Zambia (MNN) — An education
brings the hope of a better life.
In some Third World countries,
while that's generally accepted, the access to a school presents the
difficulty. It's not unusual for the
closest school to be over a couple hours walk away.
The Zebbell family in Dowagiac,
Michigan decided to do something about that. They're going to be building a three-room schoolhouse for a village next
month in Zambia, about 25 miles from Lusaka. Their mission is to provide
quality education for spiritual, physical, mental and social economical
development to the society of Zambia.
This project took on some unique
partnership dimensions with Worldwide Christian Schools and ROCS, Reformed Open
Community Schools. Through the
connections, the Zebbells will be building a Christ-centered school that will
open doors for the kids. A school like
this will impact the lives of many children with the Gospel, year after year
through this school, and community leaders are thrilled with the promise of it.
The local community will be
preparing the foundations and starting the project before Team Zambia arrives.
The goal is to have national workers working alongside the members of the Team
Zambia Worldwide Hands Team.
Right now, the project is 51% funded, and the Zebbells are still trying to raise
just over $20,000 by late June. The
team is made up of the Zebbells, their three kids, a friend of the family,
their pastor and his wife, and their pastor's daughter, already a missionary in
Africa.
Aside from the building of the
school, the team hopes to hold some teacher trainings, a basic medical clinic,
and some other outreach events in the area.
Worldwide Christian Schools is partnering with the Church of Central Africa
Presbyterian's (CCAP) Education Department — a network of schools in Zambia
consisting of 25 mission schools: 3 secondary schools, 6 basic schools, 5
primary schools, 7 community schools, 3 daycares, and 1 theological college.
The mission of CCAP is "to provide quality education for spiritual,
physical, mental and social economical development to the society of Zambia.
The emphasis is on holistic approach and shall promote and uphold Christian
values and spirit of stewardship in which the Synod of Zambia works in
partnership with other stakeholders."