Manna4life has been providing education since 2014 to 120 and 160 students per year. Initially, it was with the Mango Tree School (which our partners operated), but it was beyond their means to continue in this fashion. Manna4life partnered with another private Christian school a few kilometers away and transferring all the students to the new school. Initially, the transition went well as the school hired all the teachers from the Mango Tree School.
When the global pandemic hit, many challenges began to arise. The schools were closed and then reopened about 6 times in 2020 with many of the graduates not being able to complete last year's grades until the end of December. Each time the schools closed there was a drop in attendance due to a couple of reasons. Some students needed to work for their families as many parents lost their income due to cutbacks at garment factories. Some families moved away looking for work and some students of working-age dropped out also. Mann4life tried to counter this in many ways as they met with families individually and as a group to determine what needs there were to keep their children in school. This led to a few changes in the way the ministry provided support to include food, additional subsidies for children's tuition, and tutoring as many of the students were falling behind because of the school closures.
In 2021 there are 65 students supported almost entirely through donations. Funds go towards students' tuition, transportation, food program, and teacher support.