Every Gift Has a Story: Gifts of Educational Support

However, many families worldwide cannot afford to pay school fees or even purchase school supplies for their children. Without these supplies, kids are unable to attend school, further entrenching them in a cycle of poverty. Many of Oakseed’s ministry partners consider educational support a crucial aspect of their gospel ministries. They enter this educational gap by helping with school fees and providing tutoring, supplies, and uniforms.

Zoé lives with her mother in Lima, Peru, and is in elementary school. She loves taking care of animals and wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She struggled with her math classes, so her mother enrolled her in MISIUR ’s CEDIN San Genaro after-school program. The years following the pandemic were also especially hard for her, as both her grandmother and father passed away within a year of each other. The CEDIN has provided her with educational tutoring and emotional and spiritual counseling. She and her mother listen to the daily devotionals shared by their pastor through WhatsApp. She enjoys the friendships at the CEDIN, and her counselor portrays her as a cheerful and sociable participant.

Mezmur loves looking at the stars and would like to be an astronomer when he grows up. He loves caring for animals and playing football (soccer). Growing up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, life has been difficult for Mezmur and his family. His father struggles with deteriorating health and is unable to provide for his family. His mother works as a day laborer, washing clothes in private homes, but doesn’t make enough to support them. Mezmur was referred to HOH by government workers and has been doing well and advancing in his studies. His mother also participates in HOH’s income-generating classes.

Birhane and Hager are two friends who live in another part of Addis Ababa. Birhane would love to be a doctor when she grows up, and Hager thinks she might enjoy flying airplanes. Both girls are from needy families and could not even pursue a basic education without help. Morning Light has stepped in to provide school registration fees, supplies, uniforms, clothing, and annual medical checkups for them. The girls attend academic tutoring sessions three days per week and enjoy weekly Bible studies with a snack. Morning Light also provides regular counseling and medical care for them as needed.

Preety lives in Holambi Kalan slum in New Delhi India. Her mother sells vegetables, and her father paints houses. Even after studying for years and even trying several different schools, she failed her ninth-grade class exams for three years in a row. Her parents heard about Sugandh ’s tutoring center when Sugandh visited their area and talked about the importance of education, especially for girls. They enrolled her at Sugandh, and after working there for a while, she passed her ninth-grade class exams and achieved third in the class, giving her the confidence to continue her education.