Five Christian Students Dropped Out of Scholarship Grant due to Threats
Many Christian youths who come from a Muslim background in the Philippines are neglected when it comes to education. Through Open Doors’ partners, and your donations, 38 young Christians have been given the opportunity to study in a community in the southern Philippines. This is thanks to a scholarship grant, initiated by Open Doors’ local partners in the Philippines. However, it hasn’t been an easy year for these students and they have been faced with a lot of pressure from family and their community.
Many young Muslim background believers (MBB) are halted from the opportunity to study due to disapproval from their families. However, we know that education is a fundamental human right and is required for long-term social and economic development.
Open Doors’ local partners in the Philippines decided to initiate a scholarship program where students would be able to receive educational assistance. A total of 38 students in a small community in Southern Philippines from different schools received scholarship grants from our local partners to pursue their education. These students are between the ages of 13-18 years old. All of them are also actively involved in their community’s fellowship and discipleship gatherings. They said that without the scholarship, they would have struggled greatly in their studies.
When Islamic religious leaders discovered that there was a Christian movement in the community and that the local partners were the ones giving out scholarships, they informed the parents that their children were being ‘brainwashed’ to convert to Christianity. The threats made by these religious leaders put pressure on the parents, which made them force their children to drop out of the program and refuse the grant. This was the case for five of the students.
“We will drop out of the program to show respect,” one of them said, “but we will continue to attend the fellowships.”
Despite the threats and the absence of a scholarship, the students are still eager to attend the studies and discipleship gatherings. The pastor and his team are concerned that more of their scholars will be forced to decline the grant. The scholarship is given out of genuine concern and assistance for these students, who are not being forced to convert to Christianity but are slowly learning about Jesus Christ, and many of them have accepted Him as their Saviour.
Let us continue to pray for these young scholars and their community.
- These five MBBs who dropped out of the scholarship will no longer receive financial assistance for their studies. Let us continue to pray that God will provide for their needs and that they will preserve their faith in God despite the threats.
- Please pray for the other 33 MBB scholars as well. Please pray for them to continue to excel in their studies and to be a light and salt to their classmates.
- Please also pray for the Pastor and his team who are granting the scholarship. Pray for God’s protection and wisdom to guide them in addressing this type of concern.
