Remember March 2020 in the United States? Everything shut down because of Covid-19 – churches, schools, restaurants, salons.
Schools were closed by the Honduran government in mid-March 2020 shortly after the start of the school year, which runs from February to November, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced students and teachers into virtual learning in a country with low levels of technology and high rates of poverty. During 2021 classes were provided remotely, a situation that affected thousands of children in the poorest of families because they lack internet access. Over 68% of students in Honduras did not receive any class instruction in 2021 due to the lack of a computer or online access for remote learning, according to the president of the Pedagogical College of Honduras. According to a UNICEF report, Hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020 damaged almost 81% of the nation’s schools, and repairs are still needed for many of those education centers.
Simple Matters gives financial support for the education of children in Honduras on all levels – primary, secondary, and the university level. One group of students are high schoolers at El Naranjál. These students have been out of school for two years and will begin in-person instruction two to three days per week. We have sent John Cook Scholarship funds for eight students for the 2022 school year for tuition and supplies. We pray these students will continue to see the need for education rather than entering the work force without that important foundation.
Another group of students is the children at Camp Betel, who range from 1st to 7th grade. According to our ministry partner there, children will be registered during the month of February, and school buildings will be cleaned and necessary repairs made. In-person classes are to begin in March for vaccinated children. For the rest of the children, classes will be hybrid (in-person and online), three days per week. Honduras’ Health Minister reported in December that two million pediatric vaccine doses were to arrive at the end of January, so we’re hopeful that most children will be able to attend classes. Our prayer is that all children will be able to return to in-person classes, and when that happens Simple Matters will be ready to assist with financial support for school supplies, uniforms, transportation, and other needs. Below is a photograph of Camp Betel children with school supplies from several years ago.
Lastly, Simple Matters and the John Cook Scholarship Fund continue to support Iris in her continued nursing studies at the university level. She has been working through all her classwork, and she started an internship in January at a public hospital called Hospital San Felipe. We are so proud of Iris for continuing to work to meet her goals.
Please pray for children and families to realize the great need for education and pray for them as they readjust to the school routine. Please pray for teachers and administrators as they navigate the impacts of Covid-19. We thank God for our donors who have given to the John Cook Scholarship Fund so these children may have the chance to learn and access opportunities to enter the work force and leave poverty behind.
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