Their Story – The town of Boudamasa is part of the Bagirmi tribe in the center of the country of Chad, 50 kilometers north of the Chari river. As the local people tell the story, Boudamasa’s public school has never recovered from the violent politics of the 1980’s. Armed groups burned the school and killed teachers in their campaign to purge Chad of Western influence. In the years of peace that have ensued, the primary school has functioned in fits and starts. Finally, in 2017, they added a sixth grade and began to build a regular brick school building. The town, however, is growing far beyond the capacity of the public education resources.

Beginning in 2015, the town of Boudamasa began to solicit a Lutheran Brethren missionary couple to come live in Boudamasa and help them to improve education for their children. The Lutheran Brethren International Mission has responded by putting together an international team of workers who have moved with their families to Boudamasa. With the blessing and encouragement of the public school authorities they started a private school that opened its doors in the fall of 2018.

Boudamasa is primarily an agricultural community in one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. The school’s Saturday program includes hands-on training in sustainable gardening and agro-forestry from the youngest grades on.