by Donek Tesfaye, Ethiopia
5 March 2009

	This 1st grade class is being trained to teach literacy to others.

Makki’s Orachaga school began its work around 4 years ago with about 100 students ... with ages ranging from 7 to 62. Located in Ethiopia among the Mursi people, this school is one of its kind in an area of about 1,540 square km. The aim is to provide non-formal education for the Mursi people who do not have any access to education where they live. Today, the school has produced the first 23 graduates ... ages ranging from 12 to 35. Out of these 23 students, 14 of them will be sent to an Arba Minch boarding school, located 340 km (212 mi) away, to join a formal education system. This is indeed a great achievement.

Being semi-nomadic with peculiar lifestyles, the Mursi were never able to fit in any environment other than their own. They never had the vision or the interest to be educated, because they saw education as the way of the highlander. They were far from knowing God. But now, this has all changed!

To prepare them for this huge step, missionaries Debby and Tim Ricker took the elders (parents/decision makers) of these selected students to Arba Minch. God was so gracious! The government people in Arba Minch were very excited about the Mursi finally getting formal education.

All of the elders who visited Arba Minch said that they will send their kids to the boarding school—out of the 14 students, 4 are girls. In addition, Debby and Tim also sent the students to Jinka, located 90 km away from Mursi, for a month to get some cultural and language experience. The Jinka Kale Heywet Church took these students under its wing and assigned them to live with various members of the church. The church members saw hosting these students as a ministry, and did it with no complaint. Even when living costs are increasing and people are struggling to feed their own families.

The Mursi students on the other hand, were able to declare God’s deeds among the Mursi to the Jinka church. A lot of the people that met these students—government officials, church leaders, and others—testified that these students are exceptional, and can be role models for the rest of the Mursi and the other tribes around them. One government official said, "these students have the fear and understanding of God; that’s what makes them exceptional."

Pray:

• That the students will finish strong and not give in to family pressure to give up.
• Most of these students are very young; please pray that they will stand firm in what they believe and not give in to temptations.
• Especially for the young Mursi girls who would like to continue to study before entering into marriage.