More Christians are killed in Nigeria each year than in the rest of the world combined, and one Texan decided to do what he could to help those who are subjected to this violence.
Blanco Mayor Mike Arnold founded an organization called Africa Arise in 2019 to provide both physical and spiritual support to these Christians.
MIKE ARNOLD
Founder, Africa Arise
When they pick up their Bibles on Sunday to go to church, they realize that this may be the last thing they do. And they do it. It’s amazing. That’s where faith is tested.
For them, faith is real. They live it and experience it in ways that most people don’t know because it is real to them.
Another pillar of Africa Arise is its work to improve the lives of internally displaced people. This work began at the request of a woman who fled to a shanty town after the massacre of her village.
MIKE ARNOLD
Founder, Africa Arise
And they made it to this camp and they were told they had to stay there. And they had to build their own hut, this woman with three children. And I asked her, my heart hurt, and I said, “I want to tell your story. And if people want to respond, how can we help?” And I thought she was going to say: running water, shelter, a house, food, clothing, healthcare, sanitation, whatever. And she said one thing. She said, “Help me teach these children.”
From there, the organization established two schools that provide instruction to more than 500 full-time students. And they have begun construction on a third school.
Arnold says Africa Arise will continue to provide aid and education to more than 5,000 children in three camps in Nigeria.
KG
