A few months ago, members of Lakeside Presbyterian Church’s outreach ministry discovered some families in our neighborhood with children who had never attended school. These kids don’t know how to read or write—and would never have the opportunity to learn without outside help.

In Mexico, the dropout rate in public schools is high, as many children need to work in order for their families to survive. While public schools are free of charge, uniforms are required. Even that cost can prevent the poorest children from attending. More than 90% of children in Mexico attend primary school, but only 62% attend secondary school (“secundaria”). And just 45% finish high school (“preparatoria”).

Seeing this need in our own community, we hired a teacher to help. Teresa Medina has a master’s degree in education and more than 25 years of experience in teaching. We bought materials, including books, notebooks, pencils, and other materials to help the children succeed.

Teresa’s literacy program is now benefiting ten children between ages of 7 and 13. These children don’t attend any other school because of their families’ lack of financial resources.

In addition to their classes, the children are given a healthy breakfast during the break.

It’s our hope that by giving these kids a chance to learn, they’ll have the opportunity to one day get better employment and change their families’ circumstances!

If you’re interested in supporting programs like this, you can designate a gift through a PayPal donation here.