Kaffrine Scholarship Project

New School Year Begins With 19 Students on Scholarship

2011-10-15T02:46:00.000-07:00

We have accepted 19 students into the Scholarship Project for the2011-2012 academic year. This includes 2 little boys starting kindergartenfor the first time (both wearing blue in the photo to the left) and 8children in grades 1 through 5* at the Catholic elementary school in Kaffrine. The Scholarship is also enabling 7 middle/highschool** students, some at public schools, some at private schools. Inaddition, one young man from the Kaffrine area is attending the University ofDakar on the Scholarship, and one young woman is going into her second year ofa 2-year nurses’ assistant training program in Kaffrine. We are also excitedthat the University student, who is the only baptised believer in his family,was also able to complete the entire Emmaeus (French Bible correspondence)course last year.

In our work with these youth and in our conversations with theirparents, we stress the importance of seeking to gain knowledge and wisdom aboutthe world through schoolwork (i.e., learning French, math, etc.) but alsothrough studying God’s Word. As we read in 1 Corinthians, knowledge can soeasily “puff us up”; we are to seek to know and love God above all else. Forthis reason, all of the young people who are part of the Scholarship Projectare expected to be part of a weekly Bible study group. They are also invited toparticipate in other events and activities within the Christian community; forexample, this September, 17 out of the 19 Scholarship students participated inSIM’s annual Wolof Christian Children’s Camp. During this year’s camp, five ofour older Scholarship students took on significant leadership roles, showingevidence of spiritual growth and increasing maturity and leadership skills.

We praise the Lord for the work He is doing in these young people'slives and we pray that He will continue to provide for their education and groweach one in wisdom and understanding. We are thankful for all of your prayersand support for this Scholarship Project!

First photo: Elementary school children ready for the first day of school, wearing their new uniforms and backpacks full of school supplies provided by the Scholarship.

Second photo: Katie Garrett organizing school supplies for the Scholarship students

Third photo: Three of the older Scholarship students leading the singing at our Wolof Christian Camp a few weeks ago

* The Senegalese equivalent being C.I. through C.M.I.

** "Collège/lycée" in French.

New Students Accepted into the Scholarship Project

2011-10-05T07:15:00.000-07:00

One of the most exciting aspects of this year’s Scholarship Project is seeing two of the younger students begin school for the first time. Last year, these children, one a 9 yr.-old girl (see her photo at left), the other a 6-yr. old boy, were only attending occasional neighborhood Koranic lessons, where Arabic letters and Muslim prayers are memorized. Although the head of the household of these two children is himself a baptised follower of Jesus, the vast majority of the large extended family is Muslim. Last year, we were told that these two children were being sent to Koranic school to appease the Muslim members of the family, while the other children in the family had the privilege of attending French school through our Scholarship Project.

It might be easier to understand this if you know that is extremely common in Muslim households in Senegal to choose one child to “give” to the Muslim religious leader. This is seen as a fulfillment of a religious duty, like tithing one out of the ten children in a family. The Senegalese government does not make school attendance obligatory so any choice regarding education is entirely up to each family. Many Senegalese see more value in having their children help with the family’s farming, housework or other work to contribute to the family income. Others simply can’t afford to buy even the most basic school supplies and to pay the $10 registration fee for the public school. The official statistics cite that less than 60% of children attend primary school, but these statistics include Koranic schools, which provide not so much an education as religious training and which are criticized by human rights groups for their exploitation of children as the schools are characterized by physical neglect and abuse and the “students’” primary daily responsibility is to beg money for the religious leader.

So we were surprised and thrilled when this Christian father came to us asking if these two youngsters could begin attending the local Catholic school on scholarship this year! Somehow, he has overcome the fears and family issues that were keeping these children out of school and is taking advantage of this opportunity. It is clear that if the Lord had not guided the SIM Kaffrine team to begin this Scholarship Project, and if generous donors had not given the money needed, these two children would not be attending school this year, much less the best primary school in Kaffrine! The tuition at the Catholic primary school where they are now enrolled is $16 U.S./month. This amount is beyond the family’s means but it seems a small price to pay to see these youngsters become literate, learn French, and have the future open up before them with a myriad of new possibilities! Praise the Lord for this dramatic turn in the direction of Babou and Ndèye’s lives!

First photo: 9 year-old Ndeye, enrolled in school for the first time!

Second photo: 4 year-old Ganda, our youngest Scholarship student, is starting kindergarten this year.

Third photo: The two second-grade girls in the middle are both new Scholarship students this year.

Young Swiss Missions Intern Mentors Scholarship Students

2011-05-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Silas Rupp is a 19-year old Swiss Christian who speaks English, French and now, Wolof. He has been living in Kaffrine this year, working with the seven Scholarship students of one Wolof family in particular. He writes about what he has seen happening in the lives of these students:

Bringing the kids to school and helping them study in the afternoons has been my main task over the last few months here in Senegal. I now have great relationships with them and most of the kids have improved their results in school. On the other hand, I have been confronted with different views of time management and efficiency (I`m Swiss!) which has caused misunderstanding and frustration. That seems to be part of being a teacher in a different culture; in the end I feel both sides have grown to understand each other better.

