Francis Ssennyanjo of Set Free Ministries East Africa shares this story because it is a testimony of how education can save lives. Previously, he explained how a stable school environment with a Gospel focus helps children escape spiritual bondage.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

It was this sort of education that kept this girl from following the harmful patterns so common in her village. She was 14-years-old at the time and almost done with her studies at Victorious Tata Primary School (VTPS) in Uganda. This school is one of many Set Free Ministries supports internationally.

A 37-year-old man was a prominent figure in the village. He was rich. He had a car. This made him powerful. The sexual relationship could have opened up opportunities for the girl, or at least been a distraction. She came from a very poor family. But her response proved she was thinking about the future.

Ssennyanjo shares her story: “She said, ‘No, I can’t get roped into sex with you. I know I have to focus on my studies.’ And this didn’t happen only once. I think it happened about three times, according to her testimony. And she stood her ground.

“Now that was unheard of in those kind of conditions. For a girl of that age to come out and make her stand that she’s not going to get herself involved or entangled in sex — which is a very common thing, kind of a coping strategy among the smallest girls in that community.”

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

This girl had excelled in school and she knew it was important. Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to continue her education after this age.

Ssennyanjo explains, “Set Free Ministries has been supporting most of the schools to grade seven, which we call primary seven. And really at that time, the children are about 12, 13, 14-years-old.”

This child’s mother couldn’t afford school fees. But then, she caught wind of her daughter’s story.

“When she heard the testimony of this young girl, that she was able to stand against these advances for sex, the mother could not believe this. She decided to commit herself to try to use whatever she has to make sure that her child continues in school. Because she knew that by continuing with the school, the child’s prospects for life would be much, much better.”

The way things are now, the kids are kind of on their own once they graduate from VTPS. Some families can afford to educate their children further, but not everyone. And, it’s not necessarily a priority for many parents. Another concern is there are no high schools in the area that are consistent with the Set Free Ministries’ schools in their support.

“When it comes to grade seven, and the girls and the boys are the age of 12, 13, 14 — those are delicate years,” Ssennyanjo says.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

It is heartbreaking to see a girl like this who is so committed to her education but has very little security in pursuing it. Ssennyanjo is especially burdened for the girl child in Uganda. They have fewer opportunities and are more likely to be abused by the harmful patterns that continue to characterize these communities.

The CIA World Factbook says the average age a woman first becomes a mother in Uganda is under 19-years-old. Uganda is the 10th worst country when it comes to adults with HIV/AIDS. A relationship like the one described above puts young girls at high risk to contracting this deadly disease. Additionally, the data source says women face less educational and vocational opportunities.

That’s why Ssennyanjo says, “We believe this is high time that we move forward and continue supporting these children — maybe for the next six years while in high school, and try to provide them with an environment that will enable them to mature in their Christian walk, but at the same time, provide a skill for their livelihood.”

He believes if they can continue to support these children for just a few more years and help them learn vocational skills, they will be more likely to succeed in life, pursue a better future, and refuse to make decisions that contribute to the poverty and spiritual darkness of that area. Ssennyanjo believes they will be a generation that seeks to do good for his country.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

And so, Set Free Ministries has begun raising money to build a high school that would board 1,000 students.

He asks that you pray for support — both material and spiritual. Ask God to make these children a light in their community, that they would stand firm in the Gospel and seek better things for their people.

If you would like to support this fundraising project, click here and select “Uganda High School Project.” 

Or, you can send a check to Set Free Ministries and include “Uganda School Project” on the memo line.

Victorious Tata Primary School (VTPS) began in 2009 as an answer to an outcry by the community. Children traveling miles to the nearest school weren’t exactly safe. In fact, one child had gone missing.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

Gospel workers in the area started the school on a small piece of volunteered land. But that was when Set Free Ministries arrived and helped them purchase a larger piece of land to build a school on. In 2012, a temporary building was put up, and today a permanent building is in place. The school body has grown from less than 30 children to over 447.

Francis Ssennyanjo, Executive Director of Set Free Ministries East Africa says, “Right now, the school has become a fully-fledged primary school, recognized and registered by the government of Uganda. Not only has it become a school, but it’s more or less an attraction to the whole community because a lot of influence is coming into the community as a result of this school.”

The background of this community is what reveals the significance of a school like VTPS. Ssennyanjo says the ground the school is built on used to belong to a witch doctor. As we shared last week, many communities in Africa have been ruled by the witch doctors, contributing to deadly cycles of poverty and disease.

“You end up having a community that simply has fear. And they subscribe to the whims and the rituals that are prescribed by the witch doctors. The outcome of that is all their resources in terms of earnings, in terms of what they get elsewhere, is being siphoned by the witch doctors,” Ssennyanjo explains.

In this area, there are a few thousand witch doctors, but few medical physicians. So, real medical help is rarely sought, and education becomes impossible for many children. The education available through Set Free Ministries is provided for free, and it is life-changing.

A symbol of freedom

The very building that makes up the school represents this life change — and freedom. At Set Free Ministries’ banquet last month, Ssennyanjo explained that whenever a new building is raised in communities like this one in Uganda, they have the witch doctor bless it. The belief is that without the witch doctors blessing, it will not stand.

Ssennyanjo says, “The community at large has a belief system that is grounded in the worship of the devil and the worship of evil spirits.”

But this school was built on ground that used to belong to a witch doctor. It still stands today, without any blessing by the witch doctor.

Learning the freedom in Christ

In the school, children are learning that they don’t need to fear the witch doctors. They are learning the truth about God, and the salvation given to them through Jesus.

Ssennyanjo says, “The children who are being taught in that school are able to go back and tell the community and tell their families the difference they experience as a result of being a part of that school.”

All in all, these kids have entered into a world of opportunity.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

“The children out there are enjoying a better life in terms of better health, in terms of being fed, in terms of spending more time out there in school and improving their school performance. Not only that, but [they are] also hearing and listening to the Word of God which is giving them a new understanding of life, new meanings, a sense of hope and ownership to their destiny.”

In addition to this, the children also are helped with other basic needs — like mosquito nets that prevent them from contracting malaria. And if the children do get sick while at the school, it is certain that the teachers there will not send them to a witch doctor.

Excellence in education

Alongside spiritual freedom, practical help is given through this school. Because the children understand the witch doctors hold no sway over them, they can pursue their education without fear. And, they are engaged spiritually and academically rather than loitering around the community day after day.

“The spiritual component is key because it fixes children to see things differently, whereby there’s a greater sense of discipline in terms of their focus. There’s hope [and] there’s the love that the children get from being at school.”

He says there is also a “sense of oneness” the children get in the school environment — they’re able to help each other out and learn what it means to be part of a team.

This team mentality, he shares, has helped the children hold to a sense of solidarity against the attitudes of the community at large. They are building confidence to continue working hard in school.

(Photo courtesy of Set Free Ministries)

And the grades, he says, are astonishing. In fact, marks from 2016 rivaled that of grades from Kampala, something Ssennyanjo says is almost unheard of in rural schools.

“When the children considerately perform better, that is a manifestation of change. That is a manifestation of new things happening in this community.”

If you’d like to support Set Free Ministries, click here. And please, pray for the students of VTPS to be a bright light for the Gospel in their community.

Check back this week as we learn how this school changed the outcome of one girl’s life, and what’s next for this ministry.