All the news from our schools from August 2022
Welcoming new children
As the new school year started we welcomed 3,554 new children into our schools in the Philippines and Mexico for their first year at secondary school.
Challenges for our new boys and girls
Every child that arrived into our schools this August came with a range of complex needs. From visible malnutrition and stunted growth, to lower levels of literacy and education due to the pandemic, every child needs extra support to thrive.
The Sisters and teachers at the schools are working hard to care for the children’s health and wellbeing, as well as giving them the extra academic support they need to catch up on lost learning during their primary school education after the disruptions caused by the pandemic lockdowns and school closures.
Achievements
Talisay Girlstown
Despite the challenges the children are now thriving at school and enjoying every opportunity you have provided.
In Talisay Girlstown, the girls participated in a “Run for Our Heroes” race and one of our girls claimed 2nd place out of 300 participants and another came first in the 1k category.
Minglanilla Boystown
In Minglanilla, the Boystown Weightlifting Team (pictured right) won four medals (gold, silver and bronze) in the Philippines’ 2022 National Weightlifting Championship. The boys excelled and we are so very proud of their achievements.
Community visits for new children for 2023
In Amarateca, Honduras, and Zona 6 in Guatemala, the Sisters continued their visits into the community to meet new children in need of a place at school, ready for enrollment for the new school year in January.
The Sisters met with families and children to assess their needs and interview the children. Demand for school places continues at an all time high, and the Sisters report desperate poverty amongst the families in all communities. The Sisters are travelling into much more remote regions this year to reach those in greatest need and all the children coming to the Sisters for help this year have lost out on valuable time at school. Their levels of literacy and comprehension are far below the minimum national standard.
Supporting children to catch up in school
The children who join next year will require additional support to catch up and the Sisters and teachers at the schools are providing additional teaching to help children catch up academically.
Birthday Celebrations
This year’s birthday celebrations brought so much joy to our children in each of the programmes around the world.
For children who come from families in extreme poverty, this is the first time they can experience a celebration with gifts, cake, and treats. The birthday meal is one of the biggest celebrations where the Sisters set up tables around the schools and the children eat a special birthday meal together with their friends. It is a joyous time for them all.
Thank you to our supporters who made this possible
We are so grateful to every supporter who helped make this year’s birthday celebrations special, and who are so committed to seeing our children progress through their education.
Graduations in the Philippines, Mexico, and Tanzania
August is a time when we celebrate with our senior girls and boys as they leave school and prepare to enter the working world, or continue on to further education. This is a big moment for our children. For many of them, the prospect of graduating from secondary school may once have been just a dream, but today it is a reality. This is a new start for them,
- In the Philippines 1,875 children graduated from the four schools
- In Mexico, 850 children graduated from two schools.
Kiluvya Training Centre, Tanzania
At Kiluvya Training centre, the first cohort of 93 young women graduated from their 6 month vocational training course.
Celebrating with our graduates
We celebrate with every child and young woman as they leave school and training to move into the next chapter of their lives. Many of the young ladies at the training centre have already secured jobs and they are finally able to support themselves and their families and become productive members of society. They will contribute to the local community and economy and be able to actively participate in a more sustainable society.
Supporting our children through a cost of living crisis
Your August donations have made such a big difference to the operation of the schools on a day-to-day basis. They help to provide our children with nutritious meals every day. The rising cost of food is an increasing problem around the world and we are so grateful for your support. In many of our countries around the world we have had great success in August with more crops grown at the schools but in many areas especially in Honduras, food needs to be imported and the cost has risen sharply in the past few months.
More news articles
20/11/2023
World Children’s Day 2023
Every child has the right to education, but not every child can access education.
25/10/2023
September 2023 News
Read about what happened in September, its a busy time at our schools from visiting days to new building to students gaining work experience.
13/10/2023
Protests in Guatemala
Recent widespread protests in Guatemala have affected our programmes and caused a challenge to access the city and food supplies.