Education Transforms!
by Karla Ponce
FLM Director of Holistic Care
Earlier this month, the verse in James 1:17 came to my mind: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." It reminds me that all the services that FLM provides through its three programs come from God. And one of these gifts is that God has allowed us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Por Los Niños School. And these 20 years have been a great gift! We also celebrate God's faithfulness by experiencing the impact of the lives of many children and families in the community of Catacamas.
As this new year progresses, we continue to grow with God, and we are convinced that God's vision is in the heart of the Por Los Niños school, of reaching generations that honor God and are competently transformed to serve the community, and to generate a transformation in their family and community. This fills me with great joy to know this!
In this new year, we feel challenged to serve our school children of whom many come from single mothers and children under the care of grandmothers (this is a reality within the context of Catacamas). This represents 24% of the population we serve. Several mothers have expressed their joy that their children are receiving a quality bilingual Christian education, where the educational staff are aware not only of the academic part, but of their integral development.
FLM is a gift from God to the community of Catacamas. God encourages and comforts us. We know that we are sowing seeds of hope in this community despite the statistics and reality of the education sector in Honduras (nothing encouraging). According to the UNICEF Education Report (30 October 2018) in Honduras, approximately 44% of children between the age of 3 and 17 are out of the school system. Which means they are not registered in education. Children in rural areas (48%) are the most affected. Children are excluded because there are no schools nearby, forced child labor, abuse, pregnancy in tween girls, child exploitation and other factors affecting children.
Being aware of this reality as this is where we are called to change these statistics. We believe that education transforms, and the Por Los Niños School is making a difference in the face of these statistics providing inclusive educational services with dignity, quality, respect, restoration, and accessibility to the community of Catacamas.
How many gifts! I am convinced that God is opening doors of hope and provision for many more children and families to benefit from FLM's services through education with the Por Los Niños program.
I invite you to join us in prayer and gratitude and to be part of sowing in the lives of the children and families we serve.