Life Changing Generosity - Thank You, Donors!
Be encouraged by an update on our Legacy Scholarship Program as donors contributed to over 100 Academy students receiving the opportunity to continue their education last year despite the challenges of a global pandemic.
Last year The Academy for G.O.D. gave over $170K in needs-based scholarships to students around the world. As the pandemic caused schools to close, we were able to offer dozens of students the option of online education. In the midst of a struggling economy, we also also provided scholarships to 110 students from families in need to remain in school here on our Nashville campus. These scholarships were offered thanks to the generosity of many like you, who donated to support K-12 education in our annual Giving Campaign. We THANK you. Families were impacted and blessed in truly life changing ways.
Lawrence Ssemakula , a father and educator in Uganda took the lead in organizing the dozen students in Uganda who enrolled in the Academy Remote Learning Program when local schools closed down due to Covid-19. His children are still taking a full load of classes online with us, as Ugandan schools have yet to re-open.
“For us it was an answered prayer to our situation in Uganda where schools have been closed for nearly two years. God heard our cry, he intervened when we had no idea of what to do next and responded to our prayer. Our children are getting the best education we'd never thought of.
Secondly, the students have an opportunity to take classes which they can manage unlike in their former schools which had a broad curriculum with many subjects. The content is very adequate and mostly practical which has made them enjoy the learning, it meets their learning abilities.”
As Ssemakula noted, it has been nearly 2 years since the youth of Uganda have been out of school, and now are facing a slew of challenges related to learning gaps and a sharp rise in teenage pregnancy (1). Thankfully, his children and others who received scholarships to the Academy have had continued access to engaging and biblically based education.
Here in Nashville many families also faced financial hardships, and were able to apply for scholarships. Because of the generosity of our donors, students were able to attend classes, participate in our Phoenix sports program, take part in talent shows and STEM Fairs, and receive 2 nutritious meals a day on campus. What a gift!
Thank you for your consideration and continued support. We are committed to providing the best education possible to students that would otherwise not have the opportunity. Our prayer is that the Lord provides the means, both spiritually and monetarily, to continue His great work through donors like you!
Left: Educator Lawrence Ssemakula says “We appreciate the (Academy) teachers’ way of teaching. It's not easy to get students engaged in learning virtually. Our children enjoy learning due to the teachers' carefulness demonstrated through meeting the students' individual needs and even following up on individual students to ensure they are enjoying their studies.”
Right: “My family chose to use the Academy online program during a season of life that had many unexpected challenges.” says Deb Nava, of her 1st and 3rd grade students. “The flexibility of the program allowed us to quickly work through some material or spend extra time on the classes my kids loved. Our weekly check-ins with a teacher were helpful to keep them on track or ask questions about certain assignments. I felt really good about the progress they made while at home, and I knew they would confidently be on par with peers in the classroom. It’s an excellent program and I’m so thankful we had a positive experience during a hard season.”
(1) COVID-19: Education replaced by shuttered schools, violence, teenage pregnancy https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/07/1096502