Many prayers were answered this year when Siloe School in Oaxaca, Mexico officially opened to 28 elementary students! Siloe School is a private Christian school run by our Mexico Children’s Program. Our program has always supported education by providing tutoring and covering school supplies and fees, but this is the next step in giving children in this community the best education possible.
We know that education is a key factor in breaking the cycle of poverty. LEAP Academy University Charter School Founder, Gloria Bonilla-Santiago says, “If you provide children with quality education options, support families and children holistically in a community setting and enlist the support of universities as partners with community, you produce better academic results and improved community outcomes. Then what happens? Eventually, the cycle of poverty breaks. One family at a time.”
In the impoverished communities of Oaxaca many children do not have the supplies and support they need to excel in school, so they end up dropping out. Oaxaca has some of the highest dropout rates in all of Mexico.
Siloe School is opening doors that have never been opened in this community, with plans to grow in years to come. One of the mothers of a child attending said, “I went to a very small school in a village and we didn’t have enough teachers, so I wasn’t able to learn a lot of the things that I should have. My daughter is in 4th grade and she already knows a lot more than I do.” This common sentiment both breaks our hearts and encourages us to do better for the next generation.
Siloe School students are being given unique educational opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. Recently, they were able to attend an International Book Fair in the city. During the fair, they attended reading and writing workshops with a published children’s book writer, opening up an entire new literary world for them.
We take a holistic approach to caring for children in our programs, and place great emphasis on primary and advanced education because we know this breaks the cycle of poverty, changing the trajectory of a child’s life forever. Please join us in prayer for Siloe School as they build and grow in the years to come! We can’t wait to see what God has in store for these children.
When I introduce new people to Forward Edge, I’ll often describe what we do this way: we help children around the world overcome poverty, discover their true worth, and pursue God’s extraordinary purpose for their lives. I believe these three descriptors are distinct and important. Let me explain a little
Nancy, our Director of Development and long-time short-term missionary, shares her experience with the “Women of the Word” program in Kampala, Uganda. These resilient women, who migrated to a new area after facing unimaginable hardships, have come together to build a supportive community and empower one another. Discover how their journey of faith and perseverance is creating lasting change in their lives and in their community.
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
“Every Saturday, my heart was filled with joy,” says Elvin, reflecting on the love and care he found at Cornerstone Kosova. Growing up in the harsh realities of Kosova, Elvin once faced a life full of hardship. But through the community’s love and the teachings of Jesus, his life was transformed. Now 15, Elvin’s journey of hope continues, and he’s sharing that same love with others.
13 yrs. old
Entered the program: March 2023
Bless lives with his grandmother and sister in a two-bedroom house built with mud and roofed with sheet material. The family has access to potable water but no electricity. Though there is access the community, his grandmother cannot afford to pay the bills so they are not connected to it.
Bless’s family is Christian. His parents are divorced. His grandmother took him in after his parents separated and neither of them was able to provide for him. Bless’s grandmother is the sole provider, and through the support of Create Hope, she has been able to start a small-scale business which is helping her to provide meals and basic necessities for Bless. Before coming to the program, he sometimes went the whole day without food. He prays that things will continue to improve. Living without his parents is hard on him.
Plus bonus group fundraising ideas!
