CONTENTS

SECTION 1 - PREPARATION

1.1 Initial contact 1.2 Sponsorship 1.3 Educational benefits 1.4 Age groups 1.5 Games 1.6 Timing 1.7 Compassion material 1.8 Prop sheet

SECTION 2 – LESSON PLANS

2.1 Lesson One: Giving thanks 2.2 Lesson Two: The problem with money 2.3 Lesson Three: Making a difference

SECTION 3 – SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP

3.1 Choosing a child 3.2 Responsibility 3.3 Paying for the sponsorship 3.4 Launch 3.5 Follow up 3.6 Fundraising ideas 3.7 Ongoing awareness

ALSO INCLUDED

Sample letter for parents Fundraising ideas and information for the school DVD containing the Power Point Presentations and the Rebecca St. James in Rwanda video

SECTION 1 - PREPARATION Thank you so much for your support and hard work. This Primary School Lesson Handbook has proved to be a very effective and useful tool for raising awareness of child poverty and child sponsorship in our schools. It has great benefits in reaching both children and staff in the school with the message of Compassion, as well as raising the profile of Compassion in homes across the UK and Ireland, as the children take home literature and share of their experiences in school. Because of the impact of these lessons and the time you will be putting into presenting them, it is important to make sure that you are clear in our purpose and in your communication. We have therefore included some guidelines which are helpful in setting up these lessons in a school. This is a wonderful opportunity to share Christ and the work of Compassion with the children. Prepare well, pray and have fun. God bless you!

1.1 INITIAL CONTACT

Initial contact is usually made through the Religious Education Coordinator or another teacher whom you know at the school. Please make sure that either you or your contact has spoken to the Head Teacher about the lesson plan and about sponsorship and that it has been cleared by them. Ensure that the school is aware of the Christian content of the lessons and the scriptures that are quoted. It may be a good idea to either email or give the school a copy of the lesson plans. (Please do let us know if you need an additional copy for this purpose.)

1.2 SPONSORSHIP

Please be aware that there may be schools that take you up on the offer of lessons, but have no interest in sponsoring. Our primary aim is see children sponsored and as an Advocate, you must use your time wisely and productively. These lessons are geared towards sponsorship and this should be explained clearly to the school and agreed upon by them beforehand. In discussing sponsorship with schools you should cover the following points: It is vital to have a Christian member of staff who is willing to take long-term responsibility

for this project Sponsorship is a long-term commitment and should not be taken on as a ‘charity of the year’ Explain that they will be building a relationship with the child that will benefit both the

sponsored child and the pupils of the school Please make sure that you discuss payment with the school before you start. If the school is serious about sponsorship, they will generally bring this up first. For more information on this see Section 3.3. Discuss how they could raise the funds for a year’s sponsorship and be proactive in giving them creative fundraising ideas. See Section 3.6 for detailed fundraising ideas.

1.3 EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS

Take time to explain the ongoing educational benefits. Some suggestions for this are: putting up a display board of pictures and letters from their sponsored child looking at different aspects of poverty doing projects on the country where their sponsored child lives holding a food sampling day using the kind of food their child is likely to eat organising a cultural dress day (this can also be used for fundraising)

1.4 AGE GROUPS

The lessons are geared towards ten-year-olds, but work equally well for other classes and can be adjusted to suit.

1.5 ACTIVITIES

Explanations of all activities and ideas are included in the lesson plans. Please familiarise yourself with them, perhaps even trying them out with children before presenting to a school for the first time.

1.6 TIMING

Approximate timings are given throughout each lesson. It is very easy to run out of time, especially because the lessons are interactive and children can be unpredictable. Without ‘watching the clock’, try and stick to the timings to ensure finishing on time. Schools run to a strict schedule and you will need to keep to the allotted time. Each lesson is designed to last 45 minutes.

1.7 COMPASSION MATERIAL

Please remember to take the following material along for the school: sheet of fundraising ideas for schools (included) your contact details an A5 Compassion leaflet for each child sample letter explaining child sponsorship which can be sent home to parents (included) a few copies of the information brochure for the staff room some extra child information packs for staff who may be interested

1.8 PROP SHEET

You will need several props for the three lessons. They are listed below: LESSON ONE

dried bananas black beans glass of dirty water country name cards large packet of wrapped sweets LESSON TWO

4 A4 sheets marked A, B, C and D respectively LESSON THREE

water bottle coin 4 apples 4 empty medicine boxes 4 books 4 small toys 4 Bibles your sponsored child’s picture and letters

SECTION 2 – LESSON PLAN A series of three lessons, developed by Youth For Christ Northern Ireland and Compassion UK, based on changing attitudes in the developed world and lives in the developing world.

