Updates

We are grateful to share that, thanks to your generosity, we reached our goal during our Back-to-School Campaign. With nearly two months of the school year already completed, we are thankful to have helped so many families navigate the transition back to school. Mayra’s family is one of them.

Mayra is entering her junior year of high school at the Mission School. This school year began with an unexpected challenge: just before school began, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. With only limited healthcare services available locally, Mayra’s mother has had to travel frequently to Guayaquil (a 3 hour bus ride each way) for testing, doctor appointments, and treatments.

Even before the diagnosis, Mayra’s family faced significant financial hardship. Her father works as an electrician, but he is not able to find work everyday (a common occurrence in our part of the country). Their family can’t always afford basic household expenses, like buying food and school supplies. Mayra lives with her parents and older brother in a modest home outside of town. It has a few light bulbs and a small refrigerator, and unfinished floors. Now, with her parents traveling regularly for medical appointments and covering transportation and lodging costs, the family’s financial situation has become even more strained.

In response to this crisis, we added Mayra to our scholarship program so at least her family does not have to worry about the cost of school. When I spoke with her mother, tears filled her eyes as she thanked me. Amid so much uncertainty and fear about her diagnosis, she said there was comfort in knowing that Mayra would be able to continue her education.

I told her that we were happy to be able to help in this way with her daughter and was so encouraged by how desperately she wanted her daughter to stay in our school. Having watched her older children struggle to find stable employment and opportunities, she believes that the education of the Mission School gives Mayra the strongest possible foundation for her future.

Mayra’s mother also spoke about the strength of the school community and how much it has supported her family throughout her cancer treatment. She always appreciated that Mayra was surrounded by classmates who value education and attended a school grounded in faith. What she never anticipated was how deeply that same community would come to support her own family during a time of crisis.

Thanks to the support of a scholarship, Mayra is continuing her education at Santa Maria del Fiat. She is in her second-to-last year of high school, studying science and preparing for university.

As they have navigated these first months of appointments, testing, and treatment, they have experienced the kindness of fellow school families, received assistance through the scholarship program during a particularly difficult season, and found encouragement through the school’s staff. Together, these sources of support have helped Mayra and her family face this challenge with greater hope.

Because of you, we are able to help families like Mayra’s keep their children in school when they are facing difficult situations. Thank you for making it possible for students like Mayra to continue learning and hope for a better future!