For example, Fatou, my oldest primary school student, seemed to have a lazy attitude about math lessons. I didn't enjoy teaching her because she was not motivated and thought she would never be able to understand what I tried to explain in my broken French. Six times a year the students receive test results; Fatou wasn`t even earning half of the total points overall, so I decided to focus on her math. It was hard work and took longer than with the other students. I had to learn math vocabulary in French; she was working hard and I gave her more homework. We prayed a lot for her. When we got back the results of the last big tests recently, we saw that not only her math grades, but also her marks in all the other subjects, have improved! I agreed with her teacher who told me that he thinks that Fatou’s attitude has changed for the better. She was one of the highest-scoring students in her class during this last marking period and she more than doubled her points!

When the afternoons are long and hot, the kids and I start to feel tired and lazy. The heat sometimes just kills our motivation and then the lessons end in traditional chanting or dances. Once, when the household was totally busy, we weren't able to stay concentrated and my oldest student Abdou and I climbed the tree in the middle of our compound to study up in the branches. It wasn't long before all the students were up in the tree! When the lesson was over we decided to “borrow” all the shoes we could find and hang them on all the branches, so that it ended up looking like a Senegalese Christmas tree. After a while all the shoe-searching people started to come looking for their flip-flops. We gave them back to their owners from up in the tree. We had great fun together that afternoon.

Besides the progress the students are making in school and the great fun we are having, I see God working on the kids and on myself as their teacher or older brother. He leads many of our discussions and has destroyed many cultural barriers. Without His help all of this would not have been possible. Let`s never stop praying. Thank you for your support!

(1st photo: Big smile from a 1st grade Scholarship student; 2nd photo: Silas up in a tree; 3rd photo: A high school Scholarship student studying hard)

2011 Update

2011-04-27T05:27:00.000-07:00

Since 2007, this project has been enabling youth from the Christian community of Kaffrine, who are otherwise at risk of not getting a good education, to go to school by paying their tuition and associated school fees and costs. We see this project as a strategic investment in the next generation of leaders in the Wolof church in Senegal and are excited to see how God is working to equip these young people for the future.

During this 2010-2011 academic year the Scholarship Project is helping 13 young people to attend school . This includes five elementary school-aged children in grades 1 through 6 at the Catholic school in Kaffrine. The Scholarship is also helping six middle/high school students attend the secular schools here in town. In addition, one young man from the Kaffrine area is attending the University of Dakar on the Scholarship, and one young woman is in her first year of a 2-yr. nurses’ assistant training program in Kaffrine.

In our work with these youth, we stress the importance of studying both schoolwork (ie, French, math, etc.) and God’s Word. All of these young people participate in a Bible study group and other events and activities within the Christian community, including the annual Wolof Christian Children’s Camp.

This year, we have been able to supplement the studies of these students through the ministries of two SIM short-term missionaries, Silas Rupp and Alexia Bourniquet.

Silas, a 19-yr. old from SIM Switzerland, has spent the year in Kaffrine particularly working with 7 of the children in the Scholarship Project who are from the same family. He has lived with this family and helped the children daily with their school work. Through his service to and relationships with the young people in this family, he has had many opportunities to model and speak about the Christian life.

Alexia, a university student from SIM France, has come to Kaffrine for 2 months to complete a final practicum towards her Teaching French as a Foreign Language degree. She is giving weekly French reinforcement classes to the Scholarship students which have been greatly appreciated by the older students.

Current Financial Needs (as of April 2011)Total Project Cost: $11,180.00 U.S. (to run the Scholarship Program through 2015)
There is a current balance in the project account of about $5,800 U.S.

(First photo: A 4th-grade Scholarship student; second photo: Making a chalkboard on the side of a hut to use for homework; third photo: Silas with some of his students)

I'm so thankful I need to write a blog post about it!

2010-08-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

God answered our prayers today.

There is an extended Wolof family here who has a grouping of huts in a village 15 km outside of Kaffrine, as well as a compound with several thatched-roof huts here in town. The family has been farming the fields near their village home for decades. They are a poor family; the husband and his three wives have many children and there is no running water or electricity in either of the family homes. But God has knit this family together with our missionary team over the years. Several members of the family have placed their faith in Christ and all have heard a lot of Bible teaching. It is only recently, because the Scholarship Project has paid for their children to attend school, that the children have moved to the Kaffrine family home. One son is attending high school and the next son is ready to enter high school next year. Five younger siblings have been attending the best elementary school here in town through the Scholarship Project.

