Sudan (MNN) — Civil war in Sudan has brought education to a screeching halt. Ed Weaver with Spoken Worldwide says for two years now, kids’ school routines have been disrupted or ditched entirely. Many families are displaced within the country and have been left without school buildings or teachers, while others find themselves out of the country altogether, living as refugees in nearby countries such as Chad, Ethiopia, or Uganda.
“At best you’ve got disruption in the education quality and level of each of those students. And then you’ve got the reality on the ground in Sudan that you’ve got schools that are completely destroyed,” Weaver says.
Even if the war ended tomorrow, there would need to be a physical rebuilding of the education system, not to mention a survey of instructional losses. What grades do children re-enter? How do would-be seniors graduate, and where do they go next?
“All of the sudden we’re looking at a future that isn’t going to be better for a long time,” Weaver says.
He expects the school cessation to grow illiteracy rates – a difficulty his ministry is prepared to tackle. Spoken Word has been working in Sudan for the past 15 years. Their focus is oral ministry, and their Biblical education and discipleship programming requires no reading by participants. While it is structured primarily for adults, Weaver hopes the spiritual effects will reflect in kids. He says God has a role for them in the Kingdom regardless of their education and literacy levels.
“So if we can continue to bring people to faith, disciple them, and help them become leaders in their communities,” Weaver says, “children as they grow up and see their parents involved in those types of things will see that they can serve in the kingdom of God too.”
In the face of educational disadvantage, Weaver hopes children will receive the gift of a Kingdom mindset, remembering that the ability to finish school does not diminish God’s love.
Meanwhile, Sudanese parents have joined the ranks of those looking beyond the education system for a hope and future for their children. Pray for these parents as they lead their families. Pray for the children: that their hearts would be prepared even now for the limitations they will experience as a result of current events, and that they would resist the tug of terrorist recruiters looking to draw them into evil.
Pray too for the warring leaders of Sudan.
“That they will fall on their faces before God. That they will recognize the futile nature of their seeking of power,” Weaver asks. “That they will focus on rebuilding the country and demonstrating true leadership to the people of Sudan.
(Photo courtesy of Spoken Worldwide)
Featured photo courtesy of unfoldingWord
