Mission of Mercy has one major goal as we minister to children: we want to help them reach their God-given potential. Yet as much as we wish the children would stay and learn and grow until graduation, we know there are many situations outside of our control.

What are the most common reasons children leave? Almost every explanation is found in the economy. First, some context:

When Mission of Mercy opens a program in a community, we work with local church partners or other organizations to evaluate the families with the greatest need. We visit their homes, speak to the parents or the child’s guardian, and determine the child’s most pressing needs and if the project can meet them.

Any child living in persistent poverty faces challenges, but the children Mission of Mercy welcomes into its program may encounter more challenges than most. Which means the following factors can affect their attendance:

Parent’s employment

This is one of the greatest challenges facing parents in the developing world: can I provide for my children?

Here in the U.S., we probably know someone struggling to find work. In the developing world, unemployment rates are much higher, and the jobs available to those without an education are quite limited. Parents may take odd jobs or sell odds and ends on the street to earn a living. They may wash clothes or plant crops for a landowner.

But those jobs are not stable – especially when these regions are beset with floods, famines, and earthquakes. A parent will take whatever job he can when it’s available, which is why your sponsored child might write that her father is a laborer, or a farmer, or works in a furniture shop… all over the course of one year.  

Better Opportunities

Sometimes circumstances change – a parent may find more stable work and can more adequately provide for the child. We celebrate when this occurs and pray that the seeds of grace and hope God planted during the child’s time at the Mission of Mercy program will find good soil and grow strong.

Sometimes the desperate need for a better job takes the parent to another city or country, leaving the children in the care of others. If a new job is secured, the parent might send for the child. Or, if the parents know that other relatives in a different area can provide a better quality of life, they will send the child there.

This also explains why the number of your sponsored child’s siblings changes without notice; the distinction of cousin is not widely recognized, and the children are considered siblings instead.

Cultural Influence

Sometimes, especially in rural areas where families farm small plots of land and survive on its yields (we call this subsistence farming) the benefit of an education is overshadowed by the immediate needs in the fields. As many parents did not receive an education, it is difficult for them to see the value of schooling when the extra set of hands may mean more income. 

Culture also plays a role in whether or not a child stays in the program. There are traditions, like marrying very young, that continue to this day:

“I want you to pray for my mother, she is very sad because my sister, 13 years old, got married.” -- Maria, Dominican Republic

It may be shocking to us to think of a child marrying at 13, but it is common in many countries where Mission of Mercy ministers. If a child marries, it will be the husband’s responsibility to provide for
her, easing the immediate economic burden. It’s not unusual then for a girl to be pulled out of school if she is to be married – the thought is if a young girl’s role is to start her own family, why would she need an education?

Success

We should be clear – some parents strongly value an education for their son or daughter. Many Mission of Mercy schools serve areas where there is not a primary school, or where schools are overcrowded and resources too limited for a child to learn well.

Our program’s goal is to provide a solid educational and spiritual foundation with the hope that a child will do well on grade-level exams and earn a place in a government school. That new school may not be near the project, however, and so to continue their education the child must withdraw from the Mission of Mercy program. Securing a place for further schooling should be celebrated, but the children are often aware what they will miss, too:

I’ve spent my time in this school for 6 years. I’ve made so many friends and become familiar to this school. This year I’ve to leave this school, my beautiful teachers, and you. I’ve to take admission in another school to make me established. Who will I tell if I need something? I was able to study in this mission school only because of you and I’m feeling so good about it. I’ve never thought that I’ve to leave you like this, so I’m feeling very sad. Please pray for me so that I may not face any obstacles getting higher education, that I can walk along with Jesus all my life. Lastly, I’m ending this letter by conveying you my heartiest love. Your sponsored son, Debjyoti, India

Debjyoti’s note provides the best advice for sponsors… after investing in a child, how do you respond when their time at the project is over due to any of the reasons mentioned above? Sometimes the only option – and the best option – is to pray that they will not face any obstacles and that they can walk along with Jesus for the rest of their lives.