Central African Republic: seeking advisor to education programs

Looking for a job where you can make a real difference in the lives of people? Consider the following position with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and come join our team in the CAR.

 

Provide assistance, guidance and perspective to the directors and staff of the literacy, Christian education and village education programs in the Central African Republic. Literacy and community development background or training preferred. For more information, visit www.elca.org/globalserve/search and enter keyword "Central African Republic."

 

There are many other positions available on this website as well. You do not have to be Lutheran to apply.

 

Photo: Young girl taking notes during class in a Village School, Lokoti-Yalewen, Central African Republic.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends Ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Merry Christmas from the Central African Republic

Ndjoni Matanga ti Noël!

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Nouvelle Année!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!

¡Feliz Navidad, Próspero Año Nuevo, y Feliz Día de los Reyes!

 

From Joe, Deborah, and Christa Troester

Baboua, Central African Republic

 

Photo: The Troesters in Central Africa, Christmas 2011.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends Ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Celebrating National Day in the Central African Republic

This past week the Central African Republic celebrated its 51^st year of independence. National Day, December 1^st, is observed each year with parades, speeches, soccer matches, and other festivities, including a boat race with giant dug-out canoes in the Oubangui River in Bangui.

 

In Baboua, where we live, a parade was held, which included majorettes, motorcycles, school children, the Tai Kwan Do Club, and many other organizations. This year the parade was held on the newly-paved main street, which is also the major route from Cameroon to the capital of Bangui. This marks the first year we have had any paved roads in Baboua, or anywhere in the western region of CAR, outside of the main city of Bouar.

 

As we end 2011 and get ready to begin a new year, things are looking brighter than they have at any time during the past eight years since the 2003 coup. Peaceful elections were held in January, with the run-off elections in March, and peace agreements have been made with nearly all the former rebels in the country. A "Caravan for Peace" has been traveling through the troubled northeastern region, and opposing groups there have recently concluded a peace agreement as a result. The U.S. has sent advisors to help stop the predations of the Lord's Resistance Army, which has been causing trouble in the far eastern regions of the country.

 

If a country is at peace, then progress toward development can be made. In most regions of the country, farmers have returned to their fields and are enjoying good harvests. Roads are being paved, and children have returned to school. CAR still needs a lot of help, but the country can look forward to 2012 with optimism that at least the country is relatively free of violence and insecurity. If the peace holds, maybe even some measure of prosperity can come to this impoverished, but resource-rich nation. Let us pray that it may be so.

 

Photo: Flag-raising at the opening of the National Day Celebration in Baboua, Central African Republic. High school students stand at attention as a soldier salutes the flag.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

Global Handwashing Da--2011

October 15 is Global Hand-Washing Day.  Why have a day dedicated to the prosaic act of washing one's hands? Because hand-washing holds the key to preventing many serious diseases both at home and around the world. Remember when your mom told you to wash your hands before eating? It was good advice.  According to the International Water Institute (Stockholm), evidence shows that diarrheal illnesses may be reduced by 45 per cent by washing hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating. Many other diseases can be passed from one person to another by people who don't wash their hands. Hand-washing is considered to be an important defense against the spread of cholera, typhoid, and even the common flu virus, among other diseases.

 

PASE, the Water Management Project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic (CAR), is working to provide clean drinking water to villages in the CAR and also to teach good hygiene practices to villagers, such as the importance of hand-washing. Providing clean water is only one part of preventing water-borne diseases. Hand-washing is a crucial element in the equation.

 

This year PASE will be constructing latrines and hand-washing stations at schools and health centers in CAR in order help the "hand-washing habit" to take root.

 

Photo: Marie Gbayina pours water for Rodrigue Koulagne to wash his hands.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Troester Home Assignment Repor--2011

We have returned to Africa from an enjoyable, but exhausting three month tour of the United States. We were able to visit our friends, relatives, and supporters in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We had 30 separate engagements, including visiting 18 different congregations plus attending the ELCA Caribbean Synod Assembly in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and a Leadership Event at the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod. The response to our presentations was positive and enthusiastic.

