MERCY BRIDGE IN INDONESIA
In Indonesia, education is not free of costs and far from a given. Many children receive little or no formal education because of a lack of funds. This perpetuates a cycle of poverty that can continue for generations.
In 2012, Mercy Bridge helped more than 150 children in nine areas of Java and Bali with scholarships to attend school. But this is just a beginning and the need is great. At each of our current sites in Indonesia, there is a waiting list with up to 60 children on it. Each one of these children need help to pay for their schooling.
Representatives of Mercy identify children whose parents make under $200.US dollars per year and offer the program to these families. The scholarships are handed out through local evangelical churches. As part of the requirements for receiving the funds, parents are asked to attend periodic mentoring workshops (in such areas as health, nutrition, and parenting skills) and children are offered daily tutoring sessions and homework help in areas such as English, computer skills, music, hygiene, etc. The children are also given a nutritious snack. All these classes are designed to help the parents and children succeed in finding a better life by acquiring an education and improving their life skills. Based on their participation in the program, families receive tuition money each week.
MERCY BRIDGE IN CHINA
By Western standards, school is not expensive in China. But for families in the rural, mountainous regions of this vast country where the annual income is often less than $898, even with free tuition through junior high school in the public schools, the cost of books and materials, school uniforms, and other fees, can quickly become prohibitive. In addition, children in these rural areas live so far away from any school they must pay for room and board to live on campus.
In China, Mercy Bridge provides need-based scholarships to make the dream of an education a reality. If a family lacks the funds to cover all the educational costs of a child, Mercy Bridge is there to bridge the gap. Scholarship money can be used for children from kindergarten through college. In every case, the student’s family is expected to contribute some of the cost. Funds are administered through local Christian leaders where children find not only monetary encouragement but friendship and encouragement to stay the course and finish their education.
Families must make less than $65 per month. One standard of measurement for qualification is that if a family has a television or a refrigerator they are probably making too much money to be eligible for these scholarships funds. For those who do qualify, the gift of an education for their children is seen as a great honor and the gratitude these families and children feel is immense and lasting.
MERCY BRIDGE PAST EVENTS
- Jana Alayra Concert (February 11, 2017)
- Jana Alayra & Band Concert (February 25, 2015)
