End of term, but what comes next?

The six months since returning from Guinea-Bissau have been full of surprises. We quickly discovered that sending money abroad to build a school wasn’t as simple as we thought. Instead, we needed to register a charity—a process that turned out to be far more complicated and time-consuming than we ever imagined.

Meanwhile, life in the village hasn’t stood still. The children have kept coming to school—their numbers growing steadily after our visit. The teachers are unqualified, have no curriculum and only one book – the Bible – to use in lessons. Against the odds, the children are learning to read and write—becoming, for many families, the very first generation with this opportunity.

The year has been punctuated by “festas”, or celebration days: National Independence, International Women’s Day and finally, at the end of June, graduation from Year 1. Thanks to gifts, goats were bought and slaughtered, sacks of rice purchased, and meals shared together. The staff and students were thrilled on all these special days to receive a meal and other treats. In return, photos and videos of happy (perhaps hyper) children were sent, each in their Sunday best.

It’s humbling to see how easily they are pleased, and it reminds us what a privilege it is to give. As one chapter closes, we find ourselves asking: what comes next?