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Written by Wayne Regehr
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Wednesday, 31 December 2008 14:59 |
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Sarah (not her real name) is a young girl of four years old who recently moved to the city of Boma. Her family moved to Boma so that her Father could study at the FACTEB Seminary to be a pastor and provide leadership for his community. Although Sarah is like many little girls adjusting to a family move, her circumstances are very different.
While Sarah enjoys meeting other kids on the campus and playing outside her life is far from easy. Life is hard in The Democratic Republic of Congo which is where FACTEB University is located, a country where extreme poverty is rampant. When Sarah is called for dinner, she comes quickly as that is likely her only meal for the day.
Instead of living in a nice house or apartment, Sarah lives in a residence that was once decent, but now would be condemned in any western country. Mosquitoes have easy access to Sarah’s soft skin through the openings that once had glass and screens. The cooking is done over an open fire outside and is closer to our camping than domestic bliss.
Sarah’s daily routine consists of waking just after sunrise, getting ready for pre-school and as she does, her stomach growls with the all too familiar hunger pangs. Despite her requests, she must wait for dinner. She walks across the campus with her Mother to the Women’s center where school is held. The center is a shadow of its former self as time and grime, war and hardship have prevented any maintenance. A safe playground is only a dream for the workers and parents, but for now, the children must be careful. The center cannot yet afford a qualified teacher.
About the Program
We heard about Sarah’s School and decided we had to do something about it. It may not make a big difference for all the challenge that is Africa, but it will make a difference for Sarah and her 40 classmates. Please join with us as we work to make the following simple program work:
• A basic feeding program
• A qualified teacher with materials for the students.
• A clean, safe place to play and learn
Any funds raised for Sarah’s School beyond the requirements of the program will be used in other Friends of Boma programs. If you would like to get involved, please drop us a line if you have some ideas how to help, or check out the Donations page. There is a Sarah's School brochure in Adobe PDF format available for download. This will require the Adobe Reader which is free to download. The brochure is designed to be printed on a color printer, two sided utilizing a tri-fold design. Sarah's School |
