Projects

Challenge Ministries is dedicated to empowering communities and one of the ways of doing that is helping families in communities to become self-sustaining. At the heart of the Buy Back is a program is the need to assist the community in plowing initiatives and give them the opportunity, after harvest, to find a market and sell their produce as a means of establishing an income and becoming self-sustainable. This helps communities to be equipped and empowered to improve their economic conditions.

Access to Christ-centered early childhood education is crucial in rural areas where educational resources are often scarce. By including a preschool at each site, ICBC provides children with the foundational skills they need for future success. Early education has a long-term impact on cognitive development, social skills, and academic achievement, setting the stage for a generation that is better equipped to break the cycle of poverty. Additionally, every pre-school child receives one meal per day, Monday through Friday, ensuring that they receive the nutrition they need for early childhood development. Each ICBC site is designed to facilitate 40 pre-school children. Eighty percent of the children are considered orphaned and vulnerable.

The rural communities in Eswatini face a constant food crisis that limits families from thriving and having their nutritional needs met. To answer this call, emergency rice packs - a nutritional meal mixture that serve a total of 6 meals per pack, have been introduced as a means to stabilize families and give food security assistance to thousands of individuals and families, allowing them to remain healthy and ensuring they are able to take their life-saving HIV medication on a full stomach.

While addressing physical needs is essential, the core of Challenge Ministries’ mission is evangelism and discipleship—bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard it, and bringing truth to misunderstandings and mixed doctrines. The church plants are strategically placed in rural areas where access to the gospel is limited and ancestral worship and animism is the norm. Through regular outreach programs, community events, and personal relationships, ICBC pastors and church members reach out to their neighbors to share the message of salvation.

Rural Eswatini is heavily reliant on subsistence farming, with many families facing food insecurity. ICBC's rural farming family plowing program is designed to elevate these communities by enabling farmers to cultivate more land and increase crop yields. It not only supports families in achieving food security by maximizing their land's productivity and addressing immediate food needs, it also  creates a pathway to economic empowerment and community resilience.

This is an initiative to provide clean and accessible water within walking distance of the community. In many rural areas of Eswatini, access to clean water is a significant barrier to health and economic stability. By implementing solar-powered water systems, ICBC ensures a sustainable and reliable source of clean water. This not only addresses immediate health and hygiene concerns but also creates agricultural opportunities, supporting subsistence farmers and promoting food security, as well as helping add hours of the day back to the lives of many ladies and children. In Eswatini, it would not be uncommon for ladies and children to be required to walk 4 to 8 kilometres to a river or spring to collect water for their family. Having clean water available centrally in the community helps add an easy access point for water collection, and saving many people from having to go to great lengths to source water.

The Wellness Discipleship is a holistic program designed to equip the community to thrive emotionally, spiritually and physically. It involves home-based compassionate care volunteers who serve as the eyes and ears within their communities. These volunteers are equipped with basic first aid skills and are provided with first aid kits to offer immediate assistance. They provide basic medical assistance, identify vulnerable households and support HIV patients, bringing practical expression of the love of Jesus.