School kits unlock school doors in Honduras

She and her husband didn’t have enough money to buy basic school supplies for their children, which unfortunately meant that they wouldn’t be able to attend school at all in their hometown of Santa Cruz de Yajoa, Honduras.  

Unfortunately, stories like Rosa’s are not uncommon in Honduras. In rural areas, one in five Hondurans live in extreme poverty (less than $1.90 per day). In Rosa’s community, less than half of children complete sixth grade.  

And there is a direct link between school enrollment and gang membership. When young people can’t attend school, they are much more vulnerable to gang recruitment. 

“We work in an area with a lot of social problems,” says Xiomara Arias, principal of the school in Santa Cruz de Yajoa. “The kids in school are boxed in by gangs who are relentless in trying to recruit them and they frequently come from broken homes.”  

Thanks to the LWR School Kits you lovingly provided —which include all the basic supplies like pencils, notebooks, rulers and scissors — Rosa’s children are attending school.  

Her children were among the 300 students who received school kits in Santa Cruz de Yajoa.  

Lutheran World Relief has been partnering with Children’s Gift Ministry (CGM) since 2015 to distribute school kits to 14,000 children annually in some of the most vulnerable communities throughout Honduras. In coordination with the Assembly of God church network, CGM mobilizes a network of more than 3,000 volunteers throughout the country to accomplish this important work, reaching areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.  

CGM Country Director Pastor Jose Portillo says these seemingly simple gifts have a transformative difference on the lives of children and families in these communities.  

“For families living in extreme poverty, they put all their energy into putting food on the table. School materials are mandatory for students to enroll and for poor families, it is a cost many of them just can’t handle,” says Pastor Portillo.   

Ken Harrell, founder and executive director of CGM, says he is thankful for the meaningful partnership between Lutheran World Relief and CGM.  

“Providing children with an opportunity to get an education is our high calling and changing the nation through education is our challenge. We are so very grateful for the partnerships that make this possible,” he says.  

After watching her children receive their school kits, happily ruffling through their notebooks and the rest of the contents of their backpacks, Rosa was filled with joy. 

“I feel very blessed for what we have received because I wasn’t expecting this at all. God really shows himself in interesting ways,” she says.