Save child soldiers by sending them to school
We invite you to save a child soldier by sending them to school.
Mindanao is a conflict region where multiple insurgent groups actively recruit and use child soldiers. Children are at risk not only of death or injury but also of being locked into deadly cycles of generational violence.
THEY NEED YOUR HELP
50 child soldiers were just pulled out of the army in Mindanao, Philippines. If we fail to raise enough money to keep these children in school, they have no other option but to serve in the insurgent armies where there are no books and schools, only guns and killing.
OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE
This is our opportunity to provide the education, Christ-centered nurture, life-skills training, and mentorship that empowers and inspires these children to pursue a life outside the local militia.
$600 covers the cost of sending a child soldier to school for an entire year. For less than $2 a day, you can send a child soldier to school. Please prayerfully consider making a donation today, no gift is too small.
TARGET POPULATION
Child soldiers in militia camps and children at risk of recruitment in the armed conflict regions of Mindanao.
LOCAL MILITIA
Refers to insurgent or non-government army groups.
Mindanao, Philippines is a melting pot of breakaway militant groups that engage in child soldier recruitment:
- National People's Army [NPA]
- Moro Islamic Liberation Front [MILF]
- Moro National Liberation Front [MNLF]
- Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters [BIFF]
- Abu Sayyaf
Child soldiering has been called one of the cruelest forms of modern-day slavery because it incorporates forced physical labor, subjection to war, and sexual exploitation.
Children are at risk not only of death or injury but also of being locked into deadly cycles of generational violence.
EDUCATION PROJECTS AND SCHOOLS
When rebel groups come to "recruit" the children in a village, only those attending school can escape coercion to join.
Our homes provide a safe, Christ-centered loving environment for children when it is unsafe for them to return home.
Together, we can make child soldiering a thing of the past, and together we can restore hope and provide a good future -- one child at a time.
Our "From Soldiers to Students" program began in 2015 with 40 boys, age 12-19. In 2016 we were able to add 10 new students; girls age 12 - 19. For 2017 we have just rescued 50 more children and they need funding right now.
In 2015, commanders of Muslim militia camps granted our local ground team unprecedented access and permission to child soldiers and their families. The inaugural class of 2015-2016 enrolled 40 boys, age 12-19.
All 40 students of the inaugural class qualified to advance to the next grade level. There was even more reason to celebrate for 9 students who made the honor roll with a ranking in the top 10% of their class.