Backpacks keep kids in school and give women a livable wage.
You can help distribute 1000 backpacks with a gift of $13 per backpack. Or help purchase three needed sewing machines, $300 each.
Pablo is 12 years old. He stopped going to school when he was 8 to help his parents in the fields. He is barefoot, his clothes are ragged, and lice crawl through his disheveled hair. But he’s grinning as he unpacks a toothbrush and asks, “What is that for?"
Although the Argentine government provides some materials to public schools, most remain poorly equipped and parents have to provide extra costs for materials. Many families choose to put their children to work rather than paying to send them to school. OM is providing 1000 backpacks filled with needed school materials, toiletries, and Christian literature for $13 each. This is helping poor families reduce the vulnerabilities of their children, as the kids are getting off the streets, attending school more regularly, and changing to healthier habits. Not only are the kids learning hygiene, but their families are as well. In addition to receiving backpacks, kids can get homework help, learn computer skills and English, study the Bible, and make friends.
The ministry is expanding into sewing workshops for teens, who actually produce the backpacks given to the them and the younger children. As part of the program, young mothers can also learn how to make crafts that will sell and provide income for their families. These women are so excited about their own new ventures, they have started to reach out to others as well. The ladies help out at a home for teen moms, sometimes even baking a cake though they are in need themselves.
With each $13 backpack, young mothers receive hope that they want to share, teens learn job skills, children are steered from gangs, and families get healthier. A gift of $300 will buy one of 3 needed new sewing machines. Thanks for partnering with this creative ministry in Argentina.
