What a difference a few years can make in the life of a child. Now just multiply that change by the number of children at Dorie’s Promise whose lives are changed daily through the gift of attending a private school! The transformation in their young lives is truly amazing. What started with only three of our children attending private school has multiplied to 15 in just a few short years.

Thanks to you and your generous support these past few years, we see and experience firsthand what it means for our children to have an opportunity to attend a private school.

Here is what Maria Jose, 11, who has studied at El Shaddai for four years, has to say about her education:

“I love to study at El Shaddai School because I have two teachers who are very smart and help me a lot with my doubts. I love my teachers and I admire them because they are smart and show me gratitude. My favorite classes are Arts, Spelling, Math, Computer lab, Robotics, Bible Studies, and Sports. In my school I have learned many things, but especially God’s love and how He takes care of us. I would like to keep going to this school because one of my dreams is to be a good teacher, pastor, and gymnast.”

A private education means better teachers, positive influences, spiritual guidance, and the opportunity to see what life is like outside of Dorie’s Promise. Our staff tells us time and time again how these children’s lives are being changed and how much interest and enthusiasm they have for school today — how it shows not only academically, but also in their spiritual and emotional lives.

The only time we will send a child to a public school is when they first arrive at Dorie’s Promise, so we can get an idea of how they perform in a school setting. We have experienced firsthand how poorly the public schools operate and therefore do our best to get our children integrated into a private school setting as soon as possible.

Our Child Development Director takes great care as she creates individualized education plans per child. She takes into consideration their natural talents, academic strengths and weaknesses, and whether they have learning disabilities. Based on this information, children are placed in the school setting that best suits them.

Take, for instance, 12-year-old Ana Lucia, who arrived at Dorie’s Promise July 2014 with her sister, seven-year-old Fabiola. The girls’ older brother was caring for them after their mother died of cancer. He was then arrested for drug dealing and murdered while in prison. This is when they came to live with us. Fabiola was enrolled in public school and was thriving even with class sizes close to 40. This January will be her first year attending private school.

Here is what Ana Lucia has to say about her new life and education…

“Living at Dorie’s Promise means a lot of things to me; I have many mothers taking care of and concerned about me; I have food every day; I have a beautiful bedroom to sleep in. The good thing is that my little sister is with me and we are very happy. This year I again started school and I have good grades. I would like to learn English to speak with the missionaries and also would like to learn computer skills … I would like to go a school where I can learn more.”

As you can imagine sending 15 of our children to private school and providing onsite child development, tutoring, and school does not come without a cost. Would you be willing to invest in our children’s lives in this meaningful way? To give our children the exceptional education they deserve, we need your help.

As I shared in the letter I wrote to you in July, we have had less mission participants this year, which has lowered the amount of income we use to run Dorie’s Promise. Giving our children an exceptional education experience will be the first thing we will have to cut if we are not able to raise the funds to keep it in place. Of course, we want the best education we can possibly give our children … but that can’t come at the expense of feeding, housing, and caring for them.

The school year in Guatemala runs from January through October. We currently have 15 children of school age who are excited to start private school in January.

The average cost of sending a child to private school is $1,700 per year. This amount covers tuition, books, uniforms, after-school activities, tutoring, supplies, and transportation. The total cost for the 15 children ready to attend private school this January is $30,600. The cost to continue to employ a full-time Child Development Director as well as preschool teacher is $25,000 per year.

Imagine being able to give your child a life-changing private education for only $140 per month.

I would like to invite you to help us give our children an EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION experience through your kind giving. Our goal is to raise $55,600 by December 31.

The children are growing so fast and we understand that someday they will be leaving us and try to find their place in the world. Our goal is to give them the tools to have a full and meaningful life outside our home.

These are children who have come from the city dump, off the street, or abandoned by family members who are unwilling to give them the care every child needs and deserves. We shelter them, feed them, love them like they are our own — but we also want to continue to give them the gift of EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION that will impact their lives in so many different ways … both now and for many years into the future.

Again, thank you for all you do for our children. It is your heart and passion that drive this ministry forward and allow us to change the lives of the children in our care. I hope to hear from you soon. Everyone on our team would like to see us meet our goal of raising $55,600 as quickly as possible so we can make sure our plan for 2016 is solid and ready to execute. Help by giving today.

God Bless,
Heather Radu
Founder