ChildHope - Latin America

Keiry knows what it feels like not to belong.

Before coming to ChildHope's Las Delicias school in El Salvador, the 12-year-old had experienced severe bullying.

Classmates made fun of her. They took photos of her without her knowing and posted cruel comments about her in class chats.

Keiry couldn't understand why she had been singled out.

Her aunt knew she needed a different environment and enrolled her at Las Delicias.

And slowly, Keiry's experience of school began to change.

She found teachers who listened to her.

Classmates who treated her with kindness.

A school community where Christian values weren't only taught, but lived.

Today, Keiry says she feels accepted, loved, valued and heard. She enjoys getting involved in school projects like gardening and growing crops.

And when it was time to take a photo for us, Keiry wanted someone special beside her — her friend Esther.

The sadness that once defined Keiry's experience of school has given way to something very different.

Belonging. Friendship. Joy. Hope.

Sometimes that's what impact looks like.

Sometimes you don't see the full impact of an education until decades later.

Cinthya graduated from a ChildHope school in Costa Rica in 1996.

Years later, as a young single mother facing an uncertain future, she found herself returning to what had been planted in her childhood: faith in God, prayer, honesty, responsibility and respect.

She worked. She studied. She earned a degree in Industrial Engineering.

Today, Cinthya is a university professor and business owner.

And the little girl she raised? She grew up to become a doctor.

Cinthya still remembers the ChildHope teacher who taught her to believe in herself and helped build the Christian foundation she carries today.

Sometimes the seeds planted in a classroom keep growing long after a child leaves it.

Sometimes, they reach the next generation. 💙

What if this were the year everything changed?

For $42 a month, ChildHope sponsorship provides a scholarship that gives a child access to quality, Christ-centered education in a safe and nurturing environment.

But the impact can reach far beyond the classroom.

A sponsor becomes one more person saying, I see you. I believe in your future. And I’m cheering you on.

There are children waiting for sponsors today.

Learn more at childhopeonline.org/sponsor 💙

A prayer for every child beginning a new school year:

Lord,

Go with the child who walks confidently into the classroom — and the one who is afraid.

Be near the child who can't wait to see friends again — and the one wondering whether they will have a friend at all.

Give wisdom and patience to teachers.

Give children courage when learning feels difficult.

Bring peace into homes carrying burdens no child should have to carry.

Help every student discover the gifts You have placed within them.

And in every classroom, remind each child that they are seen, known, loved and created with purpose.

Amen.

Is there a child, teacher or school you're praying for this year?

You can share their first name below so our ChildHope community can pray with you. 💙

What can education really change?

Dr. Luis Gonzalez Brenes has a unique perspective on that question.

He isn't only a researcher studying ChildHope. He's a ChildHope graduate himself.

Luis graduated from a ChildHope school in 1988. Today, he holds doctorates in Theology/Ecclesiology and Education, with additional studies in anthropology and psychology.

In 2026, he took a scholarly look at something he had already experienced personally: the transformational impact of a ChildHope education.

His research suggests education can do far more than increase what a child knows.
It can help reshape identity — how a child sees themselves.

Expand possibility — what they believe their future can hold.

Develop agency — the belief that they can make choices, lead and serve.

And that transformation can reach beyond one student into families and communities.

Education doesn't simply prepare a child to pass a test. It can help a child imagine a different future — and begin building it.

That's the kind of education we believe in at ChildHope.

Hope has a way of changing everything.

It gives courage for today and confidence for tomorrow. It reminds us that even in difficult places, God is still at work.

This is our prayer for every child, every family, and every community we serve across Latin America and the Caribbean.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." — Romans 15:13

Most families experience difficult seasons.

But when you already live in extreme poverty, a single setback—a medical emergency, a failed crop, the loss of a job, rising food prices—can become a crisis.

The ChildHope Extreme Poverty Fund exists for those moments.

It helps provide emergency food, urgent medical care, educational support, and other critical assistance when families simply have nowhere else to turn.

Because sometimes the difference between despair and hope is someone showing up at exactly the right time.

❤️ Give hope today: https://childhopeonline.org/extremepoverty

Not every child who walks into a ChildHope school arrives with the same opportunities.

Kevin didn't.

He had already lost his glasses once because his family couldn't afford to replace them. Living with his grandmother after experiencing the loss of both parents, he had quietly learned to live with blurred vision and the weight of unanswered questions.

When doctors confirmed his condition and explained it could have been treated much earlier in life, Kevin broke down. He realized much of what he'd struggled with might have been prevented.

Thanks to ChildHope's Extreme Poverty Fund, Kevin received a new eye exam and the glasses he desperately needed.

When he tried them on, he smiled and said:

"I really notice the change now. I thank God He put it in your hearts to help me."
The new glasses will help Kevin succeed in school today. Even more importantly, he's learning that while people sometimes fail us, God never does. Through the Christ-centered education he receives every day, Kevin is discovering a hope that reaches far beyond what he can see.

Your gift to the Extreme Poverty Fund helps provide urgent care for children facing circumstances their families simply cannot overcome alone.

❤️ Give today and help bring hope when it's needed most: https://childhopeonline.org/extremepoverty