We came here for Christ School Bundibugyo.
Christ School Bundibugyo is a secondary boarding school which means it serves students from about the ages of 12-19, offering high school and early college type studies. Ugandan education is based on the British system. Christ School has a staff of about 25 Ugandan teachers and an enrollment of about 300 Ugandan students. Our mission is to raise up future servant leaders for East Africa through training, equipping and healing young men and women, intellectually, spiritually and physically.
Our team; World Harvest Bundibugyo, is a holistic ministry team, serving through meeting of felt needs as well as specifically spiritual evangelism and discipleship. As such, Christ School is our team’s greatest hope for long term change. The doctors, nutritionists, teachers, and engineers who serve here now will someday be replaced, we hope and pray, by our students. They will bring the knowledge and education, both spiritual and academic, so desperately needed here to improve lives while offering their own gift . . . An insiders view of the culture. This is multiplicity, sustainable ministry, the building of God’s kingdom at its’ best, we think.
Bundibugyo is amongst the poorest districts of Uganda and has some of the worst quality schools in Uganda. This is one reason why Christ School is so important. Christ School offers the chance for a quality secondary education that paves the way to possible university education for students who have never before had the chance. This poverty is one of the reasons that Christ School struggles too. In a world where most schools, even in wealthy countries, survive on subsidies rather than a straight business model, Christ School faces the crushing blow of existing in a district where there really is no money for tuition. As we improve our courses, hire new teachers, and add lab equipment we also lower our tuition, in hopes of reaching the kids who really need to come. Yet we still must survive in some way in a business world. We have expenses, the two largest of which are food to feed our students and staff salaries. Our goal, long term, is to create a sustainable school.
Sometimes, Christ School struggles just to pay teachers salaries . . . . Our teachers are a great strength; talented men and women who have struggled for years themselves to reach this place. Struggled for school fees, for survival. Now they come to this rural district to work not only as teachers but as mentors and disciplers too. Most multi-task in many ways as we all work together to help Christ School thrive. Yet for all this, our teachers make a mere $5/american, daily. Some live apart from their spouses or children, as they seek for their families, life in a safer and more advanced area of Uganda. Most have better chances elsewhere, yet are committed to Christ School’s mission.
Christ School needs continued financial involvement from Americans. As we continue to move towards sustainability, we must admit we’re certainly not there yet. Still coming soon . . . . Lots of ways to get financially involved.