A workshop which seeks to sensitize evangelical leaders on the importance of child-friendly spaces in Dominica was held at the Garraway Hotel on Friday.
This workshop is one in a series of sessions as part of a public awareness drive of the Ministry of Education in collaboration with The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Workshop Facilitator , Pastor Dr. Kenroy Burke, of Exousia Consultancies in Barbados said the initiative is critical, pointing to the influence of the church in society.
“The church in my opinion still has the greatest influence in society, the church is more than just a group of fanatical people keeping a whole set of noise at least twice a week, I believe the church remains a leading institution in our society,” he noted. “As a result, we need to ensure that we are on board with all that is happening to be able to add not just our voice to it but also be a part of the entire cause.”
He stated the initiative is also about safeguarding the future of nations in the Caribbean.
“It’s also not just safeguarding that future but sustaining our economies and societies,” he said. “We know that HIV has already played on the extremely vulnerable groups and productive part of our society and I believe that such an initiative helps to further safeguard that group. We have a future to look forward to.”
Assistant Chief Education Officer, Dr. Jeffrey Blaize pointed out that is in the church’s best interest to ensure that future leaders possess the Christ-like qualities upon which the church is built.
He stated that it is the Ministry of Education’s mandate to ensure that every child has the opportunity to access an education which is broad base, comprehensive, diverse and of the highest quality.
“High-quality education fosters the learning environment where students feel comfortable,” he said. “Within such an environment students health and safety needs are of utmost importance, students are motivated to achieve and their achievements are celebrated.”
Dr. Blaize noted that a high-quality education embraces the differences in students and recognizes that every child is uniquely created by God.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Marcella Powell who represented Education Minister Petter Saint Jean said the child-friendly initiative has been practised in Dominica since 2009.
“It is a global initiative that seeks to ensure that all children are educated within the best learning environment,” Powell stated. “It promotes the core principles of child centeredness, democratic participation, and inclusiveness.”
She went on to say that the Ministry of Education expects that church leaders run active children ministry programs that engage the youngest members of the congregations in bible studies and faith-building exercises.
Powell hopes that the participants will find this intervention useful and that it will place into clear perspective, “the ways that we can as community help to produce successful citizens in keeping with the vision of the Ministry of Education, each child succeeds.”
The UN’s Record on Protecting Kids from Sexual Abuse is Terrible
————————————————————————
Sarah Taylor, women’s rights advocate at Human Rights Watch reports multiple cases of child abuse within the UN ‘peacekeeping’ function in various countries. In 2015 this includes multiple allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers. In January 2016, her organisation, HRW documented eight cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, including rape and gang rape. No UN personnel have been brought to account.
Exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers and personnel has been reported since the 1990s concerning peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan, among others. Troops from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, and the Congo (DRC).
The UN itself is typical of its member nations. It represents this world system – the world that crucified the Lord Jesus. Two thousand years ago this world voted for Barabbas and nothing has changed. The UN is for abortion and same sex marriage. The intelligence of this modern day Babylon can be seen in the fact that they actually put China on their security council.
The good news is that God is taking out of the nations a people for His name. They are “the new creation” and are watching the eastern sky.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
The UN’s record on everything is terrible. They’re worse than useless.
There is not that Child Friendly Schools can do for today’s young people, before you can child friendly the schools try child friendlying their homes and communities. All the hard work that is done at school is undone once they get back to their uninvolved homes!! It’s not all about the school. Besides, nothing these group of people can do either. These children mostly lack consciousness. They don’t go to church anymore. Their sense of right and wrong is all over the place! Something has to be done about their homes!
Society has dictated the path we take but people ensure that religious faith is maintained as a guide to our people that they do become distracted to worldly distractions and activities. The respective private, denominations and faiths among other groups with their history of running and funding schools in Dominica must continue to be visible. The Evangelicals, Catholic, Methodist, Anglican has contributed well to Dominica. Obviously the Ministry Of Education is the principle guardian that safeguarding education institution is under their watch, nationally.Good luck to all on this workshop,
“The church in my opinion still has the greatest influence in society, the church is more than just a group of fanatical people keeping a whole set of noise at least twice a week, I believe the church remains a leading institution in our society,” he noted.”(Kenroy).
Well, that might be an accurate scenario from your prospective; however the body of people who are actually the Church; there is no place in the scriptures where God said the church should have any form of influence in society or the world.
If anything, the Bible warns that Christians are in the world, but should not be of the world, and it also warns not to be unequally yoked!
The Bible, however, teaches: let your light shine before men. Never however, it said to be an influence on people; maybe an example based on how Christians live and conduct themselves. The duty of a Christians is to preach the word of God, and most of all love each other, for God is indeed “Love.”
If there is love, one cannot hurt…
If there is love, one cannot hurt the other; if we love children we cannot rape, brutalize, and abuse them! Some of you use your so called religious belief to influence your congregation politically, rather than preaching the word of God.
The Church is supposed to help the poor financially the poor children, and widows are left to fend for themselves, leaving themselves open to the sexual predators in the country, if the Church was in a position to help them the sexual abuse potential would not exists!
You all will sit there and talk a bunch of garbage, only looking for yourselves, as to how much you will take each time you pass the collection plate around. Preach, and teach the word of God, and not your own philosophy. Teach prosperity to the people according to the way God state it in his word, the rest is between them and God!
What’s this about “Child Friendly Schools Initiative” being sanctioned by Evangelical leaders.This is just a sinister way to get religious instructions into the educational system.Why these Evangelical leaders believe, that their choice of instructions, based on their religious beliefs is appropriate and should be taught and accepted in the public educational system, wow, what has happened to the true meaning of the word Education.Education expands the imagination. False education fills the mind with dogma and creates a prisoner of conformity, is that what we need to do to the young minds.
