For more than 50 years, refugees have been living in camps near the Ethiopia/Sudan border due to both historical and ongoing conflicts. But all hope isn’t lost: through education, God’s Word is coming alive.
Spiritual, physical, and educational needs in the refugee camps are great. Among the many people forced to flee from rebel control in the region, women and children arrive having had no schooling and unable to read or write in their own language.
For hundreds of thousands of refugees, life without proper healthcare, access to enough clean water, and a constant feeling of insecurity has become the norm. Rations at the camps have been greatly reduced, and many of the men have resorted to going to gold mining areas near the border to try and get extra income so they can buy food for their families.
Simon, serving in Ethiopia with his wife Ally and three children, regularly visits a refugee camp to deliver church leader training, preach at churches, and manage a literacy project. Less than three per cent of the people living in the camps are Christian, so there’s a great need to train and disciple believers.
Over the past year, Simon’s also been managing a women’s literacy project for a least-reached people group from Sudan. Whilst the Bible is currently being translated into their language, without literacy training, the women won’t be able to read it themselves.
The women from one of the churches asked Simon and his team whether they could help them learn to read. This was a great idea – not only did it help educate the women, but it was an opportunity for longer-term investment to equip and empower them to do Bible studies, evangelise, and teach their children.
“As first-generation Muslim background believers, we hope the women in the church will be ultimately strengthened in their faith by being able to read and study the Bible and become more confident in bearing witness to their neighbours,” shares Simon.
To celebrate the project’s one-year anniversary, Simon and the team held a women’s conference that gave the ladies an opportunity to invite those around them who don’t attend church – including Muslim neighbours. Many women came along and heard the gospel preached.
“It’s been amazing to see the progress of the women over the last year, and they are currently able to read simple sentences. There was a strong desire from the ladies to continue the project for a further year and we’ve just received funding from a supporting church for this purpose,” shares Simon.
Please pray
- give thanks for the opportunity to share the gospel at the women’s conference, and funding for the project for another year;
- for a successful second year, and for the ladies to begin to be able to read the Gospel of Matthew;
- for unity within the church and for the Lord to strengthen the church for witness to their Muslim neighbours.
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