Education has fallen on hard times in much of the world. Teacher strikes, political turmoil, poverty of families and nations, ethnic and religious prejudice and lack of will—these are but some of the factors that prevent today’s children and youth from developing their keen young minds and imaginations into adulthood.

During SIM’s early decades, missionaries started many primary schools as well as training schools for church leaders. The theological schools flourished, but the primary schools were turned over to local governments in the last century. Teaching in secondary schools then became a major ministry thrust for a time, until governments assumed that responsibility as well. Now, once again, SIM is emphasizing general education, but with this difference: we will respond to requests from local churches to build their capacity to start and run schools for the children and youth of their communities.

Galmi Private School

“Our children are not receiving the education they need.” For years the Nigerien staff at Galmi Hospital have been concerned for their children. Local schools, they say, are poorly equipped, inadequately staffed, and either too distant or too costly for most children.

Now, writes SIMer Helene Zoolkoski, the Galmi Private School is a reality. Maimouna, seven years old, is one of the students. Her father died in a terrible accident shortly after her birth, and her Christian mother works at Galmi Hospital to support her four children. Maimouna’s cousin Hadiza, whose father died of AIDS, also attends Galmi Private School. The two cousins walk several kilometers together from their village to the school. Hadiza attended public school but never learned to read. Now, she reports proudly, everyone in her class can read.

A local Alhadji (a man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca) gladly sends his son to the school because he became so tired of repeated teacher strikes (usually because they aren’t paid), disrupting the public school. Facilities at Galmi are less than ideal thus far—a walled courtyard with four classrooms, 35 desks (each shared by two students), and a few books. But as God provides funds, local believers will build more classrooms and desks and will purchase more books. Please pray for one more teacher for next year and that parents will be able to pay the modest tuition. This vision is gripping minds throughout West Africa and beyond. But where will they find qualified teachers? Read on….

SIM's Role in Teacher Training

SIMers Cindy Borody and Ben Hegeman are part of an initiative in Niger to prepare to train Nigerien teachers. Currently six to seven years pass before a prospective teacher finishes university because of student and teacher strikes. SIM’s dream is to offer a Teacher Training School alongside the French Bible School in the city of Niamey. Someone will need to translate and contextualize curricula for local use. Workshops on teaching from a Christian worldview will help Christian teachers who are already qualified and teaching in classrooms.

Give

Project # 97422 will develop a program to train Christian school teachers in Niger.

Go

SIM Niger seeks an Education Coordinator and teacher educators to help churches start primary and secondary schools across Niger.

South Sudan’s Desperate Need

Twenty years of war deprived thousands of children in South Sudan of education. Now SIM and churches in northern Sudan and Ethiopia are launching a bold project called Basic Education Learning Centers: South Sudan to remedy this lack. They plan to send 50 teacher/evangelists to South Sudan to set up 25 teacher training centers in areas where the Sudan Interior Church (SIC) is active. Within three years they hope to train as many as 750 elementary teachers. At the same time, evening Bible Schools at the training centers will prepare pastors for the SIC, which enjoyed explosive growth during the years of war and suffering.

Please pray

• for needed funds and trainers, so that the children of South Sudan will soon have schools to go to.
• that God will give big visions to churches, parents and teachers around the world where children's education is being neglected.