In 2010, the church in the village of Bonomoua, Guinea, opened a school. The ceiling was low, and the rooms were hot and noisy, packed with elementary students.

Jon Erickson, a long-term CAMA partner, remembers walking into the school the first time with his friend and colleague Moise Mamy. They spent a couple of days building two additional rooms and a principal’s office to give the children and teachers more space.

Then Ebola arrived.

Moise began traveling with a team to remote villages in Guinea, spreading awareness about containing and preventing the deadly virus. Alarming rumors traveled too. In one fear-stricken village, a mob formed and dragged Moise and other members of the delegation away. Eight people were killed, including Moise, who left behind a widow and five adult children. September marked the third anniversary of his death.

Moise had partnered with CAMA since 2002. He was the co-founder of Hope Clinic and executive secretary of Living Water, the local NGO that tirelessly worked to prevent the spread of Ebola. Moise was also the district superintendent for the Mano (his people group) churches.

Many of you not only gave to support Living Water’s Ebola prevention efforts, but also to the Moise Mamy Memorial Fund. And in his memory, you’re continuing to expand the school in Bonomoua.

Bonomoua is a Mano village with a population of 3,500. The majority of the Mano people are animists, believing there is a powerful spirit behind every physical occurrence. These spirits are worshipped or feared—or both. But the Spirit of the Living God is at work among the Mano, and the church continues to grow, along with the school.

“Moise was always pushing to advance the education of his people,” Jon says. “Though he only finished sixth grade, he was a great believer in the value of education.”

The school now has more than 170 students attending from kindergarten to the fifth-grade level. With no space left, they currently are using the church’s sanctuary, the school’s office, and a local house for classrooms. After a recent visit from the regional director of education, the staff learned that they needed to build more classes or be forced to close.

Hearing this urgent need, we knew Moise would have done all he could to help. In memory of our friend, we have moved forward with the church’s proposal to build four more classrooms, plus toilets. Today the walls are up and the roof is nearly complete. The school will remain open, and 170 children will have a better environment to learn and hear the name of Jesus—a name Moise never stopped telling others about.

Hope Clinic was another of Moise’s passions. After a difficult few years of battling Ebola and suffering in the aftermath of his loss, we can report Hope Clinic treated 11,247 patients in 2016. Every praise is to our God!