village in Ghana, that Bible found its way into the hands of Talata, a girl who had never heard of Jesus. This is the story of how God’s quiet whispers and a small act of obedience became part of something much bigger than we could have imagined.
5 yrs. old
Entered the program: March 2025
Sonica lives with her mother and older sister in a rented one-room structure with a sheet metal roof. They share one bed. Cooking and toilet facilities are outdoors and shared with other neighbors. They have no electricity and collect water from a public spigot that they boil to drink.
Sonica’s mother is a single parent and the sole provider for the family. She sells foodstuffs as a street vendor to take care of her daughters. The family usually has only one meal a day.
