1. What is Edify’s end-goal?
Our vision is “Flourishing Godly nations.” We believe that a high-quality education that imparts the values of Jesus results in profound and long-lasting transformation. It builds the foundation for children to grow into leaders who will provide for their families, transform their communities, and serve their countries. It enables them to overcome corruption and violence with integrity and peace.
2. Why make loans rather than just donating money to a school?
Edify believes that loans empower school owners to take ownership of the improvements and expansion of their schools. This approach focuses on dignity, equipping them to find solutions to the challenges they face, rather than be dependent on donations. If this concept sparks your interest, our friend Brian Fikkert, author of When Helping Hurts, talks about poverty and human flourishing in his latest blog post here.
3. How is Edify committed to sustainability?
We have implemented sustainability practices throughout our core programs that allow our partner schools to take ownership of what they learn and apply it directly to help the school improve and grow. For example, our VP of Education, Paula Cordeiro, developed a train-the-trainer model to empower our local staff to teach the training modules to school owners. This means that our Edify team is distributing and equipping school owners and teachers with this content and knowledge and not depending on an outside trainer to conduct the modules.
Another example is our loan program in the Dominican Republic. Our lending partners there do not require any new capital to continue providing loans to schools; the program is now sustainable due to the recycling of loan capital that has been repaid and continues to be recirculated. Over time, our loan programs in our countries of operation will also reach this target of sustainability.
The schools Edify partners with are working to become self-sustainable. With the improvements they are able to make from loans and trainings, schools can accommodate more students and run more efficiently, increasing the income that is generated. Thus, advancing the schools we partner with toward sustainability and growth.
4. What makes Edify unique?
Edify’s unique model combines equipping schools and delivering small enterprise loans. Rather than simply writing a check to people in need like many relief organizations, we are equipping them. Edify teaches and facilitates fiscal responsibility and independence to school owners so that they can run and manage sustainable schools. The more sustainable and efficiently-run the schools are, the more students will have access to a quality education.
Further, our highest priority is to see Christ-centered transformation take place in the lives of those we serve. We hope to see school owners, teachers and students create an environment of love, integrity, justice and service–a stark contrast to a secular environment of greed and corruption that the majority of Edify partner schools are surrounded by. Although there are many education and school-focused organizations doing great work, Edify’s hope is to see each person who comes into contact with our work flourish as God intended them to.
While our program goals focus on the transformation of students, teachers and school owners, we believe in 360 degrees of transformation. That means we hope every Edify team member, from our field staff to our finance team, is an agent of transformation, showing Christ’s love to each person they interact with.
5. How can I get involved?
We would love for you to get involved in any number of ways, including:
- Come see our work in the field
- Join us in prayer for our staff, partners, school owners and the students
- Sign up for our email updates and follow us on social media
- Share Edify with others to help spread awareness
We are grateful for the support of our partners and are always open to answering your questions. Please feel free to email communications@edify.org with questions or comments to keep the conversation going.