Where We Serve
Our mission is to be used by God as He answers the cry of the lost and helpless children of the world.
(Psalm 72:12-14)
Sponsoring a child at the Ephphatha Deaf School assures the child will be able to continue their education, and provides funds for uniforms as well as basic supplies such as paper, pencils, notebooks, crayons, etc.
Many children in Burundi never attend school because their family cannot afford these basic supplies.
Most Burundian families exist on less than ONE DOLLAR a day.
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Ephphatha Deaf School
Burundi, Africa
Ephphatha Deaf School (EDS) was founded by the Emmanual Association of Churches in the mid-1970's and is the only academic school for the deaf in Burundi.
This residential school is in a mission compound located in the Kigobe area of urban Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi.
There are two classroom buildings for grades 1-6, two dorms, a meeting room and a dining room. There is an outdoor sports court and a pavilion-type chapel area that also serves as a classroom for the older boys who are learning woodworking skills. The school offers academic grades 1-6 followed by two years of skills training in sewing or woodwork. There are daily Bible classes, chapel services weekly & Sunday attendance at the mission church services
The 137 member student body is comprised of orphans, refugees and the very poor. Many children have been turned away in recent years due to lack of funding and a shortage of mattresses & beds.
Most families cannot afford to pay even part of the small tuition fees of the school, but child sponsors will help bridge this gap. Designated donations to our Burundi General Fund will help repair the facilities and provide such needs as mattresses, sheets, furniture and training for the teachers, so they may better instruct the children in their various subjects. 
The kids love the new ways of learning that Vicki is bringing to the classrooms, such as this big floor map puzzle of the world used in teaching geography. All teaching in Burundi is done by lecture and writing on the board. Everyone must write down every word and there are no audio or visual aids. There is no money for such items and no students have books.
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