Newsletter #4: Response, Relief, Resolve
May 1st, 2020
Hello everyone!
Can you believe May is upon us already? For some, the days have flown by; for others, they have never crawled slower. Despite the changing atmosphere of COVID-19, we are excited to share with you all the blessings we have experienced over the past couple of months!
As you know, we held our first 72hr Match Campaign from April 17th-19th to respond to the difficult economic situation the program (and community) in Zaragoza was put in due to COVID-19 prevention measures. Not only did we fully meet our initial goal of $4000, but the overwhelming love and support shown by all our supporters resulted in an incredible total of $8655! We are so grateful to our group of generous matching donors who, through their faith in action, were able to inspire so many others to join in this mission.
With the financial pressure of surviving lifted for the next few months, our partners at Educando Para La Vida are now able to plan for the future and focus on a strategy to support the 100 children and their families in the program to the best of their abilities. They have adapted their main educational program to be accessible virtually, and maintain constant communication with all the mothers (or oldest children if the mothers are illiterate) through WhatsApp and a community radio program they have initiated. In cases where families might not have access to a phone or a fully literate member of the family, the team arranges visits in person to deliver materials and support. They are also trying to make sure that families in extreme poverty have the basic necessities and sanitary items they need such as food, soap, masks and hand sanitizer to stay safe during the pandemic. We are so amazed to see how quickly and the ways in which God has answered our prayer requests from March, and are incredibly thankful for the team on the field that has worked so hard to continue serving.
We on the Canadian side are also doing all we can to adapt to the changes brought upon by the pandemic. While this recent campaign helped introduce us to a broader audience, we are dealing with the reality of having to cancel the majority of the sharing and fundraising events we had planned for well into the summer, and are actively thinking of distancing-friendly alternatives that are sensitive to the struggles others are similarly facing. We are currently excited to plan for an online silent auction, so if you or anyone you know has a business or service that would be willing to donate an item/package/experience to benefit our cause, please send us an email at info@edupavi.ca!
Prayer requests:
While this is not the case for all families in the community we serve, please join us in prayer for those who may suddenly find themselves essentially trapped at home (due to the national mandatory 4pm-4am curfew) with potential mental or physical abusers. The stress of uncertainty is not easy for anyone, and we pray that any tension may be met with God's peace and restoration.
While the money we have raised from the campaign and other one-time donations greatly supports the ministry in the short-run, we are praying that God will call more people to join this mission as monthly or annual sponsors so that we may strengthen program resilience and implement dreams for the near future. If you have not already and would like to be a part of this story, please click the button below:
Thank you for following along on this journey, and for your continued support which encourages us everyday to serve.
Blessings,
Team EDUPAVI Canada