Education is key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Over the years, we have seen the value of education proven over and over through our sponsorship program. Not only do the kids grow academically throughout their time in the program, but with each passing year they grow more in confidence and in their outlook for the future. Through the help of generous supporters, we will sponsor 29 students for quality education opportunities in 2019. Sixteen of those students attend private, Christian, bilingual school.
As the bilingual program continues to grow, so does our need for adequate transportation. In the past we have rented small buses through private services. Those services are expensive, though, and will continue to get even more expensive as the program grows and we require a larger bus. Our team and board have decided that it is a better investment for us to purchase our own bus to serve the program. The advantages of having our own transportation are:
Future program growth: The bus will hold up to 26 passengers, which is plenty of room to serve our current students and add more in the coming years.
Sustainable income: The bus can be used during summer break (June and July) when the children are not in school to help transport our visiting U.S. mission teams. This will allow us to generate additional income for the education program and the ministry as a whole.
A trusted, personal driver: Having our own bus allows us to hire a consistent, trusted driver who knows the ministry well and is committed to its purpose.
Additional transportation: The only vehicles the ministry has now are the missionaries’ personal vehicles. For any activities that require more space (our Beach Christmas trip, reward activities, etc.) we have to pay for public transportation or rent through a private service. Our own bus gives us a vehicle which can be used for various ministry purposes.
Flexibility: Ownership will allow us flexibility in the times and locations for picking up and dropping off our students as well as in providing transportation for extracurricular activities and special programs.
The monthly costs of owning the vehicle (driver, gas, insurance, parking, etc.) are already provided for in the monthly sponsorship costs for the bilingual students. Additionally, through providing transportation to our mission teams (at the same cost to them as usual), we could generate an additional $5000 to $6000 per year which can be put directly back into the bus and the education program as a whole. Having our own bus will allow us to better steward costs, provide us with more flexibility and control, and give us a way to generate additional income.
Here is where we need your help! The total cost of the need is $55,000 ($50,000 for the bus and $5,000 set aside as a maintenance reserve). We are hopeful to receive $20,000 through a separate contributor, and we are seeking to raise the remaining $35,000 from individual donors. Over the next several weeks we will be sharing about our need, and we ask you to consider making a contribution!
How to donate:
-Website: On the website here you can find different wheels representing various one-time giving amounts. Click on whichever amount you would like to give, and follow the instructions to complete your contribution through PayPal.
-Check contributions: If you prefer giving by check, you can mail contributions made out to “Breaking Chains Honduras” to P.O. Box 20454 Oklahoma City, OK 73156. Please email mail@bchonduras.org with your planned giving level so we can accurately track our goal progress.
Your contributions will make an impact on not only our bilingual students, but their families and the ministry as a whole. Thank you for your continuous support of our Breaking Chains family!