When the Church goes to school

A way out poverty

Actually, it is nothing more than a simple wooden structure that has been built in the south of the Philippine island of Mindanao. But for the people for whom it was built it means everything.

For one, the structure is synonymous with the future: there is room for fifty children in the two classrooms in this new school in Kiamba, an isolated village. Education, the village elder says, is the way out of poverty for the children. They belong to the indigenous T’boli peoples.

Secondly, the new primary school is a joint charity effort. Funded by the Swiss aid organisation NAK Humanitas, the project was carried out and built by NACSEA Relief together with the people of Kiamba.

The building phase was anything but a walk in the park. Getting the building materials to a pick-up point was already a two-hour drive. From there, the material still had to be carried up to the construction site in a five-hour march over rough terrain. “It was worth the effort,” District Evangelist Freddie Nuyad said at the dedication of the school.

So that little ants do not just work

NAK Humanitas is also engaged in projects on the other side of the world. It is currently funding a project in Nicaragua called Las Hormiguitas. The name is no coincidence. It means “little ants”, and this is precisely how many of the children from the poor neighbourhoods in the city of Matagalpa have to work. The unload vans and pick-ups at the local market, carry heavy parcels, or pick up garbage. Since most of them work to help their families, their pay, except for a meal, is usually a pittance.

Thanks to the project, these children can go to school for a few hours a week. Twice a week, the project’s employees visit the market or the city’s dump with their mobile school. The lessons allow the children to escape the stress of their everyday lives for a little while and discover new things. They are offered tutoring, training courses, and leisure activities.

From the foundations to the roof

reCharitable Ministry of the New Apostolic Church USA has been working and helping in Mackenzie, one of the largest shanty towns in Ndola (Zambia). There is no running, clean water and no sewage system, let alone medical care. Most of the population in Mackenzie does not have a full-time job or occupation.

Most children cannot afford to go to public schools, because they do not have money for a school uniform, shoes, and teaching material. This is where so-called community schools come in, which are often supported by non-profit organisations.

Working with iChange International, a humanitarian organisation, reCharitable Ministry provided funds and sent out volunteers to lend a hand and get a project underway: the construction of new classrooms. You can follow the adventure from the digging of the foundations to the building of the roof on Facebook. The latest post reads: “Yay! The classrooms are finished and ready for the school year!”