Our Objectives
Hope Alive! is different from other sponsorship organizations in five key areas.
No One Goes without Hope at Hope Alive
Hope Alive! offers school sponsorships to children regardless of age—enrolling students as old as mid-teens. Even if a child has missed several years of primary school, Hope Alive! will still offer the youth a sponsorship to begin or restart his or her schooling.
The Eyes and Ears
Hope Alive! mentors live and work in the impoverished communities and know each youth of the area and their family circumstances. They see the children and their living conditions and hear the tragic stories of the families ripped apart by civil war, AIDS and, many times, malaria and other curable diseases. The mentors are able to identify the youth with the greatest needs. These youth are then visited by the Hope Alive! site manager or Catharine to ensure the child’s situation fits the criteria for enrollment.
Each Hope Alive! student is assigned a mentor to walk alongside them throughout their entire enrollment in Hope Alive! Mentors provide individualized care for each student, including counseling, encouragement, spiritual guidance and Bible studies. It is through these relationships that Hope Alive! students, many for the first time, experience the compassion, love and security that come from belonging to Jesus Christ. Mentors also address special scholastic needs for students struggling with difficult subjects or comprehension issues by providing tutoring sessions and partnering closely with local schools.
Staying Connected
Throughout the school year, The Saturday Club offers refreshment after a long week. The children are treated to Bible studies, praise and worship, fun classes such as woodworking and puppet ministry, workshops on life skills, the Lending Library, and games. They also receive a hefty lunch with meat—often the only meat some students will have all week.
During holiday, when school is not in session (local school sessions run three terms a year), Hope Alive! is committed to keeping the students engaged with other students, their mentors and all activities related to the Hope Alive! program. The Breakaway program is designed to give students the opportunity to learn valuable skills, continue Bible studies and—very simply—to forget their harsh lives and just be children for a while.
Hope Lives On
Regardless of a child’s age, Hope Alive! will continue sponsoring the child until he or she graduates secondary school or vocational school. Hope Alive! does everything possible to see the children succeed.
For many of the children, the project is the only family they have ever known. Some of the students who have graduated secondary or vocational school have started an alumni club. The students remain a part of the Hope Alive! family and continue investing in the next generation of students. They can also stay connected with mentors who help them assimilate into the community as productive, self-sustaining individuals.
Hope Thrives with Opportunities
Instead of giving money to caretakers, Hope Alive! provides opportunities for small businesses. Hope Alive! comes alongside family members and provides micro-finance loans. These small businesses allow the caretakers to develop a sustainable future for themselves and their families.
The goal is to enable families to become financially independent so they no longer need Hope Alive! to assist them. Instead the caretakers will have the joy and dignity of being able to provide for their own families. Micro-finance loans are also available to students who have completed vocational training.