Rachael Athearn, Staff Writer
Without access to quality education, many children born into poverty may remain trapped in that desperate cycle for their whole lives. But Hand of Hope, Joyce Meyer Ministries World Missions is working to make a good education more accessible to the children who need it most.
As one of the poorest provinces in South Africa, the Eastern Cape is home to many families living in impoverished conditions. Due to the lack of education and opportunities, it’s extremely difficult to secure a different future.
But in the midst of the struggle, there is hope thanks to the local church and concerned members of the community.
After seeing that children in the neighborhoods were being left unsupervised during the day while their parents worked, some women in the community started small preschools to help look after them. Using what little resources they have, they are now preparing the children for school so they have a better chance of completing their education and breaking free from the grasp of poverty.
Hand of Hope has been working in the Eastern Cape for the past three years. Through forging a strategic partnership with a non-governmental organization and a local church, thousands of children in this remote area have been receiving a nutritional meal on a regular basis. In many cases, it’s the only food the child will receive that day. Teachers are also being trained in spiritual instruction to enable them to share the message of Christ more effectively.
Through these programs, we are seeing children improve in their overall health and in their ability to learn. They are more joyful and have hope for the future.
Many of the buildings where these programs take place are unsafe, however, and don’t offer protection from the elements. But Hand of Hope has launched a project to meet that crucial need.
Through the Classrooms of Hope project, kids in the Eastern Cape will have a safe, warm and clean environment to be nurtured in. The project will replace the inadequate classroom structures with more suitable ones geared toward early childhood development. Where possible, existing structures will be repaired or improved, and some funds will even be allocated for needed educational and development equipment at the schools.
Over the next two years, our hope is for at least 20 new classrooms to be completed. Each of the new classrooms will become a conversation point—a light for the life-changing message of Christ—for the surrounding communities and villages. We are already seeing village chiefs make a decision to follow Christ because these precious children are being loved and cared for.
Thank you so much for helping us give these children the tools they need to break free from poverty. Because of your support, they will have the opportunity to grow up knowing they are valuable to God and that He has an amazing purpose for their lives.
Hand of Hope is the missions arm of Joyce Meyer Ministries. Our goal is simply to help as many hurting people as we possibly can, to alleviate human suffering and to help Christians grow in their faith.
