A recent trip highlighted a special ongoing relationship between two schools more than 11,000 km apart.
Bulkley Valley Christian School (BVCS) and Nanfayie Christian School in Sierra Leone have been sister schools since 2016, building on a historic connection between the two communities of Smithers and Nanafayie.
In early April, a group of staff members and students travelled to Sierra Leone for 11 days, touring the country. The centrepiece of the trip was a two-day visit to Nanfayie to spend time with students, parents, staff, and community members.
The relationship between the two communities started in 2013 when a group of Smithers residents with ties to Sierra Leone spearheaded an effort to build a school in a small village in the northeast part of the country.
Previous to this, all children in the village either travelled on foot to neighbouring villages or did not attend school. In 2016, after a year of research and investigation, BVCS reached out to the school in Nanfayie to begin a partnership.
In 2017, BVCS principal Chris Steenhof travelled to the country and Nanfayie, connecting with the school and the community.
Since that time, the BVCS community has continued this partnership through communication and fundraising efforts to rebuild a roof destroyed by high winds, build a well on the grounds of the school, and to pay for training for the staff.
Almost all funds raised were from BVCS students, with the larger community also providing support.
鈥淚t would be wrong to think of this relationship in terms of us helping a community struggling with poverty,鈥� says Steenhof. 鈥淥ur school has been blessed in many ways by our relationship with these special people.鈥�
The COVID years brought many barriers to the relationship. Communication that was already difficult due to the remoteness of the African community and language barriers were made more difficult due to COVID restrictions.
The school had to delay sending a group to the country until restrictions were lifted.
It was earlier this year that five people 鈥� two staff and three students 鈥� made a two-day trek to the country, and spent 11 days with educational leaders, visiting schools, and establishing relationships.
The students were expected to complete a course that focussed on the history of Sierra Leone and helping students process understanding their relationship with developing countries and those in poverty.
鈥淭he highlight of the trip was our visit to Nanfayie,鈥� said Josh Horner, a Grade 10 student at BVCS. 鈥淲e had heard about how special the people there are but to experience it firsthand was incredible.鈥�
The group was able to spend time with students and staff, took part in a communal dance, had a meeting with the entire community where both sides exchanged gifts, and sat down with the staff to hear about the challenges they face.
鈥淭he staff at the Nanfayie face so many challenges,鈥� said Steenhof. 鈥淭hey face language barriers, are paid almost nothing, and have limited education themselves. Seeing how they face these barriers with such resilience is quite humbling.鈥�
The group returned from their visit with a renewed passion for growing the partnership between the schools.
Some of this is educational with students sharing their experience with their faith communities, families, and the school.
The visit also helped the Smithers school better understand how to provide support, mainly by supporting the efforts of the Sierra Leonean nationals who are working hard to provide quality education in a variety of villages and communities.
While the trip is in the past, the impact of the trip continues, for those who travelled and for both schools involved in the partnership.
It is the goal of the BVCS to return to Sierra Leone with a new group of students and staff as a means of fostering cultural connection and furthering this unique partnership.
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