2.1 LESSON ONE: GIVING THANKS SLIDE 1

TITLE SLIDE SLIDE 2

WE ARE LEARNING TO… Introduce the lesson. SLIDE 3

SAYING THANK YOU Learn to say ‘thank you’ in different languages. Let the children say the words out loud. SLIDE 4 [5 mins]

FIVE THINGS WE CAN BE THANKFUL FOR Ask the children to list five things they are thankful for. Write them down on a flipchart or white board, e.g. my family, my friends, that I am healthy.

SLIDE 5 [5 mins]

THE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING On 6 September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth in England. The 102 passengers, called pilgrims, set off to seek religious freedom and fortune and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the New World. Their voyage took 66 days. The first pilgrims settled in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their first winter in the New World was very difficult. They had arrived too late to grow crops, and without fresh food, half the colony died from disease. The following spring the Iroquois Indians taught them how to grow corn (maize). They showed them other crops to grow in the unfamiliar soil and how to hunt and fish. SLIDE 6

THE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING (continued) In the autumn of 1621, bountiful crops of corn, barley, beans and pumpkins were harvested. The pilgrims had much to be thankful for, so a feast was planned. They invited the local Indian chief, Massasoit, and 90 Wampanoag Indians. The Indians brought deer to roast with the turkeys and other wild game offered by the colonists. The colonists had learned how to cook cranberries and different kinds of corn and squash dishes from the Indians. SLIDE 7

THE HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING (continued) George Washington (on the left) suggested 26 November as the date to celebrate the autumn harvest with a feast of thanks - Thanksgiving Day. Abraham Lincoln (on the right) asked all Americans to set aside the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time for tradition and sharing. Even if they live far away, family members gather for a reunion at the house of an older relative. All give thanks together for the good things that they have.

SLIDE 8 [5 mins]

COMPARE AND CONTRAST Compare the feast of Thanksgiving to a typical meal in the Developing World. SLIDE 9

COMPARE AND CONTRAST Show them examples of dried bananas, black beans and a glass of dirty water. SLIDE 10 [5 mins]

A REAL LIFE STORY The story of Jackie shows that many of the things we take for granted and sometimes even forget to be thankful for are things that others don’t have. Once upon time there was a little girl called Jackie, who lived in a town called Gaba in Uganda, Africa. Jackie lived at home with her mum, dad, brothers and sisters until one sad day when Jackie’s dad died of AIDS. Poor Jackie was very sad at losing her dad but then things got even worse for Jackie and her family. Her uncle sold everything they had including their little home. Jackie had nowhere to live, nowhere to sleep and no belongings. What would she do? SLIDE 11

A REAL LIFE STORY (continued) God loves Jackie and was watching over her. Jackie and her family were able to move in with her uncle. This meant there were lots of people living in one tiny house. It was a very basic house, made of stone with little furniture and it was always noisy. But it was somewhere safe where Jackie and her family could be together.

The people at Compassion helped Jackie’s mum to find work, helping in the kitchen at the project. While she was at work Jackie was able to go to school to learn how to read and write. Jackie loved going to the Compassion school everyday. She played marbles and skipping games with her new friends; drew pictures, sang songs about Jesus and learnt how to do sums. SLIDE 12

A REAL LIFE STORY (continued) Most importantly Jackie and her classmates began to learn about a very special new friend, Jesus, who loves them. Over time, Jackie has learnt more and more about the wonderful things that Jesus has done for her and he has become a very special friend of hers. She has also shared these stories with her mum and brothers and sisters. They all thank God that He is in their lives and that because of Him, Compassion were able to help Jackie and her family. SLIDE 13 (repeat of SLIDE 8)

COMPARE AND CONTRAST Ask the children to now comment on the difference between the two meals. How does it make them feel? SLIDE 14

COMPARE AND CONTRAST World poverty map - explain how unevenly wealth is distributed in the world.

