This week we’ve been talking about the importance of education and how we can help. And today we’d like to start addressing what your child’s education looks like at the project.

The first thing to know is that at Mission of Mercy, we have two different types of projects: schools and child development centers. We make sure that the children receive the same benefits (opportunities for spiritual, physical, social, and mental development) regardless of the type of project they attend, but the way they receive those benefits is different.
 
Let’s start with the child development centers. Hint: You can tell if your child attends a child development center (CDC) by looking at your child’s biographical profile. The project name will reveal if it is a school or CDC, such as Hope Child Development Center or Zambodze Mercy Center.
 
Almost half of Mission of Mercy projects are child development or mercy centers. Most projects in the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Kenya, Mozambique, Philippines, Swaziland, and Thailand follow the child development center model.

So what does your sponsored child receive there?

Our child development centers can be compared to before and after school programs. The children do not attend school at the project, but participate in activities and receive tutoring at the center. This is vital as children have to pass grade level exams to continue their studies in most of our countries.

Support is offered in the major subjects like math, science, social studies, reading and writing, and languages. Extra-curricular activities also lend support toward vocational skills – sewing classes, arts, cooking, and gardening are also sometimes available.

With the educational support offered at the center, children are given a far better chance of educational success. Many children have no one to ask for help at home because they may be the only ones in their family able to read and write. CDCs are also able to hold workshops for parents to help them understand the importance of schooling and how to better support their children.

But educational support isn’t the only benefit children receive at a CDC. Children are also given nutritious meals, health screenings and care, and emotional support.
 
Yet the most important element of our CDCs is the Christian education all of the children receive through the different programs offered. This includes learning how to pray, singing praise songs and hymns, chapel or Sunday school, and activities similar to Vacation Bible School here.

As part of its requirements, a CDC partners with the local church; many of the staff at our CDCs are volunteer from the church partner. With this connection, the project becomes part of the body of local believers, which can inspire the church while expanding its reach into the local community. By investing in the children, they are also investing in the future church.

The programs offered at a child development center depend on the needs of the community and its children. But the goal is the same as the schools Mission of Mercy operates: they all exist to help children reach their God-given potential.

We’ll cover schools more specifically tomorrow. In the meantime, if you have further questions, please leave them as a comment below!