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Bridging the Gap

YLX Africa serves as the Bridge that connects communities at home with Young Life's mission across Africa. In 2009, YL Africa Expeditions sent 17 Trips & 290 People from communities across the U.S, beyond the comforts of home to serve outreach efforts in Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Liberia, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, & Rwanda. A revolutionary love is unfolding here, that’s absolutely transforming lives both across Africa and at home. As we continue to work to Bridge the Gap, we're given a glimpse of the Kingdom of God. Together, we are becoming one community, one in spirit and in purpose, a Family that spans color, cultures, & continents.

CS Lewis once wrote, “Our greatest need is when we have no need.” I believe the truth here remains, that we desperately need Africa more than Africa needs us.

YLX Partner Countries

D.R. Congo

Young Life's Mission in D.R. Congo:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a country in central Africa with a small length of Atlantic coastline. It is the third largest country (by area) in Africa.

The Congo is situated at the heart of the west-central portion of sub-Saharan Africa and is bounded by (clockwise from the southwest) Angola, the South Atlantic Ocean, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, the Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania across Lake Tanganyika, and Zambia.

Ethiopia

YL Africa Staff: Moges Berassa, Hirut Berassa

Young Life's Mission in Ethiopia:

Young Life Ethiopia was pioneered by Chuck and Linda Reinhold and has ministered to kids in Ethiopia for over 7 years in and around the cities of Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit. Currently, 7 staff leaders and 45 volunteer leaders run 15 clubs in 22 high schools for over 6,000 kids. Political instability makes holding club meetings difficult at times. In the face of opposition, Young Life leaders continue to meet together and do contact work to bring Jesus to Ethiopian high schoolers. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Ethiopia, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Kenya

YL Africa Staff: James Kumau, Martin Simiyu, Matilda Kiumba

Young Life's Mission in Kenya:

We have targeted Kenya as an area for development and growth. Young Life currently has Staff and Volunteers active in four parts of Kenya, with a long history of training and impacting church leaders here. Many of these leaders have taken this vision back to their churches or ministries, where it has continued to grow. We are working with people today in Nairobi, as well as in western Kenya (Keckemaga) and in Mombasa—praying with them and planning how to reach lost young people in those places. We hope to have a key staff person in place in Kenya to help further establish work in Nairobi, Keckemaga and beyond. Mombasa will be under the leadership of our Tanzanian staff in Dar es Salaam. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Kenya, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Liberia

YL Africa Staff: James Davis

Young Life's Mission in Liberia:

Yl is currently focused in the capital city area of Monrovia. Having only recently emerged from a civil war and still trying to rebuild, efforts from organizations like Young Life, focused on caring for and serving the youth culture, are greatly welcomed here. In the midst of this tragedy, James Davis, Agnes Tali, Rancy Barsaye and their team of volunteers (all Liberian nationals) are continuing to reach out to lost young people through Young Life Liberia. They began Young Life in the capital city of Monrovia in 2004. In addition to traditional work in schools, they have begun neighborhood ministries, ministry to homeless teenagers and even ministry in former soldier re-entry camps (where young boys and girls who fought in the war—ages 9 to 19—were brought for months of counseling and job training). For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Liberia, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Malawi

YL Africa Staff: Lusayo Mhango

Young Life's Mission in Malawi:

Young Life continues to grow today in Malawi’s largest city, Blantyre, where the mission first opened up around November of 2004. There are a significant number of government secondary schools across the local area. In addition, the mission is currently active in a private national high school, and a international secondary school. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Malawi, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Rwanda

Young Life's Mission in Rwanda:

The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.

Home to approximately 10.1 million people, Rwanda supports the densest population in continental Africa, most of whom engage in subsistence agriculture.

The country has received considerable international attention on account of its 1994 genocide, in which between 800,000 and one million people were killed.

In 2008, Rwanda became the first country in history to elect a national legislature in which a majority of members were women.

Tanzania

YL Africa Staff: Deodatus Kyara, Irene Mwasanga, Alexis Kwamy

Young Life's Mission in Tanzania:

YL has established work and outreach efforts in the capital city of Dar es Salaam, and in the northern city of Arusha. Tanzanian staff and volunteers in Dar reach out to impoverished youth in some of the cities most economically-depressed neighborhoods. As many as 350 teens attend weekly club neighborhood gatherings. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Tanzania, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Uganda

YL Africa Staff: Simon Okiria

Young Life's Mission in Uganda:

Young Life’s key National Staff person there, Simon Okiria, began reaching out to lost kids in his village near Pallisa Town in February of 2005, with team of 15 trained volunteer leader, where almost immediately, their weekly Club quickly grew to between 200-300 kids. The town of Pallisa, has a population of 20,000, scattered across the surrounding 10 km area, where the main industry there is schooling. The village swells to around 40,000 when school is in. Kids come from miles away to go to one of the 20 or so secondary schools in the area, where they board in a hut rented to them by the local villagers. Imagine a 12 or 13 year old coming by him or herself, to live in a mud and grass hut with 1 or 2 others, fending entirely for themselves while going to school. Simon and one of his key leaders, James Amuriat, have put together and organized a Football Club to occupy the youth in the community during long evenings. Pallisa is in a rural area with extremely limited public transportation, where some of the volunteer leaders here will walk barefoot as far as up to 20 miles to love on kids. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Uganda, please visit the official YL Africa website.

Zimbabwe

YL Africa Staff: Pierre and Rentia de Jager, Patson Mpofu, Nkosi Sampindi

Young Life's Mission in Zimbabwe:

Led by African nationals, both from Zimbabwe as well as neighboring countries, the Young Life mission here is flourishing. Located in an area with incredible granite formations outside of Bulawayo, the mission currently operates out of Morning Star Ranch, a beautiful property in the Matobo Hills of SW Zimbabwe, which serves as a familiar “base-camp” for our short-term service teams. The property is located close to communities with great needs that the local african staff & leaders are addressing there today on a daily basis. YLX Work Teams will work on construction & development projects at the Morning Star, and be led by our local staff and volunteers out into the neighboring communities to serve and care for orphans, to conduct sports camps, to visit, encourage and interact with the local people. For more detailed & up to date information on YL in Zimbabwe, please visit the official YL Africa website.