Africa

Interact Curriculum is a great work written by Helen Pearson.  In Africa, the document has come at the right time; the time in which Christian schools are mushrooming throughout the continent.  It will deepen the teachers’ understanding of Christian world view and will enable them to make Christian education relevant to the African communal way of living and root them in their deepest beliefs.


Samson Makhado, MA
Regional Director
Association of Christian Schools International
Southern Africa

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Well, it had gone wonderfully well and the kids in 2nd grade were ready for their mountain climb (remember we started with "God is the owner of the earth").  Three of our missions team went down to climb with them as well as three of our school staff.  It was the first time many of those kids had ever been outside their village.  We took them in the village truck (quite an experience in itself!) to a small mountain about an hour's drive away.  The one we originally chose, we found out on the morning of the climb, had a few lions around at the mo!!  So we quickly replanned!  Never a dull moment........

.  The kids were sooooo excited and we had a good climb up - just challenging enough for them (and me!!)  At the top we admired the view - a rather spectacular one, I must say, up and down the Rift Valley - and talked about God our Creator.  We sang songs and then prayed in small groups.  It was really touching to see these kids, so many from Muslim homes, praying real, heartfelt prayers.  Then we gathered together to pray as a whole group.  I wish you could have been there to see it.  The presence of God was so strong it was awesome.  Our pastor led the prayer, and he and I had tears in our eyes, the burden for that area was so powerful.  God is really moving in an amazing way.  None of the kids budged, even though his prayer was long.  It was so much in the Spirit.  That alone would make the buying of the curriculum worth it!!!!

But it goes on.  The very design of the curriculum is bringing things into focus in the teachers' lives which they have to deal with themselves,e.g. this term we will be doing "God is holy and pure". 

Your emphasis in NZ is recycling.  Here we aren't anywhere near that so we are looking at rubbish disposal.  I never imagined what an impact it would have.  TZ is a typical developing country with little concern for rubbish disposal, especially in the villages. So we are looking at a whole approach to life, starting with the teachers. 

It is so good because they can see so clearly that they need to follow God's character and so they are having to look real closely at their own habits first.  Pastor E---- went home after our introduction to this topic and started  Operation Safi i.e. Operation Clean in his own home!  Rubbish bins, picking up litter, keeping the ducks out of the house, etc, etc.  And his home is one of the clean ones!!  He said to me after the introduction, "You don't know what you've started here".  Amazing, eh?  What a challenge God's principles bring to a community like that.  It's so hands on.  These people have no idea of how to look after their country and here we can make a direct impact at a grass roots, Word-based level.  I am really excited by it all.  You've given me a great tool to work with!! 

From an email from a school in Tanzania in 2001