School uniforms bless orphans in Mexico

December, 2012—While God has blessed Samaritan’s Purse with the resources to respond to major disasters and provide more than a million people with clean drinking water, He has also given us opportunities to improve the lives of orphan children through something as simple as school uniforms.

Thanks to generous donations from Canadians, we supplied uniforms for more than 100 children attending the school at a Christian orphanage we support in Mexico.

This orphanage, about 800 kilometers south of Mexico City, takes in children who were abandoned or came from families that were unable to care for them. Several of these children have also come from a nearby prison where their only parent is incarcerated.

Children receive shelter, food, clothing, education, job skills training, medical assistance and a Christian home environment.

Now, supplying uniforms may not seem vital in Canada, but it was important at the orphanage because:

• It was physical proof of a key lesson that staff teach the children: that Jesus Christ will make a difference in every aspect of their lives, right down to the clothes they wear.
• It supports and encourages prayer, since the children prayed for God to provide uniforms, and they also prayed for the people who made those uniforms possible.
• While on field trips, orphanage children look as clean and nice as children attending other schools. This reduces the amount of discrimination against them (which is an unfortunate fact of life in Mexico).

“Our children are really motivated when they get their new clothes,” said a staff member at the orphanage. “The uniforms help them overcome their emotional problems, since many of them have never had something new. We teach them to take care of everything God gives them and to always be thankful to Him.”

Samaritan's Purse is caring for children who are struggling to survive in the face of poverty, hunger, violence, sickness, and abuse. Globally, our projects are providing children with shelter, food, medical care, education, and most importantly, sharing the hope found in Jesus.