ACTIVITY: THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH [10 mins]

Ask 15 children to volunteer and hang cards around their neck with the name of a Compassion partner country or project country (listed below)

Give four sweets to every partner country and none to the project countries Ask the children how they feel about it Ask what would be fair and then ask them to share out sweets, one to everyone Explain that we have enough – we just don’t share it fairly

Project Country Project Country Partner Country

Dominican Republic Colombia United States of America El Salvador Ecuador Australia Guatemala Peru Canada Haiti Burkina Faso France Honduras Ghana Germany Mexico Ethiopia Italy Nicaragua Kenya Netherlands Bolivia Rwanda New Zealand Brazil Tanzania South Korea Uganda Togo Switzerland Bangladesh Philippines India Indonesia Thailand SLIDE 15 [2 mins]

COMPARE AND CONTRAST These are the three richest people in the world. They have more money than the 48 poorest countries of the world combined. SLIDE 16

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS? Read Isaiah 58:7 with the children.

SLIDE 17 [5 mins]

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT SO FAR? Summarise what you have discussed today. SLIDE 18

IN THE NEXT LESSON… For the next lesson, ask the children to think about what they would like for Christmas this year.

2.2 LESSON TWO: THE PROBLEM WITH MONEY SLIDE 1

TITLE SLIDE SLIDE 2 [2 mins]

IN THE LAST LESSON… Recap the last lesson. SLIDE 3 [2 mins]

WE ARE LEARNING TO… Introduce the lesson. SLIDE 4 [5 mins]

OUR CHRISTMAS Ask what the children what they were given last Christmas and what they want this Christmas.

SLIDE 5

OUR CHRISTMAS (continued)

ACTIVITY: THE PRICE IS RIGHT

Call up three children Let them each guess the price of the pictured gifts Don’t let the other two see while one writes his/her guess on the board Then cover it and get the next one to write his/her guess When all three have given their guess, get the rest of the class to vote which is right Reveal the answer Get the class applaud the winner and give out a prize of sweets

(These prices are from December 2008. It may be worth checking that they are still correct.) DVD - £12, iPod - £107, Camera - £170, Wii - £235

SLIDE 6

HOW MUCH DID WE SPEND? Go through the statistics on what we spend at Christmas. Does 70p a day seem like much money to give compared to this? That’s all it would cost to change a child’s life.

ACTIVITY: QUIZ Put the letters A, B, C and D in the four corners of the classroom. Get the children to stand in the centre of the room while you read out each question and then go to the corner they think has the right answer.

SLIDE 7 [10 mins]

QUIZ Answer: A. £5.52

SLIDE 8

QUIZ (continued) Answer: C. 200 million SLIDE 9

QUIZ (continued) Answer: D. £30 billion SLIDE 10

QUIZ (continued) Answer: A. 7% SLIDE 11

QUIZ (continued) Answer: D. Switzerland SLIDE 12

QUIZ (continued) Answer: D. use unpaid child labour

SLIDE 13 [5 mins]

OTHER ORGANISATIONS FIGHTING POVERTY Ask the children if they can think of any other charities. Ask them if they give any money to charity? SLIDE 14

HOW MUCH WE GAVE Compare the figures from ‘Children in Need 2005’ to the amount spent at Christmas. SLIDES 15 [5 mins]

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS? Hold Jesus up as an example and explain God’s rule in Matthew 7:12. SLIDES 16

HOW IT ALL LINKS UP Explain the links between the things you have spoken about.

SLIDE 17 [5 mins]

A CHRISTMAS STORY Now we’re going to hear about a very different kind of Christmas from the one we know. This story is about a little girl who had many very sad Christmases. But this Christmas she is much happier because someone else has decided to share their love and their money with her. This is Angielica’s story. Christmas hasn't always been a joyful occasion for Angielica and her family. Her father's meagre salary was barely enough to provide food and clothing for his family. Christmas brought no decorations or brightly wrapped gifts to their one-room home. Christmas was merely another day to survive. SLIDE 18

A CHRISTMAS STORY (continued) Angielica's life changed, however, when she was accepted into the Mandaue Hope Development Student Centre in her neighbourhood. Through the support of her Compassion sponsor, she now receives nutritious snacks, tutoring and medical checkups. While the programme meets her physical needs, the letters and gifts Angielica receives from her sponsor remind her that she is loved and valued. On the night of the Christmas party, parents and children fill the project with laughter and excited chatter. Following the Christmas play, little ones gather around as presents are passed out, and Angielica, clutching a brightly wrapped package, rushes to find her parents. Inside, nestled in tissue paper, is a pair of pink sandals. Angielica can’t wait to try them on. This is more than a gift to Angielica. It is a reminder of God’s love, and a reminder of the other children who have no such gift. “The gift I received from my sponsor is so important to me because it would not be easy for my parents to buy shoes like that,” says Angielica. “I also feel very lucky because there are many children in my area who do not receive anything for Christmas.”