We heard in recent conversations that the father was thinking of moving all five of the elementary school-aged kids back to the village, in essence throwing away their scholarship, and essentially, their education, as the one-room schoolhouse in the village provides almost no chance of going on to even a middle school level. He is feeling financial pressures right now and thinking it might cut their family's living costs to move the kids back out to the village and just have them work in the fields and doing housework. Our team prayed that this would not happen. We have seen so much growth and so much potential in these youngsters; the 5th grade daughter has done particularly well and the daughter who is in first grade was near the top of her class.

We are so relieved and thankful that the father just came by our house and let us know that he had changed his mind! No one on our team had tried to convince him - he said that his high school-age son had talked him out of it! Corey assured him that he is planting seeds for the future by making it possible for his children to get an education. We see God's hand on this family and pray that He will indeed raise up these young people to love and serve Him well throughout their whole lives, and that He will use this education to empower them to greater service on behalf of their family, their community, and the Church of Senegal.

Faith!

2010-04-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Six or seven years ago, some of the missionaries from our Kaffrine team began teaching the Bible stories to the children in a village about 15 km outside of Kaffrine. Abdou was around 12 years old at the time. His father was the only baptized believer in the village so the children’s storying group was held at their home. Abdou came to the group each week and was quick to participate, answering the questions boldly. When it came time for him to move into Kaffrine to attend high school, his family wouldn’t have been able to afford it, except that the Lord provided for his education through the Scholarship Project. During the last three years he has lived in the town of Kaffrine in order to attend high school, all the while faithfully attending the guys’ Bible study groups and Wolof church meetings. However, whenever he was asked about his own personal faith, he always identified himself as a seeker who was still studying, looking for the truth.

Last week, Bennie Bonthuys, our SIM Senegal director who has been working with the Kaffrine Wolof guys’ youth group during the last three years, had a conversation with Abdou while they were driving in the car out to a Wolof Sunday morning village service together. When Bennie asked Abdou where he was in his spiritual search, Abdou said, for the first time, that he believes in Jesus! He immediately added that he is afraid of persecution. This declaration of faith is an answer to many years of prayer! Pray for the Spirit to bring courage and boldness, and for strong faith and an understanding of the depth of God’s love that will drive out Abdou’s fear. Pray for Abdou, for his younger siblings in the Scholarship program, and for his mother, to all choose to follow Christ and to be baptized. Pray for his father, who has just recently lost his long-time job. Pray for the family to see that God provides for all of their needs, and for the family to be a shining witness for Christ in Kaffrine and in their home village. Praise the Lord for Abdou’s decision to believe in Jesus and pray that God will use the discipleship and education he is now receiving to further His Kingdom!

2010 Update

2010-04-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this academic year, which began in October of 2009, we had 10 students in the Scholarship Project. This included 6 elementary school-aged children and three middle/high school students. For the first time, we also have a first-year university student in the Scholarship Program. We are particularly excited about this young man who has earned a spot at university because he has made such a clear decision to live for the Lord . Pray for his adjustment to university-level study and to life in the capital city of Dakar. Pray also for him to connect with other believers and to grow in his faith.

Before the beginning of the second trimester we learned that two other young seekers whom different members of our SIM missionary team are discipling were not in school because of a lack of finances. Both are teenage girls who have been coming to Christian meetings with members of our team for at least two years. Both of them had failed to pass the public school exam at the end of the school year last year. The Scholarship Project is paying for a second chance for each of them at a private school here in town. Pray for both of them to succeed this time and pray also for each of them to decide to give their lives to the Lord.

All of these young people participate in a weekly Bible study group and other events and activities within the Christian community. One significant event which took place just before the school year began in September was the annual Wolof Christian Children’s Camp; all of the kids (over the age of 9) from the Scholarship program were able to attend the camp, which was a real highlight of the year for them and for us. Praise the Lord for His blessing on the camp and continue to pray for His Spirit's work in the hearts of each of the Scholarship students.

End of School Year Approaching Fast

2009-06-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

The students are preparing for final exams. School ends in just a few weeks. As we look back on this school year, we are filled with thankfulness and praise to see what the Lord has done through the Scholarship project. He has provided the money we needed to pay for all 12 of the students’ school supplies and fees for this past year – and not only that --- there is still enough money in the Scholarship Project account to pay for all of the students again next year! We are so grateful to all of you who have given and prayed – thank you! God has blessed in other ways too: He has answered our worried prayers for the students with tough living situations here in Kaffrine and He has also blessed the young guys’ Bible study group and the girls’ Bible storying group beyond what we had hoped for!

The young men in the first group are meeting constantly, praying for each other, studying the Word deeply, and desiring to do everything they can to draw others to Christ. The girls’ group continues to have new kids come every week; in fact, each Saturday we seem to have added another boy or two – to the point that I don’t feel I can call it a girls’ group anymore – there are too many boys! This younger group is a good mix of the kids from the Scholarship Project who come from a Christian background and others who are from Muslim or Catholic backgrounds and who are hearing the Bible stories for the first time.

