"But I'm just a teacher..."

Meet Roza.

Roza is a teacher in ‘School 167’, a government school in Central Asia. Working conditions for teachers here are harsh: Roza is expected to work six days per week, for more than 10 hours per day, and she is poorly paid. She doesn't have a long summer break to look forward to. In fact, she rarely gets holidays at all.

Teachers in School 167 are constantly under surveillance, with cameras in their classrooms. Bribes are commonly exchanged between school directors, teachers and parents. 

It’s already a hard place to work. But it’s even harder for Roza, because she is a Christian.

The other teachers know about her faith, so Roza is seen as an outsider. Her colleagues treat her with suspicion and deprive her of classroom resources. Roza wants to act with integrity, but she worries about the children in her classroom. If she doesn’t collect the same bribes as other teachers, her school director could punish her by withholding essential classroom supplies like notebooks and pencils.

Christian Teachers

Last year Innovista conducted a survey among Christians in two Central Asian countries, to find out where Christians are serving from Monday to Saturday. We found that more than a third (35%) of local Christians surveyed work in education.

Many Christians in Central Asia express their faith at church on a Sunday, but have not been equipped to serve God in their daily lives in homes and workplaces.

With your support, we can equip Christians like Roza to lead with faith and integrity to transform their workplaces.

Eye-opening conversations

In a one-to-one coaching session, Roza told Madina (Innovista’s Director in Central Asia) that she felt like ‘a slave to the government’ at her school. This conversation led to a light-bulb moment for Roza.

Madina:
What is the difference between your work and your pastor’s work?

Roza:
He works for God.

Madina:
And who do you work for?

Roza:
[Long pause] Oh… I also work for God!

Madina:
So, you can say ‘I am a serving God at my school, as a teacher.’

Roza:
Wow! This totally changes my view of work and school. God placed me in this job, so I am serving Him.

Equipped to serve with faith and integrity.

As well as coaching, group support is equipping Roza to serve with distinction. A group of Christian teachers are meeting regularly to sharpen their skills and share classroom resources. They are in a safely protected online group together, where they can encourage one another.

You can help more teachers like Roza have a ‘wow’ moment, and see their faith at work.

Over a third of the Christians we surveyed worked in education. Imagine the impact that Christian teachers could have, when equipped to lead in schools with integrity.

• Children would be rewarded for hard work, not for bribery.
• Young people would be full of hope for their country, rather than dreaming of leaving for a better life.
• The next generation of Christian leaders in Central Asia would know their teachers as role models who shape their faith and character.

‘The Kind Teacher’

One Christian teacher shared that the pupils in her school call her ‘the kind teacher’. She gives all her thanks to God. Lesson by lesson, Christian teachers like Roza are bringing hope to their young students, even in a place where it’s illegal to talk about Jesus.

This project is still in its early days. Will you help us invest in more Christian leaders like Roza, and equip them to live out their faith in the workplace?

*Names are changed and photos used are representative, for security reasons.