Each time we extend our generosity to children in need, God is there.
In the cities of India and the hills of Vietnam, there are children yearning for a chance to learn and rise above the poverty they have been born into.
Today, our early childhood programs in India and Vietnam are protecting and educating hundreds of vulnerable children each year.
But we cannot continue operating these programs for long without your help.
In India, the annual cost to operate Franciscan Nesakkaram preschool centers is modest, yet so vital. These programs that serve disadvantaged children depend entirely on your charitable support.
In Vietnam, rising costs for food, teacher stipends, and facility maintenance have created an urgent funding need. The friars have requested $20,000 to help sustain their seven daycare centers for another year.
¿Te unes a nosotros?
Meet Kanishka, a Young Student From India
When Kanishka first came to the Franciscan preschool in Chennai, India, she was too shy to speak. Learning her letters and writing felt almost impossible.
Kanishka belongs to the Arunthathiyar community. They are some of the most oppressed of India’s more than 200 million “Dalits,” historically referred to as “Untouchables” in the traditional Indian caste system.
For generations, families like Kanishka’s have lived on the margins of society, working as day laborers, sanitation workers, or scavengers. Many children grow up begging or sifting through garbage dumps to survive.
For over 35 years, the Franciscan ministry known as “Nesakkaram” has walked alongside this forgotten community.
Through early childhood programs in 16 centers, the Franciscans are now helping more than 500 young Arunthathiyar children receive daily nourishing meals along with instruction in Tamil, English, numbers, and basic classroom skills.
Today, Kanishka is in first grade. She sees herself as brave. She believes she can learn.
Will you support the Nesakkaram centers?
The Forgotten Children of the Vietnam Highlands
Thousands of miles away, in the remote Central Highlands of Vietnam near the Cambodian border, many children have a heartbreakingly similar story to Kanishka’s.
Franciscan missionary friars arrived in 2005 to find ethnic minority families living in fragile wooden homes without electricity or running water. Parents labored in forests and fields from sunrise to sunset just to feed their families. There were no kindergartens for these children.
The first Franciscan daycare opened in Bo Village in 2005. Over the next two decades, six more followed. Today, seven Franciscan daycare centers serve almost 400 preschool children each day, supported by 25 trained local teachers.
The centers allow parents to work, knowing their children are safe. Children receive three daily meals, learn basic literacy, numbers, songs, hygiene, and social skills.
Help us continue to operate these important centers through next year.
Building Opportunities for the World’s Poorest Children
Early childhood is such a crucial time. When a child receives nourishment, encouragement, and education early in life, their chances of success increase dramatically. What starts with a simple lesson or a warm meal can grow into a lifetime of learning, meaningful work, and hope for an entire generation.
Will you join us once again through your generous financial support?
Your gift today will help provide meals, teachers, and early education for children who otherwise would have none.
Thank you for your continued kindness and generosity in support of Franciscan missionaries. As we celebrate the joy and hope of Easter, please know that you hold a special place in my prayers and in those offered by our friars around the world.
Con un corazón agradecido,
Hermano Andrew Brophy, OFM
Director ejecutivo
las misiones franciscanas
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