On October 23, 2024, the Surinam newspaper De ware Tijd reported on the release of a new card game with educational value to be used in schools across the country. See here in Dutch. The public presentation of the game was attended by Henry Ori, the Minister of Education, Science and Culture, and Sandra Panka-Bijlhout, the director of the Moravian Church School Foundation in Suriname, who supported the project. The Surinamese version of the game (Kunstkwartet Suriname) is based on a successful Dutch quartet game (Kunstkwartet Curaçao). The game consists of twelve quartets on various forms of visual art: four Surinamese artists and their work are presented in this way. “The game offers children the opportunity to come into contact with Surinamese art in a playful way. It also helps children to find their identity,” said the minister. It is being distributed free of charge to 500 primary and secondary schools in Suriname. The teaching package consists of the quartet game, a teacher's manual, instructions for the game and an information booklet. It can be downloaded from www.KunstKwartet.org nd even played digitally.

At the beginning of October, the 2024/2025 academic year began in all schools in Suriname. After a long summer break, the staff of the Moravian Church School Foundation in Suriname welcomed around 13,000 children and young people in 65 schools across the country who are learning under their responsibility. At the Graf von Zinzendorf School in Paramaribo, Pastor Lucia Breeveld opened the new academic year with a morning blessing and a prayer. See here. She said: “I wish us all the very best for the new school year. After all, we experience the school year together.” There are also some pictures from the Ludwig Schütz School in Paramaribo. See here. There, the first weeks of school were referred to as the golden weeks. During the morning blessing, it was said, “The greatest thing you can give children is a chance!” Teamwork makes the dream work!

On October 11, 2024, two new classrooms at the Moravian Church School in Pokigron in the tropical interior of Suriname were officially opened. The ceremony was attended by Sandra Panka, director of the Moravian Church school foundation in Suriname, Vishal Jadnanansing, head of the Moravian Kersten group, several local politicians, the school management and, of course, the children of the popular school and other guests. The ceremony began with a warm welcome from the children, who sang a welcome song, followed by a morning blessing. After this inspiring start, the dignitaries expressed their appreciation to the school management and the village authorities for the important school project and for its positive impact on the congregation. The Kersten boss said: “We believe in the success of our company (a former missionary company), but also in our responsibility to society. Education is the key to the development of every child, and a good education lays the foundation for a successful future.” The company spent $50,000 on the construction and equipping of the two new classrooms. More here.

Get ready to win Suriname for Jesus! Under this motto, young people from the Moravian Church in Paramaribo, Suriname, and other young people are invited to a missionary sing-along, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m. The meeting point is the centrally located Moravian Church Youth Center (Johan Raillardlaan 5-7). A short invitation video can be found here. On Facebook, it says: “After a few months break, we want to get back out there with worship songs. Come share the good news of Jesus' love. We will encourage people, pray with them, and pray for healing if they want. Are you seeking your calling? Here is your chance to get started! Do you find it difficult to talk to strangers? Then sing with us. Can't sing? Then pray instead! Don't let the difficulty of praying stop you.”

From September 16 to 20, 2024, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Moravian Church in Suriname held a seminar for traumatized children between the ages of 8 and 13 at its youth center in Paramaribo (Johan Raillardlaan 5-7). The announcement stated: “The children learn what the signs of trauma are and how they can deal with their own emotional and mental suffering.” Talita Koem, a special healing ministry of the Moravian Church in Suriname under the direction of Lydia Sedney, a youth pastor appointed in 2019, is responsible for conducting the seminar. On the ministry's website – see here – it says: “We see it as an important task to make children and young people in Suriname feel valuable and loved. We also consider it important to comfort children, to encourage them, to guide them and to give them hope (again).” Further information can be found here on a flyer. The certification of trainers who want to dedicate themselves to child trauma management is carried out by the Surinaams Bijbel Genootschap.

Seven young people from the Moravian Church in Suriname (Mae Ann Haimes, Karin Pinas Grant, Steven Pinas, Vanessa Lieveld, Vanessa Burgos, Arantis Forster, Benito Pick and Dwayne Weltevreden) spent a week volunteering at the youth center and the Moravian Church's theological seminary in Paramaribo. Their main aim during the taster days was to gain professional orientation. They helped with practical youth work, in administration, and with caretaking and gardening. They took part in devotions during all lunch breaks. The volunteers were inspired by what was said. They gained general insights into the Christian faith and human life and were strengthened in their will to serve God in the future. The Moravian Church in Suriname, with about 30,000 members, is a church that is very active in the social and educational fields. See here.