 

Now we are back in Africa. Christa has started 9^th grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Deborah has returned to teaching future Lutheran pastors and their wives at the Baboua School of Theology in the Central African Republic. Joe continues his work with water; however, the organization he works with is now the joint recipient with Mercy Corps of a major grant from the European Union. As always, more money means more paperwork.

 

We want to thank all of the people that helped us with our travels, by providing delicious homemade specialties, giving us a comfortable place to sleep, and patiently listening to our stories and presentations. We made many new friends and renewed many old acquaintances. We look forward to seeing you all again when we next return to the States in 2013. Below is a detailed list of all our engagements.

Presentations in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands

·         June 23 to 25: We attended the ELCA Caribbean Synod Assembly in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Deborah preached and we gave a presentation about our work in the Central African Republic.

·         June 26, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at the Union Church of San Juan, Puerto Rico and we gave a presentation afterwards.

·         June 28, Tuesday morning: Deborah gave a presentation at the Women's Bible Study at the Union Church of San Juan.

·         July 3, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at Grace Lutheran Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico and we gave a presentation afterwards.

·         July 10, Sunday morning: Deborah preached at her home congregation, First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, Illinois.

·         July 16, Saturday evening: Deborah preached and we gave a presentation at the contemporary service of the Resurrection Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Illinois.

·         July 17, Sunday morning. Deborah preached both services at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Peoria, Illinois. We gave a presentation between the two services.

·         July 20, Wednesday evening: We attended a potluck and gave a presentation at Christ Community Lutheran Church in Columbia, Illinois.

·         July 21, Thursday evening: We attended a dinner and gave a presentation for First Presbyterian Church (Carbondale, Illinois) at Giant City Lodge.

·         July 25 to 29: We attended the ELCA Summer Mission Conference at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

·         July 31, Sunday evening: We attended a potluck and gave a presentation at a Mission Fair hosted by Epiphany Lutheran Church in Carbondale, Illinois. The Fair was held jointly with Calvary Lutheran Church in De Soto, First Lutheran Church in Murphysboro, First Presbyterian Church in Carbondale, and Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jonesboro.

·         August 10, Wednesday evening: I attended a potluck and gave a presentation at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Venice, Florida.

·         August 11, Thursday afternoon and evening, I gave three presentations at Living Word Lutheran Church in Katy, Texas; the first presentation for the children at the church day camp, the second for the high school students, and the third for the adults.

·         August 12, Friday morning: I attended and gave a presentation for the CAR Committee of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod

·         August 12, Friday evening: I attended a potluck and gave a presentation at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas.

·         August 13, Saturday: I attended and gave a presentation at the Synod Leadership Summit in Brenham, Texas.

·         August 14, Sunday morning: I gave a presentation at a potluck at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

·         August 17, Wednesday morning: I attended and gave a presentation to the Minneapolis Synod Water Committee. In addition to my work in the CAR, we discussed their work in Nigeria.

·         August 17, Wednesday afternoon: I met with Mark Warpmaeker, Executive Director Lutheran Partners in Global Ministry.

·         August 18, Thursday afternoon: I met with Tim Iverson, Executive Director and Scott Lien of Global Health Ministries.

·         August 21, Sunday morning: I preached three times at the First Lutheran Church in Williston, North Dakota. I gave two presentations: the first was between the second and third services and the second was after the third service.

·         August 22, Monday morning: I attended and gave a presentation at the WNDWELCA board meeting at Bread of Life Church in Minot, North Dakota.

·         August 22, Monday evening: I attended a potluck of tatter-tot hot dishes and gave a presentation at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Rolla, North Dakota.

·         August 23, Tuesday evening: I gave a presentation at the Park River Bible Camp for United Lutheran Church in Cavalier, Zion Lutheran in Hoople, United Lutheran in Langdon, and Our Savior's Lutheran in Park River

·         August 24, Wednesday afternoon: I attended the Global Mission committee meeting of the Eastern North Dakota Synod at Peace Lutheran Church in Fargo, North Dakota.

