Sarah's School

A few years ago, this was the story of little girl in Boma, DR Congo.

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 what we call camping than how we cook at home.
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.

Although some of this story is still acurate,  things are getting better. The preschool now has a wonderful teacher named Germaine. The students are fed breakfast, they are learning about hygiene, and are starting to learn French - the language of education in the DR Congo. Additionally, the school goes beyond its mandate to take care of babies when saying no would mean they are left at home unattended.

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 20 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

If you would like make a donation to help out with Sarah's School, move to our Donate page.