SLIDE 19

A CHRISTMAS STORY (continued) Each time Angielica wears her Christmas shoes, she and her family are reminded of the gifts she has received, including those not wrapped in paper and ribbon. “Compassion has done so much for my child,” says her mother. “She has been given the gift of education and talents. Compassion plays a great role in her life and I pray my daughter continues to be part of such a programme for years to come.” SLIDE 20

IN THE NEXT LESSON… Introduce the next lesson.

2.3 LESSON THREE: MAKING A DIFFERENCE SLIDE 1

TITLE SLIDE SLIDE 2 [5 mins]

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT SO FAR? Recap the previous lesson. SLIDE 3

WE ARE LEARNING TO… Introduce the next lesson. SLIDE 4 [1 min]

OUR RESPONSE TO POVERTY Go through the dictionary definition of compassion. SLIDE 5

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Read Ephesians 2:10 and 1 Corinthians 12:12 with the children.

ACTIVITY: WORKING TOGETHER This game illustrates what team work is and how it takes everyone working together to win. Just one person can change the outcome of the game.

You will need a water bottle and a coin Split the pupils into two equal teams If you have an uneven number, let one pupil toss the coin Let each team form a straight row, holding hands The two rows stand parallel, facing away from each other Place a chair at the top end of the rows, at equal distance from both Put the bottle of water on the chair Explain the game and the objective to the children at this point Standing at the opposite end of the rows to the chair, toss the coin Only show the coin to the two pupils (the starters) at the very end of the two rows The rest of the pupils may not see the coin If the coin lands on ‘heads’, the starters must squeeze the hand of the person next to them When a pupil feels their hand being squeezed, they must squeeze the hand of the pupil on

their other side and so on, sending a pulse up the row When the pulse reaches the top of the row and the last pupil feels a squeeze, they must grab

the bottle from the chair The first team to grab the bottle wins a point If the coin lands on ‘tails’, the starters must not squeeze the next pupil’s hand If someone cheats by squeezing a hand out of turn and the water bottle is grabbed on a ‘tails’

toss, that team will have point deducted Repeat several times

SLIDE 6 [6 mins]

HOW COMPASSION WORKS Show Rebecca St. James in Rwanda Compassion DVD. SLIDE 7 [12 mins]

HOW COMPASSION WORKS Compassion works in 25 countries in the developing world. They work only through the local church because they believe that the churches know the needs of their community and how to best help them.

SLIDE 8

HOW COMPASSION WORKS Compassion speak about Jesus in everything they do, because they believe that although it is very important to make sure that children have enough food and warm clothes to wear, it is even more important to tell them that Jesus loves them, because that can their lives change for ever.

ACTIVITY

Call up four children and give each an apple, a medicine box, a school book, a toy and a Bible

SLIDE 9

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY 85% of children under the age of 15 live in developing countries

Move three of the children aside slightly, leaving one child by themselves

SLIDE 10

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY 250,000 children die of malnutrition every week

Take away the apples from the three children and give them to the one child Explain how much food we throw away

SLIDE 11

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY 250,000 children become irreversibly blind every year due to a lack of Vitamin A

Explain how we have everything we need but many children die simply because they don’t have medicine that only costs a few pence

Take away the medicine boxes and give them all to the one child

SLIDE 12

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY More than 100 million primary school aged children do not attend school Explain that this might sound good, but ask them to think about what it would mean if they were not able to go to school.

Take away the school books and give them all to the one child

SLIDE 13

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY 217 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 work for a living Ask the children if they have to do chores at home. Ask them to imagine never being able to watch TV or play with their friends.

Take away the toys and give them all to the one child

SLIDE 14

FACTS ABOUT POVERTY Today, worldwide, still nearly 80% of children have never heard about Jesus Explain that this is the most important thing, for this life and for ever.

Take away the Bibles and give them all to the one child

SLIDE 15

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THIS? Read 1 John 3:16-18 with the children. SLIDE 16

COMPASSION PROJECTS PROVIDE FOOD Compassion makes sure that all the children get something to eat at the project.

Give back the apples

SLIDE 17

COMPASSION PROJECTS PROVIDE MEDICINE Compassion makes sure that all the children visit a doctor and dentist at least once a year and that they get medicine if they are sick. They also teach the children and their families how to stay clean and keep germs away.

Give back the medicine boxes

SLIDE 18

COMPASSION PROJECTS PROVIDE SCHOOLING Compassion makes sure that all the children can go to school and learn skills that will help them find work when they grow up.

