When teachers from Lazarus Academy visited 12-year-old Carmen's home in a remote village in southern Honduras, she was excited. They were offering her something she desperately wanted: the opportunity to continue her education.
But as the new school year approached, excitement turned to fear.
Carmen struggled with reading and writing. She worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up with the other students. And at home, her mother, a seamstress raising three children on her own, faced another concern: how would she afford Carmen's school uniform?
For a little girl who wanted so badly to learn, the obstacles seemed overwhelming.
Carmen decided not to enroll.
Carmen’s story did not end there.
When the director of Lazarus Academy learned why Carmen had decided not to attend, she visited Carmen's mother with some encouraging news. The Academy could provide the extra attention and individualized instruction Carmen needed to strengthen her reading and writing skills. And the school would help provide the uniform her family couldn't afford..
Carmen decided to give school another chance.
Today, Carmen receives academic, emotional, and spiritual support at Lazarus Academy. Reading, writing, and English are still difficult for her, but she keeps working hard and her teachers encourage her to believe in herself and in the gifts God has given her.
Carmen is one of many children in the remote mountain villages of southern Honduras whose dreams are often limited by something beyond their control: access to education. That's why Mission Lazarus is working to reach more children like Carmen.
Lazarus Academy Honduras is nearing completion of Phase II construction, which will double the school's capacity and open the door for many more students to continue their education beyond the sixth grade. But expanding a school is about much more than adding classrooms. It's about giving children who have the potential to become teachers, nurses, business owners, and community leaders the opportunity to pursue those dreams.
And none of this would be possible without the generosity and partnership of people like you.
Because of you, children like Carmen are discovering that their circumstances don't have to define their future. They have an opportunity to learn, to grow, and to believe that something more is possible.
Thank you for helping make that opportunity a reality.