Community Schools outreach ‘Uncontained’ next Generation
TTN has been developing relationships and supporting a number of Community schools for the past few years, doing what we can to positively impact the lives of over 350 children in various communities.
Recently, due to the amazing support and donations received from Operations Lift and visiting Mission teams, we have been able to continue assisting these communities with their ongoing projects and needs.
Helping with these projects is not bound by geography – It is easy to help whether you are back in Australia or you decide to come to Africa. You can help by supplying books and educational materials to go into a container, or finances to help support teachers and teacher training. Your financial gift can even supplement the children with some food – a little or a lot – it all makes a difference. And for those who are able to give the time, we always can use a hand on packing days.
For a real experience in the Mission field, we’d love for you to consider coming to Africa. You can come and help out whether you are a teacher or teacher’s aide; a builder or just a handy person to have around, in reality there is something for everyone to do.
My sister, Josie, a teacher from Australia, has now been to Zambia twice! She loves being able see the lives of children improved through education, but also loves seeing and imparting into the teachers who give so much for very little or no return. These local teachers do what they do because they believe they can make a difference.
When Josie shared with her fellow teachers, in Australia, what she was doing, they blessed her with money, computers, etc. to help. With their generous gift we have bought text books, exercise pads, pencils other school supplies.
I was so happy when I saw in the containers that recently arrived, boxes upon boxes of school books, education material and reading books. I thank God for my sister who really understood what material we were given and was able to make up sets of books for primary school grades and prep classes.
Now we have 4 different sets of education tool/books and resources enabling us to, not only supply each class with the English, maths and science material they need, but reading books as well. When asked, not one child in the school actually owned a reading book! But now each class, each grade has reading books and will have new sets every term. This is something that is very rare, even in the schools in town.
Amongst the goods we were blessed with were school uniforms. Typically in Australia when a school changes their uniform design the old ones have to be destroyed. So it’s been great to be able to get some of these retired uniforms and bless the children in the local schools with them.
As you drive to these rural schools you will see the children coming and going to school wearing their new uniforms with great pride.
Executive gifts have been donating their old stock and unused conference bags. We have placed these in schools in three countries so far and children love having a bag.
In the photo above – Josie is with Anita, a teacher at Kangnomba, she is the sole teacher for 100 plus children, whom she teachers in the church. Through the support from Josie’s work mates we have been able to pay for school fees for Anita to finish her diploma of teaching, which she studies during her holiday breaks.
Anita needs your help, she has finished high school and a short course with Operation Mobilization and is now completing her diploma studies. We would love to be able to support her more. We need people to sow financially each month so she can put food on the table at home. Plus she has just received a big bill from her school. She needs $350 so she can go on practical training, this over and above the funds we have raised for her actual school fees. (I agree it is crazy to have to pay to do prac, but that’s how it is here). So if we have a few people sow a small amount regularly it is amazing how far your $10/week can go. Your small, regular gift will go a long way to help Anita and even other teachers just like her, to continue doing what they can to help others.
As I spend time with the teachers at Chankosa I see just how hard they are working within the community to teach the children. They are not paid and the community is unable to support them sufficiently. Long term, if we build a shop in the community, at the school/clinic, this would be used create funds to pay the teachers wages and other costs. Maybe you and your church would love to take on this challenge????
Initially, we built one class room at the request of the community as it is too far for children to walk to the school in town (11-17km) and with 70 OVC ‘s (orphaned vulnerable children) it was needed. So, we built it! From day one they had more than 200 children come for school.
Since then we have been extending the school, even though they are only rough shelters. Initially we built two more class rooms – that’s as far as the second hand roofing sheets donated from Bunnings covered. This year we needed to finish the last of the four room to give the prep class a space for school as the wet season is fast approaching and being under the trees would not work in the wet.
So with help of few people we had the funds to do a basic extension.
We have delivered cement for the floor, new blackboards and laid a few more bricks. The buildings may be rough-made from a mix of stuff we have collected from all sorts of places, but they work and get the children out the rain and the harsh sun.
To the classrooms we have added some tables and chairs that were donated from Saint Andrews. We have been able to place chairs and tables in 4 different schools which has been great blessing and a great source of school pride. It is one more step to having, as they say, a “Proper School”. Coupled with some amazing teacher’s resources, reading books and passionate, dedicated teachers -these children’s lives are changing.
Thank you all for your support!
