I recently received 5 letters from 5 different Compassion center directors around the world. As much as I love letters from my sponsored children and letters from pastors, these letters are a gold mine!
If you want to know how each Compassion project is run, then this type of letter will give you all that information. Each Monday for the next few weeks, I'll be sharing one of the letters I received.
I don't know for sure, but I would guess that most Compassion projects within a country operate in a similar fashion. So even if your child doesn't attend this particular project, chances are he or she experience a similar thing in their Compassion project. I know that it varies greatly from country to country, but within a country...probably not so much.
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And now, letter from East India...
EI 415 ~ Semiliguda Child Development Center
Dear Kevin and Jill,
Greetings to you! I am Samanta, the Project Director of the Semiliguda Child Development Center that Bulu attends. The project is situated in the state of Odisha, India. Most people in our community are tribal. They either work as day labor or in farming.
Thank you very much for your support because it makes a huge difference in the life of Bulu.
Children come to the project in the morning. They participate in devotion after which children disperse to their respective classrooms for study and learning from the Compassion curriculum. Children get help from the project staff in their academic lessons. After they get done with study time, they spend some times playing and then sit down for their meals. After they finish their meal, children go home to leave for the respective schools. Young children, are taught stories from the Scriptures, memory verses and prayer. Older children lead the devotion and share from God's Word. We conduct exercise for children to keep their bodies fit. Older children are getting vocational training in computer, television, refrigerator repair and tailoring.
We conduct parent meetings once in a quarter to address the issues of alcoholism, poverty, adultery and other social evils. Apart from this, parents are also trained on health, hygiene, cleanliness, value of education, and different types of diseases and their prevention. We observe special days at the project to educate children on the importance of these days.
Through Compassion's Complementary Intervention Program, we have received education grants that helped children to pursue higher studies that not possible for their parents to afford. Today our children are much more active compared to the community's children because they are growing up with strong principles at the project.
For children above 12 years, we use a life-planning tool called My Plan for Tomorrow, which is extremely useful. Children make their plan for the entire year in that tool. with milestones and timelines that are followed up by the project workers. This tool covers all the four-fold areas in which we focus. It is a tool through which a child can dream big for their future. For children in the age group 5 to 11, we use a tool called Multiple Intelligence Check Tool, which helps to understand the keenness, personality, weakness and strength of the child and to mold them accordingly for the future.
Before the project had started in the community, only five percent children were going to the school but today all children in the community are going to school, and some are studying engineering, nursing, and technical courses. Many children and their family have started coming to the worship service. Parents are happy to send their children to our project because they are safe and learning many things. Parents have learned to maintain discipline and hygiene, learning from their children. In the community, majority people are illiterate; therefore the parents did not send their children to school as they did not understand the value of it. Right now 41 students have qualified for studying in college.
Relationship between children and their sponsors are strengthened through letters. Sponsor's letters have a special meaning to the children. Children feel loved and cared for when they get letters from their sponsor.
Please pray for the children to grow in knowledge and in their love for God. Pray also for their parents and for the ministry. We are grateful for the concern you show for our community through your prayer and support for Bulu.
Thank you for partnership in ministry!
Samanta, Project Director
Greetings to you! I am Samanta, the Project Director of the Semiliguda Child Development Center that Bulu attends. The project is situated in the state of Odisha, India. Most people in our community are tribal. They either work as day labor or in farming.
Thank you very much for your support because it makes a huge difference in the life of Bulu.
Children come to the project in the morning. They participate in devotion after which children disperse to their respective classrooms for study and learning from the Compassion curriculum. Children get help from the project staff in their academic lessons. After they get done with study time, they spend some times playing and then sit down for their meals. After they finish their meal, children go home to leave for the respective schools. Young children, are taught stories from the Scriptures, memory verses and prayer. Older children lead the devotion and share from God's Word. We conduct exercise for children to keep their bodies fit. Older children are getting vocational training in computer, television, refrigerator repair and tailoring.
We conduct parent meetings once in a quarter to address the issues of alcoholism, poverty, adultery and other social evils. Apart from this, parents are also trained on health, hygiene, cleanliness, value of education, and different types of diseases and their prevention. We observe special days at the project to educate children on the importance of these days.
Through Compassion's Complementary Intervention Program, we have received education grants that helped children to pursue higher studies that not possible for their parents to afford. Today our children are much more active compared to the community's children because they are growing up with strong principles at the project.
For children above 12 years, we use a life-planning tool called My Plan for Tomorrow, which is extremely useful. Children make their plan for the entire year in that tool. with milestones and timelines that are followed up by the project workers. This tool covers all the four-fold areas in which we focus. It is a tool through which a child can dream big for their future. For children in the age group 5 to 11, we use a tool called Multiple Intelligence Check Tool, which helps to understand the keenness, personality, weakness and strength of the child and to mold them accordingly for the future.
Before the project had started in the community, only five percent children were going to the school but today all children in the community are going to school, and some are studying engineering, nursing, and technical courses. Many children and their family have started coming to the worship service. Parents are happy to send their children to our project because they are safe and learning many things. Parents have learned to maintain discipline and hygiene, learning from their children. In the community, majority people are illiterate; therefore the parents did not send their children to school as they did not understand the value of it. Right now 41 students have qualified for studying in college.
Relationship between children and their sponsors are strengthened through letters. Sponsor's letters have a special meaning to the children. Children feel loved and cared for when they get letters from their sponsor.
Please pray for the children to grow in knowledge and in their love for God. Pray also for their parents and for the ministry. We are grateful for the concern you show for our community through your prayer and support for Bulu.
Thank you for partnership in ministry!
Samanta, Project Director
