Outreach
Our Outreach Programs
Arm of Hope is a ministry that stretches arms of compassion to children living in poverty in the slums of Ghana, West Africa. Arm of Hope provides children with the opportunity of education and introduces them to the love of Jesus, giving them real hope for their futures.
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Help us reach the children of Ghana…
Bible Club
Philip Darko, our Ghanaian ministry partner, holds a Bible Club for kids in the slums of Accra, Ghana every Sunday afternoon. Bible Club is an opportunity for children to be instructed in the ways of God’s Word and encouraged to build a one-on-one relationship with Jesus Christ. Philip, along with the college students and high school graduates of Arm of Hope, also provide mentorship and discipleship to students in the group who possess leadership qualities, giving them encouragement so as to raise up more young leaders for the future of Arm of Hope.
School Sponsorship Program
Arm of Hope provides educational assistance to children at risk. Each student’s family is evaluated on a personal basis and supplied with funds according to their needs. Parents are expected to give what they can to help support their child’s education, providing them with a “hand-up” instead of just a “hand-out”. Children are required to be regular attenders of the Bible Club in order to be eligible for the school sponsorship program.
Summer Kids’ Camp
Arm of Hope provides two weeks of camp each summer, bringing the sponsored children out of their difficult life situations to experience the joys of being a kid. Kids’ Camp is a time to enjoy stories, songs, games and crafts with the ultimate purpose of introducing children to the love of Jesus through example and mentorship. Children are required to be regular attenders at Bible Club in order to participate in the camp program.
Christmas Party
Arm of Hope raises funds each year to provide the sponsored children of Arm of Hope with a real Christmas experience. Festivities include singing, dancing, worshipping, hearing the Christmas story and eating a hot and filling meal.
Arm of Hope Development Fund
The Arm of Hope Development Fund provides for needs of the ministry above and beyond that which is supported by the regular monthly sponsorship. The Development Fund is also a place where money is saved for the future dreams of Arm of Hope. In 2018 and 2019, the Development Fund was invested in the Arm of Hope building project in the slum community. In 2019, Arm of Hope used Development Funds to pay for staff, utilities, and maintenance in our new building. In 2020, Arm of Hope hired a new social worker to support the work of Philip Darko. In 2022, Arm of Hope became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Support of Philip Darko
Philip Darko is the director of all operations for Arm of Hope in Ghana. As a social worker and self-supported missionary, Philip serves the disadvantaged children of his home country, Ghana. Philip supervises the Arm of Hope staff in Ghana as they operate a library and computer center for the Arm of Hope students, and he provides counseling for children in need of direction. Philip manages the sponsorship of students, including relationships with families, and partners with the United States team to provide camp each year. Philip Darko works in partnership with his board in Ghana, with Cheryl Zimmerman, United States Director, and with the board in the United States. Philip and his wife, Hannah, live in Accra, Ghana and have six children.
Support of Cheryl Zimmerman
Cheryl Zimmerman is the director of Arm of Hope in the United States. She and her husband, Mike, founded Arm of Hope with Philip Darko in 2011. As a self-supported missionary, Cheryl manages fundraising, communication with sponsors, and planning for the annual Arm of Hope camp. She also communicates with the leadership in Ghana and advocates for the Arm of Hope children. Cheryl works in partnership with the US board, with Philip Darko, Ghana Director, and with the board in Ghana. Mike and Cheryl live in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and have three adult sons and two daughters-in-law.
Medical Clinic
The dream of a medical clinic has been part of the vision of Arm of Hope for several years. Agbogbloshie is a community which currently has no medical care within its borders. Quality medical care is often hard to come by for the children of Arm of Hope and their families. Because of this, Arm of Hope has had the dream to open our own clinic so that the Arm of Hope students, their families, and their neighbors will have accessible and convenient care right in the heart of their community.
In 2021 a piece of property became available, as a possible location for a future clinic. Upon letting our supporters know about the property in the Arm of Hope monthly newsletter, a partner immediately came forward and paid for the land in full.
In October of 2022, the dream of a new clinic was introduced at our annual Arm of Hope picnic. Within 3 months, over $115,000 was raised! As our camp team visited the slum the first week of January 2023, the land was dedicated and the ground was broken! We will need to raise $400,000 to build, furnish, and fully staff the clinic.
2023 is the year for building! We look forward to seeing the walls go up and the doors open for people to enter and be healed, and not just to receive physical healing, but spiritual healing as well. We anticipate the future when our own Arm of Hope students are employed in this clinic carrying out our vision of Arm of Hope for our students to become “leaders and disciple-makers who change their community, their country, and their world!