Congratulations! Happy someone noted that this initiative started a while back. We never recognise what those before us has done.
It is a sad state that these schools are in when you have to have courses like this. And you might wonder why it is directed at the ministers.
Good move keep the faith. Our children need this to return to the principles of life. “Jesus said suffer the little children to come unto me”.
Please organize workshops for our children during the summer holidays in all corners of the country.
I appreciate an initiative that seeks to eliminate the divide between the schools and the evangelical churches we sometimes see in Canada.
A “child friendly school” will affirm faith in God, and the Bible as the Word of God, along with the importance of church attendance. It will teach the traditional morals and family values that are the code of behavior God has given us in the New Testament.
Unfortunately, we find in Ontario, Canada we are not receiving this from the regular (public) schools. Not every family can afford to send their children to a Christian school. The Ontario government is trying to get any Christian influence that remains out of the public schools.
Thank God in Dominica you have a government that is allowing the evangelical churches to have input, and this kind of initiative is possible.
Fight the good fight. Safeguard your freedoms. Save the children.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
“Thank God in Dominica you have a government that is allowing the evangelical churches to have input, and this kind of initiative is possible.”
@ Rev. Donald Hill, you do not know a thing about life in Dominica and it would do you good to allow Dominicans to deal with the issues that concern them, unless you can sincerely make a fair and balance contribution, as a so called Rev. Evangelist.
FYI, Dominica has always had a government that allows freedom of religion, and it was not an initiative of Skerrit, as you are trying to imply here. Freedom of worship has been part of our constitution ever since we became a nation, and no one can take it from us. My next question to you is, what kind of input does the evangelical churches have on the government? Can you name me one?
If the hyporisy I see in Dominica is as a result of input from the evangelical, then the church has truly lost its savor. True believers that really want to make an input, are not allowed. Only Baal…
The Evangelist:
Your comprehension is not the greatest because you missed much of what I said. Your comment was intended to give me a black eye but obviously it was ignored.
Not everybody agrees with me but they do not ignore me.`
My writings have been published in over 40 newspapers and magazines in Canada and the U.S.A., I have had four small books published (one self published, and three published by big companies), and I hosted my own radio show in Canada for two years.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
“Thank God in Dominica you have a government that is allowing the evangelical churches to have input, and this kind of initiative is possible.”
You are a damn fool you need to shut up!
Government allowing what?
Are you confirming that Skerrit is damn dictator, a communist dictator, nevertheless, he is allowing his puppets, like some of his priests, and boy bishop to get up and talk crap brainwashing your foolish kind keeping you in poverty!
The crap those so called evangelical people are talking what significance it has in the life of anybody in Dominica? It politics as usual, they are looking out for themselves, and how much money the rob from people on Sunday mornings while they talk crap , and not disseminating the word of God!
This is weird an international organization hosts workshop only for evangelical religious organizations and not simply for religious organizations
Their attitude is that they are better and superior than the other churches but they are not. Not much will come out of that. Merely talk.
As the late US Archbishop F. Sheen said, “. . . No power. No strength.” One day they will find this out.
Bishop Sheen also said:
“It is better to light one little candle than to curse the darkness.”
You have not done this.
You have badmouthed what you think is the darkness but you have offered us nothing better
in its place.
“They think that they are better and superior than the other churches but they are not.”
I am not sure what you mean by “the other churches”. If you mean the so called “churches” that do not preach the gospel Christ told us to preach in Mark 16:15, and is clearly defined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, the gospel that releases the dynamics of salvation in the life of every person who believes it according Romans 1:16, yes we do think we are better
The gospel changes lives. It brings inner healing, and deliverance
It sets the captives free 
Evangelicals preach the evangel, in other words the gospel. This is why we are referred to as “evangelicals”, from the word “evangel”. This gospel has the power…
Any workshop sponsored by evangelical churches would be CHRIST centered and for the purpose of helping Christians better relate to His will for their lives.
Don’t be surprised if it speaks to the goals and aspirations of evangelical (born again) believers in Jesus Christ. This is the purpose of the workshop.
Evangelical churches would not be facilitating workshops that promoted beliefs and practices contrary to
their own faith, and people of other faiths would have not reason or desire to attend our workshops although they would be welcome to do so.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill, Evangelist.
Another workshop… another total waste of time. Even Petter could not be asked to attend. Dominica to be renamed soon, instead of Nature Isle it will be Workshop Isle.
Christians believe Jesus Christ is the only Savior and the only way to heaven according to Matthew 28:18-20, John 14:6, Acts 4:12.
They know they have a mandate given by Christ Himself to share His plan of salvation with all people according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. When they sponsor or conduct a workshop or seminar it will be Christ centered, and focus on helping people better relate to Christ and His purposes. Evangelical churches could not spearhead an initiative to encourage other religions to promote teachings and practices contrary to what evangelicals believe.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
The gospel evangelicals preach brings healing and deliverance. It changes lives and sets the captives free.
The Bible says
“Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
Workshops
Actually, what you are seeing is an increased interest in education.
The initiative you have read about in this news article is about improving the quality of learning time in the school classrooms.
Workshops or seminars are tools that are used to instruct, brief, or update people in a variety of fields or subjects. My own ministry uses them, and so do big businesses. It is because they are successful that they are so popular in Dominica.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. Evangelist.
President of LIVING HOPE MINISTRIES, an international outreach of uncompromised Bible teaching and New Testament evangelism.