Tabitha Ministry is a partner program with GlobalFingerprints that helps women in the Democratic Republic of Congo learn to read and write and also learn a trade. This is the testimony of a young woman who graduated from the GlobalFingerprints and Tabitha Ministry program two years ago. The picture above shows this young woman at her Tabitha Ministry graduation ceremony in a dress she designed and created.
“My father died when I was very young. I am the youngest in my family. At first, my mom was able to sell some bread and small things to make a little money. My two oldest siblings went to school. But when it was my turn, my mom started to get sick. There was not enough money to send me to school. I couldn’t read and write, I didn’t have any skills. I had to depend on others for everything.
I went to church. Our pastor’s name was Andre. He started to teach me to read and write. But soon after, I had to leave and stay with my aunt while she recovered from a C-section. When I came back, I met Pastor Andre again. He encouraged me to come back to church, so I did. That Sunday he told me about a program. It was a program for girls my age, where we would get help to read and write and learn a skill. I was so excited, I made sure that I had all the information before I left that day. I came and was registered. Then there was a long wait for people to choose to sponsor us. Some of the others got tired and gave up waiting to be sponsored. I continued to wait.
One day Pastor Andre came to my house. He said that I had received a sponsor. Someone who has never met me had chosen to treat me like a daughter. They paid for all my classes and needs so that I was able to study. I began in the second level of Lingala literacy. Every day, we started class with prayer, asking God to give us wisdom and open our minds. When I started in the first level of French, they asked me which skill I wanted to learn. I chose sewing, because it is a skill that will never allow you to go hungry.
I learned to sew. People around me began to see a difference in my behavior. I graduated from the Tabitha Center and received more training to improve my skills. Now I buy my own clothes. I buy my own soap. I help to buy food for myself and my family. I never imagined that I would be able to do all of this. But God knew. God sent someone to sponsor me. He sent our teachers and leaders to teach us.”
To view a brief video about the GlobalFingerprints/Tabitha Ministry, click here.