JOHN HUFFMAN SCHOOL
CHURCH PARTNERSHIPS: Summit Avenue Presbyterian | Bremerton WA & Fellowship Denver | Denver CO
YEAR OPENED: 2003
CITY: Thies, Senegal
TOTAL ENROLLMENT: 583
NUMBER OF CLASSES: 15
GRADES OFFERED: Preschool - 10th Grade
Located in Thies, a large metropolitan city, John Huffman School was started by the Women’s Initiative of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Thies. These women were committed to providing a better education for the children of their city and began raising funds by passing a basket every Sunday at their church. This basket collection drew the attention of an American visitor who asked to learn more. He was very moved by the project and, after giving his own contribution, returned to the US and began to share the project with friends. One of these friends was John Huffman, then Chair of the Board for World Vision, who was about to retire and loved the idea of this school. All of the funds donated during his retirement party were given to begin the school, which was then named in his honor.
The student body is made up of mostly Muslim children, and a few Christians. As more and more children are unable to obtain a public school education, they know their chances of fulfilling their dreams are slim. John Huffman School lays the foundation of growth, transformation, innovation, opportunity, and equality by providing a high-quality education to children from every background including poor families who live in the margins and are excluded members of Senegalese society. The vision of John Huffman School is to contribute to the shaping of children’s futures through their academic training in a curriculum ranging from preschool through high school based on Christian values.
JOHN HUFFMAN SCHOOL PROJECT
John Huffman School is one of the earliest Christian schools in Senegal and has been offering quality education to children for 20 years! It has a sterling reputation in the area, and all the Christian schools in Senegal look to it as a leader.
COMPLETED PROJECTS
With over 500 children in one building, the most recent project was to create an entirely new preschool building next to the current school. By giving the youngest students their own building, not only is the school able to take better care of their youngest children, but they have more classroom space to use for the older students in the original building.
NEXT STEPS
Everything at John Huffman is going well. The staff are currently dreaming about future projects.
JOHN HUFFMAN PRESCHOOL PROJECT RECEIVES FULL FUNDING!
We are excited to announce that the preschool, administrative building, and school store are now fully funded! In the photo above, GO staffers Megan and Hannah prayed with staff from John Huffman over the site where the preschool will be built. The team at John Huffman is thrilled! They have formed a guidance committee, hired a Christian contractor, and have broken ground on the new addition. They hope to have it built before school starts again in October. This has been a project long dreamed of by the John Huffman team, not only will this give the preschool children their own area which will meet all of their needs, it will allow the main building to open more classrooms for secondary school and even provide two additional rooms for elementary grades. A great day of jubilee and celebration is in store when the new building is dedicated. Be on the lookout for an invitation to attend this event in Senegal.
Thank you for your support of the John Huffman School Project. Your prayers and financial support continue to have a significant impact, changing the lives of these students and their families. It is an incredible privilege for us to be able to partner with local Christians to equip these children with both a great education and the transforming love of Jesus.
SPONSOR A CHILD AT JOHN HUFFMAN
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 JOHN HUFFMAN
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.