Menongue Children Excited About Progress Of New School

Children in Menongue, a medium sized town in central south east Angola, are excited about the progress of their new school. 

“Floors for four of the five buildings have been completed and the fifth building has been staked out, “ said Darrell Hardy, Maranatha Volunteers International Manager in Angola yesterday. “If all goes as planned the floors will be completed on this coming Thursday.”   The Menongue School will have fifteen classrooms upon completion of the project.

Maranatha Volunteers, together with staff from the South-Western Angola Union Mission and the Southern Africa – Indian Ocean Division are working together to build schools in a country that is in the process of rebuilding following decades of war. More than 50 percent of all schools in Angola were destroyed during the civil war. Efforts have begun to rebuild, but many schools are needed to house all of the children that desire an education.

“Many school children are presently attending school in outdoor classrooms under trees.  The obvious distractions within this difficult learning environment is impacting negatively on the education of students in Angola.  Classrooms will improve educational outcomes and provide more educational and vocational opportunities in the future for Angolan children,” said Dr Paul Ratsara, President of the Southern Africa – Indian Ocean Division.

“We are so grateful for the work of Maranatha,” said Dr Paul Ratsara on April 16 at the Mission Maranatha Convention in Chattanooga, Tennessee. “Your assistance in partnering with SID has helped us to introduce Jesus to hundreds of thousands of new members in our Division who, through your generosity, now have schools and places of worship.  The wide-reaching effects of this work will be known only in Heaven.  Thank you. Thank you, Maranatha.  God bless you.”

Over the past couple of years, Maranatha Volunteers International has built 355 One-Day Church kits in 270 locations in Angola. The Maranatha Convention program cast the vision for Maranatha’s future plans for Angola: “While we continue to build churches, we are also planning to fulfill a need for schools with 200 One-Day School classrooms and an Education and Evangelism Centre.” 

Pr Gideon Reyneke, SID Field Secretary responsible for coordinating Maranatha projects within SID said, “Our partnership is important in bringing the love of Jesus to many communities in Angola.  We praise God for His love and providence as shown through Maranatha Volunteers.”

Joanne Ratsara