Democratic Republic of the Congo (MNN) — TeachBeyond has launched the Sparrow Project, designed to equip Christian schools throughout Africa.
The name came from the words of Jesus when he said that God cares for even sparrows. Like these birds, most people don’t think about or notice African schools.
Origins
Tamera Peters talks about how the program got started. “We had been invited by a bishop in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He had this vision of the Lord taking him in front of a river and a pond. The Lord asked him, ‘Where is it easier to fish, in the river or in the pond?’ And the bishop answered, ‘It is easier in the pond because the fish are all there.’”
The pond represented the DRC, the home of many Christian schools. Students come into the Congo from other countries but often leave hearing little about Jesus.
Peters says, “We were invited into Congo to help start a Christian school there. It was going to be a model school for other schools. We spent over two years training teachers in the biblical worldview, teaching skills, assessment, and classroom management.”
But it isn’t just two years of training, Peters says. “The relationship part is key. It’s not just dropping in. It’s walking alongside them and doing life with them in a relationship where growth can happen. We see that as being crucial to the training.”
Sparrow Project
Out of this, the Sparrow Project was born. TeachBeyond wants to provide this same training and guidance to schools across Africa.
Pray many schools will thrive as a result. Peters says, “The school wanted to share what they had been given with other schools who want to see a similar transformation in the lives of their students.”
You can support this program here.
Header photo courtesy of TeachBeyond.