I was encouraged yesterday when one of the young believers from the Scholarship Project told me that one of his classmates is interested in coming to the girls’ group. He asked me if it was too late for her to join the group – of course, I said we would be thrilled to have her come! Two of the other young guys from the Wed. group are already talking to some of their friends about coming to the Wolof Christian Children’s Camp at the end of the summer. How long will it be before one of these guys leads a friend to Christ? In all of the time I have lived in Kaffrine, I have not yet seen a Wolof believer lead another Wolof person to Christ – all of the believers I know have heard the Gospel through the work of foreign missionaries. If these young local believers catch the vision for passing on the Good News themselves, it will be the beginning of the answer to our most fervent prayers for the Wolof people – the beginning of a People Group Movement. Pray with us that God will use these young people to start a movement where the Truth and the hope, joy, and salvation that accompany it, spreads among the Wolof like wildfire!

As you pray for the children of the Scholarship Project, you can specifically be praying for the following things:

--Pray for the public high-school students who are trying to take final exams based on 9 months of study after having only gone to school for about half of that time because of the strikes.

--Pray that we will be able to register all of the Scholarship high-schoolers in local private schools for next year so they will be able to study all year and not be affected by the strikes.

--Pray that all of the Scholarship students will pass into the next grade. This is not a given here, even in elementary school, as the grading is much stricter than in the U.S.

--Pray for the Lord to provide the $2,680 we need to run the Wolof Christian Children’s Camp at the end of this summer. Pray that all of the Scholarship students will be able to attend, that they will invite their interested friends, and that God will bless the camp and touch the hearts of the young people who attend in life-changing ways.

God is answering our prayers!

2009-03-18T03:20:00.000-07:00

Two encouraging stories

We are praising God as we can see Him at work in the lives of the young people who are involved in the Scholarship Project. Those of you who are praying for these young people will be particularly encouraged by what has been happening recently in the lives of Malle, a Wolof high-school boy, and Adja, a Wolof girl who is in the 3rd grade at the Catholic school this year.

Adja is the one I asked you to pray for in last month's post. She had been going to school in the village until this year, when she moved into Kaffrine to attend the strong Catholic school here. This has been a very difficult time for her for several reasons: 1) her mom died just over a year ago, 2) she has moved twice since school started because things didn't work out at the first place in town where she and her younger sister tried to live, 3) she is now living with Musl. relatives in town who often make fun of her and her father for being Christians, and 3) the schoolwork, particularly the level of French, is much more advanced than what she had experienced in the village school.

The praise report is that I recently talked to Adja's teacher and the director of the school and they both say that she has made a drastic improvement in her reading and school performance. I had shared my concerns with her father and he and her teacher sat down together with her and gave her a strong pep talk. Since then, there has been a marked improvement in her work. Continue to pray that she will be able to pass onto the next grade at the end of the school year.

I also spent an hour talking with Adja this past Sunday afternoon about the ugly things her extended family are saying to her about being a Christian and about getting money from the "toubabs", etc. She was particularly upset because she said, "I'm not a Christian, but they all accuse me of being one!" I talked about how there are two paths in front of her, the Way of Moham. and the Way of Jesus, and I encouraged her to continue to learn all she can about both ways before making her decision. I gave her a brief comparison of the lives of Jesus and Moham. and explained why I have chosen to follow Jesus. I shared Jesus' parable about the wide, easy road that leads to hell, and the narrow road full of trials and persecution which few find but which leads to heaven. Finally, I challenged her to try to respond to cursing as the Bible encourages us to respond, with blessing. Adja responded to everything I said with more questions. She left with a lot to think about! Pray for her to see the Truth and the Way.

Malle is an extremely mature high-schooler who has clearly chosen to follow Jesus. He was baptised a few years ago and has since continued to mature in the faith. He is a core member of the guy's weekly Bible study and often invites other non-christian friends to attend. Two things I recently heard about Malle touched my heart deeply.

The first is that Malle asked our teammates, Bennie and Maggs, for more christian reading material. They gave him a book with in-depth Bible study which he is diligently working through on his own. This is in addition to his school studies and his faithful participation in the Wed. evening Bible studies, and all-day Sunday Wolof meetings every week! He has a hunger for the Word that is a challenge to me.

