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Learn how Wesley College and graduates are positively impacting children's lives in Tanzania
Posted in the June 2023 Newsletter
June 16th is the International Day of the African Child. June 16th was picked in recognition of the 1976 march by 10,000 black school children in Soweto, South Africa who marched for equitable education and were subsequently threatened and hundreds shot during their march.
Every June 16th, Africa sets aside a day to focus on children, and raise awareness of the need to continue to improve education and services being offered to this vulnerable, but important group, around the continent of Africa.
The Day of the African Child was born out of a desire for real change and we are excited to be highlighting how Wesley College’s graduates have participated in making the lives of African children better in important and tangible ways.
Children are where generational change must start and Wesley College graduates have taken on that challenge through wholistic change.David Jeremiah was the United Methodist Church’s first children’s ministry coordinator. He spent his time encouraging others to invest time in children’s ministry, helped lead trainings for children’s ministers, and ensured that the church kept a focus on the importance of forming the next generation. As he finished his time as the coordinator, another Wesley College graduate has taken his place in this role.
“When you teach children, you are teaching our future pastors, our future doctors, our future presidents. Our big task is to prepare our future church – and it’s the world’s church.”
-David Jeremiah
While some graduates are working on spiritual needs of children, others are focusing on inclusion into the community. Graduates like Fred Michael and Neema Munya, and others, are part of the leadership of Yatosha. Yatosha is an organization that is working to include deaf youth in the life of the church by equipping churches to have worship and Bible studies that are accessible to deaf people. This past week, Yatosha broke ground on a vocational school that will train deaf and hearing impaired youth so that they can get jobs and be engaged in the normal pursuits of life.
Wesley College was created, in part, to make education accessible to a new group of Tanzanian youth who were not previously being served by the education system. The education received and the formation done at Wesley College help our students understand their ability as change-makers. Wesley College graduates are equipped to be servant leaders into the community to shape the next generation.
If you are interested in being part of changing the next generation in deep and long lasting ways--let us know. I would love to talk to you about opportunities to do just that!
Blessings,
Eric Soard
Executive Director, Wesley College Foundation
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Accessibility is one of the four pillars of Wesley College Foundation. Students cannot
experience the transformative education of Wesley College without generous supporters,
interested in seeing lives changed. Gilbert was one of our featured students in 2023. He
shared how he wasn’t even able to finish high school because of his family’s financial situation and was forced into an endless string of low wage jobs just to support himself. The day he found out his studies would be supported through a scholarship he dropped everything else--recognizing this once in a life time opportunity.
Wesley College Foundation is growing. Brady Banks came on as the Director of Foundation Development; Dr. John Wayne Smith joined us as a new board member from Northwest Arkansas, and most importantly you all contributed more than ever before---making it possible to increase support to Wesley College and students in Tanzania. Gilbert is about to finish a second diploma in community development, has a small business that supports his family, and just started as the new pastor of Kalaluma United Methodist Church. He is a great example of how opportunity creates more opportunity and Wesley College Foundation is On the Move towards forming even more servant leaders for the church and community because of your support and work.