2016 Summary
The number of students projected to be in the program in 2016 with a new textbook was 15,000. We did not reach that goal. There was a total of 41,043 students impacted by the school program either with a recycled textbook or through their teachers who were trained in the Biblical principles of the program with access the texts. An additional 20,115 students received a gospel presentation through the chaplain program (Some of these students were also participants in the school program).
Thousands of students and the adults in their lives have given their hearts to Jesus this year by the combined efforts of the school program and the chaplain program. Their lives have been changed forever thanks to the support of Mission Generation partners.
The school program did experience grievous delays and cost overruns due to government bureaucracy which was compounded by our team’s lack of experience working with government. A new legal team have been procured along with a lobbyist. With the new team, we do expect full accreditation this year allowing us to contract public and charter schools. We did have a major victory in October 2016 when the program was accredited for use in private schools.
We could have given away the program for free since day one with little resistance BUT we have discovered that giving away scholastic material discourages use, degrades value, and robs the participants of dignity, none of which represents excellence. A judge of the value we add is the money people are willing to pay. With payment comes accountability, ownership and participation. It also leads to sustainability, allowing the program to grow and prosper on national resources, maturing past the need for continued US donations.
School Program 2016
(The Panamanian school year is February – November)
Students
0 – Students with new textbooks
8,859 – Students with used textbooks/5 years aver. duty cycle†
32,184 – Students w/o textbooks but whose teachers have been trained and have texts††
41,043 Total Students
† This number is confirmed because schools contract for training to support the program even though they recycle textbooks.
†† This number is not confirmed but an estimate, based on the number of teachers trained in the program whose schools could not purchase textbooks because government approval has not been received. In this case the teacher uses her copy as a guide for the class.
Adults
813 – Teachers Certified
486 – Parents Trained
1,299 Total Adults
Description – The school program is Biblical world view curriculum that teaches ethics and morals as a means to open classroom discussion about faith. The program is a practical application of the Word of God in a culturally sensitive format, in a secular wrapper. The school program opens the minds and hearts of young people K-12th grade to the things of God (Mark 4:10-11) and has proven very effective at bringing students and the adults in their lives to Christ.
The school program consists of a workbook for students, teacher lessons and training and parent conferences. It is an accredited program, used in school, to reach the entire student body and school staff for Christ
History – The First Lady Marta Linares de Martinelli, wife of then President Ricardo Martinelli of Panama invited Mission Generation to work in her country several times between 2012 and 2013 – communicating through her staff. Thanks to a grant by the Green Family operations in Panama began in June of 2014.
On July 1, 2014 Juan Carlos Varela was sworn in as president of Panama. The incoming administration of Juan Carlos made sweeping changes to the government which included disassembling the Department of Education. The administration of President Varela has replaced the heads of the Department of Education three times since taking office…
Massive changes in the Department of Education has made it very difficult to proceed along the path projected in 2014. There are 22 individual steps in the process of accreditation. Each step involves any number of original documents, certificates, data from other countries using our program and application analysis. Documents had to be resubmitted with each new appointee. Political appointments not familiar with policies and procedures in the Department of Education caused even further delays.
In Oct 2016, the program was accredited for use in private schools. Unfortunately, permission to sell to private schools came so late in the year we missed the opportunities in 2016 to supply textbooks to private schools. We also missed the window for the 2017 school year because purchases for the 2017 school year by private schools close in September of 2016. The earliest date for entry into Panamanian private schools will be the 2018 school year.
Accreditation for use in public and charter schools takes another legal path than private schools.
We have completed all requirements for accreditation for the program use in public and charter schools and are expecting a response from the Ministry of Education within the following months. The Department of Education will resume full operations toward the end of January. Slugging through the bureaucracy has been frustrating for everyone.
To compensate for the lack of text distribution, the team in Panama gave presentations in 412 schools, training 1192 teachers and had 2590 parents attending conferences between 2014 and 2016. Teachers armed with the power of Biblical principles began seeing a difference in the student’s attitudes within the first weeks of application. As anticipated, school superintendents began requesting more training as well as textbooks. Without exception, every school that has received a presented the program has requested it for their school. Request government delays have prevented us from fulfilling.
The Minister of Education has petitioned her government to purchase 100,000 texts and the accompanying teacher training. In 2016 over 90,000 students failed a grade and were required to repeat the entire year over again. It was a national scandal. Our textbooks are viewed as a solution.
The 100,000 textbooks will also serve as a pilot. The government is slowly transitioning from a 4 hour a day school day to a 7 hour a day school day. As such they are looking for additional content and they like what we offer.
Even though the Minister of Education has petitioned for the program, she is completely dependent on the bureaucracy to complete the process. We have pushed as hard as we can without crating further complications.
Projected Participation in 2017
100,000 – Students with new textbooks†††† – Distribution is at the government’s discretion.
†††† 100,000 textbooks 1st-12th – pending accreditation
Chaplain Program
Mission Trips
7 Short term mission teams
78 Short term missionaries
43 Number of schools served
20,115 Number of students receiving a gospel presentation
Description – For political reasons the school program and chaplain program work as two separate organizations. The chaplain program walks through the open door created by the school program and builds an ecclesia, a Body of Christ where the consequences of sin and the rewards of righteousness are openly discussed on campus. Adult volunteer chaplains lead the school in spiritual matters and many times act as a pastor to that body. The first year of the program in Bolivia 23% of the schools (85 out of 288) actually transitioned into churches having services during and after school hours using the school building and resources without cost!
Chaplains serve the role of school counselors. They are free to evangelize, pray with and counsel students, teachers and parents as per a signed contract. Student chaplains have done a very good job bringing positive peer pressure to schools. Their greatest asset is helping adult chaplains understand the unspoken needs of the students. In Bolivia, student chaplains helped the adults uncover a sex trafficking ring run by a vice principle of a middle school for example.
History – 2016 was a pilot year for the Chaplain Program in Panama. The chaplain program was not in the original proposal. Even though we recognized a need for the chaplain program several years ago, we were unsure if a model using volunteer chaplains would work. The model has proven successful in Bolivia and will be employed full time in Panama starting this year. School administrators welcome the idea of adult and student chaplains. The gospel is common in Panamanian politics and society, very unlike the other countries where we work.
Mission trips have been very successful as a means of delivering the gospel and exposing school administrators to the hunger and need of spiritual mentorship on campus.
Goals of the Chaplain Program in 2017
Participants/Disciples
30,000 Students
1,200 Teachers
10,000 Parents and Guardians
41,200 Total Participants
Chaplains
100 Adults
400 Students
500 Total Chaplains
Schools
50 Total number of schools served by chaplains
Schools transitioned to Churches
5 churches/2,500 members
Mission Trips
10 Short term mission teams
120 Short term missionaries
60 Number of schools served
28,500 Number of students receiving a gospel presentation
Special note: Supporting documentation available
Your servant,
Rocky J. Malloy
CEO
Mark 4:10-11 (MSG) When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom – you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.
Mission Generation Inc. is a Texas non-profit corporation and a qualified charitable organization under §501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code established in 1990. Mission Generation is a member of the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA) and recognized by Intelligent Philanthropist (IP) and Charitable Giving Foundation. EIN# 76-0324