One of our biggest goals is to help improve the quality of life of indigenous people groups by providing religious and non-religious educational services. We understand that in today’s world, we simply cannot focus on providing only traditional religious education programs with the hope that it will meet the needs of a particular community. For this reason, our team takes the time to assess the need of each community, and then we customize an education plan that is geared towards meeting a specific need found within that community. Many times, we can provide a religious hybrid program that can combine both religious and non-religious topics.
One of the issues that we commonly see in indigenous communities is alcoholism and domestic violence. In order to effectively confront these issues, we partnered with the Bible Society of Mexico to teach a religious hybrid program called “Freedom to Live”. This education program uses the Bible to help train congregations on how to identify and address family domestic violence. Flor and the O.M.I. women’s ministry team were able to provide one week of training to a church located in the inner city of Chetumal Mexico. As you can see by the pictures above, she had a good turn-out. With your continued support, we will be able to support her efforts to train more congregations in the coming months.
Another issue that we see in indigenous communities is the low quality of life due to a lack of education. Many indigenous families live near tourist areas, and yes, there are jobs available. However, many indigenous people groups lack the skillset necessary for applying for such positions. One of the biggest requirements for work is the ability to speak English. With this in mind, we developed an ESL program call “Yo Puedo Speak English Now!”. This program helps indigenous groups learn to speak English in as little as thirty days. As you can see in our pictures above, Pastor Raf teaches English in the middle of a jungle with little resources available at his disposal. To date, numerous Mayan Indians have gained employment and their quality of life is improving! With your continued support, we will be able to help other indigenous groups learn English.
Daniel 1:17 “As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom”
