BERNARDO

Last summer, members of the New Hope S.O.S. Missions team fell in love with the people of Mozambique as they helped build a school, operated medical clinics, drilled water wells and conducted a Vacation Bible School. One boy in particular, Bernardo, touched everyone’s heart as he watched the construction of the school on a daily basis and attended the Vacation Bible School. Bernardo also desperately needed medical attention because parasites had turned his head into a big wound with open sores covering his scalp. Due to his condition, (a sort of modern-day leprosy) Bernardo was an outcast. You could see how the other children treated him differently, and didn’t want to be around him. It was heartbreaking to watch the lack of interaction and to see his head hanging low, as if ashamed.

The needed treatment only cost about $5 for the anti-fungal cream and anti-parasite pill, but his family could not afford the doctor’s visit and prescription. We administered the pill, rubbed the cream on his head and visited his mother to give her the medication so that she could continue treating Bernardo. By the end of our trip, the medicine had already begun to take effect and there was a noticeable change in Bernardo’s disposition, as the other children seemed to be more accepting of him. We saw him smile!

Recently, some New Hope members visited Mozambique and found Bernardo well on the way to complete recovery from the parasites! They also learned that his parents earn about $60 per month and that it is hard to feed the family sometimes. If Bernardo’s family couldn’t pay for medical care, they certainly can’t afford to pay for a quality Christian education.

The thought that Bernardo and other children in the neighborhood would not be able to attend the New Hope Adventist School was not acceptable to the New Hope S.O.S. team. As a result, New Hope has established a scholarship program so that children in Mahotas can obtain a Christian education. For just $20 per month ($240 per year), a child can attend the New Hope Adventist School in Mahotas. We intend for Bernardo to be one of the students. Would you consider sponsoring a child like Bernardo? For more information on the scholarship program or other S.o.S. activities, e-mail NewHopeSoS@comcast.net

(Bernardo is pictured here with one of the New Hope Mahotas Adventist School teachers during the Jacobs' recent visit to Mahotas, they brought another batch of medicine for Bernardo's head which is healing up nicely!)