Ecology has been a major topic for the Stichting Onderweijs of the EBGS (School Foundation of the Moravian Church in Suriname) for years. In the middle of the summer holidays, the foundation now drew the attention of all children in the country to two illustrative children's books published in Dutch by the WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature). Both books present a green family and focus on ecological and nature-friendly behaviour on holiday. They are available both for purchase in bookshops and for free download. See here: The Green Family travels to the Surinamese interior and The Green Family is travelling to Bigi Pan. The foundation writes: ‘Take time to read! Find a shady spot and get to know the Green Family! Suriname has many wonderful animals and many traditional customs. We will give away a package of Green Family books, colouring books and other books if you send us beautiful holiday photos with your comments showing the beautiful Surinamese nature.’

On Saturday, 3 August 2024, there was a big children's day at the Moravian Church Youth Centre in Paramaribo as part of the current festive month of August, the annual Moravian month. The Moravian Church in the country reported on the event on Facebook as follows: ‘What a wonderful day! Today 250 children came together in our youth centre to celebrate together. We commemorated the great revival in Herrrnhut in the summer of 1727 with singing, meditation on a special text and interesting talks. It was a day full of joy, inspiration and fellowship.’ Not only were delicious snacks and drinks prepared, but also games for older and younger children and a clothes bazaar. A short video of this event here. On the evening before Children's Day, the young people were invited to a street evangelisation. See here.

The July 2024 issue of Wegweiser, the magazine of the Moravian Church School Foundation in Suriname, is dedicated to singing. An introductory article states that it has been scientifically proven that children who have mastered an instrument perform better at school than children without specialised musical skills. The article then mentions that the Moravian missionaries in Suriname encountered a singing slave population in the 18th century. Singing helped the people to cope with their difficult fate - a good starting point for the Moravian Mission. A second article recalls what led to a school festival organised by Mavis Noordwijk in 2018 entitled ‘Praising and extolling the Moravians’. At the time, the teacher regretfully realised that schoolchildren no longer sing the way they used to. To the article here. A video (30 minutes) of the 2024 Singing Festival in the Great City Church in Paramaribo here.

The exact programme for the traditional Teachers' Days of the Moravian Church School Foundation in Suriname, annual training and encounter days that are always held in the summer, has now been finalised. This time, the Teachers' Days will take place on 18 and 19 September 2024 in the mornings at the FHR School of Business in Paramaribo. The exact programme here. Cost: 50 Surinamese dollars per programme unit (approx. EUR 1.60). Precise registration is required. The Ludwig Carl Schütz School of the Moravian Church in Paramarobo, which was founded in 1964, organised a general play and sports participation day on 19 July 2024. The invitation to the event stated: ‘Come along! Enjoy socialising and joining in! You can try out several sports and get moving on this day.’ See the invitation poster here. Lack of exercise is also a problem for urban children in Suriname.

To commemorate Keti-Koti on 1 July 2024, the day on which slavery was abolished in Suriname in the summer of 1863, the National Foundation for the Promotion of Early Childhood Reading (Stichting Kinderboekenfestival) presented a new children's book: Jacquelina, slave on the Driesveld plantation. The story was written by Aspha Bijnaar, Ineke Mok and Dineke Stam. The book was illustrated by Kae Solo. And the story was read aloud for an educational video by the young educator Naömi Moor from Paramaribo. She lived and worked in Germany for a few months in the first half of 2018 to mark the World Day of Prayer, which featured the country of Suriname in 2018. Watch the video here. Previously, the Foundation for the Promotion of Early Childhood Reading had already produced four other children's books exploring the history of Suriname and had them read by various people for educational videos. Seehere and here and here and here.

The company C. Kersten & Co. N.V. (naamloze vennootschap = similar public limited company) is the oldest company in Suriname still in existence today. The company emerged from a small trading house of the Moravian Church founded on 29 June 1768 to finance the Moravian Church mission and has experienced ups and downs. Today, the company is one of the largest and most diversified companies in Suriname with 13 operating companies divided into five divisions. The company is owned by the worldwide Moravian Church and is managed by the Moravian Church Foundation (MCF) through the sub-company MCF Business Enterprises B.V. MCF distributes any profits made in favour of Moravian Church projects in many countries. On 5 July 2024, shares in ‘C. Kersten & Co.’ were ceremoniously transferred to the Unity Province of Suriname, bringing to an end over 40 years of struggle by the province. The shares are to be kept in a separate foundation of the Moravian Church in Suriname. A speech by President Runaldo Gallant on this matter can be found here. On the evening of the transfer of the shares, a thanksgiving service was celebrated in the Great City Church of Paramaribo.