The other incident that made me want to sing and cry at the same time, happened earlier this year. He had been living with Musl. relatives here in town since we started the Scholarship Project. This family, like Adja's family, gave him a hard time, teasing him about reading his Bible, etc. At one point, in an attempt to get him to change his mind and return to Isla., the family told him that he couldn't live there anymore unless he stopped following Jesus because they didn't want to eat out of the same bowl as him or share a home with a Christian. Upon hearing this, he quietly got up and got his younger sister, they packed their bags, and left. They went home to their parents in the village for a few days until they could find another place to live in Kaffrine. After that, the family, realizing their threats hadn't worked, asked the kids to come back. The younger sister is living there again now, and Malle has been staying at his village teacher's Kaffrine home. The reason this story moves me so much is because of the calm conviction that Malle has in his heart. And what a beautiful witness he and his sister and their parents have been to the rest of their family! Malle has chosen to follow Jesus, and he doesn't complain about the difficulties this brings him daily, nor does he try to hide his faith - he simply and quietly lives it out. Praise God for Malle and the other believers in his family. Pray for God to continue to strengthen and deepen their faith and to use them to bring many others to know Him.

Scholarship Project Update

2009-02-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

The students are halfway through the 2008-2009 school year now and we are thankful for your gifts and prayers that are allowing them to get an education. Our SIM Kaffrine team continues to be encouraged to see how God is working in exciting ways among the youth here. Some praise and prayer points as you remember these special young people before the Father:

Praise God for the boys' high school group that has been meeting every Wednesday evening for the last two months. Three of the boys are also in the Scholarship project and are only able to go to school here in town because of the Project. This weekly meeting of about 7 guys has an incredible depth to the Bible study and discussion times. In addition, Corey is working with one young man to teach him to play the guitar; the guys really seem to enjoy the Wolof worship songs with guitar and djembe. Pray for those who are seeking but still uncommitted to Christ to give their lives wholeheartedly to Him. Pray for those who believe to have the courage to witness to their friends and family.
Praise God for the Wolof Girls' Youth Group that Katie has been leading on Saturday afternoons during the last two months. This group, of primarily elementary-school-aged girls, has grown to over 20 girls. There are six girls in the group who are also part of the Scholarship Project. These girls are the most knowledgable about the Bible stories; for almost all of the others, all that we are studying is completely new. I am not sure what the families in the neighborhood think about this group; sometimes the girls are being called out of the meeting and I'm not sure if it is because their parents object to what I'm teaching them. Pray for the Gospel message to be heard and understood and to take root deeply in these young girls' hearts, even if their parents eventually forbid them from coming. Pray for the Scholarship girls, who have christian parents, to be strengthened in their understanding/faith and testimony.
Two of the Scholarship girls are living in a difficult situation. Their mother died just over a year ago and their Christian father has struggled to find a good place for them to live in town this year so they could begin going to school. They are staying with his in-laws, an entirely Mus. family who are discouraging the girls from coming to the youth group meeting and have even tried to get them to attend Arabic/Mus. school in their neighborhood instead. Their father has boldly repeated his desire that they learn "the christian way" first. Praise God for his courage and pray for these girls who are being pulled in two opposing directions.
Also pray for the older of the two sisters mentioned above in regards to her school work. She is coming from the village school last year and the poor quality of her education up to this point is becoming painfully obvious. The director of the school warned me that her French level is very low and she might not pass the 3th grade this year. Pray for her to be able to learn quickly and catch up. Praise God that the younger sister is at the head of her class in the 1st grade!

Again, thank you so much for your continued prayers for the 12 unique children in this program. Pray most of all that Jesus will be glorified in the lives of these kids and their families as they seek to live out their faith and raise their children to know and love Jesus and His Word in a context that is radically opposed to christianity.

Saturday Evening Girls' Youth Group Debut

2009-01-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled with how our first Girls' Youth Group meeting went this evening! I had been wanting to start this up since we got back from our home assignment and
had talked about it several times with Helene, a Senegalese christian friend who lives here in Kaffrine. She was keen to be involved too; she has a real heart for ministry and is gifted in evangelism. And of course, she speaks Wolof fluently, and always understands the kids' mumbled Wolof slang that I miss! We make a good team, I think. I had picked out some Bible verses and planned a simple inductive Bible study. I made some brownies from scratch and was still prayerfully going over my notes when the first three girls arrived at 3:30!

By the time we started there were 12 girls plus our three Garrett girls, ranging in age from Wheaton (age 3) up to age 11. The two neighbor girls who live upstairs were happy that we were having a "party" for Wolof girls and participated with gusto. I was so happy to see how easily they fit in with the others, and the 11-year old who lives upstairs surprised me when she prayed fluidly in the name of Jesus at the end of the meeting. I wonder if she hasn't picked up a lot more than just some English phrases from hanging out in our home all the time!

Five of the girls who came are part of the Scholarship Project, which means they have at least one christian parent and have already been part of a children's storying group or Sunday School in the past. The other girls were all friends or relatives that those five had invited. Although this was probably less indicative of a desire to share Jesus with their friends than it was simply a cultural inclusiveness - I was so glad that the others came along and pray that they will continue to attend.

