Meet Sydney*, a child who successfully completed eighth grade because of her perseverance and the support of her Dream Center teachers!

The start of a new school year is often a time of excitement and anticipation here in the United States, and many students see graduation as inevitable.  However, approximately 250 million children worldwide do not make it past four years in school and do not develop the math, reading, or writing skills they need to thrive in life. Due to root causes of widespread poverty, including malnutrition, broken families, and child labor, many children lack the opportunity to forge a path to a bright future. In fact, many children in the communities we serve in Ecuador, South Africa, and the Philippines often must leave school because of their inability to afford simple items like school uniforms.

ER’s Dream Centers serve as the focal point for our Education Reinforcement efforts and aim to engage children who are unlikely to finish school. Through our Dream Center after-school programs, we provide a safe, stable environment and demonstrate the love of Christ while sharing the opportunity for life change and hope. We provide a whole-person experience by providing tutoring and nutritious meals while interweaving sports and arts clubs, life skills training, field trips, and achievement recognition.

Education empowers children and families to disrupt the cycle of generational poverty. We invite you to join ER’s Back to School Drive by making a gift online in support of our Dream Center programs today!

• A gift of $35 will provide a backpack and school supplies to a child who otherwise could not attend school.
• A gift of $100 will provide nutritious meals and snacks for approximately 50 children. Many children we serve do not receive an abundance of food at home, and children with empty stomachs cannot learn.
• A gift of $250 will allow us to invest in new computers and technology to provide young learners with the resources they need to succeed in a modern learning environment.

Your investment will provide children with the strength to say, “NO” to gangs, drugs, and violence – and to become leaders in their homes and communities. Our Dream Centers are full, with waiting lists, and the number of children we serve is continuing to grow. We humbly ask that you consider making your contribution monthly.

As we aim to position children for lifelong success through Education Reinforcement, we are grateful for your continued support of Extreme Response International.

Brad McKenna, ER President & CEO

* Name changed for privacy.

——————————————–

Be a School Pack Hero

Kids worldwide are heading back to school with their backpacks, uniforms and supplies. But some kids won’t be returning because their families cannot afford the cost of these items, especially following COVID lockdowns that resulted in parents losing income. Sadly, kids living in extreme conditions often drop out for the lack of school supplies.

You can be their hero. You can provide a child with what they need to go back to school. As part of our focus on education reinforcement, we give custom school packs to kids in need in places like South Africa, Ecuador and the Philippines where we have Dream Centers or outreach programs.

The school packs not only meet a required need, they generate excitement among the kids. Having brand new pens, paper, markers, binders, and packs gives these kids a huge boost. They go to school with self-esteem and confidence.

Invest in their futures! Make a donation to ER Dream Centers of $33 or more to help us purchase the supplies and transport them to the field. Click here to donate.

————————————

School Packs Distributed to Quito Dream Center Kids

Sept. 5, 2020

We just distributed school packs to many of the 40+ kids in the Quito Dream Center. It was very exciting to see the smiles of these kids, most of whom are part of the Quito Dump Recycling community. Without help from ER supporters, many of these kids’ families could not afford the school supplies and uniforms required to attend school. Thank you donors! Check out these happy students.

 

 

 

 

 

Now, more than ever, it’s critical to provide kids with school packs as they prepare for fall 2020 classes. The COVID-19 pandemic has created extra value and importance that vulnerable children get these supplies.

First, many of their parents are unable to work with government restrictions and a terrible economy. Already struggling, these families will not be able to provide school supplies and uniforms necessary for their children to enroll in school.

Second, children are no longer able to share school supplies in order to meet protocols for social distancing and sanitization. Now, they must have their own crayons, pens, markers, etc.

Our goal every year is to provide kids enrolled in our Dream Centers and other programs with School Packs so they won’t be forced to drop out of school. This fall, there is even greater urgency to help them be prepared.

———————–

Belwop Kids Demonstrate the Value of School Packs

Dec. 1, 2019

School supplies are hard to come by in Nyeri, Kenya. That’s especially true for the Belwop kids who depend on the kindness of others for nutrition, clean water, shelter and educational support.

