Harmony in the classroom and in homes: An Ethiopian school pursues unity between Christians and Muslims

“God gave us a vision to build a school,” recalls Pastor Docho*. “We thought that it would give us a door to share the gospel and a way to build a bridge with the Muslim community.”

In a region where Muslims are 94% of the population, Pastor Docho recognised the need for a community building initiative because of the tense relationships between Christians and Muslims. In the mid 1990s, Pastor Docho and 15-16 other believers came to this region in southern Ethiopia. “We asked for a plot of land so we could build a church,” he says. “This
was not allowed by the Muslim majority, but after some years, we finally bought the land and built a church.”

Unwelcome but committed

Soon, however, violence ensured. “They fired guns at us,” he shares. “Some were beaten and left for dead near the river, others arrested and falsely sentenced to prison. People were cast out of the village. One time a community house was set on fire with the believers trapped inside. Some Christians were abducted. Thankfully, they managed to escape. One prayer meeting at the church was disturbed by a Muslim mob carrying machetes, killing and severely hurting people. Men. Women. Even children. Mercilessly tortured and murdered. Some survivors don’t have hands anymore…”

Despite these incidences, the group decided to stay and continue setting down roots in the area and amongst the community. This bore fruit. “Thirty years ago, there were no Christians in this area,” he says. “Now we are 10,000. In this local congregation, we have 450 members.”

Pastor Docho and his ministry team prayed for the village, for the violence to stop, and for the other needs of Christians. The natural thing to do was to set up income-generating projects. But after praying, Docho and his church came to a different conclusion: “God gave us a vision to build a school. We thought that it would give us a door to share the gospel and a way to build a bridge with the Muslim community.”

Christians building a school in a hostile environment may have initially seemed like an unrealistic project. They didn’t have the land. They didn’t have the finances. They didn’t have the license or the teachers. Still, Pastor Docho took the first step. “We purchased some land and ordered two truckloads of sand, which we dropped on the land. A Muslim group took our land, but after many procedures, we retained it. There was a lot of struggle, but we continued to pray. Ten years after we had purchased the land, we finally began construction.” The school was ready to open in 2023. However, the authorities were sceptical. “They couldn’t allow a school that taught Christianity,” Docho says. “So, they asked us: ‘Are you going to teach anything else than religion?’ We explained that our purpose wasn’t to teach religion, but to educate the children.”

For the greater good

Docho and his team obtained the license and hired a few good teachers. Most are Christians; one female teacher is Muslim. At first, most children who attended the school had Christian parents, but when the Muslims noticed the quality of the school, they began to send their children.

“Our reputation in the community has improved a lot”, Docho says. “We don’t impose Christianity on the Muslim children. They come for a good education, just like the Christian children. A certain Muslim group has started an Islamic school nearby, but that one only teaches the Quran. At our school, the kids learn many different subjects, and the quality of our education is really high.”

Yet, not everyone accepts a Christian school in this Muslim dominated area. “Sometimes there are ‘commotions’”, Docho says rather euphemistically. “But you know what happens? The Muslim community protects us! Their children benefit from the school. Of course they stick up for us. But there is still pressure. Our Muslim teacher for example has been asked by her family to resign. She is still with us. She believes in the purpose of the school.”

“We have many different people groups living here. We get along better if our children attend the same school. We are now coming together in love and unity. This would never have happened without the school. Without it, there would be much less love in our community.”

–
A father of a child who attends the school