Stories of impact: Parents share their journey with us. Watch here.
K-12 students experience in the most immediate ways what it means to be a global citizen by sharing and learning with our partner schools in mutually enriching relationships. The world and all that it contains is a gift placed in our hands to care for, and caring needs to translate into something tangible like a living relationship with a school community, letter writing, zooming, supporting with resources, etc. Our global partnerships provide us with tangible ways to engage God’s world in the servant way of Jesus.
About SCS Global
One way that Surrey Christian School lives into its mission statement of engaging God’s world in the servant way of Jesus is by supporting two of our partner schools in Honduras. Our high school students can visit our partner schools in Honduras through an ILT experience.
One way that Surrey Christian School lives into it’s mission statement of engaging God’s world in the servant way of Jesus is by supporting one of our partner schools, Juan Calvino Christian School, situated in Choluteca, Honduras. Our original connection with Juan Calvino began in 2002 when one of our grade 4 teachers, Janet Vander Heiden, went to Honduras as part of a small team organized by what was then called the Christian Teachers Association of BC. The purpose of this trip was to visit 5 different Christian schools and spend a few weeks in Choluteca. Ms. Vander Heiden taught English to students in kindergarten through grade 6, supported staff and learned about the challenges of being a Christian schoolteacher in Central America. She was so moved and compelled by what she saw that she made two more trips to continue building our relationship with Juan Calvino.
Surrey Christian School students have been involved in a variety of fundraising efforts to assist with tuition fees as school fees and uniform costs are obstacles for many of the families who wish to send their children to Juan Calvino. By providing tuition relief, Juan Calvino can continue to serve the students and families in their community, as well as support their staff by providing regular income.
AFE is located in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, serves a unique population of students who live and work in the municipal trash mountain. This remarkable school provides education and essential services, free of charge, to children facing extreme poverty and significant risks. Alongside academics, AFE offers vital provisions including meals, healthcare, and psychological support. From nursery to university, AFE supports students at every stage, fostering a secure environment where even the youngest can thrive. Through comprehensive Christian education, AFE empowers students to envision and pursue a brighter future that may have otherwise seemed unattainable.
In 2015, our initial encounter with AFE transpired as a team of teachers and students embarked on a visit to Honduras, where they witnessed the exceptional work carried out by AFE despite numerous challenges. Since then, the staff at SCS has maintained a strong bond with AFE, fostering constant communication and collaboration. In 2023, our partnership with AFE was officially established, prompted by the persistent insistence of students involved in an ILT program to formalize the relationship. We consider ourselves truly blessed to have this connection, as it not only enriches our students’ learning experiences but also enables us to support the transformative work that God is accomplishing within this vulnerable community.
Surrey Christian School actively embraces its mission statement of engaging God’s world in the servant way of Jesus by providing support to our partner schools in Sierra Leone. As part of this commitment, our high school students have the opportunity to visit our partner schools in Sierra Leone as part of the transformative ILT experience.
In 2005, just as the Secondary Campus (then known as Fraser Valley Christian High School) was beginning the process of renovating their building, they felt called to partner somewhere in the developing world to support the advancement of Christian education. We partnered with World Renew and the Christian Reformed Church which had a mission in Sierra Leone. This partnership led to the building of a primary school which opened it doors in September of 2007. The funds for the building project came from an enormous fundraising effort by our students in conjunction with the tithing of our school’s capital campaign.
Kabala is situated in Koinadugu District, in Sierra Leone. People expect very little from this impoverished northern province, however, Kabala Christian School has put the district and town on the map with students scoring among the highest in the country. After several years our US partners, Schools for Sierra Leone, joined this venture and have generously funded much of the new building projects. They continue to be important partners in this good work as together we fund a large percentage of the costs of daily operation.
A quality education and literacy are what can lift a child out of poverty. The students graduating from the Christian school in Kabala are going on to study at colleges and universities around the country which was unheard of 15 years ago. In just a short time those alumni will be making their own contribution to the country and possibly even to the school they graduated from.
We are proud to regularly send a team of students to visit the school, live in the community and experience rural African life, a truly life-changing event. God has blessed us in order to bless others and this relationship is a testimony to that circle of blessing.
After the success of KCS, we continue to partner with the Christian Reformed Church in Sierra Leone and are supporting the establishment of 6 emerging schools in rural villages across Sierra Leone. Here the desire for quality education is high, but it can prove difficult to support this need Quality education and literacy can lift a child out of poverty. The students graduating from the Christian school in Kabala are going on to study at colleges and universities around the country which was unheard of 15 years ago. These alumni are making their contribution to the country and to the school they graduated from.
We continue to collaborate with the Christian Reformed Church with the establishment of 6 village community Christian schools across Sierra Leone. Here, the desire for quality education is high but it can be challenging to meet this need in the very rural areas of Sierra Leone outside of a larger centre like Kabala. We support these fledgling schools even as we continue our work in our main school in Kabala.
SCS is proud to regularly send a team of students to visit the school, live in the community, and experience rural African life, a truly life-changing event. God has blessed us in order to bless others and this relationship is a testimony to that circle of blessing.