"Hip hip hooray! Today we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of our polyclinic in Brownsweg," was the message on the Facebook pages of the Medical Mission in Suriname on 25 June 2024 (Medische Zending, Primary Health Care Suriname). See here. There was dancing and singing (in the local language Sranan) and finally a huge birthday cake was cut. Video here. Brownsweg is a settlement and holiday resort in the Surniamese district of Brokopondo, about 100 kilometres south of the capital Paramaribo with a population of just under 5,000. The village is surrounded by tropical rainforest and south of it is one of the largest reservoirs in the world in terms of surface area, the Brokopondo Reservoir. As recently as 23 June 2024, an online magazine described the construction of the reservoir system in the 1960s as a "colonial tragedy". See here. In the Brokopondo region, there is also a Moravian Church school cluster run by the EBGS school foundation, consisting of five schools.

In Suriname, an important day of celebration, Keti-Koti Day, approaches every year on 1 July: the day commemorating the liberation of slaves in 1863. The Moravian Church Youth Centre in Paramaribo is also taking part in the celebrations under the motto Celebrating freedom - sharing faith. There will be a colourful programme from 9 am to 5 pm. See here: a church service in the Great City Church, a concert by a house band, delicious Surinamese food, exciting games for children and young people, an indoor football tournament with a pastor's team. A koto and designer show is sure to be very popular again. Participation with your own clothing designs is expressly encouraged. Registrations until 22 June 2024, see here. The Koto, a wide skirt of Surinamese-African origin, is a garment made of a lot of fabric that was worn during the time of slavery to cover the female body as much as possible.

The Surinamese newspaper Star Nieuws recently reported that Theresia Gali was named "Nurse of the Year 2024" by the Medical Mission in Suriname (Medische Zending – Primery Health Care) on 12 May 2024. This nomination prompted the editorial team to introduce the honouree in more detail. Theresia Gali comes from a landlocked country and she loves working inland. She has been associated with the Medical Mission since she began her training in 2007, at the age of 29. She received her diploma in 2011. Fate has not always been kind to her. At the age of 13, she lost her mother, and later her father and brother. She found support in her Christian faith. She advises insecure young people: "If you have a goal in mind, then give 100 per cent. Don't compare your life with the lives of others. Life is not a competition. Always stay positive and above all: persevere!" More in German translation here.

The youth centre of the Moravian Church in Suriname, in a good location in the capital Paramaribo (Johan Raillardlaan 5-7), is partially surrounded by an unattractive concrete wall. To enhance this wall, it was recently decorated on the inside with lots of funny line drawings, inviting people to stand in front of it and be photographed in certain poses. On the youth centre's Facebook pages on 9 May 2024, the message was: "Come and join us and stand in front of our picture wall!" Some young people have already responded to the invitation. The photographic result can be viewed in a series of pictures here. The youth centre was established in the legal form of a foundation following donations and loan commitments between 1952 and 1954. Its mission statement includes the following sentence: "The centre aims to promote the physical, cultural, social and spiritual well-being of young people between the ages of 5 and 35 in Suriname."

Sherida Franklin, the kindergarten teacher at the Moravian Church's Maria-Hartman-School in Paramaribo, Suriname, recently developed her own teaching materials. She reported this to the Surinamese online magazine De Ware Tijd on 17 April 2024. See here. The teacher said: "My main aim was to help children aged 4 to 10 with learning difficulties. But children in grades 6 and 7 can also use the materials very well. I have had success with the material so far. The parents were speechless and emotionally moved because they hadn't expected their children to make such progress. During the Covid-19 pandemic, I had a lot of time and I often prayed to God. One day I was sitting in the garden with my mum. We were talking and I suddenly had voices in my ears and images in front of my eyes. That's how the material came about." An employee from the Ministry of Education has already been to Sherida Franklin's office to test the material and observe the children learning.

The work of the medical mission in Suriname (Medische Zending - Primary Health Care Suriname) is focussed on the vast inland area, which is mostly covered by tropical rainforest. Because there are only a few roads from the narrow coastal strip to the interior and because there are also no landing strips for small aeroplanes in some places in the interior, people and goods are still mostly transported via the large and small rivers. It was therefore a joyous occasion on 25 March 2024 when the management team of the medical mission in the state capital Paramarobo was presented with a large metal boat powered by a powerful engine. This boat was donated by the two aid organisations UNICEF and USaid. The press and a TV crew reported on the handover of the boat in a festive ceremony attended by many celebrities. See here (Boat unveiling from minute 32:35). The new boat will mainly be used in the West Suriname region.