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Report on SVN Conference 2022

25/3/2022

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at Kings Park Conference Centre Northampton  

The conference this year had the title ‘SVN Recalibrated’ and was the first for a couple years following C-19 restrictions. The Coronavirus has been a worldwide disease and created disruption for the education and training of people across the globe. Having been forced to consider new ways of working, many of us have learnt new skills in use of IT, the internet, and packages such as Zoom. During the conference all these and more aspects of modern technology were used and their potential for future of SVN work considered, although we concluded there are limits as to the application of these technologies, and personal visits to developing counties will continue to be needed and an important function for SVN.  
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Emmanuel School, Manipur, India.
PictureDedication Ceremony, Karamuna Church, Rwanda,
Richard Higginson was our Bible teacher and led us through the first two chapters of the book of Acts in three sessions concluding with communion on Thursday morning. He presented us with challenges on how we understand and look to the Holy Spirit to guide and influence us in our spiritual walk. Having the role on Chair of Faith in Business gave Richard the opportunity to see God’s spirit at work in many overseas projects set up to help the poor. Joanne Kipgen as guest speaker, told how she had followed the call of God to take the lead in meeting the physical, social and educational needs of poor communities in Manipur, India. Lynette Orange had prepared her presentation on the work she is involved in the Philippines on an animated power point and then joined us over the miles via Zoom. This worked extremely effectively and seeing this method of distant communications in action has I hope given us inspiration to try this method ourselves. See more from Lynette below. 
We enjoyed updates on visits people had completed in Rwanda and Sudan where Christine Perkins had been the honoured guest at celebrations in the beautiful Nuba Mountains. George Case has continued to involve his home church in outreach work in a rural part of Rwanda following being part of a SVN team in 2017. Jane Caine updated us all on the essentials of child protection and safeguarding when working remotely or on overseas visits.  

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The beautiful Nabu mountains in Sudan.
Worship songs were ably led by Dorothea and Kenneth Hall on the piano and I’m sure I speak for all by saying how pleased everyone was to have John Hallett the founder of SVN with us for the whole of the conference. SVN is ‘open for business’ and the conference has given us all inspiration to recalibrate our vision and methods of helping to educate the children of the developing world. Thank you to the SVN leadership team and conference organisation group for a successful 2022 conference. ​

George Case 
March 2022
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Sierra Leone
PictureLynette, SVN's contact in the Philippines
Past projects with Lynette in the Philippines
 
Lynette believes that education will allow the next generation in the Philippines to lift themselves out of poverty.
 
She says that teacher training and development is probably one of her most passionate aspects of the work at City Gates Project. She says she is extremely grateful for the expertise and support from SVN.
 
SVN has been a key part of this work and volunteers have been on two mission trips already, in 2017 and 2019, where teachers have gathered from many schools for conferences and training. These conferences have been invaluable and have greatly improved their teaching and learning. Lynette hopes SVN will again be able to go and share training with them.

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Members of SVN running a teachers' conference in the Philippines
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Annual Report 2020/21

17/5/2021

 
Click on the image to view the full PDF:
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Rwanda 2019 Report

16/7/2019

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​Following on from a first SVN project in Rwanda in 2017, a team of six spent two and a half weeks in Kigali in May/June 2019. Four of us had been involved in the first project, and the others were making their first visit to Rwanda.
The project was planned jointly between the Education department of Kigali diocese and our team leader Ann, who was making her fourth visit to Rwanda. The idea was to spend three or four days in each school, but to be flexible as always.
​The first school we visited was not far from the city, but nevertheless, at the top of a hill in a very rural area. This school had been selected as it catered for all age groups from Nursery to Lower Secondary, and the whole team could support the teaching there, from advising the headteacher to helping with learning through play and group work in the nursery. We sympathised with the teachers who were having to teach in English when for some it was their third language after French and Kinyarwandan. The school was working hard to comply with government directives for buildings as well as curriculum.

We then went in different directions according to our skills and experience, and between us, visited some ten schools for varying amounts of time. The schools ranged from those with pupils from more prosperous families in the city to rural schools where families were subsistence farmers with very little income, and children’s attendance would be spasmodic depending on income, health and weather. However, the difficulties teachers are having – a new curriculum, teaching in a new style and in English with no resources – are the same in every school.

This year, we did not offer workshops on Saturdays, but we feel that is something we should do and will try to offer them should we be asked to go again. Teachers benefit as much from the chance to network with colleagues from different schools as they do from the workshops themselves. We have made suggestions for improving teachers’ confidence in spoken English, and we hope that we shall be able to return and see that they have been able to make progress. There will be opportunities to work in Rwanda long into the future!
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We had some unexpected free time because of a national holiday, followed by school inspections. It gave us an opportunity to work with the members of the education department, who really appreciated the time to discuss their work with us. We also had the opportunity to join our Rwandan friends in their very moving memorial service at the cathedral, remembering friends and family who had died in the genocide. It was a priority, too, for those who were in Rwanda for the first time, to go to the national memorial and museum to understand better the effect of the genocide on everyone – even the new generation and those to come after them. Their education will continue to be a priority.
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Home school week Singapore Dec 2018

18/3/2019

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Jenny and Gordon Barlow and I completed a home school week in December 2018 at the HQ of OMF in Singapore. I taught the primary group and then Jenny and Gordon the older ones. There were about 16 children in all.

We thoroughly enjoyed the H.S.W. and appreciated the participation of all the children; their willingness to join in and take part in all the activities. We had no children saying they were bored or having a sulk or 'doing their own thing'.  It was a pleasure to be with them all.

We took age appropriate topics-light/stars/electricity with the older ones and animals with the younger ones. We all did a lot of craft, music and drama and the younger ones went to the zoo one day. The parents were most appreciative.

We were blessed by the children's faith, their knowledge of the Bible, their willingness to pray with us and share their experiences. Gordon is a trained presenter for “Walk through the bible” and in the five days we covered the entire Old Testament in drama, storytelling and hand actions.

The time we spent with some of the parents was an inspiration to us and we have been praying for them since hearing some of their stories. We were told early on never to mention the word ‘missionary’ to the children due to the security implications in their field of work and for the same reason sadly had to promise not to put any photos online either on SVN website or Facebook.

John Perkins
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Date for your diary

5/10/2018

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SVN Conference Monday 18th to Wednesday 20th March 2019 at Northampton
More details later – see you there!
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