A nonprofit founded by Father Evan Armatas, parish priest at St. Spyridons Greek Orthodox Church in Loveland, Colo., is building a growing network of schools in Africa. Over the 12 years of existence of the St. Nektarios Education Fund, Father Armatas, its president, has been to Africa 10 times.
He relies on local residents to provide the energy involved in the actual construction, maintenance and staffing. Locals have responded, despite a recent history wracked by civil war, economic turmoil and the AIDS pandemic. Many of them help voluntarily.
Both boys and girls are educated in the schools. Father Armatas said it has been important to provide a safe learning environment for all students.
The nonprofit was one of the vetted organizations backed by the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado, one of the regional champions of Colorado Gives Day 2014 earlier in December. Final results will be announced in January 2015. The secured Colorado Gives website accepts donations for the nonprofits year round.
As a result of the social capital produced by the St. Nektarios fund, Father Armatas saw bustling schools, sometimes bursting at the seams. Occasionally they sat close to virtually vacant million-dollar schools produced through the largesse of one international mega corporation or another that lacked the social investment of the community.
It began while Father Armatas was in seminary. He learned about need for educational funding from a fellow seminarian, the Rev. Athanasios Akunda of Kenya. Father Armatas was the grandson of poor, uneducated Greek immigrants and it touched a chord.
The two picked eight students in 2002, and sent them a total of $450 for one year’s tuition in school.
The effort has evolved over a dozen years into four completed school projects –the St. Nicholas School in Serem, Kenya; the Archangel Michael Middle School and the Archangel Michael Secondary School in Gulu, Uganda; and the Trent White Memorial Secondary School in Lwemiyaga, Uganda. Construction of a fifth school, in Butembe, Uganda, began this year. Plans have begun for a sixth. Since its inception, the fund has provided more than 430 scholarships and distributed more than $325,000 to needy students. Its operating budget for 2014 was $142,000.
The St. Nektarios Education Fund has a partner in International Orthodox Christian Charities. The effort has reached across theological boundaries. Father Armatas notes a major financial backer at one school was Muslim.
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