Cindy Sakusowsa is currently a second-year student studying primary education at the Evangelical University in Zambia. But for a long time, she didn’t think she would ever get to fulfil her dream of studying to be a teacher.
From Ndola, Zambia, Cindy was working at a restaurant as a cook and saving money to go to school. But the money she was earning wasn’t enough. So she started applying for different jobs. Cindy applied to work in the kitchen of an organisation called Mechanics for Africa, which is how she met Gwanire Kalombe, the Chief Executive.
“She asked me about my background, and I told her that I wanted to go to school. And she and her husband decided to sponsor me,” Cindy says. “She directed me towards studying at the Evangelical University, here in Zambia, because she felt it would be a good environment where I would be with my fellow Christian family.”
A Grounding in Biblical Theology
When Cindy came here to study education, she found that before she started to learn educational theory, the course first focused on biblical studies. Every student at the university, even if they aren’t studying theology, first completes basic theology courses. Cindy recalls studying the Old Testament, the New Testament, and also courses on spiritual life and evangelism.
“I really found the evangelism course very interesting, because for some reason I thought that it was probably just for people who are on missions and maybe church leaders. And I didn’t even really have a biblical basis for how to do it. But knowing that I am actually called to do it, and the fact I am going to be teaching little children, and their minds are still growing, and they still want to know who they are themselves. Being a part of their lives for at least seven years could give me a lot of time to actually ground them in the roots of Christianity.”
Cindy knows how influential a teacher can be in a child’s life. Teachers often hear about what children experience at home, and have a unique opportunity to step in when things aren’t going well. This has been true in Cindy’s own story.
“I remember at one point in my life, if my teacher never noticed, I would have stayed in an abusive environment, if she had just turned a blind eye.” Cindy shares. “But she saw that something was wrong, and she actually helped me. I want to be that person who can see what children are going through, and refer them to people who can help them.”
This experience has shaped another one of Cindy’s dreams: to be an author. “I want to publish a book that I have been writing,” she shares, “It’s a book about kids, and social justice.”
Access to a World of Literature
Cindy’s love of books means that one of the most special parts of studying at the Evangelical University has been the library. The access to online books and handbooks has also proved very useful. And when she isn’t sure what books she should be reading, she has found both staff and fellow students are happy to give advice.
“The librarian has been such a helpful person, even just directing us to books that are best for the courses we are taking.”
Evangelical University in Zambia is a part of the Langham Literature program. This program provides Bible-centred books to Majority World colleges for free. Through Library Grants, many students get access to books and learning resources they may never have encountered otherwise.
Cindy has benefited from the Langham Literature program in a very direct way. In doing her first year studies in biblical theology, Cindy read Aspects of Holiness by J C Ryle for the first time, and it shaped her thinking about holiness.
“When I read that book, I was intrigued. I think we shy away from holiness because we know we cannot be 100 percent holy. But we have a holy God, so we can’t go before him without being holy. But this book showed me the truth of Christ being in us and he’s the one that actually justifies us in his holiness. And his holiness in us, it grows day by day as we draw closer and closer to the likeness of his holiness. So that book was very helpful to me.”
A Future Where Dreams are in Reach
Cindy has also enjoyed the extracurricular activities of her time at university, playing sports once a week, and going to chapel two or three times a week. The chapel services have been really formative in shaping her spiritual growth. As she continues her studies, Cindy is looking forward to the time when she will be working as a teacher, and fulfilling that dream of being a safe adult for children who are hurting.
“Often we think children will forget what they go through because they are young. But it has more impact when they are growing up, on how they act or see the world,” Cindy reflects. Through her love of books and writing, and as a teacher, Cindy hopes to reach children with the hope that has transformed her own life, through the power of God’s love, and the power of good books.