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.
For over 35 years, Forward Edge has mobilized more than 20,000 individuals on nearly 1,600 mission teams to many parts of the U.S. and 34 countries. Over this time, we’ve learned tried-and-true principles that allow short-term teams to help without causing harm. 1. Support programs that are directed, designed, and
Ymer grew up feeling invisible, his dreams of education dimmed by discrimination and discouragement. But a spark of hope emerged when he joined tutoring classes, where a simple moment of recognition changed everything. With newfound confidence, letters of encouragement, and the support of a sponsor, Ymer discovered his worth and the power of believing in himself.
Ever wonder if you’re really making an impact in the life of the child you sponsor? The very fact that your child knows you chose them shows them they are special and that they matter. They know they’re important to you and also to God, you may even be an
Sell a Home, Save a Child (SAHSAC) Member Troy Daniels, accompanied by his business partner Veronica, joined us on a mission trip to our Mexico children’s program, Trigo y Miel and the Siloé school, to witness the direct impact of his contributions. In our interview, he shared his experience, his
17 yrs. old
Entered the program: May 2023
Monica lives with her mother and sister in a two-bedroom mud house roofed with sheet-metal. The community has electricity but no potable water. They must walk long distances to find water sources. Access to health care in the community is very poor; they have one clinic but no medication to offer. There is one primary and middle school but it has no furniture for the students. The main occupation is farming but many people in the community are unemployed and live on less than 1 dollar a day.
Monica comes from a Christian family. Her father died when she was very young and she never knew him. Her mother works as a small-hold farmer to prvide food for the family; she cultivates groundnuts but hardly harvests enough to take care of them. The family usually has two small meals a day, but sometimes they go a whole day without food. Providing funds for Monica and her sister to go to school is difficult without the support of Create Hope; additionally, the inability to afford sanitary supplies also keeps them home from school often.
