“I thank God because I am part of the child development center!”

Eyrá grew up attending the local Nazarene child development center in her community in Panama, a center focused on afterschool activity and academic support. Growing up in a place affected by the challenges of poverty, her center was a place of refuge. Not only did Eyrá receive holistic care that supported her growth and development, but she also found a life-long faith in Christ through the guidance of the teachers and staff.

“I wanted to be in the center, and I was excited about each activity,” she shares. “I met Jesus, I gave him my life, and he entered my heart. Now, I help as a teacher.”

Now, as a college student, Eyrá is thrilled to give back to the center that helped shape her early years. Her role as a teacher allows her to provide other children with the same abundant care, knowing how vital the ministry can be to a child.

“I thank God for the center that was God’s strategy to reach me,” says Eyrá.

Maritza works in the same center alongside Eyrá in a support staff role.

“I am the dining room director, in charge of making meals and snacks for the children,” she explains.

In addition to her staff role, she has also experienced the program's care as a parent.

“The center is part of our life and the entire community,” she shares.

Maritza's four children have all attended the center. Her oldest children have moved on to college, while her younger children, in fourth and sixth grades, are currently enrolled. She credits the center for their spiritual and academic growth.

“All my children have [had] good grades, and all my children serve God,” she says. “I thank God because my children have grown up [here], and I thank God for allowing me to be a part of the center!”

For Eyrá and Maritza, this ministry has been a deep source of spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, and social support and care. The program, funded by generous sponsors, provides resources that might not have been accessible otherwise—and this is the reality for thousands of children around the world enrolled at other church-led centers. While poverty and need may impact their upbringing, children who are supported through sponsorship and a child development center find the tools needed to unlock a door to a more hopeful future.

When you sponsor a child through Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, you become an integral part of an unfolding story of grace and hope. Learn more about how you can make a difference here.