NOV 2016 PROGRESS REPORT: LIGHT OF HOPE SCHOOL & MERCY HEALTH CARE 

We are so grateful for the response we received on our stories in the last newsletter about Mercy Health Care and the Light of Hope School. These two causes struck a chord with many of our donors, and thanks to you, we have wonderful updates to report. With funding in hand, this summer Forman began the planned expansions to both facilities! 

 

Expansion construction for Light of Hope began in June. When school opened last year in September 2015, the first floor was complete, and housed grades K-5. The original plan was to add one floor during summer 2016 and the final floor in summer 2017. Because of you, FCC is able to add both floors at once. The external work was completed in time for the start of new school year in September so as not to disrupt the teaching. Finishing work is continuing. 

 

Once completed, the school will have 16 classrooms, 2 science labs, 1 digital/computer lab, 1 reading room, 1 staff room, 2 offices and bathrooms for boys and for girls. The school will grow one grade or two grades per year, graduating the first class of 10th graders in 2021. Due to demand, they are already expanding the number of younger children they can take. The staff has grown as well, now with a Principal, an administrator, 13 teachers, and 2 teaching assistants plus custodial personnel. 

The second floor addition to Mercy Health Care began in July and should be complete soon. The work is actually ahead of schedule, a most unusual phenomenon! This floor will provide dedicated spaces for a counseling center, a dental clinic, and a pharmacy, if we can attract one. (There is a shortage of pharmacists in Pakistan!) The dental clinic and pharmacy are new to the FCC campus, and will be welcome additions. Prior to this expansion and added services, Mercy Health Care was seeing about fifty patients a day for medical and counseling issues. They have already added another fulltime counselor, bringing the total to two full-time and one part-time. With a dentist available hopefully at least weekly, and additional space and personnel for the counseling center, we expect this number will rise as more members of the Forman community take advantage of these services.. 

 

Mercy Health Care does more than handle colds and sniffles. In the last year they have also done the following: compiled vaccination records for campus resident’s children and providing routine vaccinations for them; distributing first aid kits to all hostels and academic buildings while providing training sessions to resident directors and assistants; setting health guidelines and giving assessments for the Daycare Center and all food and beverage employees; providing regular monitoring of the growth and development of the children attending the Daycare Center; began publishing a series of informational health brochures and held a blood drive which set a record for number of donations given in a day.

 

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