By Heather Oliver, Director of Education at the Village of Eden Christian Primary School
The 2019 school year in Uganda is off to a great start. After only a month of classes, we are already seeing the Lord move in the lives of our students. This year we have 179 students and an incredible staff that is excited to invest in the children through their lessons. Each day, classes consist of English, Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Christian Religious Studies, and Bible. While we value education and the growth it brings to our community in Namuwombi, Uganda, the mission of the Village of Eden Christian Primary School is to turn the hearts of our students to Christ. During the week, there are 4 discipleship groups that meet to encourage children who are new Believers; these groups are intentionally designed to help students grow deeper in their walks with the Lord.
In a society where children are often undervalued and forgotten, we show our students that they are deeply loved, not only by the staff, but also by God. Our special needs class is one of the specific areas that seems counter-cultural here in Uganda, but we believe that every child is valuable because each one is created in the image of God. One student in this class is Linah. She was born with special needs and is unable to talk or walk. Despite her physical disabilities, Linah is very intelligent and loves to learn. Over the past few years, we have seen Linah grow as she is now able to feed herself, identify letters and numbers, as well as draw and write. This year, Linah is learning practical skills such as washing dishes, sweeping, and sorting beans. These skills will enable her to have a job in the future. Her confidence is growing, and it overflows into her beautiful smile! We are so thankful that Linah is a part of the Village of Eden school, and we cannot wait to see how the Lord continues to work in her life.
Each year, we select a theme for our school. In 2018, our theme was “Transformed,” and we focused on Romans 12:1-2. While we are still praying for all our students to be transformed in Christ, we also desire for them to go deeper. This year’s theme is “ROOTED.” We are studying the book of Ephesians—specifically focusing on Ephesians 3:14-21. Our prayer is that our students will be so grounded in Christ that they can stand firm even when troubles come their way. Thank you for your prayers and support as we seek to point our students toward Jesus Christ.
Your gift today will help continue to improve the quality of education in rural Uganda!
