candace pearson
 
 
 
View


Pencils For Kids, Inc.
Pencils For Kids, Inc. is dedicated to helping children in need in developing countries to attend school and, in doing so, build a chance for a better future.

www.pencilsforkidsinc.com/


 

One day in 2007, Retta Jitter was on vacation in Myanmar when she was surrounded by several young children eager to practice their English. As they walked on together, a 7-year-old girl shyly asked Retta if she had a pencil to spare. Retta searched her bag and held out a pen. "No, thank you," came the girl's polite response, and she ran off. "Why did she have to have a pencil?" Retta asked a young boy. "Because," he replied, "you need a pencil to go to school."

Retta came home to found Pencils For Kids, Inc. (PFK) to make it possible for children in developing countries to attend school. Because the plain truth is, without a hand, many children won't get an education or the future it can help realize.

In countries where families must pay for all of their child's school supplies (even paper, crayons and, yes, pencils), costs can be prohibitive. The majority of children who attend PFK-sponsored schools either live in orphan homes or come from families who work hard to earn $1 a day. The $10 needed to buy a school uniform represents about 1/3 of a rural family's monthly income.

 In 2008, PFK launched the first mission to Bali. We followed that in 2009 with Thailand. And, in 2012, we started our missions to Myanmar. Today, PFK hand delivers backpacks filled with essential school supplies and uniform vouchers to more than 2,200 kids a year in three countries.

excerpt:

Imagine wanting desperately to go to school and not being able to because your family can't afford to buy you a school uniform, notebooks or even a pencil. That's the heartbreaking situation for countless children across the globe -- one that Pencils For Kids, Inc. is working hard to change.

Many of the world's problems defy simple solutions. This isn't one of those. Here, each of us can make an immediate and lasting difference in a child's life. Your support for Pencils For Kids, Inc. will enable children eager and ready for an education to attend school. Learn how you can support our missions to Bali, Burma and Thailand.

"It is my steadfast belief that every child deserves an education, and every child's future begins with a pencil."
-Retta Jitner
Founder & President, Pencils For Kids, Inc.