 n
the outskirts of Juarez, there are hundreds of thousands of people
living in houses made of pallets, cardboard and other available materials.
These families migrate to Juarez with the hope of working for $10
per day in the border factories established by Nafta. There are more
people than jobs.
 
 he
dream of acquiring an education for the children of these families
is a hope rarely realized. The Mexican government does not pay
for the education of middle school and high school students. The
total cost for uniforms, books, tuition and other necessary expenses
is roughly $700 per child, per year. Many children leave school
when faced with high cost of education plus the attraction of getting
a job to help with family expenses.
 n January
2005, Scott Kline and Joni Cropper traveled to Juarez, Mexico with
a group from their church. While there, they built houses and fell
in love with the children of Juarez. Witnessing the plight of these
children, born into extreme poverty, they were moved to establish
a non-profit organization called the Juarez Children's Education
Program (JCEP). In 2005 they raised enough money to send
six children to school for the 2005-2006 school year.
  
 CEP's
mission is to assist these families in breaking this cycle of poverty
by enabling children to acquire a high school education, English
skills, and computer literacy. These skills result in employment
opportunities and careers not available to others. The children's
success in the program is supported not only by the funds to attend
school, but also with access to a library resource center and a
supportive relationship with a local mentor who understands the
daily challenges they face. JCEP works closely with Missions
Ministries, a Christian Organization that provides housing in Juarez,
to provide these services.
 CEP
is run completely by volunteers and requires no administrative
overhead. All donations go to assist the children's educational
needs.
 
 or the 2009-2010 school year, JCEP will have 13 students in the program including 3 college students, 8 high school students and 2 middle school students. Both libraries, including the new library in Kilometer 30 are up and running and serving hundreds of kids every week. The libraries provide a safe after school environment to study, read books, learn computers and get help with homework
 onations
to the Juarez Children's Education Program can be sent to:
 JCEP
Fund
405
El Camino Real, #619
Menlo
Park, CA 94025
 lease
make checks payable to
Silicon Valley Community Foundation with JCEP fund in the memo line.
 ll
contributions are tax deductible. Funds raised for this cause will
be added to the Juarez Children's Education Program Fund at Silicon
Valley Community Foundation, a Section 501(c)(3)
organization. Silicon
Valley Community Foundation reserves the right
to modify any restriction or condition on distributions from the
Juarez Children's Education Program Fund if such restriction or
condition becomes unnecessary, incapable of fulfillment, or inconsistent
with community needs. All checks should be made payable to the
Silicon Valley Community Foundation with JCEP fund in the memo line.
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