Hopebridge School provides Christian education to the impoverished  children in Lahore Pakistan

What Hopebridge School hopes to achieve:

Background

In Lahore, Pakistan, poverty among Christians often manifests as limited access to education and healthcare, and a concentration in low-paying, physically demanding jobs like sanitation work. They face significant economic hardship, with average monthly incomes well below the poverty line and limited opportunities for advancement. This marginalisation is compounded by social and religious discrimination, making it difficult to escape that cycle of poverty.

Specific Examples of Poverty in Lahore's Christian Community are:

Low-Wage Labor:

Many Christians are employed in sanitation, construction, or domestic work, which are poorly paid and often lack job security.

Limited or no access to Education:

Poverty restricts access to quality education for Christian children, hindering their ability to pursue better-paying careers and having a voice in the community.

Discrimination and Social Exclusion:

Christians often face discrimination in hiring and promotion, further limiting their economic mobility and perpetuating their poverty

Housing Conditions:

Many Christian families live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions in specific neighbourhoods

Vulnerability to Persecution:

Poverty can make Christians more vulnerable to persecution, especially in cases where they are accused of blasphemy where they cannot even find an advocate to assist them.

The combination of economic hardship and social marginalization creates a cycle of poverty for many Christian families in Lahore.
 

So Hopebridge School will allow a breaking of this poverty cycle within a generation and by doing so, will bring Christ’s saving hope to the community which can spread throughout the region.

Hopebridge School needs help in bringing the light of Christian education into this region “Train up a child in the way they should go and when they grow old, they shall not depart from it. Prov.22:6

Hopebridge School was established in May 2024 in Lahore Pakistan from the seed funding provided by Newcastle’s All Saints ANeW Evangelical Anglican Church at New Lambton.
The school provides education to Christian children who cannot afford schooling and allows the very real hope and education to those in need.

The Mission is to empower these young minds with knowledge and Christ centred faith, ensuring that they have a future which is filled with hope, opportunity and the assurance of Salvation.

Current impact is 151 students enrolled with over 20 on the formal waiting list.
Every school day commences with 45-minutes of Bible based learning, with parents requesting to partake.
The school provides a safe, faith filled environment where these children can learn and grow

The school currently needs AU$1,800 to sustain the present school model and this is currently falling short, so additional support is needed to survive.

The original school capacity was 140 students, so they are already exceeding capacity and have a real need to expand as there are significantly more children waiting for a place to learn.

The future plan is to purchase a school site at Lahore with capacity for 500 students. This has an estimated one-off capital cost to establish of AU$90,000 and this includes: school grounds, buildings, furnishings and fitments etc. The operational costs are currently AU$12/student/month or $144/year/student so to sustain 500 students, AU$6,000/month would then be needed at capacity. This covers all school related expenses including syllabus, teaching salaries, utilities, and other essentials.

Remember that all organisers here in Australia are volunteers, so 100% of all giving ends up going to the school.

To make this happen we need:

Prayer – We ask for continuing prayers for the continuance of this mission and for the provisioning of the needs of these children, as well as Christ becoming the centre of their faith and hope.

Together we can build a brighter future for generations to come.

We are seeking financial partnership with other Church congregations as well as schools which can link with Hopebridge.

For more information see:
 https://www.facebook.com/people/Hopebridge-School/61560744992618/

email: hopebridge@anew.org.au

Thank you for your prayers and support in Christ.