February is an exciting month for Serving Paraguay. In Paraguay, the school year begins in February
and ends in late November. Last year, we
were privileged to be chosen as a ministry given funds to host a Christmas
party for the community. We hosted the
event in early January just after the Paraguayan holiday of "Day of the
Kings." In Paraguay, instead of
Santa Claus, the three Magi bring gifts to children on January 6th. The funds for this event came from the
Viva
organization- an international ministry that focuses on connecting and
equipping Christian children's ministries.
We are members of the
Paraguayan chapter of Red Viva.
Our children and youth in Hogar GANAR planned a Christmas
pageant and a drama representing the birth of Christ and the forgiveness of our
Heavenly Father. They practiced for
weeks and were able to minister to the children and adults attending the
event. We had a local clown ministry
visit, and they presented again to the children the message of the gospel. We were overwhelmed by the many churches and
ministries that came together to provide games and lessons during the first
portion of the event. In our initial
planning, we estimated inviting 350 children, but were really expecting about
200 children for the event. Our school
directors and children and house parents went into the community a few days
prior to the event to invite our neighbors.
In faith, we bought gifts for 300 children, and as the morning began, we
saw that there were going to be a very large number of children. Every child had to sign in and register. By the time we were serving snacks we had
passed our 300 number and had to run to the grocery store to buy more snacks. In the end, 346 children ages 12 and under were
in attendance. Between the children,
volunteers, and parents, we had more than 600 people at the event! Hundreds of our neighbors were able to hear
and see portrayed the precious gospel message of our Savior!! And every child present, thanks to the Viva
grant and the help of our community grocery store, Super Alegria, was able to
receive not only a snack but a Christmas gift as well.
Some of the children enjoying the program
At the Viva Navidad Christmas event, we passed out flyers
advertising our school, in hopes that many families would return and register
their children to attend our school.
After the event many families came to the school to sign their children
up and then returned with their friends and neighbors. February 11th was our first day of school,
and as of today, we have 179 students attending classes! In 2012, we had 116 students and in 2011,
there were only 89 students. Each year,
we have opened a new grade so that our students can continue in our school and
eventually graduate from high school with us.
This year, we opened 10th grade, the first year of high school in
Paraguay. And in 2015, we will have our
first graduating class!
4th Grade hard at work
For those of you that do not know how our school functions,
I would like to explain it to you. The
official prices (at the current exchange rate) to attend our school are $15/month
for pre-school through sixth grade, $20/month for middle school (7th through
9th grade), and $25/month for 10th grade.
The actual cost/month/student to pay teachers' salaries and to provide
necessary classroom materials is almost $45/student with our current
enrollment. In most Christian or private
schools in Paraguay, students will be paying at least double the amounts that
we charge. Now, we know that many
parents are unable to pay those costs, and it is our desire that no child ever
leave our school for inability to pay the tuition. So, the students that began with us in 2011
receive a "half-scholarship" and only pay half of the above-mentioned
fees. When new students come to
register, we study their family situation, and charge accordingly. Obviously, the children from Hogar GANAR do
not pay to attend the school and we also do not charge the children of our
employees or teachers. Every family that
brings more than one child to the school also receives a family discount- the
second sibling receives 25% off and the third and subsequent children only pay
half. At this time, less than a quarter
of our students are paying the full amounts mentioned above.
Our Kindergarten class
In working as missionaries, we have learned that giving
things for free is never the best way.
The families in our community, even the most impoverished ones, are
capable of setting aside a $10 or $20 a month to provide a quality education
for their children. And when they are
paying something, they understand and appreciate the value of the education our
school provides. In our parent/teacher
conference last night I was able to explain the actual costs to the parents and
explain to them that every child in our school is receiving a
"scholarship."
Presenting our teaching staff at our first parent/teacher conference of the year
The mission of our school is to see that every child is
educated with excellence, and prepared for their future in University studies. With our entirely Christian staff, we are
able to share the love of Christ and the message of his salvation with every
child and every family. We offer English
three times a week for every student, thanks to our missionary English teacher,
Jewel Vernoy. Our schedules include
morning prayer and devotional every day for every student, and weekly church
services. Our middle and high school students
have Bible class as part of their base curriculum. Students from fourth grade and up also have
computer class. Our curriculum also
includes all the requirements given by the Paraguayan ministry of Education,
such as music, dance, Guaraní, Spanish, science, math, art, etc. etc. Our 10th grade students have courses in
Philosophy, Anthropology, Physics, Chemistry, and Statistics, along with their
general courses.
Our 8th Grade students beginning their day
And one of the most exciting things about our school is that
it also serves as a feeding center.
Nearly every update, I mention the grocery store, Super Alegria and
their donations. Over the past two years
they have provided food to feed EVERY student EVERY day. It has been an incredible blessing! This year, because of the large quantity of
students, they will be making a cash donation each month to ensure that we can
continue to feed our students! We will
be serving lunch Monday through Friday to our nearly 50 middle and high school
students that attend school for a full day, and we will provide a nutritious
snack for our younger children that attend school a half day. The mothers of the students (that do not work
during the day) are asked to volunteer one day a week to come to the school and
prepare the meals for the students. This
is the first year we will serve a full lunch, and what a blessing to be able to
ensure that our school's young people are eating a healthy, filling lunch five
days a week!
Our beautiful school kitchen where snacks and meals will be prepared
When we privatized the school on our property in 2011, we
did so out of necessity to protect our children and because we had the dream
that the school could be a major center for community ministry and blessing for
the families living nearby. At that
time, we had no idea all that God would do through the school. It is difficult to sit in South America and
write to a North American audience hundreds and thousands of miles away trying
to express both the excitement we have and the burden we feel for this small
nation of Paraguay. It is hard to share the
subtle changes in the personality of adolescents that a year ago had no hope,
and today are smiling and able to verbalize what they want to see happen in
their lives in the future. I wish you
could each meet the mothers of our special needs students that are so
overwhelmingly grateful to our school because we treat their children
differently from every other school, valuing them and taking the time to ensure
that they, too, can learn.
Four of our 10th grade students
If every parent pays their tuition each month, we will have
an income in the school of $1,250.00.
This money serves as the petty cash for the school: to keep our photocopier
running, to buy textbooks, paper, white boards, and any other classroom or
cleaning needs. The petty cash from the
school also now buys all school supplies for the children of Hogar GANAR! What remains is paying the 15 staff members
of the school. This amount is
$6350.00/month. If you have ever
wondered how you could be a part of our ministry of "Serving
Paraguay," we are now asking for school sponsors. We would like to see each of our students
sponsored at $30.00/month, beginning with those living in our children's homes
and with those receiving full and half scholarships. We will partner you with a child and send you
their picture and updates of their progress throughout the year. If you choose to sponsor a child in the
Itaugua Christian School, you will not only be sponsoring their education, but
you will be providing them with a chance to receive nutritious food five times
a week, a chance to know Christ as their personal savior, and a chance to receive
the tools that will allow them to choose their own future, impacting the nation
of Paraguay in an amazing way!
Our school facilities
Please consider partnering with us in "Serving
Paraguay!" We are always available
to answer any additional questions you may have about our ministries or
finances. Simply email your questions or
concerns to servingparaguay@gmail.com.
