Daniel* has been sponsored through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries in the Philippines since he was young. When the pandemic hit, the 8th grader wanted to serve other families who were part of child sponsorship, too. And serve he did.

For the last year, he has visited the Nazarene church next-door to his house to help pack relief goods and distribute relief goods to those struggling through the necessary lockdowns. He shared that it made him happier to be able to help other children have enough to eat.

Even as he continued volunteer, Daniel also had to adapt to his own remote learning. He attends a public school, and adapting to the modular learning was proving to be a challenge. That’s where a new holistic child development program served him, too.

As part of child sponsorship, Daniel attends a child development center in his community, a slum area in Manila. The center is part of a Nazarene church that provides holistic care that meets needs and empowers long-lasting change, a vital combination.

In October 2020 the center started a new tutoring program to help students with modular learning classes. The sessions follow specific guidelines and schedules, meeting with small groups of children Monday through Friday to both help with academic pursuits and keep track of their wellbeing. Through the tutoring, which generally helps with reading and comprehension, Daniel stayed motivated to continue doing well in his classes. He switched from struggling with his modules to understanding and finishing them all, determined to do well and pursue his dream of becoming a policeman.

 Several hundred miles south of Manila, another child development center also opened a learning hub in August 2020. The goal of this hub is to not only provide student support, but also to provide a place where parents can share their concerns and needs. Many children in the area might not have regular internet access, so the hub provided that, too. One parent shared that her daughter’s grades even improved through the support of the learning hub.

 

 

The Philippines has had one of the toughest lockdowns of any country in the world. While it has helped curb the spread of COVID-19, it has been especially detrimental to those living in poverty or those in extremely rural areas, where access to internet is absent or inconsistent. By reaching out to individuals and families, especially through child development centers, Nazarene churches were able to stay informed and build relationships even while in lockdown.

Through those relationships, Nazarene churches recognized the need for mental health care and COVID-19 awareness, too. The Church of the Nazarene helped adapt a phone hotline to provide just such care, and each week one child and one adult per family could speak with a mentee, sharing their burdens. Volunteers partner with a phone mentoring project to serve 100 families in the community and 85 families connected to child sponsorship. 

 Maria, 18, has volunteered at her church and at a learning hub during the pandemic. She attended a child development center herself, and she explains that she knows how impactful it was on her. During the pandemic, she says trusting God has been crucial.

 “Put God first in everything that you do,” she shares. “If anything happens that is out of your control, trust Him. Trust His plans for His plans are greater than yours and trust the process. Lastly, be an instrument to reach out to those who don't know Him.”

 *Name is changed for protection.