The island of Madagasgar is a nation of 20 million people off the southeast coast Africa, and is about twice the size of Arizona. African Leadership has just begun organizing the training of pastors and church leaders there. As of March 2008, we have 120 students registered for newly forming classes.

Our National Director for Madagasgar is Young Ohm. Young is organizing the AL learning centers in Madagasgar, where 41% of the population is Christian, 7% Muslim, and the remaining 52% follow indigenous beliefs. Pastor training is essential for the health and growth of the church in Madagasgar, to have mature leadership and build church unity among the many churches and denominations. The national average income is only 290.00 per year, and the vast majority of the Malagasy people are extremely poor, with very few resources for pastors or church leaders to go to school or seminary.

Students attending leadership classes desperately need support to complete their courses, to graduate, so they may minister to their congregations with biblical maturity. Financial support is needed for feeding the students, support for teachers, and for travel costs. It is a wondrous work of grace that so many pastors are able to attend training, as the truth of the Gospel is the only hope for most of these people, living in one of the poorest nations in the world.

African Leadership is thankful to have a presence in Madagasgar. As African Leadership equips National Directors like Young and his colleagues to spread the Gospel in churches and communities throughout Madagasgar, we are grateful for the support of our donors who make this national transformation possible. As we visit with our African Directors and attend graduation ceremonies, we are amazed at the dedication of these pastors. They usually work full time jobs in addition to their pastoral workload, while attending classes 2-4 days a week. Their desire to be better teachers and preachers is reflected in their joyful completion of the 2-year program, which provides comprehensive training in all phases of church leadership, equivalent to a foundational-level seminary or Bible College degree, utilizing a 10-course, 2,500-page Bible centered curriculum, developed and translated by African Leadership.

Please pray for Young and his family and staff, as they labor to bring hope to the communities of Madagasgar, by increasing the impact of the Gospel through the training of pastors and church leaders. African Leadership-Madagasgar hopes to graduate some 70 students each year, who, when their training is finished, will periodically attend alumni training for HIV/AIDS issues, Islam apologetics, and financial management. Hopefully, from the networking of these alumni and teachers, new training centers may be established, spreading the word about our Training Program, resulting in more pastor registrations, and expanded educational opportunities for the maturity of the Church.