Good Shepherd Primary School
The Good Shepherd Primary School is one of the first primary schools for the Fulani. It originally met in temporary huts, however now there is a permanent structure. The permanent school is on the land the Yoruba donated. It currently has 60 students enrolled and it will hold as many as 360 children. Some of the children walk 5-6 miles each day just to get to school, and HELP hopes to start an official boarding program in the future so the children will have direct access to the school grounds.
In the past, the Fulani have shunned education. The culture is primarily based on cattle raising, and they have been doing so for over a thousand years. To preserve their culture, the Fulani did not want their children to focus on education because they feared their children would forsake their cultural roots.
God used some miraculous ways to start the Good Shepherd Primary School. The concept of the school was essentially started through the current HELP clinic that ministers to Nigerian people. People were coming from all over to receive medical treatment from this “western” hospital and the word started to spread about the good medical treatment people were receiving.
The tribes started to see how western education has helped their people medically by receiving good medical treatment, hence seeing a need for education. They are now seeing the value of education and are starting to have a desire to send their children to school.
The Good Shepherd Primary School is Christian based and in the past the Fulani have been very leery of anything Christian-related. About half of the population in Nigeria is Muslim. However, since the Christian theology is not forced on their children, that is very much appreciated and has produced a trust with the Fulani. They understand their children will be taught principals from the Bible but realize that the children will not be forced to convert to Christianity. We believe God is and will continue to do good works in the lives of the Fulani through this school!
PRIMARY SCHOOL DONATION: