Where does one draw the line between Child Labour and Community Development? In the last two days we have been redrawing that line in our own minds. The new Headmaster JT Koroma and myself made requests to the local schools for their aid in transporting mudblocks to the school site. This is a common occurence here, where teachers get students to bring firewood or stones to school, or help in the constructionof new facilities. So we appealed to 5 schools to help us in this endeavour, bringing blocks from a site around 500 metres from the new School location. Yesterday several hundred students from classes 3-6 at MCA Primary School helped to bring us over 3000 blocks. Some kids stacking them 5 high on their head! My neck could harldy handle the strain of 2. Strong kids! Then today students from Alharika Muslim Primary came to help us, not as many children but they did many trips. Tomorrow morning Ahmadiya Secondary school will assist us, followed "next tomorrow" by Loma Secondary School, our closest neighbour. We are hoping to pack all of the remaining 20,000 blocks to the school site where we will store the extra under tarpaulines until they are needed. What an impressive show of strength, but also of the community's support for this new school. The teachers and principals especially recognize the importance of helping out this new school that will also be a benefit to their own schools.
4 comments:
WOW!
that's pretty sweet...what wonders a strong community could do out here sometimes. Definitely a blessing! It's sweet to see updates of the project with all your posts..keep it up.
Great community building from all schools! How amazing it is to see how everyone comes together. The Lord is certainly working wonders there through the building of this school!
Great photos too!
Continued blessings Asher!
Dear Asher - et al-
Extraordinary, isn't it? I visit schools in HWSchool Board Area ... many schools are just blocks away from eachother; I can't imagine such a level of cooperation and commitment to a common goal of education.
FYI - next October, hopefully, a church will be publishing storybooks, primers and distributing them in book bags with crayons and pencils to all Kabala Schools (and those in 11 other district chiefdoms nearby). It is our hope that God continues to lead and facilitate the ways in which this Christian School not only meets the call to teaching and learning for its own children, but leavens education all 'round.
Hope all your days carry laughter, good company, adventure and certainty of His Hand in all that happens -
Love, Jo Kuyvenhoven
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