Sierra Leone Twelfth Graders Share Their Plans and Prayers
POSTED ON Jan 27, 2012
Alice hopes to study nursing when she graduates high school, because Sierra Leone desperately needs doctors and nurses. "I know with God and hard work, I will make it," she writes.
Patrick hopes to become a lawyer, so that he can defend the rights of the poor. He also wants to study theology.
Susan hopes to study economics to help improve her country's economic situation. She writes that she will, "develop my country by the grace of God."
These days, an air of excitement and tension has taken over the twelfth grade classroom at the Children of the Nations (COTN) Mallory Jansen Memorial School in Banta Mokelleh, Sierra Leone. Students are preparing for the hardest exam they have ever taken—the West African Senior Student Certificate Examination (WASSCE), which determines whether they will graduate and go on to continue their studies. Now is a time of endless preparation and studying for the April exam. But it is also an exciting time, as the students begin to look to their future after high school, and plan their next steps. This is the first group of young COTN men and women to graduate, and as this first wave of students moves on, we're excited and hopeful to see what they will achieve and how they will impact their country.
Recently, the twelfth graders wrote letters to their sponsors, asking for their prayers during this time of preparation, and sharing their plans and dreams for their future. They all expressed immense gratitude as they reflected on how far they've already made it. In Sierra Leone only 42 percent of young boys ever enroll in secondary school. This number is even lower for girls—28 percent. Those who do enroll often aren't able to attend, and few make it to the twelfth grade.
Our children know it is an enormous privilege, not only to attend school, but to attend one of the best schools in the region. Kadie proudly writes to her sponsors, "It is a great joy for me to say that Mallory Jansen is the best school in this part of the country." Kadie didn't make this up—the country's Minister of Education has declared COTN's school, "the most quality school in the entire region." The students recognize that without their sponsors, and without the partners who funded and helped construct the school buildings, they'd never be in the position they are today. "Without you, I might have been a school dropout," writes Albert.
At Children of the Nations, our goal and prayer is that the children you support will grow up to bring transformation to their nations. No one takes this more seriously than the children themselves. As each student considers their future careers, the welfare of their community and nation is foremost on their hearts. This could never be more clear than when they excitedly describe their plans to their sponsors.
"Our country is classed as one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world," writes Susan, who wants to study economics. "After my education, I will come and serve in my country to develop our economy, so that the hungry and the suffering children would no longer starve."
Alice takes a different approach than Susan to her country's problems—she wants to become a nurse. "Sierra Leone ... has a lack of qualified doctors and nurses, and people are dying every day because there are no proper treatments," she writes.
Patrick says that he wants to study both law and theology, so that he can, "stand for the poor, who are dehumanized because of not having money, and mistreated because they do not have anyone to talk to and take their matter seriously." Patrick knows this all too intimately—he comes from a poor family, and his widowed mother didn't have the resources to care for him. But thanks to his sponsors, he's actually in a place where his dream of becoming a lawyer is possible.
All of our students know they are aiming high, because they were taught to dream big, and they know they serve a big God. Their letters are full of pleas to their sponsors to pray for them, both for their upcoming test in April, and their future studies. "Please join me in prayers for these things to happen in my life, because only with God are all things possible," writes N'gardy, who hopes to become a gynecologist and serve the women of her community. "He alone plans the things in the most pleasing and perfect way," she concludes.
We're excited to see how these incredible children will transform their nations, and invite you to pray with us for their success.
As our students embark on this next exciting phase of their lives, many of them still need sponsors. Sponsor a child in Sierra Leone today!