The centre helps children living in poverty to stay in school. Jeremiah Education Center surveyed an area in Faisalabad, Pakistan, where an increasing number of children were dropping out of schools. These children came from an impoverished background; their severe financial problems causing them to leave school. Most of the children we met in this area came from broken homes and single-parent family – it was not uncommon for fathers to fall into drug addiction and abandon their families, leaving the mothers struggling to make ends meet. Talking to the mothers, we realized that none of them wanted to pull their children out of school but had no choice given their economic situation. The boys in a family were forced to find work to support the family while the girls stayed home and took care of the house and siblings. It was evident that, given the choice, the children would much rather be in school and that their parents felt the same way. We wished the same for these children and wanted to provide them a healthy and nurturing environment where they could learn and grow as children, leaving the worries of the world behind. This vision became the cornerstone upon which Jeremiah Education Center was built. JEC has since been assisting these families through our center in Daud Nagar, Faisalabad, by sponsoring the education of 30 children between the ages of 3 and 14 years, by providing full tuition fees as well as books, uniforms and bags, so that they never have to sacrifice their education to poverty again. Our center also provides extra-curricular activities, mentoring and catechism to facilitate the children’s mental and spiritual growth and gain healthy experiences that will groom them to become compassionate and responsible citizens of the world. We place a special emphasis on the education and empowerment of girls and teach parents that the education of their daughters is equally important to that of their sons. In addition to our work with these children, we also provide help and support to the parents by delivering food supplies and living necessities, as well as helping women who are victims of domestic violence and abuse. Through our efforts to strengthen and uplift these families we hope to create a nourishing environment to shape these children, the future of our nation.
