Lighten the Load. Give a Backpack! #‎giveabackpack‬

By Die4kids (Own work) [GFDL]

Tomorrow is the first day of school!   Some poor kids just north of us started school almost 2 weeks ago! I work nights and have no kids of my own so my main interaction will probably be getting trapped behind a slow moving school bus on the way home from work. A minor inconvenience to say the least!




For most of us, the start of a new school year involved the dreaded trip for new clothes.  Well, at least I dreaded it.  I hate trying on new clothes to this day.  And there was the trip for new school supplies.  Today most schools print out a list of what you need (go into any Walmart and it's there at the front door).  And it's so incredibly long..tissues, pencils, glue, notebooks, crayons, calculators, the list goes on and on.

But what if you didn't have a Walmart down the street?   Imagine there was no shopping for new clothes. No new school supplies. No school supplies at all   And if you don't have the required school supplies, you get sent home and told not to come back until you did.

Thousands of children in Eastern Europe find themselves in this predicament every year.  There are 40,000 abandoned children in Moldova alone- raised by distant relatives or perhaps raising themselves as parents go out of the country seeking employment.  40% of Romania's children are growing up in poverty.  It's not the child's fault that their family is barely surviving.  School supplies aren't a priority when you live a hand to mouth existence.  Many children are pressured to work, beg, or marry young to contribute to the family finances (or at least be one less mouth to feed).  For these children, school is just not a priority.  They're not dumb or dull.  They're just caught in the cycle of poverty that is perpetuated by the lack of an education.  One of the keys to breaking the cycle of poverty is a good education

"Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom."- George Washington Carver

Good News


Mission Without Borders has worked in Eastern Europe for over 50 years and is launching a new initiative to provide needy children with the school supplies that they need to continue their education and succeed.  $25 provides a backpack filled with school supplies for one needy child.  But it doesn't stop there.  Children are encouraged, fed, and given a safe place to do homework and study in after school programs run in partnership with local churches.

You can also sponsor children or families in Eastern Europe!  This regular support  provides for immediate needs as well as assisting families on their way to self sufficiency whenever possible!




Can you donate one backpack this month to help a needy child?

You can give to this back to school drive at the Mission Without Borders website.  Follow them on Facebook as well for updates!  If you tweet please use the hashtag #‎giveabackpack‬