Long-time ER partner Belwop Child Rescue Center serves children in an impoverished community of Kenya. They take in kids who are orphaned, abandoned, abused or neglected and shower them with love and encouragement.

“Education is a key factor in launching our kids into strong and sustainable futures,” said Belwop Director Veronica Mumbai. “We work hard to ensure each kid has enough supplies, uniforms, transportation and all other support needed for a successful school year.

“In 2019, with the help of Belwop’s personal donors, we were able to put 46 kids through school. Five of the kids passed their exams and completed primary school, and are on their way to high school next year,” Veronica added.

—————————

School Packs Boost Quito Kids

Nov. 5, 2019

Imagine being “that kid” who shows up hungry for school every day and barely keeps up with your classmates. When your school says you have to buy your own uniform and supplies to stay enrolled, you learn a harsh reality…your family cannot afford these items.

So you stop going to school. And your future is even more bleak than before.

But it doesn’t have to be this. With your help, ER is changing this outcome for hundreds of kids. In our after-school programs and for several of our partners, we’re providing customized school packs to meet each child’s needs. For some, it’s a school uniform. For others, it’s a backpack filled with school supplies.

We’ve already provided school packs for 500+ kids globally, with a goal of meeting the needs of 1,000+ kids. Recently, the kids in the Quito after-school program received their 2019-2020 uniforms. You can practically see the pride and confidence in their faces! These kids, largely from the Quito Dump Recycling Community, are staying in school and tracking toward graduation.

———————————-

IT Tender Preps 220 Kids For School

(July 6, 2018)

We love it when ER partners stretch funds to meet more needs than expected. IT Tender (ITT), which serves the families living in squatter communities and settlements in metro Manila, negotiated hard to turn school funds designed to meet the needs of 164 kids into 220 kids!

IT Tender’s John Coffey shares:

“Words aren’t enough to express how grateful the children, families and communities are for the new school supplies provided through ER and your incredible efforts! Because we had so many children who need school supplies and they come from three different slum communities, we gave out the supplies over several days.

“We know you sent funds for us to provide school supplies for 164 students (per our request). However, our Filipino team did an incredible job haggling at the big market (called “divisoria”, the largest public market in the Philippines). We bought great quality items in bulk and we were actually able to purchase comprehensive school supplies for 220 students.”

—————————-

School Packs Help Kids Blossom

By Tim Fausch, ER Communications

It was not just another day at the Buen Pastor Inglesia elementary school.

A young boy ran out of the classroom filled with joy, headed down the stairs and found his father in the school courtyard. He held the bag up high like a boy showing off a trophy or a new video game. During the next hour, he clutched the bag tightly as though it contained treasure.

What was in that bag? Gold? Money? Candy?

No! Just basic school supplies. Pencils, erasers, paper, markers, etc.

For many kids, these supplies would be met with modest appreciation. But here at the Buen Pastor Inglesia Elementary School outside of Quito, Ecuador, they represent valuable gifts that kids will use for school, homework and creative fun. Many of the families simply cannot afford school supplies.

In late August, ER staff had the opportunity to visit the school, which was ramping up for the 2016-17 year. 50 kids showed up to register for classes and each received a bag of school supplies. There were smiles all the way around, from the kids to the teachers to the administrators. The supplies will allow these kids to start the school year on track. Keeping the kids and their families motivated and confident can make the difference between staying in school and prospering, or dropping out and getting stuck in a cycle of poverty.

The school has grown quickly in recent years, thanks partially to classrooms built by short-term ER volunteer construction teams. ER’s Paul and Susan Fernane have shepherded several teams of hardy volunteers who enthusiastically laid block, poured concrete and built walls and roofs, all while loving on the kids and families. 390 kids now attend the Kindergarten through Grade 5 school.

Buen Pastor’s Ramiro Baez took the opportunity to fire up the kids and challenged them to be ready to start classes. He then shared his passionate vision for the school and the community with ER staff. He desperately wants to see this generation of kids flourish.

Despite the recent attendance growth of the school, the added classrooms and higher quality of education, needs remain. The school is short about 50 desks as they begin the year, each costing about $50 to build.

Many thanks to ER supporters and volunteers who have generously poured into kids in places like Ecuador.

Watch Facebook, Instagram and our eNewsletters for updates on ER activities around the world!