From Backpack Recipients to Graduates!

The end of the calendar year also means the end of the school year in Honduras. The end of November and the first part of December is graduation time for children finishing kindergarten, sixth grade, ninth grade, and high school. The completion of each level is a big deal, and Kim Hall (director of the Manna 4 Lempira sponsorship program) and her family were delighted to share in the joy of the students graduating from the community of Mercedes.

It wasn’t possible to attend the ceremonies for each of the approximately thirty different communities served by Manna 4 Lempira and Sowers4Pastors (more info about these programs can be found here), so for their first year as residents of Honduras, Kim and Jonathan decided to go to the home of the first Manna program. Graduation ceremonies are long, elaborate affairs and the Halls saw three ceremonies in Mercedes, plus 2 high school graduations in the city of Gracias for the students in the Tablon schools (another community served by Manna 4 Lempira).

Even though the official Honduran government statement is that primary education for kids between the ages of six and twelve is compulsory, we know that far too many kids fall through the educational cracks because their families can’t afford to keep them in school. That’s why the backpack program and Manna 4 Lempira are so vital for the improved future of Lempira.

Kim shared how wonderful it was to watch the children graduate, knowing the stories of so many of them. One high school graduate in Mercedes has a father in prison and a mom forced to raise five children on her own. This mom moved her entire family to town from a more rural area, in order to help her kids succeed. She has three more children in the Manna 4 Lempira program. She believes in it.



“It takes the parents, the sponsors, the missionaries, the pastors, and the kids themselves to create this success,” Kim said. “It’s like the parable of the talents. Some kids will receive a backpack and bury it in the sand. Others will receive a backpack and multiply the gift.” Kim continued, “There are a lot of kids who continue on with school and a lot that can’t or don’t. We expect to see more kids graduate each year. Last year, there was one high school graduate involved in Manna. This year, there were at least six. That number will probably double next year. At minimum, we have doubled their average education level.”

While at a ceremony in Mercedes, the school principal walked over to the Halls. As the only gringos in attendance, Kim and Jonathan weren’t hard to pick out of the crowd. The principal told them that the students involved with Manna 4 Lempira are the best kids. The high school graduates in Mercedes who were rewarded for academic excellence were all Manna kids.They stand out academically and socially. Kim described the Manna students as “articulate, intelligent and motivated.” And she said, “We have our church partners to thank for that.”

Two young women involved with Manna were among the high school graduates. In a culture where girls often become mothers as early teens, this is new in their culture. “We would like for these girls to have opportunities. They are studying subjects like information technology, and acquiring job skills. This program is bearing fruit, and changing the future for these children, their families, and their communities” Kim said.

 - posted by Christi