We first had the brownies and juice, gateau and jus, both a real treat for all of these girls as evidenced by the fact that there aren't even words for cake or juice in Wolof! Then we played an ice-breaker game to help everyone get to know each other's names. It felt like we were back at Youth Group in America! We talked about why we want to have this group (to have fun and make friends, to study God's Word, to encourage each other in what's right) and we read and discussed several short Scripture passages about what God tells us to do. One of the passages was Hebrews 10:24-25 which says, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another..." In Ephesians 5 we saw that we are told to "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..." so we went ahead and obeyed that command by singing several songs in Wolof. Corey played the drum and we certainly made a joyful noise to the Lord!

After our Bible study, Helene and I reviewed what we had seen that God is telling us to do through the passages we had looked at. Helene strongly encouraged the girls to "meditate on the Book day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it" as we were instructed in Joshua 1:8. Since another one of things we saw that we are supposed to do is to give thanks to God in the name of Jesus, I suggested we close by going around the room and having each person thank God for something. Some of the girls were too shy to pray out loud like this, coming from a Muslim context where public prayer is almost always a recitation of words memorized in Arabic. If all we do is help these girls realize that God understands Wolof and that we can talk to Him whenever we want, we will have accomplished something vital!

After the meeting, (and a lesson for some in how to use our American toilet!) and the additional treat of cold water with ice from our freezer, we got out a bunch of jump ropes (given to us by The Master's School - thank you!) and all the girls had a blast jumping rope, laughing and competing to see who could jump the most times in a row. It seemed to me that most of the girls left reluctantly as dusk approached.

In all, I think everyone had a good time and we all certainly enjoyed each other's company. Afterwards, Helene said to me that the most important thing we can do is to pray. Will you help us in that way? We are both praying that God will use this group to draw each one of these girls into a saving relationship with Him. Please pray with us, that our Father will bless our little youth group, add to our numbers, and use it to make us each more like Him.

New School Year

2008-12-20T03:46:00.000-08:00

The Good News

All of the Scholarship Project students passed their final exams at the end of last year and were able to continue onto the next grade level. In Senegal, this is not a given. We are particularly proud of Ndeye Khady, who passed her elementary school final exam and gained a place in the high school.
All of the village children who had come into Kaffrine to go to school last year have been able to find a suitable place to live again this year. There were several for whom this was not certain: one father said he didn't think he'd be able to afford to find them housing in town this year; because of the good rainy season, he was able to build several huts on his Kaffrine land and move his first wife from the village into Kaffrine to take care of all of the children. Another student, who was often persecuted by the Muslim relatives she was living with because of her faith in Jesus, reports that this year things are much improved and she will have the freedom to attend church and Youth Group. Praise God!
Two daughters of the believer who was baptised last Christmas were able to move from the village to Kaffrine to attend the Catholic school in town for the first time this year. Their mother died last Christmas and they are now able to live with their mother's sister (their aunt) here in town and still see their father often. This change in schools is a tremendous opportunity for them to receive a decent education and will significantly change their future. Also, because they are in Kaffrine, they will be able to be part of regular christian meetings and be discipled in God's Word.
As I talked to the Wolof christians parents of the Scholarship students about the reason we are doing this project, I was encouraged by their response. I explained what our expectations are of their children: that they will work hard at their studies, that they will be part of the christian community and study God's Word and be seeking the Truth, and that they will be good witnesses who represent Christ's body well even if they are not yet believers. One father, whose high school son has not been baptised, said that while his son hasn't yet made the decision to become a christian, he is constantly reading his Bible. We both agree that Jeremiah 29:13 is true: " You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

The Bad News

The public high school students have continued striking regularly, as they have been for the last three years. Sometimes they roam around Kaffrine en masse wreaking havoc, throwing rocks, closing all the elementary and private schools and breaking things. Other times they have big assemblies at the school where student leaders rant and rave about the conditions; other days they simply refuse to go to school at all. This means that there have been barely any class days so far this year. Last week the new governor of Kaffrine moved into the brand new house next to us, and the students came and threw rocks breaking all the windows in the governor's house. Three of the Scholarship Project students are in high school. One of them was able to get a place at a private high school in town so his studies have not been interrupted, but the other two are falling behind. We plan to get them into the private school early next year. Pray for the students to stop striking and rioting, both for their own sakes and for the safety of the general public.
One of the girls who has been in the village school until this year has just received her first marking period report card for 4th grade at the Catholic school and she is failing. Pray for her to be able to adjust to the higher level of study and catch up in order to pass at the end of the year.

Thanks for your continued prayers and gifts making this project possible! We are confident that there will be many long-term benefits for the Wolof church of the future because of your generosity and concern.

In Christ,

Katie Garrett

End of Second Trimester Report

2008-03-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon at closing assembly all the students gathered in the courtyard around the Senegalese flag and several announcements were made; one announcement made my heart sing for joy! Fatou, one of the Scholarship students, received a prize given by Unicef for being the second best female student in her class! Her name was announced with the other prize winners and she was awarded a new notebook, a pen, and a bar of soap. And to think that she would have been wasting away in a village school with no possibility of going on in her studies after elementary school if not for the Scholarship Project! It made me so grateful for all of you who are giving Fatou and the others a chance to learn and succeed. Thank you!

