It Takes a Village—and a Few More Partners—to Educate a Child

“It takes a village to raise a child,” says a common saying of African origin. One of the best places this can be seen is at Sala Mission School, located in a rural area about 30 miles out of Lusaka, Zambia. The school, which includes Sala Primary School, with about 1,300 students, and Sala Secondary School, with 287 students, was in desperate need of more spacious facilities.

In 2023 supporting ministry Maranatha Volunteers International stepped in to help, with the assistance of its leaders, advocates, donors, and volunteers. The ministry efforts were further consolidated thanks to other stakeholders who stepped in. The improvement plans also enlisted the efforts of the government of Zambia, the regional Seventh-day Adventist Church administration, as well as the institution’s teachers, staff, and the students themselves.

A Helping Hand

Maranatha, a ministry that builds churches and schools and drills water wells around the world, chose the Sala School project as one of its 2023 Giving Tuesday projects. The school had been growing steadily for years, and their enrollment was well above what was recommended for their classroom facilities. Many classes held more than 100 students, many of whom were forced to sit on the hard, dusty floors. Further, a 2021 government policy of free education resulted in a significant increase in student enrollment, which brought new challenges with it. Among them was the need for more teachers—that the government has committed to provide as soon as possible—and for living quarters for them.

Since 2023 Maranatha has been slowly but steadily improving Sala’s infrastructure through groups of volunteers who have been supporting the work of local crews. Their efforts have so far resulted in one church, eight classrooms, and one water well, Maranatha leaders reported. Now they are working steadily to raise the walls of a staff housing complex. “Today conditions are much better, with more space for learning, and bright futures for all who come through this campus,” Maranatha leaders said.

Bridging the Gap

There’s another reason that increases the need for improvements at Sala Mission School, school faculty acknowledged. Until recently, because of insufficient classrooms, students finishing primary school were forced to relocate to another distant institution. In practice, school leaders acknowledged, many children would simply stop attending school, while others would leave to attend institutions with different values and philosophies of education. “We would lose track of many of them,” they acknowledged.

Now, thanks to Maranatha, the school is more empowered to fulfill the goals of the Adventist philosophy of education, Nathan Christopher Simoonga, who teaches math and an information, communication, and technology (ICT) course, furthered. “We can teach students who God is and help them appreciate what Christ has done,” Simoonga said. “Our learners will also learn about how God has blessed Maranatha with resources, but they have decided not to keep the resources for themselves.”

Simoonga also emphasized that they do not take Maranatha’s initiatives, which are fully funded by donors, for granted. “Our prayer is that God keeps blessing Maranatha’s marketing and communication departments, so that as they go out to search for donors, God might be with them to guide them.”

Students’ Appreciation

Several students didn’t hesitate to express their excitement about Sala Secondary School’s new facilities. “Thank you for the wonderful things you have done!” Inonge, a girl from grade 11, said. “We are very excited to see the things Maranatha has done for us! Everything you have done you have done well. You have improved our lives!”

Among her dreams for the school, Inonge says she hopes they can soon have a science lab and a computer lab to complement their learning. “It would be great!” she said.

Emmanuel, from grade 9, said he didn’t take the improvements to the school infrastructure for granted. “I know this is a big sacrifice,” he said. “It is the reason we are so thankful to Maranatha.” He added, “I would like to become a commercial pilot, and I know that this environment will prepare me to one day become one!”

Supplementing Official Efforts

Hilder Mayuni, district education board secretary of Shibuyunji, a territory that includes the Sala School, highlighted the results of partnerships and collaboration. “We are so grateful because Maranatha has come in to supplement government efforts, making sure that all children get back to school and have [a place] to sit,” Mayuni said.

Mayuni acknowledged that the government policy of free education for all has posed challenges regarding the current infrastructure. “In our Shibuyunji district we have a shortage of 440 classrooms,” she said. Maranatha efforts are helping curb that shortage, she emphasized. “We are so grateful, because these classrooms have also come with the furniture the students need.”

She explained that according to government directives, “no child should sit on the floor, and Maranatha has responded to that, providing the required furniture for our learners.”

Mayuni also explained that the government has been recruiting teachers to make sure “the faculty-student ratio bridges the current gap.” But as the government went ahead recruiting teachers, a new problem arose: many of them live far from the schools, and daily commuting is very hard, if not impossible. “Now Maranatha, supplementing the government efforts, has provided teachers’ quarters,” Mayuni said. “The government provides the teachers; Maranatha provides the teachers’ accommodation. . . . We are overexcited!”

The Ultimate Goal

Besides infrastructure improvements and the hiring of new teachers, however, the ultimate goal of the school’s mandate is missional, acknowledged Goliath Naini, executive secretary of the Lusaka Conference of the Adventist Church. Addressing government officers, Maranatha representatives, faculty, and students during the October 26 handover ceremony, Naini emphasized that the Sala School is not just another institution but one that seeks not only to serve the church but also to build up the nation.

Naini thanked the government of Zambia for allowing a work environment in which Maranatha can thrive. “We are so thankful that such an environment exists,” he said. “The Bible is very clear when it states that when good people are in leadership, people rejoice. And we are here rejoicing thanks to this environment of collaboration and support.”

At the same time, despite material or academic achievements, Naini reminded ceremony attendees that the school’s most important mission is to remember the words of Jesus when He told everyone, “Come to Me.” “This is what we want to achieve through this school,” Naini said. “To help more people come to Jesus Christ.”