PEPE (Programa de Educação Pré-Escolar) Internacional
About PEPE
PEPE (Programa de Educação Pré-Escolar – Programme of Pre-school Education) exists to bring hope to children in vulnerable situatio
ns, preparing them for life and integration into regular schooling. PEPE runs under the umbrella of ABIAH (Associacao Batista de Incentivo e Apoio ao Homem), and has been running for over 25 years, spanning over 50 countries across Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
In Brazil, the PEPE network provides 120 pre-schools, reaching over 2000 children each day. It also supports the PEPE Crescer (PEPE Grow) programme for older children who cannot access mainstream education, supporting nearly 900 children across 50 schools. More than 500 educators and volunteers support this work.
The programme is run by local church communities who employ and train the teachers, as well as providing premises, food, and teaching materials. This gives children in regions where there is no public school provision access to schooling, from the remotest regions of the Amazon, to some of the poorest urban communities. In addition, the churches visit the families and help provide for their wider needs in a simple, practical, demonstration of faith. Thousands of children and their families have found faith through the act of providing education and family support.
Check out PEPE International’s Instagram page for more information!
How your gift can help
While the local churches provide teachers’ salaries and resources, ABIAH provides teacher training courses (training around 90 teachers in the first three months of 2026), as well as funding the expenses of the regional coordinators. These coordinators build the vital relationships with the churches and communities, ensure the programme is being run to the right standard, and handle important responsibilities for safeguarding. Some communities are so deprived that they need additional financial support. The PEPE network depends on donors for sustenance and growth.
Your gift will be directed to the vital work of teacher training, oversight, and leadership development which will continue to grow this visionary programme. Every pound given is multiplied several times over through churches giving sacrificially and empowering their communities.
Personal stories
The Light of the Nations Church in Alagoas, North East Brazil, is pastored by missionaries Antonio and Adriana. The support they have
received has enabled them to set up PEPE and PEPE Crescer, with 60 children in their programme.
In February 2026, funding supported a training meeting in Joao Pessoa for 45 coordinators and teachers covering four states.
Football is one of the greatest passions in Brazil. To align with the upcoming World Cup, a special teaching programme is being rolled out developing ideas around sport, movement, art, and music, underpinned by Biblical principles.