(Photo courtesy of Baptist Global Response)
Zimbabwe (BGR/MNN) — Some people have a photographic memory and can sit in class, listen to the lesson, and pass all their tests flawlessly even without studying. The majority of students know they have to take notes if they’re going to pass.
But in some places, kids are failing classes simply because they do not have the ability to take notes. This is something that is easily overlooked in the big picture of education in developing countries. But a simple problem with a simple fix has caused people to fall behind several grades.
Baptist Global Response addresses a wide variety of needs in many countries, including education for orphans in Zimbabwe. BGR desires to help people in need reach the fullness of life that God has designed for them by administering His love in these areas. Take the following story, for instance.
Anold was failing primary school–not because he didn’t understand the lessons or because he was too lazy to study. Anold was failing because he had no paper for taking notes.
An orphan in Zimbabwe, the boy lived with extended family who didn’t have the financial means to buy him notebooks. So he went to class each day, sat in his seat, and hoped he could remember the teacher’s lessons. His efforts proved fruitless on test days.
Year after year, Anold kept failing tests and repeating grades until teachers were forced to push him on to the next level, regardless of whether he had learned their material. He just kept getting further and further behind in the lessons. Eventually, he dropped out.
When he turned 12, however, Anold’s life and grades turned around.
That year, he moved into the Caring Center. The Center provided a home for orphans during the school term, made sure they ate well, and gave them school and sports uniforms. The Caring Center also paid school fees for the children and used BGR funds to equip them with pens, notebooks, and other supplies for class. Anold finally had paper for his notes and homework.
Sufficiently equipped, Anold enrolled in classes once again, studied hard, and caught up on several grades of failed lessons. Over time, he began to pass his classes and move through the educational system on his own merit instead of by default.
After four years at the center, Anold is now 16 years old and in the 6th grade, steadily moving forward in school with his notebooks in hand. He might still be behind his age group, but now he is happily getting a real education.
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Pray for Anold to be a blessing wherever he goes and that he would attribute his educational opportunities to God.
