ELIC intentionally goes to difficult places. This doesn't necessarily mean dangerous places; we are privileged to work in many countries where few foreigners are welcomed or where climates are difficult for most Westerners (think Mongolian winters and Saharan summers). Our years in these places have been more beautiful, fruitful, and joyful than we could possibly have imagined at the beginning—but it has been difficult nonetheless.
We have survived a lot in over 40 years from individual challenge to global crisis. Situations like:
- Major health crises for individual teachers
- Widespread health issues like the COVID starting in 2020
- Political/military crises worldwide
We strive to navigate these complex situations gracefully, balancing our heart for the students in challenging places with teachers' safety and health.
Our teachers' safety is our first concern, both as we recommend placements and as we monitor the situations in our host countries. We partner with an expert global security team to asses danger levels so we know when it is time to leave. This keeps our teachers safe, and it also keeps us from leaving before it's necessary.
The work our teachers do is important. It can make a life-changing difference for students who don't get to leave when things get tough. English skills can allow students to pursue educational and career opportunities to improve not only their lives but those of their families and communities. So we want to stay as long as we can, have the greatest impact possible, and then leave, if we must, when the risk becomes too great.
Fruitful Work in the Unexpected
Even when we've had to leave, we have been astounded by the opportunities that come in seasons of waiting. This past year, our Lebanon team was forced to evacuate because of the conflict in the region. As things stand, we are not currently seeking a path back to Lebanon, but we hope the door will open again one day.
In the meantime, the Lebanon team visited locations where we have long-term teams or are hoping to work in the future. They taught and made professional and personal connections, and the fruit of that work is full of hope for the future.
A teacher from that team wrote to her friends and family back home about the joy of unplanned connections that became possible when the plan to stay in Lebanon became impossible:
As I write this letter not from Lebanon but from Central Asia, I know you'll receive it when I'm in Uzbekistan and preparing for yet another country after the new year…Yesterday, I sat next to teenagers in a yurt for lunch. I rode horses through a beautiful valley, in awe of nature with them, laughing and talking and being in silence together. Then we gathered around a long table and talked about hopes and fears.
While not in the ways I imagined, I'm thankful for the gift of being present in these different places and with these different people. I'm grateful for the example of so many who have left one place to enter another, to taste strong cheeses and drink cups of sea buckhorn tea and find that presence opens conversations.
We go because we believe in the power of education as an avenue to impact people's lives for the better. Our heart to help extends beyond the borders of comfort and convenience to reach people despite the obstacles.
Our students and friends all over Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa have widened our perspectives and taught us so much! It is one of the great joys of our life as an organization to grow in community with them in some of the most challenging but also amazing places in the world.