·         August 24, Wednesday evening: I attended a potluck and gave a presentation at Peace Lutheran Church in Fargo.

·         August 25, Thursday afternoon: I gave a presentation at a nursing home in Hillsboro, North Dakota.

·         August 25, Thursday evening: I gave a presentation at Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, North Dakota.

·         August 27, Saturday evening: I gave a presentation at First Lutheran Church in Litchville. North Dakota. This was a joint presentation for First Lutheran Church in Litchville, Marion Lutheran Church in Marion, Spring Creek Lutheran Church in Hastings, and Trinity Lutheran Church in Litchville.

·         August 28, Sunday morning: I gave a presentation for Mission Sunday at Milnor Lutheran Church in Milnor, North Dakota.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

School Set to Start in Central African Republic

This week signals the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year in the Central African Republic.  The Village School program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church is gearing up to serve over 4,000 students in 20 schools, nearly all of them in villages where students have no other educational opportunities.  Both Muslim and Christian students attend these schools, which are vital to educational development in this country where barely half of the population is literate. Girls in particular often do not attend school because parents do not want to send their daughters to distant schools. Having a school right in their village encourages parents to send their daughters to school, as well as their sons.

 

The project is largely funded through gifts from congregations and individuals in the United States. Parents contribute, but with a median family income of barely $2.00 a day, these monetary contributions are rather modest.  Parents construct the school and a simple home for the teacher, usually out of sun-dried mud bricks and grass for a thatch roof. Then Village Schools sends a trained teacher (or teachers), along with educational materials to hold classes.  If the parents are willing to help, Village Schools will construct a permanent building, using cement and fired clay bricks.  At least one remote village has collected all the materials necessary for construction of a permanent school and is waiting for funds to commence building. Another permanent school building is already nearing completion in the town of Baboua.  If you wish to help, contact Rev. Twila Schock, Director for Global Mission Support and Global Gifts, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631, Telephone: 773.380.2641, FAX: 773.380.2410, Twila.Schock@elca.org, www.elca.org.

 

Photo: Village School Director Etienne Yaïman hands out new books and notebooks to students at the Village School office in Baboua, Central African Republic.

 

Deborah and Joe Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Their daughter, Christa, attends ninth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Feeding the Five Thousand

The gospel passage this morning, "The Feeding the Five Thousand" is the material of Sunday School lessons that many of us heard when we were children. It was a nice story, with pretty pictures of Jesus, his disciples, and the crowds on a flannel graph.

 

But the writers of the gospels gave this simple story incredible importance. Aside from the resurrection, it is the only miracle that appears in all four Gospels. And if that was not enough, Matthew and Mark repeat the miracle as the feeding of the four thousand. Just in case you did not get the point the first time.

 

In the text immediately prior to today's reading in Matthew, Jesus learns that Herod has had John the Baptist beheaded at the request of Herod's daughter. That whole story is sick. Evil had triumphed and when Jesus hears this news he went off by himself in a boat to, what the bible refers to as, a deserted place.

 

We don't know why Jesus went to this deserted place by himself, perhaps to grieve, perhaps to pray, perhaps he himself was fearful of Herod, or perhaps to meditate on his own impending death. For whatever reason, Jesus wanted to be alone. What do we do when it appears that evil has triumphed?

 

Biblical Galilee was densely populated. Consequently, it was difficult to go somewhere unobserved. People saw Jesus get in the boat. They saw which direction He when. And a crowd of 5,000 men and uncounted women and children followed. Again, we do not know why they followed Jesus. Perhaps the crowds were expecting a declaration of revolution. Perhaps they just wanted a dinner and a show. But whatever the reason, these poor peasants from Galilee followed Jesus with all their needs and all their suffering.

 

When Jesus saw the crowd, the scripture says he had compassion for them. That would not be my reaction to being found by a crowd of thousands when I wanted to be alone, but it was His. Jesus saw the crowd. He saw the sick. He saw the need. And out of what he had he gave of himself and healed the sick. He met the need.

