NO SCHOOL
No education for five years
Together with my bodyguard Moses I drive through Hammanskraal on the way to the Garden of Hope. Every day about 150 children come there for a Bible class. On the way we see one of our boys standing along the road. All the children are at school, but he hangs out on the street. When we ask him why he doesn’t go to school, he reacts shy and dismissive. We decide to visit the boy’s mother.
After further questioning, it turns out that the son has not been going to school for more than 5 years. The Bible classes are the only education he has received in recent years. He has been expelled from school because his reading skills are not progressing, probably due to dyslexia. In all other aspects he performs well. The boy has an intelligent look in his eyes.
My heart breaks for this boy. He is now 13 years old and has missed more than 5 years of education. What kind of future does such a boy have? Chances of getting a job are already slim, but even more without education. There is a good chance that he will eventually end up on the street and start using alcohol and drugs. He already roams the streets every day. I hear from his mother that his father has left and no longer shows concern for him. The man his mother now lives with does not take care of this boy or make any effort to get him to school. The mother has health problems and also has small children at home. There isn’t much money. This little boy is now doing some odd jobs at a nearby shop, so they have some extra income. We decide to visit the boy’s school to find out why he was suspended, and we will try to find a school for this boy. I conclude the visit with reading from the Bible and prayer. I also leave some evangelism material.
After a few weeks I have found a school he can go to. At this school students are taught more practical skills. The next day I see him with a bright smile at the Garden of Hope; he is going back to school! His eyes shine and he proudly shows his uniform. After this he attends my Bible class, and we are learning a song. He can’t read, but he tries to listen carefully so he can sing the song too. I see him listening intently to the story about Abraham. Silently I pray that the Lord will work in the heart of this boy and that his education may be blessed. He cannot read the Bible himself and will probably never learn to do so.
Marieke Bakker