Give back the books

SLIDE 19

COMPASSION PROJECTS PROVIDE PLAY TIME Because they are being sponsored in a project, these children don’t have to work anymore. In the projects they play and get a chance to do normal things that children do.

Give back the toys

SLIDE 20

COMPASSION PROJECTS PROVIDE BIBLES In the last year over 150,000 children have come to know and love Jesus Christ. They hear about Him every time they come to the project and pray to Him. They see how much God loves them through other people caring for them.

Give back the Bibles and let the children return to their seats

SLIDE 21 [5 mins]

YOUR CLASS CAN PLAY A PART Explain to the children how they can help – that their class or school can sponsor a child. Talk about your sponsored child, show a photo of your child and perhaps read an excerpt from a letter. This is one-to-one sponsorship - only you are sponsoring this child and you get to have a very special relationship as you write letters and pray for them.

SLIDE 22 [5 mins]

CLASS TASK Explain to them how they can write a letter to their sponsored child. Have all the children make prints of their hand, write their names underneath and stick them up to form a poster for their board, to remind them every day that there is something they can do to help others – to be the hands and feet of God on this earth. SLIDE 23

YOUTH FOR CHRIST

SECTION 3 – SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP

3.1 CHOOSING A CHILD

There are a few helpful guidelines in choosing a child:

Choose an older child who will be able to write more informative letters It’s a good idea to choose a child who will graduate from sponsorship when the school’s

current Year Ones finish primary school This means that the current school pupils will grow up with this child Girls tend to be able to relate to both boys and girls, while boys find it easier to relate to and

write to a boy at this age Therefore, a boy of around eight or nine is ideal for school sponsorship.

3.2 RESPONSIBILITY

As mentioned before, it is vital to have a Christian member of staff who is willing to take long-term responsibility for this project. School sponsorship works well if the Year Eights take responsibility for letter writing and reporting back to the school. That way each class gets a chance as they come up through the school.

3.3 PAYING FOR THE SPONSORSHIP

As mentioned earlier, please make sure that you discuss payment with the school before you start. They can pay by annual, bi-annual or monthly direct debit payments. If they need any further information or want to discuss payment options, they are welcome to contact Compassion UK on 01932 836490.

3.4 LAUNCH

At the end of the lessons, allow the class to prepare and take a school assembly, reporting back on what they have learned about the world and introducing the sponsored child. It gives them ownership of the idea and encourages them. Remember to thank the school for sponsoring.

3.5 FOLLOW UP

Having started the sponsorship off, it will be helpful if you can maintain a friendly interest and offer your help should the school need it. Please make sure that you leave your contact details with the school. There are also some additional suggestions for things you could do: Offer to help by producing a display board that includes photos, maps and letters Write a letter for pupils to take home to parents explaining child sponsorship with

Compassion (see sample) and include an A5 Compassion leaflet

3.6 FUNDRAISING IDEAS

There are many ways in which a school can raise funds for sponsoring a child. Often the pupils will have very creative ideas of there own, but we have put together a few options which are effective and easy to arrange. Non-Uniform Day Every child brings £1 to school in return for wearing normal clothes. Depending on the size of the school, one Non-Uniform Day could easily raise enough money for a year’s sponsorship. Charity Budget Some schools will prefer to pay for the sponsorship out of the charity budget. Fair Trade Stall For classes who want to get more hands on, they could do a ‘Fair Trade’ stall in school at break times, selling Fair trade products (such as tea, coffee (for teachers) chocolate, fruit or biscuits) at a profit to raise funds for the sponsorship. Cultural Dress Day Using the Non-Uniform Day idea, have a Cultural Dress Day, where the children dress up in the native clothes of the country they are sponsoring in and bring £1 each.

3.7 ONGOING AWARENESS

With child sponsorship there are ongoing educational benefits for the school. Here are some ideas to maximise those and keep the sponsored child at the forefront of the pupils’ minds. Information Board Put an information board up in a prominent place, displaying photographs, drawings and letters from their sponsored child. They can also include copies of the letters the school has sent to the child. Additional information about the child’s country and culture would also add interest. Additional Lessons Teachers could use information about the sponsored child and their country as a basis for looking at different aspects of poverty, doing projects on the history or geography of the country or exploring the country’s culture and religion. Food and Culture Day They could hold a Food and Culture Day, looking at what their sponsored child is likely to eat or wear. This could also be used as a fundraising opportunity.