 

Towards evening, the disciples came to Jesus and said, "It's late. The people are hungry. Tell them to go someplace else and get some food." The disciples had been with Jesus and had learned to see the needs of people. They saw that the people were hungry and they proposed a solution. "God, you fix it! You tell them what to do."

 

Then Jesus told the disciples, "You give them something to eat." The disciples had exactly 5 loaves and 2 fish. All they had for their own supper. They knew that they could not feed thousands of people. They were overwhelmed by what they saw and the seeming insufficient resources at their disposal. Jesus was asking them to give away their own meager supplies. He asked them to risk it all, to take a chance on extravagant generosity.

 

Jesus took what the disciples had, their 5 loaves and 2 fish and he prayed. He blessed and broke the loaves. He gave them away. And everyone ate and was filled. There were even 12 baskets of food left over, one for each disciple. God's abundance was more than enough to meet everyone's needs.

 

The kingdom of God had come upon all of them that day. The mustard seed had somehow grown into a giant tree.

 

On that day when Jesus wanted to be alone, he saw a need and gave of himself to heal the sick and meet the need. Later the disciples saw a need and, with the help of Jesus, they more than met the needs of the hungry people in that deserted place. This story reminds me of the ELCA tagline, "God's work, our hands."

 

In addition, Jesus taught the disciples, that whatever they had would be more than enough in collaboration with Christ. The disciples were learning to cast their lots with Jesus, to risk what they had in His service. The disciples were being invited to invest their all.

 

More than a decade ago, I, like Jacob in this morning's scripture, was struggling with God. As a result of my struggles, I did what I had actually wanted to do for many years. I traveled to Haiti. I wanted to see that country for myself. I wanted to learn about the people. I wanted to see their needs. As a geologist, who specializes in ground-water resources, I wanted to know what the Haitians needed and what I could do.

 

The needs in Haiti are great. Many of the needs are quite obvious. Almost everyone in Haiti lacks an adequate supply of clean freshwater. Throughout Haiti you can see women walking with 5 gallon buckets on their heads. Many of the women are filling their buckets from streams that are obviously contaminated with human waste.

 

On my first trip to Haiti, I helped drill a water well near the town of St. Michal, a town of about 60,000 people. After we completed that well, the people pumped that old-fashioned hand pump at a rate that filled one five-gallon bucket every 60 seconds. Today, I have been told that they still pump that well at that rate every single day from before the first light of dawn until after dark. They do that, because that one well is the only source of clean freshwater for the 60,000 people that live in St. Michal.

 

On my second trip to Haiti, we went to the town of Bassin Bleu in the northwestern peninsula and trained a group of Haitians to drill water wells. When we completed the well in Bassin Bleu the parish priest was so excited he actually danced in the mud puddles around the well while wearing his vestments. After we left, that crew of Haitians continued to drill water wells at a rate of about one per week.

 

After 17 short-term mission trips to Haiti, I had to ask myself, "Who am I fooling?" And I applied to the ELCA-Global Mission and they sent me to be a Water-Resources Specialist for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Central African Republic. It is dangerous to listen to the Gospel. Perhaps the ushers should be passing out crash helmets instead of bulletins.

 

My wife and I struggle as we work in the Central African Republic. There are so many needs, it can be overwhelming. Our resources are meager. At times, it appears that evil, sickness, and death have won. But with God's help and your prayers and support, we continue God's work in a deserted place. Some days are a tremendous struggle. But on some days, needs are met, the hungry are feed, and the thirsty have clean water. Praise God!

 

I saw a need in the Central African Republic. With God's help and with your support, we are giving clean freshwater to thirsty people. I want to thank you for your help in that effort. But more than that, I encourage you to look around for needs that need to be met, wrestle with God, and give of yourself to meet those needs. By giving ourselves, we become the true presence of Christ to others. Look at your own resources, as insignificant as they may seem, and risk placing them in Jesus' hands for Him to bless.  Together with Jesus, you just may accomplish a miracle. Amen.

