Time for School; Time for Scholarships
Though the orphanage is the most established program that BMP supports, and every orphan receives funds for education, offering scholarships to Burundi’s neediest children pre-dates the orphanage!
When Mama Georgette first returned to Burundi in 2007, she was shocked and saddened by great suffering among the people, especially the children. She was especially grieved to find five young teenage girls working at a bar instead of attending school. It was certain that these girls would be trafficked if they stayed employed there.
Feeling prompted by the Lord to do something, she sought out a tutor for these girls. Though unable to pay the $2,000 needed for their education, Georgette was certain that the Lord would provide. She borrowed a small amount of earnest money in Burundi and gave these young ladies a new start.
Upon returning to the US, Mama Georgette simply told the story of the suffering she witnessed in her native home. But rather than making an overt appeal for financial assistance for scholarships, she offered thanks to God for the scholarships He would provide. She conveyed how she feared for the future of those five girls working at a bar. Though she, a poor widow, did not know how those scholarships would be funded, she believed it would happen.
A few weeks later, while attending a women’s seminar with her dear friend Sr. Paulette, Mama brushed shoulders with a stranger who heard the story of these girls. Touched by Georgette’s courageous faith and the prospect of saving these girls from a hopeless future, this lady immediately wrote a check for the full $2,000! To God be the glory.
Georgette saw this miracle as a sign that she must go back to Burundi. She must spend time imagining what else the Lord wanted to do for the forgotten children of Burundi.
Today, sixteen years later, BMP still supports the scholarship fund for students. Nineteen children in the orphanage are school-age and attend local schools. All 40 children who receive support at the Family Care Center attend school. Other children and young adults who are affiliated with BMP’s multiple programs also receive financial assistance to complete their primary, secondary, university and trade-school degrees.
The school year has already begun. BMP is ensuring that these students are in school and being kept safe from abduction into child militias, protected from being trafficked, and empowered by a good education.
$500 allows a young woman to complete her university degree.
$200 sends a student to school for an entire year.
$50 buys school supplies and clothing for 5 children.
We need your help to sustain the scholarship fund. Would YOU consider giving to BMP for the sake of one student?