Anyone else have their Facebook feed lit up with Back-to-School pictures this week?
We started our school routine the first week of August. That gives us the benefit of doing things like a museum field trip this week–which means we’ll have the place to ourselves except for all the other homeschool parents who had the same idea I did.
But for all you moms who are rejoicing over the first day of school freedom, this is for you:
I love my kids, but being able to leave the house by yourself? Yeah, that’s priceless.
As we celebrate (or commiserate over) our kids heading back to school, it’s a good time to remember children around the world for whom education is a priceless opportunity. Here are a few pictures of Compassion children from Guatemala:
Aren’t those awesome? Education is one of the main pathways out of poverty. But it’s not a road all children get to travel.
- Worldwide, nearly 80 percent of primary-school-age children attend school. In least developed countries, this figure is around 66 percent.
- The largest out-of-school population is in sub-Saharan Africa, where around 45.5 million children of primary school age are out of school.
- Of the 67 million primary-school-age children who do not attend school, 53 percent are girls.
- Worldwide, only 49 percent of children of secondary school age actually attend secondary school.
- Of the 49 percent of secondary age students who do not attend school, 52 percent are girls.
- The world’s functional illiterates include more than 130 million children who do not attend school, 73 million of them girls. (statistics from Compassion)
As you’re celebrating back-to-school week with your family, you can also make a difference in the life of a child. Sponsoring a child with Compassion provides your sponsored child with educational opportunities, medical care, food and clean water, and life-skills training. Compassion’s church based ministry also insures that sponsored children get a chance to hear about Jesus. That’s a priceless opportunity.
If you’re not sponsoring a child, consider sponsoring a child today. If you’re already sponsoring, tell us in the comments where your sponsored child lives. And if you’re a homeschool mom like me, check out these free homeschool lesson plans from Compassion.
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