Find a mission worker — Niger
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Josh Heikkila, Regional Liaison for West Africa (Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, and Togo) Learn more about the work of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Niger |
Niger is often called the gateway between North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the continent’s most economically impoverished countries and is at the bottom of the UN’s human development index. Fewer than 50 percent of children are enrolled in school, and its annual per capita gross domestic product is only about $800. Farming is limited by frequent droughts, and the country’s vast desert regions are growing because arable land is falling victim to droughts, excessive cultivation, overgrazing, and deforestation. While 95 percent of Nigerians are Muslim, the government is secular and there is openness to the gospel. Most non-Muslims in Niger are Christian or adherents of traditional religions. The Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger is the largest Protestant church in the country, and in recent decades the church and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have worked as partners in mission.
Josh Heikkila
regional liaison for West Africa (Ghana, Niger, Nigeria and Togo)
As regional liaison for Southern Africa, Doug facilitates the PC(USA)’s partner relationships, supports other mission personnel, and works with presbytery and congregational partnerships. He also has responsibilities for facilitating PC(USA) World Mission advocacy efforts in Africa. He works in Lesotho, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. “I am excited and grateful when we are able to help each other discern and apply our respective gifts to strengthen our mutual capacity to do justice, to share the good news of the gospel, and to promote reconciliation so that all may enjoy life in fullness,” Doug says. Home presbytery: Heartland; Learn more
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Michael and Rachel Ludwig
Michael and Rachel are working alongside the Evangelical Church of the Republic of Niger, helping to develop a literacy training and evangelism program. Niger is among the world’s poorest countries, has a literacy rate of only 29 percent, and experiences frequent famines. “It’s captured our hearts as a place of great need, where people with skills in language and teaching can make a huge impact in the lives of ordinary Nigeriens through literacy training and exposure to the gospel,” they write. “We believe this program will help the church grow in reaching out to its non-Christian neighbors, helping them physically through teaching and spiritually as they read the good news of Jesus.” Home presbytery: Scioto Valley; Learn more
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Claire Zuhosky
As a development specialist at a youth center, Claire Zuhosky works with the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger (EERN) to develop a program in life-skills training and vocational education. Her responsibilities include working with a community to determine the needs of its youth. The goal is to establish a program that the church can operate and sustain with its own resources. “May the Holy Spirit working within me provide the courage to take leaps of faith that will help bring about God’s kingdom here on earth” says Claire. Home presbytery: Bethany PC; Learn more
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