Back to School

By Dale & Cyndi Gummin (Directors of Project Eden)
September! So, what is on your “back-to-school” shopping list? Does it include uniforms, plastic slippers, wash-basin, broom and mosquito-prevention devices, along with the standard notebooks, pens and backpack?

This week our students from the Seng Girls’ School returned from summer holiday, after a journey that included 12 hours by bus, followed by almost 40 hours by train. They had barely recovered from all the travel and adjusted to the heat and heavy humidity of the south, before it was time to register for school and attend New Student Orientation Days at a government-sponsored Vocational-Technical school.

At this Vo-Tech school they will study a specific track for the next three years, such as English, computers or Kindergarten teacher, as well as have the opportunity to earn a high-school certificate upon completion. It is a steep hill to climb, but they seem eager for the challenge. The group of eight girls spent the past several days learning to navigate a campus of several thousand students and setting up the dorm room they share on the 5th floor. Since the school is nearby, they will return to Eden on weekends and holidays.

The remaining younger students will study on-site at Eden this year, focusing on Chinese, English and Math, and growing in confidence in their interactions with teachers on a daily basis, as well as with various friends who visit. It helps them to see their older “sisters” moving into the next steps of maturity and independence, encouraging them to dream and plan for their own future as young women.

We’re all glad to have them back, and wish them clarity in their studies and the joy of making new friends!

For more information about this project or to find out how you could partner with Captivating to bring lasting change to families in remote rural locations, contact andrewc@captivating.org