Children now at home for months

Our schoolchildren have been compulsorily sitting at home for six months now. Because of the corona measures, they are not allowed on the streets. Only adults are allowed out, provided they have a quarantine pass. Government schools are also still closed. Every 14 days, the quarantine status is reviewed by the local outbreak management team, based on the number of infections. As of Sept. 1, Cebu City has been placed under quarantine status "Modified General Community Quarantine" (MGCQ) and measures have been relaxed slightly. This means more businesses, stores and restaurants are open. On the streets, police and the military are paying close attention 24/7 to compliance with the one-and-a-half-meter and the wearing of mouth caps and face masks. Slowly, public transportation in the city is also picking up. Still, many people are struggling to reach their jobs because of a shortage of transportation. The economy on the island and in the city of Cebu is badly affected. Some parents of Pasuk schoolchildren have lost their jobs and are still trying to create income in many ways. For example, by cooking meals and selling them in the neighborhood or a roadside stall. Other parents try to sell stuff through Facebook. Churches are allowed to reopen provided they are at 50% capacity and all measures are taken. Our church partner "Cebu Bible Church" will also open its doors again on Sunday, Sept. 13, D.V. School year postponed The government schools are still closed and the start of the new school year has already been postponed several times. Meanwhile, children are falling behind in their learning. The Philippine Department of Education has decided not to provide classroom instruction for the time being. As an alternative, the schools will organize online classes and also create homework packages for children who do not have access to the Internet, such as those in the slums. It is a huge challenge for government schools to develop a full-fledged curriculum in a short period of time. And if they will succeed at all, the question is whether the children will be able to work independently on those school assignments. Many parents are reluctant to supervise their children because they are busy with livelihood and/or have barely any education themselves. It is our desire - when the time comes - to help the children with their school work at the Pasuk project, where they can take their online classes in our computer lab and also do homework. However, this will only be possible if first the quarantine is lifted and our schoolchildren are finally allowed to leave their homes. Despite these challenges, we are happy that all Pasuk children and their families are in good health, as are our team of volunteers. And we are enormously grateful for all the donations we have been able to receive so far for our Covid-19 emergency relief program. The Lord provides