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‘I smile because there is a big change in our lives,’ says Esther in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR). She’s the wife of a pastor, Abel, and the couple have six biological children and three adopted ones. The family recognises the vital importance of education in opening doors for the future, and all the children have either completed or are in some form of full-time learning – from the eldest, now a pastor in Paris, to the youngest who is in Year 7.
‘We are human beings,’ Esther laughs. ‘People think, because we’re a pastoral couple that there are no problems. No. Sometimes, we have misunderstandings. Sometimes children have their issues too, and their own points of view in regards to what the parents think. But, all of our children participate in church and are leaders among the youth. It’s a good gift we’ve received from God!’
Esther’s community has faced severe challenges. Apart from financial struggles, since 2013, a series of violent attacks forced people from their homes. Many lost possessions and loved ones. Now, though many have returned to the places they fled, this has left the community’s young people particularly, as Esther describes them, ‘aggressive, violent and fearful’.
Amidst these difficulties, Esther was invited to take part in Tearfund’s Transforming Communities training .
Resources: time and talents
‘We started to understand that we have to use the local resources and talents God has already given us. Often, we don’t even notice them as resources – such as time and skills! For example, I always baked birthday cakes and made the children’s clothes. But I didn’t think that it could bring me money! Now, I’ve used cake to transform my family’s situation!’
What Esther learned from Tearfund inspired her. And, as she’s been implementing her training, her whole community is reaping the benefits.
Among the many things she’s been doing, is helping equip young women to lift their families out of poverty through education.
‘It all started when we began to recruit young women and girls to teach them to sew,’ she explains. ‘We realised that the majority of them had never gone to school, or they’d dropped out in primary school. For sewing, they needed to take measurements, and if a person can’t read or write, how will she do that? Also, how can they read the Bible?
‘Since literacy is my passion, I really wanted these young women to learn to read and write.’ So, after being trained and equipped by Tearfund, Esther has started teaching young women in her community to do exactly that.
Writing a new future
‘Once the women understand how to read, write and calculate, we introduce them to other income-generating skills, such as soap making, and savings groups, where they meet each week to save money together.
‘If a woman has some education, she will start to instill it in the family, and this will also help the country move forward. And women can take care of themselves rather than expecting everything from their husbands.
‘That’s what Tearfund taught us to help these women,’ explains Esther.
Find out more at Tearfund.org/Premier
