How Shall They Learn Without Any Paper? (GMA Part 1)

Many of the rural schools in Zimbabwe struggle along without the basic resources needed to educate their children. Baptist Global Response (BGR) has helped us meet the need for writing paper by providing 150,000 exercise books (notebook paper stapled together instead of bound in a spiral notebook) to be distributed to orphaned and vulnerable students in as many rural schools as possible. “One Life” is an opportunity for young people or groups to engage in a project on the mission field in which BGR is an integral part. Mike Lopez is one of the IMB personnel who helps match people with a project.

Zimbabwe has two “One Life” projects which are currently ongoing. The first project is called “One Orphan” and is a response to the one million orphans in Zimbabwe. (About 1/10 of our population.) This project is to refurbish three huts, provide funding for self-help projects such as raising chickens, goats, and gardening. The “One Notebook” Project seeks to provide orphans and vulnerable children with writing paper and pens to help children be able to take class notes, do homework, and take tests. The covers of exercise books given out have a gospel witness as well as messages concerning God’s plan for purity for young people who are not married. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE ONE LIFE PROJECTS AVAILABLE CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE: http://www.onelifematters.org .

Members of the Gospel Music Association USA rose to the challenge of the "One Notebook" project. Their team of 15 came to help distribute exercise books to orphans and vulnerable children in 9 schools in a remote part of Southern Zimbabwe. Matt Nations is seen here carrying a box of books into one of the schools. Then the books were counted out four per student by the GMA Team members.

One of the primary (elementary) schools they visited was established in 2008. The headmaster (principal) told us that the first year the school opened there was no paper on which the children could write their lessons. When the Grade 7’s took their Secondary (High School) entrance exam there was only an 8% pass rate. Their school was ranked #99 out of 109 in their district.

The following year, 2009, the school began receiving BGR exercise books.

Since then their students have improved dramatically in their Grade 7 exam results. Currently their school is ranked #13 in their district! The headmaster and the teachers all thanked Baptists for helping their students in this way.

Before leaving the school, the team members were treated to boiled corn and sugarcane. (Shown here are Kevin Jones, Hank Murphy and Aaron Blanton. The children followed us out as we left the school and team member Barry Brown is shown here saying farewell to some of the students.