THE CHALLENGE TO BLESS

Hatred, intolerance, poor hygienic conditions and violence all have roots in ILLITERACY, so we’re trying to do something to help the poor and the needy. – Abdul Qadeer Khan

How can we not do something about illiteracy?  Project BLESS is our way to solve the growing problem of illiteracy.  The stakes are too high for a child to be deprived of education.  Here’s why.

It’s been a month now since we started Project BLESS.  Project BLESS is a literacy project meant to help indigent children to read and write and somehow give them better opportunities in life.  Education is a key for a child to progress in life.  Without it their future becomes unstable and may just end up as another street child that can end up as petty thief or a criminal one day.  We take this seriously because we can do something different that will cause a child to take a different course in life.

We only have 9 kids so far as 1 kid dropped out after the first week due to her parents needing to work.  We are currently looking for a replacement.  We only have a handful of students because the goal is mastery.  After 5 months, the kid should be able to read and not just complete the program.Here are some tidbits of what is happening so far…..

 REALITY CHECK

Everyone’s spirit is high at the beginning.  You have this feeling that everything will be a breeze.  It’s not a breeze, it’s a hurricane!  We’re teaching kids that have not been to school or have dropped out.  And have come from a family that discipline is not a value.  The first week was a joy.  The second was trying our patience.  The third week needs adjustment.  The fourth week needed recharging.  We all need to go back why we did this in the first place.  And it was because of our love for God.  And simply an obedience to God to take care of these little ones.  And from this simple concept we needed to go deeper than ever before to teach the kids with more love, patience and assurance that God will see us through – all of us.

 SIMPLY DIFFERENT

Phonetics is hardly taught in Philippine school.  From what was revealed to us, a Filipino child will read by Grade 4, when he is about 10 years old!  That’s quite sad because what is he doing the first three years in school?  And this is where Project BLESS is totally different.  By teaching phonetics this early, they are given a head start in reading.

Orville (left) is the lead teacher. Israel (right) helps on the drilling of phonetics at the same leads the Bible stories.

There is also the combination of animal stories that makes the learning more fun.  And there are also the Bible stories for the values formation.  All the exercises revolve around this.

 WHEN SNACKS IS A MEAL

We provide their snacks and lunch.  For some of these kids, that snack is their breakfast.  And their lunch is probably their last meal for the day.  It may sound ridiculous but it’s true just the same.  Some of the kids have many siblings.  Only one parent is working and it’s not enough to feed them all.  They don’t have enough to eat to be filled.  Free snacks and lunch somehow eases both hunger and cost for them.

Their fare is also sponsored. One reason why they don’t go to school is that they don’t have any money for fare and they just can’t walk.  Some of them have to cross a river.  We have two students that need to cross a river.   It’s just a small amount, but enough to get through and a step closer for having a better life.

FUNDING

Project BLESS is an expensive project.  The reason why not so  many churches would have this as part of their ministry is because of the cost.  The Project would cost at least P50,000.00 – P70,000.00($1,00.00 – $1,700.00 ) or more  for just one run for 5-6 months.  And that is not something that a church would be willing to spend on.  Many people would be surprised that we also don’t have that amount to run the program.  But we’re always big on risks and faith.  A big project requires us to extend and push our faith to a different level.  We have seen how God works so we have been relying on a tried and tested formula: FAITH.  And we love doing that.

We have not completed the whole project cost yet, but we can’t wait for that to happen before we start the project.  We have started with whatever we have right now and we believe the rest will follow.  It’s amazing how God uses different people to provide for our needs.

 THE LIGHT SHINES

After four weeks, we made some breakthrough with some of the students.  Some have quickly learned and are now progressing.  One letter at a time.  One sound at a time.  It’s a joy when a child can begin to read even if it’s just two words.  One sound, two letters, and a word – they all contribute to a good reading.

Just check out the video below.

Somehow, we won’t simply get through this project…… we will prevail.

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THANK YOU

We are thankful for all who are praying for us.  We deeply appreciate this.  We are also thankful for those who are promoting this project.  It means a lot for us to have this project known because it is a great investment.  And we are thankful for those who are supporting us financially.  This project can be costly but what you give is an investment for nation building but also to the kingdom of God

CARE TO HELP

We continue to ask for your support for this project.  We welcome ay help you have in mind.  We welcome any financial help you’d like to invest.  You can send this through bank or through any money courier services.  We need juice and biscuits for their snacks.  Clothes good for 5-8 years old are appreciated also.  And anything you find your heart to do is very much welcome.

You can contact:

ISRAEL TARLIT – easy_rael@yahoo.com