Today was the end of the second trimester for the five Scholarship Project students at the Catholic school. I had a chance to talk with the director of the school and with each of the teachers. In fact, I got to accompany one of the moms, a close friend and fellow believer, as she went to each classroom and received the report card for each of her four children along with the teacher’s comments. Overall, it was a very good report. Obviously, Fatou’s teacher had high praise for her, and I was pleased that all of the children have received passing marks. Each of the teachers seemed confident that the students in our program will be able to pass the final government exam required to continue their studies. This is an answer to prayer, given how competitive the system is here, and the poor educational background of these students coming from one-room village schools.

Another highlight, and at the same time, a subject for prayer, relates to the conversations I had with both the director and the teacher of the last grade in the [elementary] school. The oldest girl in the Scholarship Project, Khady, struggles in French writing (who doesn’t?!) but her math grade was outstanding. The teacher said that her grade of 55 out of 60 in math was exceptional and virtually assures her admittance into high school next year. This is evidence of great giftedness.

At the same time, the director and I talked about how difficult Khady’s living situation is. A baptized believer herself, and the children of believers, Khady is currently living in the town of Kaffrine with a Muslim aunt and her large household. Her aunt has been loading Khady down with household work every day and not allowing her to participate in church or youth group meetings regularly. There is a spirit of persecution in the household and Khady and her older brother, a high-schooler in the Scholarship program, are often mocked for being Christians, for not doing Muslim prayers or going to the mosque, or for reading the Bible. In talking with Khady recently, it seems that she is being made to do so much work before school each morning that sometimes she isn’t allowed to eat breakfast because it is not all done. Other times, when she is supposed to go to afternoon classes her aunt either doesn’t let her go, accusing her of wanting to go get into trouble, or she follows her to make sure she is really going to school. Knowing Khady, the director and I both agreed that this is a ridiculous idea! Khady is a sweet girl who loves God and tries to do what is right. I talked to Khady’s father last week about this situation and he said that he is trying to find another place for her to board next year. The problem is that the family is struggling to have enough food to eat after the disastrous rainy season so he is dependent on the generosity of his sister to house and feed Khady. Please pray for this difficult situation to be resolved for Khady’s sake and to the glory of God. Pray for Khady and her brother, Mallé, to persevere in their studies and for God to enable them to bless those who persecute them, thereby showing God’s love and grace.

At school!

2008-03-06T04:22:00.000-08:00

Khady, her little brother, and Keba

2008-02-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Youth Group drums section!

Good report on Scholarship Kids from director of school

2008-02-06T01:57:00.000-08:00

I was extremely encouraged by my conversation with the director of the Catholic school today. I asked how the Scholarship Project kids were doing and she gave me a very positive report.

She raved about the sweet spirit of the oldest girl, Khady, who is 14, and assured me that she is certain that she will pass the test at the end of the school year in order to gain admittance to the public high school. The village teacher who had been teaching Khady last year told me that no girl from that village school has ever passed the test to gain a place in the high school - so this will be a very big deal! Khady has been studying the Bible in the village for years and asked to be baptised last year. I am so glad that God is blessing her in this way; what a wonderful witness to those adults and children in her village who have persecuted her and her family for their faith in Jesus to see her going forward in her studies.

At the same time that Khady is doing well and earning the praise of the director at school, she is enduring a difficult living situation. She and her older brother, who is studying at the local high school through the Scholarship project, are living in Kaffrine at the home of an aunt. They are the only followers of Jesus in this Muslim household and this is not easy. Khady's aunt will only allow Khady to go to one christian meeting a week. This is sad and difficult for her, and also a shame for the Sunday school group and the girls' Bible study group because she was such a strong participant and contributor to these groups. She is required to do housework, wash clothes by hand, etc., in return for being allowed to sleep in her aunt's hut and eat from the common bowl. This work, in addition to her school work, does not leave her enough time to fully participate in the life of the Body as one would want. Pray that God will give Khady patience and endurance to humbly work for her aunt without complaining and at the same time to succeed in her studies and continue growing in her faith.

The director said that all of the students are working very hard and are very well-behaved. When she talked about Keba, she broke into a big smile. She said that he is such a good kid, so mature, polite and responsible, that she has made him the library leader for his class. His younger sister, Fatou, was chosen by her teacher to be a group leader in her class. I am so pleased that the director of the school is so impressed with all of the Scholarship kids because I think it reflects well on Jesus, whom their families are committed to following. The director also let me know how much she appreciates Fatou and Keba's father. She says that he has contributed wise, gentle words at the parents' meetings and that she is so glad he has been asked to join the parents' school board. She told me she thinks he will contribute a much-needed voice to the board. I am glad that his testimony, as one of only a handful of evangelical christians in town, is being recognized so postively and that he will be in a place to speak truth in the community. Praise God and continue to pray for the witness of all the believers in Kaffrine, particularly for these children and their families.