 

Sermon based on Genesis 32:22-31 and Matthew 14:13-21, given on Sunday, August 21, 2011 at the First Lutheran Church in Williston, North Dakota by Dr. Joseph W. Troester, while he was on home assignment in the States.

 

Painting: "Feeding of the Five Thousand" by Mafa in Cameroon. Photo of painting from Vanderbilt University Library.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends eighth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

First Bayaka (Pygmy) to Graduate from Lutheran Bible School in Central African Republic

Please pray for Paul and Pamela Madoukou, members of the Bayaka (Pygmy) people of southwestern Central African Republic (CAR).  Paul and Pamela are the first Bayaka to study at the Lutheran Bible School in Baboua. They are training in Bible, human rights, agriculture, and health.  When they return home after their graduation this coming December, they will be capable of teaching their fellow Bayaka in their own Bayaka language. 

The Madoukous are from Banza, a village 14 kilometers (8.5 miles) from Nola, the capital of Sanga-Mbéré Prefecture.  This region of CAR is rain forest, populated by the Mbémo and Gbianda peoples, as well as the Bayaka, who live in the forest.  The Bayaka are nomads who hunt animals and gather wild food.  They are often discriminated against and are frequently unemployed. When they work as domestics, field laborers, or hunt animals for someone, they are not well-paid.  Paul Madoukou tells of an example of this discrimination: "When I was a child, I played soccer with my Mbémo friends.  After the game, they accused me of stealing 500 francs (about $1).  Their parents put me in jail for two days."

Since 1992, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of CAR has sponsored an evangelism program among the Bayaka, and has created a Bayaka-speaking congregation in Banza.  Many of them have been baptized.  Every Sunday they hear the Gospel.  Their children are now going to school.  This program has helped the native ethnic groups and local authorities to understand that the Bayaka Pygmies and all people are created by God, and that they are entitled to the same human rights as everyone else. 

(This article was written by Pastor Patrice Mbere, professor of New Testament at the Lutheran Bible School of Baboua, CAR.) 

 

Photo: The first Bayaka student at the Lutheran Bible School in Baboua, CAR, together with his wife Pamela and their son Joseph.

 

Happy Mothers Day from the Central African Republic!

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers and grandmothers reading this blog! We'd like to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in the Central African Republic, as well, even though the official date of celebration here in CAR is later this month.

 

The Central African Republic is the country with the highest maternal death rate in Africa. According to a U.N. report issued in March, 1,355 mothers die per 100,000 live births. Under-five mortality is 176 deaths per 1,000 live births and infant mortality 106 deaths per 1,000 live births. (For more details see United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) http://ochaonline.un.org/humanitarianappeal/webpage.asp?Page=1918).

 

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Central African Republic, along with its partners in the U.S. and Europe, is helping by running two medical clinics – one in Gallo in western CAR, and one in Bohong, in the northwest. These clinics offer pre-natal care which can help prevent maternal and infant deaths, along with modern delivery rooms and post-natal check-ups for infants.

The same U.N. report states that, in addition to malaria, water-borne diseases are one of the major afflictions suffered by Central Africans. PASE, (the French acronym for the church's water management project), is constructing spring boxes to provide safe drinking water for villagers. This is an inexpensive, sustainable method for providing clean water. Each spring box costs an average of only $2000, but can provide water for hundreds of villagers for decades with little or no maintenance required. Since it is usually the women of the household who fetch water for the family, what better gift to give for Mother's Day than the gift of clean water? 

