Gift of Literacy Project

It costs $300 to educate twenty-five women to a fifth-grade level in reading, writing, and simple math. Classes meet for two hours a night, five nights a week for a year. The $300 cost covers a small honorarium for the teacher, primers, slates and chalk, and a gas lamp where electricity is unavailable. Besides literacy, classes also raise awareness of hygiene, health and sanitation, improve the women’s social status and household income, teach moral and ethical values, and introduce women to the God of the Bible. Most literacy classes choose to continue as ongoing women’s self-help groups once students have graduated.

For most of us, literacy is such a part of our everyday world, it’s almost impossible to imagine life without it. But for nearly 300 million adults in South Asia, 68% being women and girls, the darkness and shame of being unable to read, write or do simple math is an everyday reality. The Women’s Empowerment Project, started by Jerry and Marilyn Hogshead, is changing that reality for nearly 600 women involved in twenty adult literacy classes.

As the dramatic testimonies of the first graduates spread, our South Asian team is getting more and more requests to start new classes in areas where none exist. Because current classes are all full and there are no additional funds to start more, Jerry and Marilyn created the “Gift of Literacy” as a way for others to help fund new classes so poor women and girls who never had the opportunity for an education can become literate.

The testimonies of transformation from the first 128 graduates are quite amazing:

  • “I feel I am now a free and self-respecting woman. Now I know I am a valuable member of society.”
  • “The day [I was accepted into my class], I felt I had overcome my world. It was unbelievable for me, the love and respect I began to receive in my family.”
  • “When I wrote my name for the first time, I cannot express the joy I experienced.”
  • “Now my husband salutes me and my children are honoring me.”

Our Mission

To come alongside Christian leaders around the world.

Methodology

  • We operate in alignment with our vision and values.
  • We serve as catalysts, without personal or institutional agendas.
  • We stay only as long as needed and welcome.
  • We view all our work as spiritual activity with eternal significance.
  • We promote effective and Godly stewardship of resources as a model for business and ministry.
  • We practice the accountability of planning and evaluating our work, and teach others to do the same.

Financial Information

Our Financial Statements have been audited annually since 2013 by an independent national accounting firm. Paraclete is registered or exempt from charitable solicitation registrations in all states that require it.

2022 Financial Summary

Revenues
Contributions
$4,191521
Other Revenue
-$91,613
Total Revenue
$4,099,908
Expenses
Program
$3,659,906
Administrative
$348,720
FundRaising
$348,720
Total Expenses
$4,356,908

Donor Privacy Policy

Paraclete Mission Group is committed to respecting the privacy of our donors. We provide this Donor Privacy Policy to inform you of the way we protect and use your information.

Information We Collect

  • Here are the types of donor information that we collect and maintain:
    Your contact information: name, organization/church, address, phone number, email address;
  • Your preference for which ministry your donation will be applied;
  • Your payment information: credit card and/or bank account information;
  • Information you choose to share with us: questions, comments, suggestions, how you learned of Paraclete, and;
  • Your communication preferences; e.g., to individuals who request it, we will send periodic mailings related to specific fund-raising appeals, prayer concerns, and newsletters.

How We Use Your Information

Paraclete Mission Group uses your information to help you complete a donation, communicate back to you, and update you on ministry activity and results. We use credit card numbers only for donation or payment processing.

How We Protect Your Information

We use industry standard safeguards to protect your information. We protect the security of credit card transactions using a number of measures such as encryption, access controls, network firewalls and physical security. Card numbers are never stored on our premises in any physical or electronic form. These measures make it extremely difficult for anyone to intercept the credit card information you send to us. When we work with other companies to process credit card transactions, those companies also use encryption and other security measures.

We Do Not Share Your Personal Information

Paraclete Mission Group will not sell, rent, trade or lease your personal information to other organizations. We hold the identity of donors confidentially. We will use your information only to further the ministry purposes of Paraclete Mission Group. We will not send you mailings on behalf of another organization.

YOUR RIGHTS – GDPR Specific

Personal Information

Where you have provided your consent to us processing your personal data, you may withdraw this consent at any time. In addition, the Global Data Protection Regulations gives you the right, under certain circumstances:

  • to request in writing and securely obtain copies of the personal information we hold about you;
  • to correct or update your personal information held by us;
  • to request us to stop using your personal information for marketing purposes or for any other purpose where there is no legal requirement for continued processing;
  •  to object to profiling activities based on our legitimate interest;
  •  to request to have all personal data deleted (in the EEA only). To exercise any of these rights please contact privacy@paraclete.net .

Please tell Paraclete Mission Group as soon as any of your contact details change so that records can be kept up to date.

We will take reasonable steps to correct any of your information, which is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Removing Your Name From Our Mailing List

We will honor your desire not to receive mail from us if that is your preference. Please contact us if you wish to be removed from our mailing list. Donors with an online account with Paraclete Mission Group can establish and change their communication preferences, print receipts, make one-time donations and set up recurring automatic donations. If you choose not to have an online account you have the same degree of control when you call or write to tell us of your preferences.

Contacting Us

If you have comments or questions about our donor privacy policy, please send us an email at info@paraclete.net or call us at (719) 302-2500.

 

Statement of Faith

We believe the Bible to be the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, they that are saved unto the resurrection of life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

equal opportunity employment

It is the policy of Paraclete Mission Group not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in admission and access to, or treatment or employment in its program or activities. As a religious institution, Paraclete is permitted and reserves the right to prefer employees or prospective employees on the basis of religion.