Lutheran Schools Fill the Gap
Many children in the Central African Republic
have no school to attend. But thousands of students can now attend a “Village
School” started by the Lutheran church in that country – and supported in part
by Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) members.
Susan Smith, an ELCA missionary serving with the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in the Central African Republic as an adviser to the Village School
Program, says there are now 20 primary schools in areas where there aren’t any
government schools. The program supports the schools and teachers by helping create
parent organizations, visiting classrooms to give teachers feedback, and
providing quarterly exams.
As in any school, parental involvement is important, but in these
schools it is the lifeblood. “Parents pay half of the teachers’ salaries and
the Village School Program pays the rest,” says Smith. “Parents are also
responsible for building temporary classrooms, which have wooden supports and a
straw roof.” The goal is to eventually have permanent buildings. And while the
ELCA funds much of the construction of the building, parents are responsible
for collecting stones and sand and making mud bricks, Smith says.
Today, thanks to ELCA member contributions, the Village School Program
educates over 3,000 students, and, Smith adds, “The schools often have a better
reputation for quality than the nearby government schools.”
Your gifts to our ELCA fund missionaries like Susan Smith as they work
hand in hand with our neighbors around the world. Thank you! As a companion
synod to the Lutheran church in the Central African Republic, you are helping
to change these children’s lives.
Learn more about ELCA Global Church Sponsorship at www.ELCA.org/globalchurch.
