If education unlocks a world of opportunity, how do you reach the littlest boys and girls in isolated jungle villages with this key? Our Amazon team partners with local churches to run an early childhood education program called PEPE.
Started by a Baptist missionary couple in Brazil in 1992, PEPE operates in over 30 countries. It translates to Programa de Ensino dos Princípios do Evangelho (Gospel Principles Teaching Program).
PEPE reaches underprivileged children who are facing financial constraints and limited access to formal education. Its curriculum draws from each country’s educational standards and integrates principles from God’s Word, fostering intellectual, emotional, and spiritual development. It also offers a unique opportunity for local churches to minister to their communities.
Zenilda volunteers to lead our program in Urucurituba. One of the children, Natanael, loves being involved. He told her that he had a dream where God visited the room where they meet and said He was present in that place. “That brought us great joy in our hearts because that’s our main goal–to instill the Lord in their minds, to talk about God and the Word,” Zenilda said.
Justice & Mercy Amazon currently has four villages equipped to run PEPE: Iranduba, Urucurituba N, Lindo Amanhecer and Itacoatiara. We are working to onboard two additional villages soon and hope to add more as resources are available.
Bringing hope to children, their families, and communities
The children in PEPE typically meet three times per week. Their curriculum covers various subjects such as Language, Natural Sciences, Social Studies, Music, Visual Arts, Christian Education, Physical Education, and Mathematics.
For the children, this opportunity for comprehensive development enhances their ability to transition to elementary school with confidence and heightened enthusiasm.
For the parents, they learn to actively participate in their children’s educational journey while also having the chance to encounter Jesus and become part of a church community.
For the community, they recognize the importance of their children’s educational progress and engage in additional programs that contribute to the community’s well-being, acknowledging the local church as a vital partner in this endeavor.
For the local church, it’s an opportunity to express their faith through words and actions, mobilizing the gifts of its members to benefit the local community.
And, for the educators, it’s an opportunity to develop their professional teaching, personal, and spiritual abilities.
We’re so grateful for the dedicated, godly JMA educators/volunteers who run this program. They demonstrate a positive example, possess a passion for working with children, and embrace a missionary mindset as they serve as liaisons between the church and the community. Their role goes beyond teaching; they also engage in outreach by visiting children’s families and conducting both evangelistic and educational activities both inside and outside the classroom. Through their efforts, the church extends its presence into the community, fostering evangelism and social outreach initiatives.
Protecting kids from abuse
In addition, there is a big child protection component to this program that equips kids, parents, educators, and churches to help prevent abuse. Children deserve to feel safe and secure, and PEPE helps provide guidance on best practices and procedures to our team, supporting churches and parents in their efforts to care for children.
One activity for the kids focuses on teaching them about the value of their bodies. The photo above shows a “traffic light” lesson on where it’s okay and not okay to be touched using green, yellow, and red dots. This is a vital aspect of the program as we work with children, churches, and village leaders to combat cycles of abuse.
Watching God work in their lives
God continues to bless our work with village children through the PEPE program. Recently, three kids received Jesus in Iranduba village. JMA volunteer, Rosália, shared:
“One child, Ana Carolina, has been with us for four years, and I never realized that she had not accepted Jesus. She had difficult behaviors and was angry all the time. She fought a lot with the other children and did not want to sit through our lessons.
However, God is working in her heart. I explained salvation and asked if there was any child with a heart that was dirty and full of hurt or pain. I said that Jesus wanted to clean all of this with his blood. He wants to heal us. She broke down and told me that she had never accepted Jesus.
She said, ‘Today I feel like crying. I want Jesus to take away everything bad that the world put in me.’ She knelt down and cried. We prayed for her. She is already very different! She asked to be baptized.”
Learn more about our child sponsorship program in the Amazon here.
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