Frequently Asked Questions

How are students  chosen for the program?  Parents or guardians enroll their children in the Harvest Community Christian school on a first come first served basis without respect to religion, gender, physical or mental limitations or political affiliation. Since the school is located in a very low income neighborhood all of the students need assistance, none are able to pay the cost of education on their own.

Who administers the sponsorship funds in Nicaragua?  Harvest Initiative is among few organizations that directly administers the schools where the sponsored students are educated and fed. That means that your sponsorship funds are never turned over to any other person or organization. The Harvest Community Christian School was founded and continues to be operated by Nicaraguan Harvest Initiative team members and supervised by the Harvest Initiative board. Harvest Initiative is a Missouri based 501c3 not for profit, all  donations are tax deductible.

How can I pray for my sponsored student? We would ask first that you join us in thankfulness for the committed team of teachers at the schools and the growing number of sponsors who make the school’s operations possible. Pray for God’s care for your child’s safety and stability in his or her home situation. So many of the children come from very poor, neglectful or even dangerous home situations. Most have witnessed domestic violence in their homes or have been victims of violence themselves.

If I miss a sponsorship payment can my sponsored student still go to school.? The student you choose to sponsor is your personal representative of the Christian School program, but the sponsorship funding is not given directly to the child or his/her family. The funds go to the school for the operating expenses, mostly teacher salaries. So yes, your sponsored student will still go to school, but the school itself depends on sponsor’s  faithfulness to continue to minister.

Can I write to my sponsored student or send gifts?  Yes you can, Dennis Dowdall, 35 Dauphine Dr. Lake St. Louis Missouri 63367 is the stateside coordinator and can receive letters and small gifts to forward on to the students. We ask that gifts be school related, pens, pencils, markers, sticker books, crayons and that it’s a nice gesture to send enough for the student’s class to share, it helps prevent jealousy among very poor kids. A class will typically have 30 students.

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