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As a public school teacher in the US, I was constantly trying to collaborate. Unfortunately, not every teacher believed that they could do their best work with others, and I often struggled to find like-minded people. So it has been quite refreshing to work in a job this past year with Edify where the entire goal is to partner with like-minded people and individuals. In this pursuit, I had the privilege to attend the week-long Association of Christian Schools (ACSI) Africa Roundtable conference. This conference is only held every 5 years, and this was the second. Needless to say, I was very excited to hop on a plane to South Africa to attend on behalf of Edify Rwanda. What I didn't realize before going, however, is the wealth of work being done all over the continent for Christian Education! I met many champions for Christian Transformation. I learned that low-cost private… Read more » |
Edify Blog
Collaborating for Christian Education
A Closer Look at AMO: Establishing a Christian Foundation
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In the Domincan Republic we have been working with a Christian education program called AMO (Apacienta Mis Ovejas). Dr. Elizabeth Youmans of Chrysalis International wrote the AMO curriculum along with the teacher training manual; you can read more about Dr. Youmans here. AMO is more than just a Christian curriculum; it offers educators a way to expand the Christian worldview of students and educators. In my next several blog posts I will analyze AMO in more depth and explain why AMO is an excellent tool for Christian transformation in the schools we work with. During the weeklong teacher training (imparted to teachers before teaching the material), AMO stresses the importance of Establishing A Christian Foundation. AMO teaches that Christian transformation must begin within our mind and spirit and then extend out. This is pulled from Paul's teaching, “do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2). As our… Read more » |
Photo of the Week
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Students in Tema, Ghana were eager to take a seat in their newly installed computer lab! In the picture below, students are learning about Creation.
Teachers, parents, and students alike are excited about the opportunities this lab makes available. They are thrilled about their new lab and are grateful to Edify and SAT for making this dream of theirs a reality.
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What can Khan Academy in Ghana teach us in five days?
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In Part 2 of our series on our adventures in sustaining academic improvement with technology, I caught up with Laura Hetzel to hear about her recent project working with our schools in Ghana. Laura recently completed her MBA from the University of San Diego and she spent three months in Ghana this spring working on a host of research projects looking at operations and academics at our schools. The coolest thing about her time in Ghana, in my opinion was an intensive week-long experiment with Khan Academy in two schools in Koforidua. Of course the standard in education is to pilot a solution for quite some time before “passing judgement” on the program but I was amazed at what we learned about the technology as well as the teachers and students that we are serving. Passing judgement was not the goal here, we are working with our schools on incremental steps to… Read more » |
Earn All You Can, Save All You Can, Give All You Can
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I have been challenged in recent years to consider how I spend money, how I give away money, how I save money and the ensuing implications of each of these actions. I am challenged by this nearly everyday as I work for Edify in a country (The Dominican Republic) where there is a shocking contrast between the very rich and the large majority of people who are quite poor materially speaking. The way that we spend and manage our money can narrow this gap by investing in those who have little and not investing in structures that may keep them from rising up out of poverty. Whether you have much or have little the responsibility to use your money wisely and in alignment with the desires of Our Creator should remain the same. Personally, I find the English theologian, John Wesley's life and teachings to be… Read more » |
Photo of the Week
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[caption id="attachment_2362" align="alignleft" width="576"] Three young girls in Kigali stand to greet the Edify Rwanda team and Tiger Dawson. The students were excited to have visitors and eager to tell us about their future plans and aspirations - doctors, lawyers, educators, future president. It is always a joy and inspiration to visit the schools Edify works with and interact with the future of Rwanda.[/caption] |
Edify and Pure Charity
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As we continue to grow, we desire to expand the network of people, just like you, who are involved with and praying for Edify. Will you help us reach more children with a Christ-centered education by telling your friends about your interest and experience with Edify? Edify is now using Pure Charity to tell others about our work and to generate funding for our projects! Have you heard about Pure Charity? It's an incredible platform that helps raise awareness and funding for Edify. What makes Pure Charity unique? Like most platforms, it allows you to donate towards an organization's cause, but it also also allows you to earn a percentage back from your online shopping. The earnings from your online shopping goes into your personal giving fund. YOU decide what projects you are passionate about and distribute your funds accordingly! (Maybe you haven't heard about Pure Charity, so take 1 minute and… Read more » |
AMO Update
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Overview of AMO in the DR AMO was first introduced to the Dominican Republic (DR) in 2008 in Santo Domingo. Since then it has gained momentum and spread to various parts of the country through partnerships with several different organizations such as Food for the Hungry, World Vision, Vision Trust, Buckner, and Esperanza International among others. There have been 17 trainings in the DR and about 850 people trained. Edify began working alongside AMO in early 2011. Edify supports AMO teacher training and follow-up sessions through partnerships with Esperanza International and ASPIRE, both of whom are Christian microfinance organizations in the DR. To date Edify has helped host 7 AMO trainings for teachers at low-cost private schools in the DR with more than 250 people trained: Follow-Up Edify believes that follow-up after an AMO training is the key to successful… Read more » |
A Small Price to Pay
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"The parents just can't believe it is only 1000 Francs to go to Imena School! " This is what one of our edupreneurs in Rwanda exclaimed after launching an afternoon preschool session to cater to the poorest in her community. Imena School has been providing a quality education to students in Kigali from Pre-school to Grade 6. You may remember this school from my blog post "What Quality Looks Like." But for this engaging and inspiring school owner, what she was doing just wasn't enough. Antionette has long been wanting to find a way to access the poorest children in the community surrounding her home and school. She already charges a very low tuition, but in a culture where preschool is not a priority, she felt there was still not enough access. So she developed the idea for an afternoon preschool session. "The teachers were complaining about needing more money, and I just… Read more » |
Photo of the Week
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Edify co-founder, Tiger Dawson, collaborates with the school proprietress and two Esperanza staff to see how Edify-Esperanza can better serve her. Questions such as, "Other than loans and training, what can we do to be of better service to you?" And, "How can we make the trainings we offer more suitable for your schedule?" These questions help Edify-Esperanza gain a better insights into the lives of those we serve. The proprietress gave practical responses that will help Edify-Esperanza improve its services.
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