SIMON GUILLEBAUD

kidstoschool

Desperate to Learn in Burundi…

“Simon, we can’t send our children back to school this Monday because we have no money to buy the uniform and school book and pencil. We go without food, sanitary towels, everything, but still can’t make it. It’s often the children of parents in ministry who are the first to drop out. Please, please help my team, I beg you!”

Charlotte cried as she pleaded with me – she wasn’t just desperate for herself but for her staff at the life-changing ministry she runs and which GLO supports. And as my three children prepare to start at a beautiful school next Monday with all their needs met, her plea haunts me: “It’s often the children of parents in ministry who are the first to drop out.” 

If you’re a parent, it probably never crossed your mind that your children wouldn’t go to school. What would I not do for my kids? It’s so unfair.

September is the hardest month of the year for folks in Burundi, because it’s back to school for the kids – or not, as the case may be. 

So what do I say to her? I love her, her gospel ministry, her faithful colleagues working for a pittance.

Will you hear Charlotte’s plea through me? One of my roles is as a voice for the voiceless. “Please, please, I beg you!” 

GLO supports 15 local partners in Burundi and that’s about 600 salaries all in. We would love to give £30/$35 to each of these families to help them get their children back to school next Monday morning. (There are an average of six children per family. The price of a couple of coffees per child could make a lifetime of difference, keeping them in school instead of dropping out.) Could you help 1, 3, 5, 10, to make this happen? 

If you want to donate, please click here £ or here $.

Thanks so much!

Simon Guillebaud

PS The summer outreach campaign was amazing yet again. I’ll share more once all the results and stories are in. I also have great news of Theogene, the orphan from Ciya who grew aubergines to pay for school fees and wanted to start a rabbit farming business with his brother. He is going back to school next week too, with your support. I’ll also write more soon on how he is getting on…

Comments

3 responses to “Desperate to Learn in Burundi…”

  1. Stuart and Diana Macdonald avatar
    Stuart and Diana Macdonald

    Trying to be constructive here…and so I need to be brutally honest with you.
    Please do not be offended.
    I note from your email that there have been 817 views yet no comments? Why is this I wonder?
    I read that “GLO supports 15 local partners in Burundi and that’s about 600 salaries all in ”
    Well, with such a large work force, how come we in your database and as previous givers to the GLO ministry, get so little in the way of news, prayer requests and general information, aside from requests for more money, (usually at the last minute)?
    Linked websites have some good information, but are also stale.
    Can’t some of these people update their websites and /or get regular newsletters emailed out to their prayer partners? If not, why not?
    We remain very interested in this ministry and have previously responded to calls, but frankly, still know very little about Burundi and feel that your ministries here would benefit from better communication to your data base. We would love more information so that we, who firmly believe in the mighty power of prayer, would know how to make specific prayer requests before the throne of grace.

    (Not withstanding the above, we wish to contribute to sending the children back to school., but please do not publish our name for that. We give as unto the Lord who is a Faithful provider of all of our needs.)
    .

    Reply
  2. Simon Guillebaud avatar
    Simon Guillebaud

    Dear Stuart and Diana,

    Thanks for your honest feedback.

    Do you get our email prayer newsletters? Are you on the inner circle Warriors list? Basically we have different layers of communication, and the blog isn’t the place I choose to reveal too much, because anyone can access it, but some people opt in for more information. Would you like to be more informed for prayer. A lot of work has gone into the website, but of course can be improved. In fact, we’ve just this month taken on someone for 25hours/week dedicated to improving things. I intentionally don’t ask that regularly, but maybe as you say, you think we ask too often. It’s a tricky one. In any case, I take your honest critique seriously, and as a team we’ll discuss what needs changing.

    Thanks for supporting notwithstanding your frustrations/disappointments, God bless you loads,

    Simon

    Reply
  3. David Cottingham avatar
    David Cottingham

    Hi, Simon & Lizzie,
    I am using this not only to promise support within a few days, but endorse the value of this provision, which I have seen and supported in similar form in Kenya and Nicaragua, and heard of in many other places. The relative cost to us of such a life enhancing boost is small: in our own communities these figures provide perhaps museum or field visits for pupils, but represent a small proportion of the spending on school materials and uniforms. We can afford this!
    May I personally add my thanks for your fellowship and challenge: spiritual, mental and physical (!) during the recent week at Lee Abbey. To receive this encouragement from BOTH of you, and observe your youngsters sharing fully in the youth activities was a real treat. Having missed you in the melee of departure, I now wish (and pray) you well under the Lord’s leading in the months ahead.

    Reply

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