Mom sees impact of education at home

2008-02-06T01:28:00.000-08:00

I recently talked to Mame Boye, the mother of several of the Kaffrine Scholarship kids, and was so encouraged by the progress that she is seeing at home. Four kids from her household have moved from the village into the town of Kaffrine with her in order to attend the Catholic elementary school through the Scholarship Project; another older son is benefitting from the Scholarship Fund in order to be able to study at the public high school.

Mame Boye has seen an incredible difference in the education her children are receiving now, after only four months, as compared to the one-room village school they were in last year. Fatou, who is 11, came home from school saying that their teacher is encouraging them to speak French at home to practice. Fatou is keen and is trying to use her French at home now. Even the youngest, who is in kindergarten at the French school, understood when he was asked in French, “Où est ton père?”(Where is your father?) Mame Boye reported this with laughter and amazement.

We love the Wolof language and will always encourage our friends here to cherish their culture; at the same time we have seen the way that an education, including the ability to speak French, is the first step towards having choices here in Senegal. The agricultural situation is bleak. For even the most basic kind of salaried job, even to work at the gas station, French, and a high-school education is required. The news on t.v. is in French, the instructions on medecine from the pharmacy are in French, the Old Testament is in French, World Vision, who work actively here and who need more christians on staff, work in French. Someone who only speaks Wolof here will have little chance of a good paying job, and would not be well-equipped to be a leader in their community or in their church.

Mame Boye, and all of us here, are excited to see that the kids are making such good progress and are learning to love learning. An 11-year old who is excited about what she is learning at school and who is pushing the whole family to learn too! This gives me great hope for Fatou's future, and the future of her brothers and sisters! And it makes me thankful for how God is making this possible through gifts from His people in America... Keep praying for the kids and for God's provision and blessing on them!

Education for young believers

2008-01-14T03:37:00.001-08:00

The school system in rural Senegal has holes in it large enough for a group of elephants to fall through, or, as in this case, whole groups of children. There are gaps at every level and for a host of reasons.

Many villages simply have no schools at all, besides the Muslim "Arabic schools" which teach no French or Wolof, or math, or other practical academic subject, but rather drill the children in the recitation of letter sounds and prayers in Arabic, a language they don't understand. Our SIM team ministers in several villages like this where there is no French village school. In these situations, if parents desire an education for their children, the children must walk several kilometers to reach a one-room schoolhouse in a neighboring village. This is so discouraging that in one village where we work, Tobène, there are only four children in the whole village who are making this hot trek each day during the school year.

Even in villages where there is a French school, the quality of education depends entirely on the lone teacher, who is responsible for the elementary students of all levels with essentially an oven-like classroom, a chalkboard, and some old-fashioned desks as his only materials. The context of poverty and illiteracy in these subsistence-farming communities along with a lack of appreciation for the potential future benefits of an education also contribute to a poor scholastic environment. The whole family, including the children, work hard to farm enough to survive, so the time and money necessary for schoolwork and school supplies is not given priority or sometimes is simply impossible to come by. We were told that in Gidda, another village where our team is ministering, because of all of these factors, no girl has ever graduated from the village elementary school!

For those dedicated students who do manage to pass the elementary school final exam and earn one of the precious openings in high school, this means leaving home and finding a place to stay in the town of Kaffrine. Often the expenses involved in this kind of boarding along with the school fees and required supplies are prohibitive.

Over the past several years, our team has had the opportunity to work with the children of the few believers scattered in different villages around Kaffrine. We are excited to see this ongoing ministry of teaching and discipling begin to bear priceless fresh fruit! There are a handful of Wolof young people who are boldly following Christ in spite of the harsh response this can often provoke. As we have done children's storying groups, children's Christian summer camps, Sunday School, and now youth Bible study groups, we are seeing these precious young people grow spiritually and begin to find and exercise their spiritual gifts in ways that get us excited about the potential for Christian service to their own country in the future.

We want to do all we can to help these young followers of Christ get an education. For this reason, we have begun a Scholarship Project which will ensure that these youth will be able to continue their studies by paying the tuition and associated school fees and costs for twelve children each year in public and Catholic schools. Already this year, we have enabled five children of believers to begin attending the Catholic school in Kaffrine, which is the best elementary education available in this area, and which only costs $12 per month per child. The project is also allowing two high-schoolers to study in town, as well as providing school supplies for four young children of believers attending village schools. We see this project as a strategic investment in the next generation of leaders in the Wolof church in Senegal.

This is a new project in need of donations. If you feel the Spirit nudging you as you read about this project, please consider sending a check made out to SIM for the Kaffrine Scholarship Project, Project # SN 95300, to SIM at P.O. Box 7900, Charlotte, NC 28241. Thank you for your support and prayers!