It is when times are toughest that we consider what we are most grateful for. For us at Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry, we are most grateful for you. Your continued support during the pandemic allowed our global partners to continue providing access to quality education for students on the margins—especially women and girls—even though how they delivered this support may have looked different amid shut-downs.

While visiting Tanzania this fall, LPGM travelers met Elizabeth, age 16.

Like most families in the Maasai culture, her family relied upon raising cattle and goats for survival and faced many poverty-related challenges, including food insecurity and lack of access to clean drinking water and medical care.

Elizabeth’s father died when she was just 5, and her mother was very ill. Relatives forced her to marry at age 13 so they could collect her bride price. Her husband-to-be kidnapped her, bringing her far away so she couldn’t find her way home. Nine months later, her daughter Witness (pictured above with Elizabeth) was born.

A few months later, Elizabeth heard about Eripoto, a new nonprofit whose name means “security” in the Maa language. In addition to leading seminars promoting equal rights for girls and women, Eripoto provides a safe house for girls escaping child marriage and gender-based violence to stay when their boarding schools are not in session.

Elizabeth contacted Esuvat, founder of Eripoto, who rescued her and her baby. Esuvat has provided care for Witness ever since, so Elizabeth can attend boarding school. Elizabeth’s goal is to become a doctor or teacher.

Esuvat says it best:

“While Eripoto works to restore hope, dignity, and shed light to girls, we couldn’t do all that without the support of different people including LPGM. We request for you to keep on supporting us and restoring the girls’ smiles and building a beautiful world as God intended. Again, thank you and God bless you all.”

Donate

The impact of your generosity reaches vulnerable students like Elizabeth in countless ways throughout the year, whether in C.A.R., Guatemala, India, Tanzania, or beyond.

I am so pleased to report that our partners have returned to pre-pandemic programming, and everyone is benefiting:

• In Guatemala, our partner is currently hosting the second of two in-person, 25-day sessions of WALC (Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation). They are teaching some of the region’s most impoverished girls life-changing skills that will improve their families’ health, and awarding scholarships to keep these girls in school!
• In India, schoolchildren returned to the care and security of our Lutheran partners’ boarding homes in July. And yet there are some new challenges due to the pandemic, which your support helps our India partners address.
• In Tanzania, the current economic crisis has resulted in an increase of food scarcity and forced child marriage. More young women are fleeing from their homes, seeking shelter within the walls of our partners’ Safe Houses as they pursue an education.

As we approach the end of 2022, we need to raise $204,000 by December 31 to meet our partners’ budgeted needs for the year.

Give Now

We are so grateful that the Nelson siblings have committed a lead gift of $40,500 toward this important goal. They have been a part of LPGM since the start, and joyfully give this gift in memory of their mother. They invite you to join them in providing access to quality education to people on the margins – especially women and girls.

Thank you for being an important part of our ministry.

LPGM staff, our global partners, and the students together we serve wish you a blessed Christmastime!