Yay! Summer vacation from school! We all think this is a great time for students to travel with their families, have fun, or maybe get a summer job. But this is not the case for our jungle school students. What am I talking about?
After our teachers and support staff returned from a retreat to prepare for the next school year, we were focused on planning classes and activities. However, we soon discovered that the villagers had arranged marriages for nine of our students while we were away.
Yes. Young ladies ages 12-17 years old are being coerced into lifelong and often unhappy partnerships. One of these was our dear Sarah (not her real name), currently one of our Senior High students. Her mom was 9 years old when she was forced to marry a man in his early 30s and had her first baby at 11. Before she died last year at 27, her dying wish was that her daughter Sarah would not be forced into early marriage and could continue her schooling.
After hearing about the marriage arrangements, all of the teachers prayed and then went to the mountains to see how they could help. They talked with the parents and other students and then returned with Sarah. The other eight students stayed. Even if they opposed the arranged marriage, they were too scared to speak up. Knowing it’s illegal isn’t enough to overcome the immense pressure from family, peers, and villagers. They feel helpless and trapped.
Yesterday, Sarah’s grandpa came for her. Thankfully we could all sit and talk together about her situation. He asked her if she wanted the marriage and without hesitation, she said “NO”. Expressing his concern about the money involved, PAMAS was happy to pay the small amount of $20 or 1000.00 Php to release her from the proposal. Today she is enrolling for the next school year!
This situation highlights the need for ongoing education and the difference that PAMAS is making in remote areas. Your support of these endeavors has the power to positively impact current and future generations.
