Expanding the Kingdom Together

Expanding the Kingdom Together

“I came to the school when I was very young,” recalls Keila De los Santos, reflecting on her early days as a preschool teacher at La Esperanza Christian Reformed School in the Dominican Republic. Keila began her teaching journey nearly 20 years ago and gradually moved into the role of Principal, which she has held since 2014. In that time, both she and the school have grown—not just in size, but in vision and impact.

Over the years, Keila has witnessed how the transformative power of Christ-centred education has shaped the school, the surrounding community, and her own life in incredible ways. The teacher training and support provided through partnership with EduDeo have played a significant role in forming the school's culture and improving the quality of education it offers to students.

She shares that “the lives of our staff have been impacted through leadership training…they’ve been encouraged to become [teachers] who are passionate about transforming others.” Keila expresses that their deep hope is to be a model school—one that reflects the teachings of Jesus Christ. This season, La Esperanza welcomed five Co-Impact teams who served alongside local contractors to advance the school’s expansion project. The added classrooms will allow more students to enroll in the years ahead!

The school has become a central hub for the community, a place where hope flourishes. “Parents often tell us, ‘I want my child to be at La Esperanza, at a Christian school,’” Keila notes. It has become a beacon of hope; a place families see as more than just another school. When Co-Impact teams support schools like La Esperanza, their investment goes beyond providing additional classrooms; it enables the school to extend its vision and reach. “This expansion is not only an opportunity to provide better education,” Keila says, “but also to expand the Kingdom of God through Christ-centred education.” “Every time we receive a group, we are impacted,” she adds. “When they come from another country to work in a community like ours, that’s already a form of transformation. Their commitment has been crucial to what we’ve accomplished here.”

Teams who serve our partners on construction projects support and join in the mission of their schools. They become part of the ongoing story of renewal in the community. Co-Impact participants, students, teachers, and parents learn the importance of “serving together, even when we are worlds apart,” says Keila. “We are all part of God’s team. No matter where we’re from, we can all work together for God’s Kingdom. And the transformation that [teams] experience here—they’ll take back with them and apply [it] in their own communities to make a difference. They carry that transformation forward.” The growth sparked by these experiences goes far beyond construction projects. It reaches deep into the hearts of those who serve. Keila believes that when people step into service, they begin to understand how God can use them—even in the humblest of circumstances. “I always say, ‘I’m not so poor that I can’t give, and I’m not so rich that I don’t need’” she explains. “And I believe teams learn to depend on God and realize that even if they have little, they can still serve.”