Educational Needs in Paraguay

Our school is located in Lambaré, a city just outside of Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay. In the late 90's, a needs assessment revealed that over 5,000 children were not attending school due to economic problems. Although "free" public education is available, many get turned away due to the lack of space; families cannot afford the cost of tuition, books, uniforms, and supplies or the children have not time for school because they have to work.

The people in Paraguay face major problems such as drugs, alcoholism, unemployment, underemployment (working for low wages and/or in jobs below their abilities) and poverty. Approximately 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. The majority of the parents in our school do not even make minimum wage, which is about $286 a month depending on the exchange rate. Many families do not have a regular income. In Paraguay 70% of the population is under the age of 30, therefore, many children are forced to work or beg in the streets.

Vision of Our School

Our vision is to prepare a new generation of Christian leaders who will model integrity and honesty, and will be guided by Biblical principles and the Holy Spirit.  The school opened in 2001 and has earned an excellent reputation for its strong academics and Christian Education. 

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6

Our School Development Project consists of four phases:

Phase I: Early Childhood (Completed in 2001)

In answer to many prayers, the vision for New Horizon School was birthed by God in the hearts of missionaries Mark and Joe Waltz and the members of a small church in Lambare.  God directed them to Villa Zulma, a barrio (neighborhood) in Lambare populated with very poor families.  Many of the children there need an education but simply cannot afford to go to school without help from outside resources.

In 2000, they secured property across the road from the church with a partially finished building on it. They finished the building, built an additional room in the rear and enclosed the grounds with a protective wall.  In February of 2001, the school doors opened for the first pre-school and kindergarten classes. 

Phase II: Elementary Grades 1-8 (Completed in 2005)

Groundbreaking for the New Horizons Elementary/Secondary School began in August of 2001. Mark Waltz and a short-term missionary, Kevin Poe, finalized and corrected the architectural plans, saving the school thousands of dollars.  The new school design enabled them to complete the construction in just over two years instead of the projected five to six years.  Another blessing was when Missionary Christian Dickson, came and was able to help Mark supervise the final stages of construction.  Many local church members along with American work teams worked together to complete the project.

We moved into the bottom part of the building early in January 2003 as construction continued. During the Grand Opening we dedicated the building and gave all the Glory to God. The School is rapidly growing with over 520 children enrolled in preschool through 8th grade.  Each year we are adding a new grade level.  By 2013 we project to have our first high school graduation class and an enrollment of 750 students.

The New Horizon Methodist School is a private Christian school and does not receive funding from the government.  Our school began and continues to function on faith that God will touch the heart of others to make our vision a reality.  Each family pays a small portion of their child's education.  We then seek scholarships through sponsors (referred to as "Sponsorships") to supplement the cost.  A sponsorship is $420 per year per child or $35 a month.  The funds cover the cost of school operations, student books, materials, staff, maintenance and snacks for those who cannot afford them.

If you would like to sponsor a child, complete the Child Sponsorship Form . You are also welcome to visit your child as other sponsors have done. See photos.

Phase III: Tinglado and Multi-Purpose Building Construction (In Process)

We started the construction of a "tinglado," or covered area in April of 2009.  It provides shelter from the elements, especially from the intense sun and sudden thunderstorms.  We are currently using the area for physical education, recesses, general assemblies, chapel services and parent and community events.  We can comfortably host around 500 people in this area.  The tinglado is projected to be finished by the end of September 2009.

Construction began on the Multi-Purpose Sports, Music and Arts Center in June of 2009.  It is designed to be used by the school for classes in drama, music and physical education.  In addition, it will be used as a community center and by the local church for special events, sports programs and concerts.  Our desire is for the building to be used as an avenue for evangelism.  The first phase of the building is projected to be finished in November of 2009. 

Phase IV: Expansion Projects (Projected to begin in 2010)

• Additional classrooms
• Expanding classes through high school
• Enabling internet access and updating the computer education center
• Equiping and furnishing a Science Laboratory
• Expansion of the school library

Community Programs:

• Our school is impacting more than just the students and their families.  Computer and English courses are offered to the community, enabling many to gain employment.
• Libraries are a rarity in Paraguay.  Our school library has over 5,000 books and resources, and is open to and frequently used by the community.
• In cooperation with the local church, we provide many other activities such as Bible studies, marriage enrichment programs, sewing classes and recreational activities.  The school also shares its facilities with the church.

Curriculum

We are using the Spanish version of the Abeka Book curriculum (used by home schooling families in the US). This program is well organized, provides in-depth advanced teachings at each grade level and shares God's words and commands in most lessons. The Ministerial of Education certifies all of our teachers and all the classroom teachers are Paraguayans or Latinos now living in Paraguay.

Our students study English, music, computer skills and Christian education in addition to a typical academic curriculum which includes their two native languages of Spanish and Guarani.  Christian counseling and social work services are also available to the children and their families.

Photos of the school.

"Ask and it will be given...."