In July 2008, I wrote an article about the plight of the School Lycee Dinanga, the girl’s commercial school in Bulape. Last year, less than a hand-full of students in the entire
Last week, I got a SMS (text) message from Justin, the headmaster of Lycee Dinanga and Congo Helping Hands’ project manager in Bulape. Justin’s text message was short but it was powerful.
“All my 6 students from the 6th form typing finished. I mean they succeeded the government exams.” WOW! That’s great news. I wanted more details. Justin did not use all of his allocated 160 characters for his SMS message. I had to send him at least two more messages to get more details.
However, those few words meant so much for so many people, both here in Indiana and there in Bulape. They represent some dreams answered. And they represent the spark for more and bigger dreams.
The parents of those students should be proud of their children. Those parents made sacrifices of time and money to allow their girls to attend and finish school. And the students themselves need to be commended to sticking to it. The conditions that they endured to finish are unbelievable. The teachers deserve a hand, too. After about four years of operations, the teachers finally started receiving their government pay.
You, the supporters of Congo Helping Hands, should rejoice in this step forward. Some of you looked for and found those old dusty typewriters. Others of you help pack and transport those old dusty typewriters. Many of you supported us and our Congolese partners with your prayers and financial support. Without YOU, these students would not have succeeded.
A PDF version is available (free). Download Your Old Dusty Typewriter Made a Difference
By Woody M. Collins
President
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