| Quick Links: | Deanery Home Page | St Peter's Church, Oundle | Benefice Planning Page |
FEISA and Toy Library
Return to the Mission Support Page
Facultad de Educacion Inicial San Andres (FEISA) (12%) This initiative by the Anglican Church in Paraguay, now in its tenth year, offers a 3-year Diploma or a 5-year Degree course to train teachers for children 3-5 years old. The money we send provides bursaries for able students from extremely poor families. During 2005 – 2006 St Peter’s raised sufficient money to provide a much needed vehicle for a Mobile Toy Library being organised by FEISA to take toys to disadvantaged children in and around Asuncion and also the rural Chaco area. There are sufficient funds to maintain this vehicle until 2013. The nursery schools in which the teachers work are often linked to Anglican or other denominational congregations in both cities and poor rural areas. During 2009 the College was re-structured with Ana and Gloria becoming joint leaders and the British staff finding other jobs in Paraguay or returning to the UK
St. Peter's Contact: Ann Varley
Praise & Prayer July 2011
Dear Friends of FEISA:
We had a vey busy end of term, with final examinations and working out the placements for students’ teaching practices. Thankfully, on July 11th we started our two weeks winter holiday! We do indeed praise God for this break after all the busy first half of the academic year.
Our Second Year students have also just ended their teaching practices with children under 3 years of age and you can see 2 of them in action below.
|
|
|
Our First Year students have been busy finishing their Dance and Drama Workshops, and after the holidays they will spend two weeks doing teaching practice with babies and children under two years of age.
|
|
|
Here you can see some of their dramatic productions!
Our Paraguayan winter began on June 21st and although we don’t get snow and our temperatures are never really low, our houses and transport aren’t built for the cold. Most places don’t have central heating and so people can feel really cold. Because of this, last year the Ministry of Education extended the school holidays as the weather was very cold and most schools lack central heating and many children lack really warm clothes. The idea was to prevent respiratory diseases amongst the children.
Praise God, though, for His wonderful provision, because during the winter, we have all kinds of citrus fruit such as oranges and mandarines wihich protect us from coughs and colds and from ‘flu!
In June, the Feast Day of St. John was celebrated, a feast with a Catholic origin. However, it’s mostly celebrated with certain games and eating traditional Paraguayan food. This includes mbeju (Guarani for a kind of pancake) made from maize, oil and cheese), empanadas (pasties) made from cassava, and cocido (a kind of green tea) made from hot water, barley and caramelised sugar.
|
|
|
|
|
Cocido |
Empanadas |
Mbeju |
We would like to ask you to pray with us about FEISA’s financial viability and ways to increase our income. Praise God that through our re-structuring we have been able to greatly reduce our running costs, and our unusually large First Year intake this year has enabled us to reduce even further our dependence on donations from overseas. However, it is understandably difficult to cover the costs of running any high quality private educational institution in Paraguay. For this reason, we do continue to rely on prayer and support rom abroad. We are confident that the Lord will fulfil His purposes in FEISA, which is the only Early Years educational institution with a Christian worldview in the country. We know He is able to move mountains so that we can continue serving Him and our students can bless our nation. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in all our decisions so that His will may be done and His name may be honoured.
”Commit your way to the Lord , trust in Him and He will do it.” Psalm 37:3
Gloria and Ana
Praise & Prayer June 2011
Dear friends of FEISA,
Paraguay has been celebrating, as you can see from this banner!! 
On May 15th we celebrated 200 years of our independence
from Spain, which came about in 1811, and we´ve all enjoyed
many heart-warming events to mark the occasion, such as
parades, special balloons, concerts, folk dances and national
and international food fairs.
In FEISA, we played our part in this patriotic fiesta by putting on a concert with traditional dances and music of the period. As all our students are female, some had to dress up as men!
|
|
|
|
|
3rd Year students dressed as Spanish noblemen and women of the period. |
|
1st year students dressed in national costume - girls in long, skirts and cool cheese-cloth blouses, ¨boys" barefooted in black trousers, white shirts and straw hats.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Some 2nd year students dressed as Indian women and others as native-born Spanish women descendants who fought for our Independence. |
|
1st Year students performing a traditional Paraguayan dance in a hall decorated in the colours of our Paraguayan flag. |
We have much to thank God for in Paraguay - As we are situated in the heart of South America, surrounded by large land masses, we are spared many natural disasters. We are a country rich in land, cattle and vegetation. We have many unexploited areas of territory, principally in the Chaco area of northern Paraguay.
- We thank God that we are able to run Christian schools here, with complete freedom to teach God´s Word. In fact, one of the officially stated aims of Paraguayan education is that each child should be helped to gain a healthy ¨relationship with himself, with others, with his natural environment and with God.” We consider this is a privilege which few other nations enjoy in the world today.
- We thank God for our people, who despite the often pricarious circumstances they live in, are very friendly, cheerful, trusting and hospitable.
- We also thank God for the slow but sure changes we are beginning to see at a political level with regard to public health and education.
Will you join us in praying -
- for our government, especially president Lugo
- for our children, many of whom roam the streets begging or taking drugs
- for young people to find satisfactory employment and not have to work for a pittance or in inhuman conditions or even leave the country to make a living
- for our families who are increasingly suffering from divorce, domestic violence or the emigration of a member looking for work
- for greater security in our streets
- that all our people may have access to good health care
- that our state schools may offer free, good quality education for all our children up to 16 years
- and that violence in our schools may be controlled.
In FEISA, our 2nd Year students are beginning their final half-year exams. Please pray they may be able to organise their time to study, as 15 out of the 18 have morning jobs. Pray too that their often very low salaries will be sufficient to enable them to keep up to date in paying their fees, as that is a requisite for sitting their exams.
|
|
|
|
We are counting on your support to enable us to continue serving our country by offering teacher training with a Christian world-view.
“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3
Gloria and Ana
Training Teachers, Transforming Lives
