  Ray of Hope seeks to transform the lives of children and families living in the villages scattered along the edge of the River Amazon in Brazil. Every week in remote parts of Brazil, the Ray of Hope team takes to the river to meet the needs of the children of the Amazon, bringing love to villages in very practical ways, by holding Kid’s clubs, working with children with special needs and helping young mothers tend to the needs of their children. Ray of Hope have been supporting families, providing food, clothing and medical care and are now strategically building schools, improving literacy by introducing the National schools curriculum in remote locations for these people. Sponsorship ProgramsJoin one of our Sponsorship Programs today and make a difference in the lives of these families. Every penny donated goes directly to your chosen program.
Visit The Villages John's Story
Arriving at the village of Terra Preta they were greeted by Chief Gabriel. During their visit he informed them that the government had withdrawn funding for the village teacher and the children now would have no schooling that year. Quickly family and friends huddled together to see if there was something they could help with, especially as the teacher's salary was less than £700 a year. John realised that they could and would provide this and he left knowing that they had helped somehow, but with a feeling that it was not quite enough.
Six months earlier Wayne Drain, a US church leader had given John a very distinct message, 'It's time to release worship to the poor'. He never understood what these words meant until this very moment, and he immediately understood that God was telling him that worship was about building a school for this village, it was about loving our neighbour as ourselves, and although he lived 5000 miles away, these people were his neighbours. Immediately John announced that they would build a school in this village. No sooner had he returned to Manaus, than several other village chiefs made contact with him through Gloria, all explaining their need of schools too. So began a partnership between Gloria, John and their families and so began Ray of Hope. Schools
Currently parents have little choice. Either they face a long and arduous journey to the nearest school, or there is no education for their children. It is in these places that we want to provide teaching that covers the national curriculum. So far eight schools have been built and opened and we have adopted one which had been abandoned by the government. All children have uniforms, and on every school shirt are printed the words O Futuro Começa Aqui, which translated means, the Future Starts Here!
Over the next five years it is our goal to build a minimum of twenty five schools, bringing education and hope to the river people in a very practical way. If you would like to sponsor a school there are three ways you can help. It costs £8,000 - 10,000 to build a school. A uniform to include shorts, shirt, shoes and bag costs £25. A whiteboard for the school costs £150. If you would like to make a donation please fill out a standing order form which will enable us to set up a direct debit on your behalf. If you are a UK Tax payer please complete a Gift Aid form which will allow us to claim back the tax on your gift. |
John Paculabo, Executive Director for Kingsway Communications, was working for his company in Roraima, Brazil's most northerly state on a project backed by the Government. It was there he met Gloria; she was his interpreter and guide. Over the next year business circumstances brought John back to Brazil, and on one such visit he brought his family. By now he had established a firm friendship with Gloria, so much so that she felt safe taking him and his family onto the river to meet 'her Indians' as she called them.
John and his family decided they would visit the Amazon once more the following year. At Terra Preta they were warmly greeted by Professor Jonas (the village teacher) and all the children. During this visit John asked to see the school, no sooner had he asked than he was led to the medical hut that had one small window. On entering, the thing that struck him the most was the intense heat, there was almost no ventilation and it became clear that this was no school.
There are approximately 80,000 untouched villages in the Amazon Basin, the majority of which are deep within the jungle. Ninety nine percent of these villages have no schooling for their children, and whilst we cannot solve the overwhelming need for education in the Amazon basin, we can make a start by providing those villages that are accessible and crying out for help, with a school for their children.
The immediate impact for a village in realising that someone cares is a profound sense that they are a part of a global community. Many, if not all villages feel abandoned and uncared for by their government and the world alike, for instance, the people of Balbina islands were placing their 6-12 year olds in small canoes at 3am simply to reach the nearest school, three hours to school and three hours back. Many of the children being simply exhausted would fall from their canoes into the night waters, needles to say several children were lost to the river this way. We opened a school in this region which is now fully subscribed, and parents no longer have to fear for the safety of their children over something that we in the west take for granted, simply going to school!
