Have you ever wondered what your carbon footprint on this earth will look like? Or thought about the purpose God has for your life? Well I have and if you have time to keep reading then I'd love to continue telling you a little of my story and the journey I have been on, to come to the decision of living in Rwanda, to help Fred Buyinza set up a Teacher Training College for nursery teachers.
After my second bout of malaria in 18 months I had decided that my days in Africa were well and truly done, I was leaving my skirts with the missionaries in Mozambique and coming home to my daily mission field at my preschool. Well that lasted for about four months, when one day in April 2007, I received a phone call asking me to come to Rwanda with ('Hope Global') to train nursery teachers. Remembering my recent declaration of not returning to Africa, my immediate response was - sorry I can't come but I would be happy to help you write modules. By the end of the phone call my heart was once again in my throat and I felt stirred to help with the training of nursery teachers in Rwanda, so I phoned my Pastor Rev Jonathan Shanks who encouraged me by saying, "Blackie this is what you were put on this earth to do - to train nursery teachers in Africa - the continent that you love so much - and the church will pay for you to go!" Wow - I was soon running out of reasons as to why I should not go, so I asked my work place who had implemented a policy of no leave without pay - and they graciously granted me the three weeks out of term time that I needed, and so in August 2007 I trained 30 nursery teachers in Butare, Rwanda.
Those 30 nursery teachers came back in 2008 and we trained them in stage two, and then they came back again in 2009 and we trained them to be national trainers. By 2010 these 30 nursery teachers were working as national trainers and were training their own peers using our curriculum, visiting provinces and villages all throughout Rwanda. It was estimated in 2010 that they had trained approximately 5000 nursery teachers across Rwanda. With an approximate class size of 130 nursery children, that equates to 650,000 children whose lives have been changed through education because of our trainings. My favourite anonymous quote we have on our training module, is 'The most economically efficient way to change disadvantages, caused by adverse family environments, is to invest in children when they are young.' With over half a million children's lives that have been changed through education - they now have hope and a future to look forward to with enthusiasm and passion.
To continue the story is to live in Rwanda so that we can set up and open the training college and 'formally' train up teachers with a recognised qualification. To make that happen I'm looking for people like yourself who have stopped to take the time to read this and to come and join the journey with me through prayer support, communications support and financial support. So why don't you click on the 'support' page and you can let me know the area in which you might like to be a partner in supporting me.
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but Gods purpose always prevails.
Proverbs 19:21
Blessings,
Michele Black
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