Ray of Hope Academy-Akid is just that - a real ray of hope in a remote rural village in the Southwest of Cameroon, where nothing good was perceived to be happening or was thought would ever happen. That is no longer the case because now there is a beautiful primary school in Akid.
This was totally a God thing from start to finish. The closest school was five miles away and the parents in Akid were desperate for road improvements, clean water, electricity, cell phone coverage, health services, and especially a school. I visited there a year ago and was just convicted to see a school built there. Why not? I am convinced it is the best investment I have ever made.
God cleared obstacles and provided an excellent project manager and community relations developer in our own Jochebed Ambe. That woman is amazing! Many others, like Ebenezer, pitched in to help, and there were wonderful souls making donations.
The school went up in record time, although many challenges occurred due to it being the rainy season. Teachers were hired, government approval was granted, furniture was trucked in, textbooks were purchased, uniforms were made, and in September the school opened to 22 students. It was a thrill to be present there for the ceremony and celebration.
I am particularly proud of the fact that the whole project has been very grass roots - the land was donated, the villagers provided a large amount of labor, and local materials were used.
When God wants it done, it happens. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…” That is our story. We trusted God to get us this far, and we will trust God to carry us through with one more building, funding for teachers, a nurse, a church plant, and maybe more!
We have also been blessed to have Grace Episcopal Day School from Orange Park, Florida collecting thousands of books for the school children. This school is excited to plan some other projects as well. We are blessed indeed and it is a joy to bless others.
This piece is written by Dr. Roxanne Cheek. Dr. Roxanne is a veterinary doctor who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband. She has two grown children. She is a veteran short-term missionary who has made several trips to Cameroon. She also serves on the board of BFL. She was instrumental in the building of this school.
In addition to the land donated to build the school, the village of Akid has ceded a large portion of land to BFL to use for sustainable agricultural and community development. This will be another focus of our sustainable development efforts in the coming years.
God cleared obstacles and provided an excellent project manager and community relations developer in our own Jochebed Ambe. That woman is amazing! Many others, like Ebenezer, pitched in to help, and there were wonderful souls making donations.
The school went up in record time, although many challenges occurred due to it being the rainy season. Teachers were hired, government approval was granted, furniture was trucked in, textbooks were purchased, uniforms were made, and in September the school opened to 22 students. It was a thrill to be present there for the ceremony and celebration.
I am particularly proud of the fact that the whole project has been very grass roots - the land was donated, the villagers provided a large amount of labor, and local materials were used.
When God wants it done, it happens. “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…” That is our story. We trusted God to get us this far, and we will trust God to carry us through with one more building, funding for teachers, a nurse, a church plant, and maybe more!
We have also been blessed to have Grace Episcopal Day School from Orange Park, Florida collecting thousands of books for the school children. This school is excited to plan some other projects as well. We are blessed indeed and it is a joy to bless others.
This piece is written by Dr. Roxanne Cheek. Dr. Roxanne is a veterinary doctor who lives in Jacksonville, Florida with her husband. She has two grown children. She is a veteran short-term missionary who has made several trips to Cameroon. She also serves on the board of BFL. She was instrumental in the building of this school.
In addition to the land donated to build the school, the village of Akid has ceded a large portion of land to BFL to use for sustainable agricultural and community development. This will be another focus of our sustainable development efforts in the coming years.