Hilde van der Draai
Hilde van der Draai was born in 1986 and grew up in a Christian family. After doing an Alpha course as a teenager, her relationship with Christ became stronger. At the age of 18, she visited different (youth) churches and in 2008 she found her home-church at Crossroads International Church in Amstelveen.
Hilde is involved in education projects in East Africa since 2007. She went for the first time to Uganda for an internship at the Primary School of Stichting UP4S. After her internship she stayed actively involved in the project as a volunteer. In 2009 Hilde did a research for her Master-thesis on an education projectof the Dutch NGO Edukans in Ateso Region (Uganda). She combined her research with a study on the Ugandan curriculum and did an internship at the National Curriculum Development Centre in Kampala.
After finalizing the Master in Education Science, Hilde initiated a 1-year pilot outreach teaching project in Bukomansimbi District (Uganda) in collaboration with Stichting UP4S. In this outreach training project, seven young teachers were trained to become role-model teachers and facilitators. Workshops and guidance was given to five Primary Schools in Bukomansimbi. During the training, 65 Primary School teachers received new teaching strategies, methods, games and inspiration to improve their quality of teaching.
In 2011 Hilde went to South Sudan to explore the new country and to look for a possibility to start an outreach training project in this place as well. Guided by the Holy Spirit she met Daniel Ohide and discovered that he had the same vision on education and teacher training.
Daniel Ohide
Daniel Ohide was born on 24 January 1977 in a small village north of Torit Town called Lorony. His father was a school teacher who spent all his life in Juba town.
Daniel was brought up in a non Christian family. However, religious practices like going to church every Sunday and looking forward for Christmas every year were part of the family practices. For Daniel the most interesting thing that he looked forward to during Christmas season were the clothes which his dad made sure every member of the family got as a present.
During the secondary school years that nominal Christianity was beaten out when Daniel met a school biology teacher who didn’t belief in the existence of God. Through this influence Daniel was determine to pursue his own dreams in a world without God.
After finishing secondary school Daniel was accepted in Bahr el Ghazal University, faculty of Veterinary medicine in Khartoum. He declined and decided to risk going to East Africa in search of a better Education. Through the woods and thick grasses Daniel found himself in a small border town in Ikotos where he met a missionary team from South Africa which had come to visit South Sudan; this was 1999.
Following that meeting, Daniel’s life would never be the same again, his dream altered and his passion precisely put in the right direction. He went on to study a Diploma in Primary Education with Foundation for Cross Cultural Education (FCE) in Zambia. During this study Daniel yielded his life to Christ and got a clear conviction to pursue Christian Education as a life calling. After completing his studies in 2002, Daniel taught in South Africa, Namibia and South Sudan.
In 2004 Daniel and FCE started a certificate program in Education at ECTC and served as volunteer missionary teacher for seven years. Many people from all over south Sudan and Nuba Mountains were trained and lives were greatly transformed. He was also the team Leader for the FCE Sudan. Daniel now holds a Bachelor of Theology from Hebron Theological College, South Africa. In 2010 Daniel joined Emmanuel Christian Centre and with the help of Mount Meru University, founded the Diploma in Education Pre-service teacher training at ECTC. Daniel is married to Beatrice Ohide.
When Daniel Met Hilde Van der Draai, he believes this is one of those divine manifestations that, God wills Christ Centered Education in South Sudan; an education which ignites the teacher’s passion for his calling and builds a Biblical worldview into all aspects of his life. Daniel Believes Hilde is an a passionate child of God and a true comrade in the ministry of Christ.
ASSIST in Christ is no coincidence, join what God is doing in South Sudan and you will discover the difference you can make when you are in the divine hands.