“You Asked What We Needed. No One Has Ever Asked That Before.”

Perla and I were standing in the street in Maneadero after loading a few bags of teacher supplies into the back of her car. I had purchased the supplies for a group of CONAFE teachers working in some of our area's most marginalized communities.

Perla was referring to a conversation in April when a father-daughter team from Connecticut had spent a few days helping at one of the schools. When we first asked what they needed, the teachers gave a list of basic student needs: school supplies, food, and clothing. All of these things are incredibly important—many of these families battle food and housing insecurity.

But then we rephrased the question, “What do you need?” The question was intentional. It’s not that we don’t care about the students' needs —we do. We love to share meals with the children in our community.

Instead, the question was intentional because, at Amoveo Group, we work for sustainable solutions to physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Resourced teachers and flourishing schools can significantly and sustainably impact each of those areas. We can provide lunch or supplies, but teachers can transform lives.

That day in April, that father and daughter from Connecticut went to an office supply store. They bought the teachers’ supplies to get them through the end of the year—paper and whiteboard markers, the folders needed to turn in their end-of-year reports, grading pens (if you’re a teacher, you know), etc.

When I attended the school’s graduation in June, I asked again: “What do you need now?” A few weeks later, Perla texted with a list of the materials the teachers needed to purchase to attend their pre-year training: a basic list of teacher supplies plus a giant composition notebook where the teachers would record each lesson plan for each class for the entire year.

I could purchase the items on the list thanks to Amoveo Group supporters who have chosen to invest in our work toward sustainable solutions.

That evening in Maneadero, I could tell Perla that we asked what the teachers needed because we cared about them and their work—that we wanted to invest in their work as they invest in the children and families in their community.

Would you like to join us? You can give financially to our work supporting rural schools by providing food and supplies, or you can schedule a time to discuss how you or your school or church can visit these school communities in person.