VILLAGE MISSION SCHOOLS
Village mission schools help to break the poverty cycle and allow socio-economic development of future leaders. Village mission schools help to break caste barriers and they win the souls of family members through their children who receive the love of Jesus at school.
The staff of the NIEA Village Mission Schools is composed of Hindi teachers and NIEA missionaries. Many have degrees in education. Others have been trained at the NIEA Teacher Training Institute in Purnia. The teachers work in buildings which are adequate but which do not have the equipment commonly seen in Western schools. Children sit at benches and work at long table-desks.
The school headmaster for each building oversees the classes and the teaching staff. A teachers' handbook containing guidelines for various matters pertaining to the school program is provided to the staff. The curriculum follows the state regulations for courses to be taught. In addition, the individual schools provide instruction in character education; teach Bible verse memory and Christian songs.
There are several challenges facing the people here. Among the greatest is illiteracy. Illiteracy in Bihar is 52 %. For women it is higher, with only 1 in 3 girls having the ability to read and write. A recent newspaper article states that there are 6 million children out of reach of any source of education. Statisticians also tell us that around 40% of Bihar's people are under the age of 15. In that case, we are looking at a very high percentage, almost 20% of all the children, who have no educational facility nearby to provide a meaningful educational experience
NIEA SCHOOL – KURMITOLA, BIHAR – A channel of hope
Kurmitola village, with a population of 1500, is one of the smallest and poorest villages in Araria district of Bihar. With five to eight children in every family, they do not have proper houses, proper food or clothing. Belonging to the Musahar tribe, the villagers speak Angika, a local dialect in which we have recently published Luke’s Gospel. Literacy rate in the village is two to three percent, and the only educated person of the village works as a teacher in a government school elsewhere.
Nav Bharat Mission (NIEA) School, Kurmitola, was established in 2008 to help the poor children get primary education. Fifty students joined the school which started in a make-shift shed. In 2009, a storm destroyed the shed; but, undaunted, NBM rebuilt the school that now has 160 students in 5 classes.
Education brings transformation in their lives. Our resident project leader Bro. Pappu Kumar ministers to the people. Six teachers and three staff provide the teaching and the caring for the children, as well as the cooking, cleaning, and so on.
Morning assembly, which includes prayer, songs, Bible reading, physical training, and character formation classes, etc. is held every day. Children are provided with two daily meals, bathing soap, slippers, books, and dresses throughout the year. Children attend the Saturday and Sunday spiritual classes with enthusiasm. A Christmas program is held for children and parents to help them know Jesus personally in their lives.
HOW POVERTY IS PUSHED AWAY WHEN EDUCATION IS MADE AVAILABLE
Renu is a 6-year-old girl who comes from a highly vulnerable family background. She has one sister and her mother, having lost her father while still a baby. Renu’s mother is a mentally impaired person who is not stable enough to take care of the kids. Sometimes her mother does not cook food for her children.
So this child was not able to have any hopes or dreams about her life. While her friends were going to school, she would go to collect kindling to cook food. She would have liked to go to school, but there was no one to guide her. They live in a small hut.
In 2015, she got an opportunity to enroll in the NIEA School Project where she could prepare for her future. Now she is able to have one nutritious meal a day and go to school regularly and study in LKG as well as enjoy being with other children.
In the month of May 2015, there was a cyclone centered in a different part of North Bihar which affected many human lives and making many homeless. Even Renu and her family became victims of the cyclone and they became homeless and the kids were frightened, but, with the timely assistance of the Compassion Project, they were able to get back their house.
Through this ministry, Renu is able to grow in the various areas/aspects of her life. Now she goes regularly to Sunday school and prays to Jesus for her daily needs and for her mother’s healing.
The Shepherd’s Tuition Center, in Tamil Nadu, is a blessing for the 20-25 children who regularly attend it. All children hail from non-Christian families and they are taught school lessons and Bible stories. They are taught to be clean and disciplined too. All children show a difference after attending our classes.
When an epidemic spread and most of the neighbor children became victims all our children were spared. Praise the Lord! Now they believe in prayer.
Jesmin, one of our students, has this testimony about her experience at Shepherd’s Center:
“I was very naughty. I used to beat my friends and spoke bad words. After I came to Shepherd's Center I became different. The stories of Jesus influenced me. I could study well. I love Jesus. So on Sundays I go to church with my neighbors. Please pray for me!"
