HOPE ACADEMY
Hope Academy is an education project that was born out of the need of the children from Mogote who were being sent to the private school down the mountain from the Center. As people from the United States come to work with us on short term mission teams here in Honduras, many fall in love with a child from the area and want to help them get a good education. These supporters finance the child’s education at a wonderful bi-lingual Christian school called Escuela Elliott Dover. Once the child left the public school system and entered the private school level, they immediately failed almost every class because they had no basic education on which to build. That’s where we came in.
We created a “study hall” setting called Hope Academy where the children could come after school and get help with their homework each day. English was a big problem for the children who had never had it before, so we knew we needed a “gringo” to help them hear the words properly. Also, the children had never had this much homework before and they did not know how to handle it all. So we jumped in with both feet and started doing homework!
Dina Melendez, Jon Odom, and Emily Odom are the teachers who guide these kids to success. Dina is Honduran and has been the Director of our Bible Kindergarten for three years. We have moved her into the Director’s position of Hope Academy and she has already exceeded our expectations for this job. Jon and Emily are full-time volunteers from the United States who work with the kids who have made the change to the Hope Academy program. They are bi-lingual and very computer savvy, so they have been perfect as teachers and mentors for this age group. Besides being great teachers, Dina, Jon, and Emily are very strong and mature Christians who want to see these children succeed in their relationship with Jesus Christ more than anything else.
In just a short time, we could see a huge difference in the children in this program. It was difficult at first, because a lot of different things were being thrown at them all at once….more and more difficult homework, expectations of proper manners, punctuality, personal grooming and accountability. But like children every where, these kids have risen to the challenge with the careful guidance of the teachers.
In the Hope Academy program for 2009-2010, each child’s total expenses are paid for one year by a supporter in the States. Each child gets their uniforms, shoes, underwear, tuition, books, supplies, a hot meal at school and at study hall, unlimited free internet access, use of new laptops, a resource library and a staff that loves helping them succeed.
Click HERE to see the Hope Academy Dedication Video!
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and
petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God.” Phil 4:6
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