Learning to grow

We believe that a solid education is the gateway to a better future for children living in poverty in communities affected by leprosy.

The Iphiro Yohoolo school sponsorship programme has been running in Mozambique since 2006 and provides basic school materials and uniforms for children affected by leprosy. The project aims to get children from leprosy backgrounds back into school, and to motivate and encourage them to value their education. Thanks to generous past support from people like you, it has also expanded to help orphans and children with disabilities.

Over 200 children in Cabo Delgado are now enrolled in the programme. Each child receives a school uniform, including a pair of sandals, and basic materials like pens, pencils and exercise books once a year. They also receive a new school bag once every two years. Staff encourage all children to achieve to the highest level possible, but they keep a special eye out for those with the potential to go on to higher education, and then find ways to make it happen. Project staff work with families and local community leaders too, to encourage them to be committed to education for their children.

The only hope these children have to make better lives for themselves is by getting a good education. Not only do they learn the basic skills they’ll need to find a career in the future, they’re learning to get along with others from all sorts of backgrounds. Through attending school, these children learn to have confidence in themselves and the courage to dream of a better tomorrow. That’s something we just can’t put a value on, and will impact countless lives yet to come.

The Leprosy Mission is committed to funding programmes like this for many years. Our total funding target for all of our projects in Mozambique for the next year is £198,000 – can you help? To give you an idea of what your gift could achieve, the annual budget for the Iphiro Yohoolo program is £3,647 – if just 200 people give £18 each, the project will be paid for in full.

Please consider a gift today; whatever you can afford will be a blessing to the people of Mozambique.

For more information about Elsa, please visit our website where you can find her story in our October Update.

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