Yesterday I wrote about Dr. Augustin Hibaile and his ministry organization, CIDEL. Today I want to tell you about another powerful point of light that is beginning to burn brightly in central Africa. It is the Hand-in-Hand schools. During our last full day in the C.A.R. we visited one of these schools. These schools are for orphans ... and there are many orphans in the country. AIDS is a big problem in Africa ... and the Central African Republic is no exception. As a result, many children are left childless when their parents succumb to AIDS. So the Hand-in-Hand schools are sorely needed!
Here is how a Hand-in-Hand school works: A Grace Brethren Church in the C.A.R. (and there are about 2500 in the country) fulfills the requirements to become a Hand-in-Hand school (I am not sure what all the requirements are, but I do know the church has an application and screening process to go through. Every African church must demonstrate that they will be able to do the following: assure that each orphan is in a good home, clothe each of the orphans and provide health care for each child). Once a church in Africa is approved for participation in the program, a partner church from the United States is found for that church. The U.S. church commits to providing the funds ($4000/year) that will pay the teacher, pay for school supplies and provide one good meal each day. Currently there are 36 Hand-in-Hand schools up and running. Here at Grace we are currently in the process of exploring the possibility of becoming a U.S. partner church. Stay tuned for more info!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
P.S. I took the photo above at one of the Hand-in-Hand schools located in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.
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