Update from BHW Field Director

Recent Events

Christian Cambridge School (PAK06)

The school is going really well. The second term is due to start on 1st September and they start with three exams. The students need to pass all three exams with a pass mark of 66% in order to go to the next class. At the moment there are seven classes, starting with nursery, prep, and 1st through to 5th Grade. 

There are currently 104 students (up from 70 at my last visit) and applications are still coming in for the new term. If students come from another school an entry test is required. If they pass the test then they remain in the same class they came from otherwise they go down a class. 

There are 12 people working there. The classrooms are still being developed but Azam is ahead of the need right now. When the new school year starts in March 2016 they will add another grade, 6th Grade. The school does not take older students from other schools as in the past they have found these students struggle to integrate in. CCS has a tough syllabus and teaching compared to other schools so they prefer to start with 3-4 year old children to establish their foundations. They can then follow and understand CCS education rules from the beginning. They are anticipating having 150 students next year. 

Azam thinks that by the time the number of students gets to around 150 the school will be self-sustaining and covering all the costs. Of course that doesn’t mean any return on the money invested. He expects that there will be about 500 in the school when it is finished and by that stage it will be generating a profit and able to help others. 

Of the children attending the school approximately 30% are Christians although many more new Christian families are moving into the area when they hear about the school and church there. The remaining 70% are Muslim, Hindu and Roman Catholic. 

Sewing Centres (PAK01a-d)

The sewing classes in Rawat (PAK01a) and Wazir (PAK01d) are going really well. Between them they have about 40 students. The Rawat one is still being run at the request of the women. They intended to have finished it by now but the community is strongly requesting that they continue to run it. This is putting some stress on them in terms of time to do everything.

They think they would like to change it as they have done sewing classes there for at least four years. They are thinking of changing this to a computer training centre to try and get some boys involved as well. They are going to send through a proposal for that. There may be some issues to deal with, especially keeping the rooms cool enough to have a computer lab.

The Wazir class (at the school building) is going very well and will be hard to stop. It is proving to be a really good entrance into the community. With the school and the sewing being run there, the church is growing. Since starting about two years ago it has grown from 6 people to 60, most of them conversions. They want to continue the sewing in this area for at least one more year. 

The rural sewing centres in Faisalabad (PAK01c) are doing very well. There are now four running in different villages. Those who come are all poor women.

The total number of women learning sewing is around 100 per year now. Azam has many requests to do similar programmes in more villages. He wants to start another two and I am working with him on a budget for these.  

Faisalabad Adult Literacy (PAK05a)

After the sewing courses began in the Faisalabad villages, the students requested that they start adult literacy as few of them could read so that has begun as well. There are around 15 people in each class, meaning about 60 are being trained in that area. 

Churches

Azam oversees three churches around Rawalpindi. He planted all of them and I have visited them all. Each has had a sewing programme based in them as well. He has some other voluntary pastors who assist him. So, he starts the churches and gets them established, then he moves on to another location. The most recent one is the one in Chaklala, Wazir.

About two months ago the three churches had a combined public baptism. They went to an area where there is a river and asked the people there to give them 45 minutes. They baptised 20 people in public. Many people observed what was happening and asked questions and took photos. These people are fearless. The new church in Wazir, using the school building, is in an area where there are many Taliban people. They cause no trouble and are very open to friendship and conversation. 

Partnership's Influence within the Community
There is a growing awareness of Christian Cambridge School in the community and the local Moslem leader tells everyone that this is a great school. In fact, a Moslem guy wanted to start building another school in the area but the mullah told him not to bother because he could never provide as good an education as the Christian Cambridge School. 

CCS is certainly a light in the darkness and a testimony of Jesus among many living around it. The parents are satisfied and see a bright future for their children. They feel their children are in safe, caring, committed hands. The tuition fees are not much, US$3-6/month, but for the poor this can be a big amount and some parents find it hard to pay even this small amount. However no child is ever sent away because they are not able to pay. 

The school is not just used for education but also for community development purposes. The school hall is used for Sunday church services (Sunday school is held in the classrooms) and there is a feeding programme once a month at the school. Sewing classes have been held there for the last two years and teachers training programmes are also held from time to time. The school is available to be used for community gatherings or programmes whenever needed. It is Azam and Barbara's desire that CCS play a vital role in individual, family and community life and that it should be used as a community resource.  

Personal Stories

Sheryar

Sheryar started studying at Christian Cambridge School in nursery and he is now in 4th grade. He is not a particularly intelligent student but is a hard working boy. He also has some speech problems but continues working hard. His two sisters are also students at CCS. Their 35 year old father was a mason and worked as a building constructor. Two years ago he got sick and did not survive. Their mother didn't have any kind of work or skills. After her husband’s death she learned sewing at the Wazir town sewing centre. She earned a sewing certificate and a machine. Now she is helping her children.

CCS don't ask for any tuition fees for Sheryar and his two younger sisters. Sheryar likes CCS and is happy to continue studying. He would like to join the Pakistan army. Their mother is so thankful and appreciates what has been done in her children's lives. 

Sehrish

Sehrish's father is principal of a Muslim religious school. She was from a village and came to CCS almost two years ago in class two. She took the entry test into CCS but did not do well in the test. However her father pleaded for her to be given a chance because they live in Wazir town. She worked very hard and achieved second position in the final exams, now she is in 4th grade. Her father is so happy. Sehrish has two younger brothers who are also studying at CCS. Her father tells others about the school and the impact the school has in his children's lives.