Objective
The Remember Niger Coalition (RNC) is seeking $38,000 for the construction of a 3-classroom elementary school building in Guidan Arna.
Overview
The Remember Niger Coalition is dedicated to unifying people and mobilizing resources in order to expand quality educational opportunities.
We are motivated by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, “Whatever you do for the least of these my brothers and sisters you do for me.” Our desire is that all Nigerien children have the opportunity to attend school and discover all that God created them to be. And, in so doing, they will be able to help their families, communities and their country.
The Guidan Arna primary school was established in October 2000. At the time, there were 45 students, 20 of whom were girls. The children who attend the school are from five remote villages around the school. The school has grown quickly and is in dire need of new classrooms. Today, the Guidan Arna primary school has 220 students, including 103 girls. Currently, there are 4 classrooms made of straw and grass and one permanent classroom.
Construction
Construction of the 3 primary school classrooms will break ground in summer 2023 and the building will be completed this fall. The building will be inclusive, incorporating a a user-friendly, child-friendly design which benefits all students, including adolescent girls, sick children and children with disabilities.
Our partnership
The Evangelical Church of Niger (EERN) has a presence in the village and they, along with the public school, approached Remember Niger to request our help with improving the school.
After a year of thoughtful consideration and prayer, we felt compelled to enter into partnership with the Guidan Arna school. We are thankful for this opportunity to partner with the EERN and a public school in a difficult-to-reach village. We are pleased that the school administration is welcoming of Christian influence. It is impressive that the school is accomplishing so much, despite the fact that they have so little.
Because Guidan Arna is a public school, there is one difference between our partnership with it and our partnerships with private schools: we do not provide sponsorships to students at Guidan Arna since public schools do not charge tuition. However, there is no difference between Guidan Arna and private schools when it comes to building new classrooms. Just as the private schools we support do not have the funds to build new classrooms, the Nigerien government has provided land, but it does not have the means to construct the classrooms. Constructing new classrooms will meet an immediate need and allow children to attend school in a safe and nurturing environment.