Why we do what we do. . .

As Kirsten and I continue to prepare for our return to full-time ministry (we have our tickets purchased and our initial itinerary laid out - we leave at the end of May), I wanted to share some details about one of our partners, the Village Development Project (VDP).  I think looking at what they do really makes it easy to see why we do what we do.

VDP runs what they call “catch-up schools,” for children from poor families, who are below grade level and at a higher risk for dropping out of the education system altogether.   They teach half-day sessions - public school is also half day, so students go there for part of the day and VDP for the other part, either morning or afternoon.   VDP focuses on only three subjects:  math, language arts, and Bible.  Their curriculum is specifically designed to cover in one semester what the public school covers in a year, in order to catch up the students (Kirsten and I helped in the designing of their curriculum a few years ago).

Education is so vital if these children are to have any opportunity in their lives. Because the parents recognize the value of these schools, both they and their children are then able to be taught about Jesus Christ.  VDP currently is running five catch-up schools, serving over 1,800 students!

I mentioned that Kirsten and I have helped with curriculum development, but mostly we work directly with the teachers.  At our last workshop we taught how to use Biblical Integration in order to Teach Like a Christian (that was the title of the presentation).  We are scheduled to meet with them again in early June.  And now we will be able to increase our follow-up and support!

VDP is only one of several Christian educational organizations that we currently work with, and God is opening more doors in Cambodia all the time!  We are so excited to see how He grows this work.  Thank you for partnering with us as we partner with them.

Activity in a VDP classroom