GRACE SCHOOL
YEAR OPENED: 2016
CITY: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 218
NUMBER OF CLASSES: 6
GRADES OFFERED: Preschool - 4th Grade
Located on the outskirts of the capital city of Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso in the neighborhood of Boassa, Grace School offers an excellent education to children who would never have the opportunity to learn. When the school opened, the initial enrollment was just 25 students who could afford to pay the small tuition. The pastors, Gerard and Viviane, who started the school prayed and felt the Lord was calling them to open the doors of the school to children, regardless of their ability to pay tuition at all. When they made the school free to attend, the enrollment grew to over 200 students almost overnight! To say this school is meeting a huge need in the community is an understatement. Currently, the school has a two-year preschool and grades 1 thru 4. Each year they are hoping to add a classroom to be able to keep growing with the students. The hope is that they will be able to go thru elementary school (grade 6) within the next two years, but they cannot get there without the support and partnership of donors like you.
GRACE SCHOOL PROJECTS
COMPLETED PROJECTS:
Since 2017, the school has purchased the land, built a total of 6 classrooms (Preschool-4th Grade) and classroom supplies - chalkboards, desks, etc.
NEXT STEPS:
The Grace School is built in a mostly Muslim area - but with a strong reputation and at the recommendation from families of current students, the school has exploded to over 250 children in just a few short years. Classrooms are packed and the waitlist to enroll is long. Grace School needs our support to expand NOW! Grace School needs 2 new classrooms, an office, a canteen (in order to provide a meal for the children - often the only meal they will have that day), a health room (many children get sick and need care), and a perimeter wall to ensure the security of the school grounds. All this work only costs $49,600!
MEET THE TEAM
GRADE SCHOOLERS IN KITSAP RAISE MONEY FOR A LIBRARY
‘You mean some kids don’t get to read bedtime stories with their moms and dads?’ a 4 year old asked his mom after he attended Kids Camp on the Kitsap Peninsula and heard about the need for a school in Burkina Faso that had a library room but no books for kids to read. GO on the Mission loves to see people of all ages become involved in the mission, and seeing local children excited to help children across the world brings so much joy. Motivated to help their friends in West Africa, the kids at newlife Kids Camp completely funded a library for the Grace School in Burkina Faso by bringing in their coins and dollars. The kids at Grace School could not be more excited; Viviane the co-founder of Grace Schools said, “It will be the first time our children will have this opportunity. Grace School is the first school in the area to have a library, now we are ready to make a difference!”
VIVIANE GRADUATES FROM BIBLE SCHOOL
KIDS CLUB BIBLE GROUP BEGINS WEEKLY
The School Headmaster at Grace School in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso has a vision to reach children, families and the surrounding neighborhood with the Gospel. For this reason, he started a Kids’ Club Bible Group on Wednesdays where children learn fun Christian children’s songs, get to hear and learn Bible stories, and the leaders pray for them. The Kids’ Club exists to introduce children to Jesus and his love for them.
Participation in the Kids’ Club is not mandatory, but many children, even non-Christians, do not miss this appointment with Jesus. Currently, about 200 children take part! For the moment Grace School organizes the Kids’ Club for current students, but their goal is to invite more children and friends from other schools and locations so that more and more children and their families can hear the Good News of Jesus.
One special activity the children look forward to is the Bible Quiz which happens at the beginning of each month - it is definitely a popular day to attend. Both teachers and students are happy to spend time together every Wednesday, learning more about Jesus!
Grace School in Burkina Faso is doing amazing work, providing not only quality education for students, but sharing the Gospel with students and families in friendly, unique, and engaging ways. As one of our newer ministry partners, we are working to build sponsorship at the school. If you are interested in sponsorship of a student at Grace School, click here to view available students!
THE STORY OF GRACE SCHOOL
Gerard + Viviane are a husband/wife team of pastors born and raised in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. In 2016, their dream of building a school on the property next to their church began to turn into a reality. Having worked with humanitarian efforts to build other schools in more remote areas of their country, they felt called to bring that same level of quality education to their own neighborhood. Slowly over the past 7 years, they have diligently managed funds from a small group of friends and family to build Grace School into what it is now, two buildings with six classrooms on a small parcel of land that is owned by their church. Initially, not many children in their neighborhood were able to afford the small tuition costs - just a few dollars per month. Gerard + Viviane felt called to offer free education to the poorest families, knowing it wasn’t a great business model, they trusted God to pave the way and bring the funds needed to keep the school open. Over 250 children are now attending school each day and God continues to provide. Most recently, this provision includes a partnership with GO. The GO team traveled to Burkina Faso in November of 2022 with a small group from the Kitsap Peninsula, who had personally worked with Gerard + Viviane on past projects to solidify their partnership and become GO’s 4th country partner. Gerard + Viviane have big dreams of expanding all the way to the 13th Grade, expanding the sponsorship program to support more kids who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford an education and add in supplemental support for families, like microloan opportunities for women and business training.
SPONSOR A CHILD AT GRACE SCHOOL
Sponsorship is a way to be deeply and intentionally involved in the lives of the impoverished. You can make a difference in the life of a child or vocational student for just $39 a month.
DONATE TO A PROJECT AT GRACE SCHOOL
GO believes the people of the culture know their communities and the people in them. They know what works, and what doesn’t. As the basic needs of the people are met, doors are open to help meet emotional and spiritual needs as well.
WHAT’S HAPPENING AT GRACE SCHOOL?
