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By Isaac Broune*
3:00 P.M. ET June 11, 2013 | ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (UMNS)
Phillip Carter III signs his book for students of the English Club of
Koumassi United Methodist Secondary School in Côte d’Ivoire. UMNS photos
by Isaac Broune.
View in Photo Gallery
It takes three things for a student to succeed in school: “First, practice. Second, practice. Third, practice.”
That was the message from the U.S. ambassador to Cote d’Ivoire to
more than 200 students who never expected to be in front of such a
high-ranking official that Saturday, May 25.
When the English Club of Koumassi at the United Methodist Secondary
School asked Amanda Carter to be their godmother, little did the
students know that their dream would go beyond expectations.
Not only did she attend their academic year-end festivities, but
also she brought her husband; Phillip Carter III, U.S. Ambassador to
Côte d’Ivoire. What was just a rumor the day before among the
administration, staff and teachers became a reality. Shouts of joy and
dances filled the school compound when the Carters got out of the van
as ordinary visitors.
Ambassador Carter said the school was like coming home for him
because he attended a small Anglican school in the Caribbean that has
the same kind of classrooms and the same kind of environment.
The academic year-end festivities this year focused on the
importance of foreign languages — English, Spanish, German — taught at
schools. Students in this French-speaking country performed plays,
dances and other activities in the foreign culture they studied. The
sketches were on the value of education and the fight against drug
abuse and violence among youth.
The Carters applauded the sense of warmth from the students and
their ability to express themselves fluently in English. Phillip Carter
stressed the importance of the English language as well as other
international languages in today’s world. He assured the students that
the embassy has rich databases and resources the students can use at no
cost to improve their intellectual abilities. “Use it or lose it,” he
told the students. Joining action with their words, the Carters donated
books to the best students and to the school library.
On behalf of the Cote d’Ivoire Annual (regional) Conference, Louis
Aboua, the president of the Board of Education, said that the presence
of the Carters was “eloquent proof that education is a key value to
transform society.” Aboua said The United Methodist Church tried to
instill that value in the children.
He acknowledged the past and present efforts by Americans —
primarily partners from the Texas Annual (regional) Conference — to
build capacities and provide access to education to children who are
less privileged. For example, 65 students from rural areas are
benefiting from the “Adopt a student” program sponsored by the Texas
Conference.
“I am so happy to see that there is a connection between the people
of the United States, the Texas Annual Conference that helps the
Methodist schools. I am happy that we can help… ,” Phillip Carter said.
Aboua and Mathurin Adjrabé, president of the finance and
administration board, represented Bishop Benjamin Boni of the United
Methodist Côte d’Ivoire Conference.
Speaking on behalf of the staff, Lazare Kouassi, general director of
the Methodist Schools System, expressed gratitude to the ambassador
and his wife for choosing “their humble school.”
He said he hoped that the support of the Carters and the people of
the United States would enable the Methodist schools to enter “an
international dimension.” He assured them that the pedagogy in use is
the same as in the United States. “The holistic promotion of man,
democracy and the preservation of a clean environment,” he concluded.
The Ivorian Methodist schools system is a network of 68 schools from
kindergarten to secondary school. It hosts every year about 16,000
students from every walk of life. Most are poor; 3,000 children are
from homes that live on less than $1 a day. Many cannot afford the $12
yearly school fee.
*Broune is the communicator for the United Methodist Cote d’Ivoire Annual (regional) Conference.
News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn. (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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