We dreamed, then God dreamed bigger: The Story of Our Kindergarten

As we began to grow and see where our efforts were best put to use in our little town of Pinalejo, we quickly saw opportunities to fill in the "education gaps" for our families. How could our kids dream big and become a doctor, teacher, etc if the majority of kids were stopping school after 6th grade? Working with our Honduran leaders, we quickly found out that most families we worked with could not afford to continue their children's education beyond 6th grade and a lot of the parents themselves were not afforded this opportunity. We formed the DBH Tutorial Academy in response to this--- a program that could sponsor students to continue their education, while at the same time offering them extra support of tutoring, internet access, school supplies and encouragement.

Even with this new program, our hearts were still yearning to enhance the educational opportunities for those we serve. We started throwing ideas out there--- possibly starting our own school in a few years, etc. Then God just dropped His next plan for us in our laps. The local kindergarten was going to be closed down due to funding and low utilization. Our Honduran leaders came to us and said- we want this kindergarten.

For the past 4 years, we have been running the kindergarten and the enrollment has doubled. Parents are happy to send their children ages 4-6 to a safe, welcoming and fun place every morning. Let's just say-- mom's need a break no matter what country you live in!! We also started welcoming any local children with special needs. There are not any programs for these children nearby, so giving them the opportunity to be with others, be loved on by our amazing teachers, and give their parents a break makes a huge difference in their quality of life!

In 2020, hurricanes damaged the school's bathroom and the school sat empty due to the pandemic. We were able to officially reopen in March. However, we still need to make improvements to our school. The bathroom needs redone and we are hoping to put a drop ceiling in the room so it is not as hot from the metal roof. To run our school for the March- November 2022 school year, we are estimating expenses of $9,000. This includes the school improvements, teacher stipends, daily snack and juice, clean water delivery, and supplies. Last week we were able to raise $3,000 towards our $9,000 goal. Thank you to everyone that came and helped make our DBH 90's Dance party a hit! However, we still need help!!

Do you want to contribute to this amazing program? Do you have an idea for a fundraiser? Are you a member of a church group or school that can come alongside us as we raise these funds? We are praying that God provides and we are able to give these kids an amazing school year.

Please keep our kindergarten in your prayers--- and pray that God continues to reveal His dreams for our mission.

In His Service,

Beth Wentz, Executive Director