Your gifts to Mission and Service support education in Canada and around the world.
Christians are called to be disciples of Jesus, and the noun “disciple” comes from the Latin word discipulus, which means student, learner, or follower. In other words, we are called to be learners, people who are constantly educating ourselves and helping others to learn.
Your support for Mission and Service is helping others to learn. Together, we support education in Canada and around the world. Education and learning take many forms, but they are all important, and some are essential. Education can be transforming and even life-saving.
This is the education that you are helping to create and the learning that is happening as a result!
MECC Provides Children the Opportunity to Learn and Grow Safely
For children attending schools in Aleppo, Syria, the start of the academic year in September 2023 brought a welcome sense of normalcy after months of uncertainty.
In February 2023, earthquakes left people in parts of Türkiye and Syria facing the devastating loss of their loved ones, homes, and communities. And with their communities’ schools damaged or destroyed, children had nowhere safe to learn.
In addition to providing basic needs and cash assistance, Mission and Service partner The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) was able to rehabilitate five school buildings in Aleppo before the start of the September 2023 school year. In the face of significant struggle, MECC is providing children with the opportunity to learn and grow safely.
Your gifts to Mission and Service support partners like MECC as they help children and families rebuild and recover in the wake of disaster.
Social Support through Education
In Sambir, Ukraine, English teacher Ilona is encouraging her learners to enjoy social time with others while learning English. This class, supported by Mission and Service partner ACT Alliance, is part of a psychosocial support program for Ukrainians displaced by war. Ilona and her family were also displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, and she is now actively contributing to the well-being of others in similar situations.
While online learning expands opportunities and access to learning, distance learners miss crucial social engagement and human interaction. Ilona shares, “When we come together and get to know each other, we have a community. We can open up and share our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.” In a low-pressure learning environment, students can feel comfortable as they learn skills and learn about each other.
Thank you for the support you show through Mission and Service as our neighbours endure the ongoing impacts of war and conflict.
Taking Kids to School
Around the world, 57 million children cannot attend school.* They may never learn to read, to add or subtract, or to write. Even more importantly, they never learn about their basic human rights.
Patti Talbot, the United Church’s Global Partnership Team Leader, says, “The work we do isn’t going to lead to immediate societal change but it will make a big difference down the road.”
Mission and Service partners with 74 organizations that work to increase access to education across the globe. Colombia’s Center for Communication uses arts and media to teach children about their rights. Women for Change in Zambia creates groups to share agricultural knowledge and awareness of their rights. At Japan’s Asian Rural Institute, local leaders gather to learn sustainable agriculture techniques they can take home to transform their communities.
“In our partnerships, we learn from and teach each other,” Talbot says, “The United Church’s focus is more than just sharing resources, but really sharing life together."
*United Nations, “Education for All."
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Charity number: 10810-2435-RR0003