Shiloh’s Cradle
who is shiloh?
A number of years ago Seth Johnson’s brother and sister-in-law (Caleb and Amy Johnson) lost a child. Amy was pregnant. She miscarried. Caleb and Amy believe that life is a gift from God. Even though the baby was never born, they believed the child had intrinsic value. They had a small family ceremony and buried the baby in the mountains. They named the child “Shiloh.”
We Need Your Help With Girls
In 2020 the COVID pandemic was raging. Teenage pregnancies exploded in Kenya. Securing basic provisions was difficult for many of the very poor in Nairobi’s slums. Girls turned to men to take care of them. They thought that if they offered their bodies the men would provide. However, after becoming pregnant, many found themselves abandoned. Some girls had their biological families turn them away when they discovered they were pregnant. A few found themselves in situations where they were sleeping on the streets, or from home to home, trying to survive with a child in the womb or a newborn.
In desperation some girls began committing infanticide. One of the chiefs of the Kawangware slum of Nairobi was dealing with a crisis. She had girls who were doing things like throwing their baby in a toilet or burying the child in a shallow grave.
Then she turned to IAMercy. She said, basically, “I see all that you are doing with boys. I need your help with girls!” She asked us to step in for assistance in an effort to stem the tide of this growing crisis.
IAMercy decides to help
In November of 2020 IAMercy started a program for girls/young women who were pregnant or who had just given birth. We called the program “Shiloh’s Cradle” in honor of Caleb and Amy’s baby, Shiloh. Caleb and Amy wanted the baby, but lost the child. We determined to help girls in very practical ways and all the while teach them about how much God loves them and their babies. We decided to teach these young women that a baby is a gift from God.
Once a week the girls of Shiloh’s Cradle meet on IAMercy’s premises. Some of the ladies on the IAMercy staff teach the girls about Jesus. The girls are studying the life of Christ.
IAMercy also provides the girls with practical help. We teach the girls the basics of being a good mom who knows how to take care of herself and her child. The girls have formed a support group of love. They are growing in Christ and in their relationships with each other.
IAMercy provides medical help
As more and more girls in Shiloh’s Cradle began giving birth IAMercy discovered a major problem. The girls were not getting the kind of physical and medical attention they needed. Some girls were going to a hospital or clinic and experiencing extreme neglect. They didn’t have adequate resources or relationships to fight for them. Babies started to die as a result of medical neglect. IAMercy determined that we needed to step in and help these girls and babies in a very physical way. We began raising money so that we can send one of our female staff workers with the girl when it comes time to give birth and ensure that no financial barrier exists to the child being born safely into the world. At this point, by the grace of God, IAMercy has helped over 60 children be born into the world.