If you want to help, contact Rev. Twila Schock, Director for Global Mission Support, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL 60631. Telephone: 773.380.2641, Twila.Schock@elca.org

 

Photo: Anastasie Feikomo and her infant, Deborah, face a brighter future because of literacy and health classes offered by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the CAR. She is the wife of future pastor, Vincent Mathieu Sodea. Both Anastasie and Vincent are students of Pastor Deborah Troester, instructor at the Theological School of Baboua, CAR.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Their daughter, Christa, attends eighth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

 

Central African Christians welcome Muslim leader in worship service

In the wake of recent violence related to the burning of a Koran, it's worthwhile to note that in some places in the world Christians and Muslims show tolerance and respect for each other's beliefs and traditions. The Central African Republic is one of those places. Not long ago I witnessed a small, but dramatic gesture that highlighted this friendly relationship. I was at the installation service for the new Lutheran Bible School director. The local imam had been invited to attend. When he entered, the song-leader led the congregation in singing a hymn based on Psalm 133: "Behold, how good and how pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity." We sang every other verse in Fulfulde, the mother-tongue of most of the Muslims in our area. "What a wonderful way to welcome the imam to our service," I thought. It was a powerful example of tolerance and harmony between people of two different religions and cultures. In the past some Muslims had even enslaved the ancestors of some of those meeting in the chapel that day. Yet now the Christian descendents of these former slaves went out of their way to make sure a Muslim would feel welcome in their worship service. We in the U.S. could learn something from this "underdeveloped" African country. Which country is "underdeveloped" in terms of tolerance and understanding for those who are different??  

 

Photo: Local Muslim Leaders

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends eighth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Refugees Build School with Help from ELCA Global Gifts

In this war-torn, violence-ridden country, hope is starting to take root. In 2005, armed men attacked the village of Peouri, in the northwestern Central African Republic. The bandits stole livestock and kidnapped children to hold for ransom. The people of Peouri hid in the bush, but after repeated attacks decided to abandon their village. These Muslim Fulani herders resettled in Baboua, a predominantly Christian town. Here they were welcomed and were given land to settle on. One of their first priorities was rebuilding their school.

 

Back in 2001, Peouri elders had contacted the Village School program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church to help them start a school for their children. The school had already been in operation for four years when the violence struck and they were forced to move. The Village School program assisted the villagers with finding a teacher and obtaining textbooks and other school supplies, while parents constructed brush-covered shelters to use as classrooms. In the past ten years, attendance has skyrocketed from 41 to 580. Girls make up 38% of enrollment, higher than the national average in this country where only 22% of women are literate. Children from Christian families are also attending the school, and Christian and Muslim parents have joined together to construct a brick and cement building for their children.

 

Now the Peouri School, as it is called, is getting a permanent building, thanks to funds from Global Gifts, a program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Village School Program Director, Etienne Yaiman, is grateful for the funds which will enable this school to be the first in the Village School program to receive a permanent brick building.

 

If you wish to help the Village School program, contact Rev. Twila Schock, Director for Global Mission Support, 8765 West Higgins Road, Chicago, IL  60631

e-mail: Twila.Schock@elca.org

 

Photo: Villagers stacking sun-dried mud bricks to be fired. The bricks will be used to construct a new building for the Peouri School in Baboua, Central African Republic.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends eighth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Troesters to Visit Supporters in Summer 2011

This summer we will be visiting the U.S. in June, July, and August. We plan to visit congregations and other community gatherings to give a presentation on our work in the Central African Republic. Our exact itinerary has not been set, but we will try to visit as many of our supporters as possible. We know we will be visiting congregations in Puerto Rico, Illinois, and North Dakota. If you would like for us to visit your town, please send us an e-mail at josephtroester@earthlink.net. Feel free to forward our blog to others who might be interested as well.

 

Please contact us as soon as possible, because dates (especially Sundays) are limited.

 

Photo: Two small children carrying water in cooking pots up the steep slope from the Kanga spring in Baboua, Central African Republic.

 

Joe and Deborah Troester are ELCA missionaries in Baboua, the Central African Republic. Joe serves as technical advisor for PASE, which provides clean drinking water and promotes good hygiene and sanitation to villagers. Pastor Deborah teaches at the Theological School in Baboua. Their daughter, Christa, attends eighth grade at Rain Forest International School in Yaoundé, Cameroon.