Wycliffe volunteers are building schools for missionaries’ children
Wycliffe News Release, January 10, 2005
ORLANDO, Fla. – Wycliffe Associates, a ministry that supports Bible translation, has built four schools overseas in the last three years to help relieve a severe shortage of classroom space for missionary children. Serving hundreds of students, schools have been built in Africa, Indonesia, the Philippines and Southeast Asia by Wycliffe Associates volunteers to serve a growing cadre of Bible translators and their families.
A critical support service for missionaries working overseas in rural and non-Western countries, schools built in these areas will help ensure Bible translation efforts in strategic areas.
“There is a huge need to have schools built to accommodate existing and new missionary families who are moving to the mission field. It is an unfortunate reality that the primary reason families discontinue mission service is due to concerns regarding their children’s education. Without these schools Bible translation progress will be handicapped,” said Bruce Smith, President and CEO of Wycliffe Associates.
Two schools have been built in sensitive areas of Southeast Asia. One of these schools completed recently is where Bible translators were relocated to a safer area of the country due to civil strife. Bible translators are targeting 150 language groups in this region to be translated into God’s Word, and the school will allow the translators to remain in the country to finish their job. Another school that was completed, located south of Manila, is a high school serving missionary families from several different mission organizations.
“We had over 1,138 volunteers go to 27 different countries this past year, with hundreds of them directly involved in building quality schools that missionary children can attend. Without these schools, it would be difficult for missionaries to conduct the full scope of translating a language into scripture,” stated Smith.
Other schools that Wycliffe Associates has completed are the Educational Resource Center (ERC), which provides resources for home-schooling families in Africa and Lacodi (pseudo-name for security reasons) Christian School in Southeast Asia.
The Rain Forest International School in Cameroon, Africa, where construction is just beginning, will help serve Bible translators working in over 60 languages. Located in the capital of Cameroon, this school is near one of the largest rain forests in the world. Wycliffe Associates also built offices and additional classrooms for Faith Academy in Manila, Philippines. This school serves 15 different mission agencies and boasts of a student population of nearly 600.
Organized in 1967, Wycliffe Associates is a ministry that supports Bible translation efforts through various volunteer programs. For more information visit www.wycliffeassociates.org or call 1-800-THE-WORD (1-800-843-9673).