If you can read this, be thankful. You have been gifted with an education.
I’m especially thankful for that gift in my own life. My education is one of my prize possessions. And many of our overseas partners say the students there feel the same way. They tell us that our programs to educate poor children rank among our most important charitable outreaches.
Food to combat malnutrition is at the top of the list, but providing an education to the illiterate poor is not far behind. It’s just like that old adage says, “Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for life.” This is what economists would call “increasing human capital.” Higher human capital allows a person to be more productive, get better jobs, and consequently, provide better for his or her family. For all of those reasons, educating the poor is and should remain a priority.
The Bible, our first source for wisdom, validates this point too. In Proverbs 22:6, we are told to “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Job, even in his affliction, said, “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have erred” (Job 6:24). The matter of education even shows up in Jesus’ last words to his disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).
Today, we celebrate the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. The Jesuits are known for their commitment to education. In the United States alone, there are 28 Jesuit colleges and universities and more than 50 secondary schools. Could there be a better way to honor this saint than to support education around the world? St. Ignatius valued it, we value it, and most importantly, God values it.
On our main website, you will find projects such as the Don Bosco Catholic Technical School Scholarships, which funds the education of Filipino children whose parents or grandparents have leprosy. These children are often stigmatized and cannot get into schools or find employment. This project funds scholarships to a Catholic technical school, which gives students classroom and on-the-job training so students can get good jobs and support their families. To get involved with this project and others like it, check out our “Project” page and click “Education” under “Filter by Categories.” Help someone learn today.
-Lex B.
