Literacy Goes to Kongo
As I wrote in the post "A Busy March," we have been working toward establishing literacy in a village a couple mountains away - Kongo. Kongo is still among the same language group and they heard that we had a class available to learn to read and write in their heart language, Do (pronounced Doe). And so they sent six men to come and take part in our literacy class last year.
For the sake of this post, let me introduce them here: Dewiwi (the leader among them), Iramo, Simit, Dawa, Parati, and Idige.
After they graduated, we started making plans for them to teach others in their own village. The deal is: they must to have enough people finish literacy that they can appoint 3-4 as teachers, they need to build a classroom, and they need to have community support (ie: not just one family who wants to start literacy somewhere). If a village can do all this then we will pay for and print all the materials.
In March, these six Kongo graduates hiked back over to us and set up a meeting to tell us that all was ready! Do we have materials for them? Would I be willing to come next month to an opening of the Do literacy class in Kongo Village? Yes and yes.
They hiked all the books, a big wooden box (to hold them), two chalkboards (!), and a bunch of smaller miscellaneous supplies to Kongo and then Monday we set out to visit them.
Two of my village mamas, Bangena and Erinumeng, came with me to join the celebration and carry my bag (since I am a white lady whose "legs don't know how to go around in these mountains" - truth.). Also, Maikepe and Namura our literacy teachers, Wione a Lutheran leader, and Kenimo who was one of our first literacy graduates.
After hiking down and then up up up, we were met by another guy, Amba, who carried my bag the rest of the way (down and down a bunch and then back up and down and up :)! (So thankful for that guy!)
We were met right outside of the village where they did a ceremony. They cut open a heavily decorated door made of banana leaves. If you try, you may be able to make out some of the writing on the sign below (long means "to" or "on" or "in" and tok ples means "local language"):
After the door was cut they brought us into the village with traditional singing:
...and had a short program introducing us to the village.
After an evening and morning of generous food and accommodations, Maikepe, Namura and I spent the morning with the new Kongo teachers putting the final touches on the classroom.
Mid-morning we dressed up for the formal classroom opening ceremony (we are standing in front of the home we all stayed in):
We were walked back over to the classroom which was so beautiful (and they welcomed me with a note of flowers - Wel kam to Miss Kasti):
There was singing and a prayer for the new teachers.
Dewiwi stood up during the opening, thanked many for their part in the opening ceremonies, and thanked us for teaching them. He then broke down in tears as he spoke of the hospitality in Mawerero during their stay with us during our class last year.
I was able to speak. I honored the Kongo men for their sacrifice in walking all the way to Mawerero and back each week for literacy for THREE MONTHS - and their wives and moms for sacrificing to be without them during each week, too.
I told the community that their hard work is why this school is now available in their village. And I explained that the reason we made this school is so they can all read the Bible in their heart language. I brought them a copy of Ephesians in Do and gave it to the new teachers.
They finished the opening ceremony by giving us a pig and other food to enjoy that afternoon.
The next morning we hiked home.
This is the bridge over the last river before Mawerero.
My boys and Erinumeng's ran down a bit to meet us and take some bags.
I have a special affinity for anyone I get to help teach in the literacy class... which, of course, was only fueled by their lavish display of gratitude and honor to all seven of us who came to the opening. I wish I had taken a picture of Namura and Maikepe on this trip, because they are doing the hard work of staying in Kongo for a couple weeks to coach these new literacy graduates take on a class of their own with confidence.
I would love it if you could pray:
- For Maikepe and Namura to be discerning about the best ways to help the new teachers and how long they need to stay. For health for them as well (Maikepe had a cold and fever when we left).
- For Iramo, Simit, and Dawa who will be the main new teachers in their village and for Dewiwi who oversees it. Please pray for them to teach confidently and to keep growing in their reading speed so they can quickly access the teacher manual and teach what it says.
- That everything for the class is within the materials I gave them. If anything is missing, we need to wait for someone to hike all the way here and back before I can replace it.
- For the people of Kongo to learn to read and gain access to God's Word in their heart language.
Dewiwi, Simit, and Iramo with their copy of Ephesians:
