Computers for Pathway Students in Africa

Jean Claude excitedly returned to his home in Burundi after spending two years in Cote d’Ivoire as a missionary for his church. He had an awesome goal!

His humble parents were among the 90% of Burundians who were subsistence farmers in one of the seven poorest countries in the world. Determined to provide a better life for his future family, he knew he must acquire skills and education. Jean Claude had seen BYU-Pathway Worldwide providing those essential skills and education to students in Cote d’Ivoire. He enrolled in on-line Pathway in September 2020. Jean Claude struggled to compensate for his earlier inadequate schooling. Writing essays and solving college-prep math were extremely difficult with an out-of-date, used phone. But he was motivated, determined to succeed, and earned an A grade in his first semester!

Then a miraculous opportunity appeared. THE LORD’S HANDS, organized in November 2020, offered its first competitive computer campaign in January 2021. Jean Claude was awarded his own computer!!!! 

He continued to study and completed Pathway with all A grades! With great faith, he enrolled in online BYU-I. Hoping for a job to help his family and pay for Internet, Jean Claude courageously moved from Burundi to Kenya. Now a stranger in a strange land, searching for opportunities, desperate, he took any job. And he continued to study! HE WILL GRADUATE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN SUMMER 2026, less than five years after he began because of YOU and YOUR DONATIONS TO THE LORD’S HANDS. (He is also getting married this summer. A very happy ending of one chapter and a joyful beginning to the rest of his story.)

Over 4000 computers have been awarded by The Lord’s Hands since 2021. Many students, like Jean Claude, have been able to continue university studies because of YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS. Now they are graduating, getting married, changing the future of generations to come. Isn’t it exciting to see the impact you are making in Africa!

To more fully understand the impact of Computers for Pathway Students in Africa, a recent documentary, “Pathway to Hope,” will be enlightening. This documentary tells the true stories of Grace and other students in Africa.

This is a brief summary of Grace’s life, shared with her permission.

She was born in Uganda to an educated engineer, who delighted in the education of his daughter. When he died, she was forced into an abusive marriage and his property, to which she was entitled, was stolen by other family members. After enduring for several years, she and her four daughters escaped the marriage. She found a minimum wage job and a new faith community from which she learned about BYU-Pathway Worldwide. She began her education with Pathway in January 2021. In April 2021, Grace was awarded a computer from The Lord’s Hands. An excellent student, she completed her Bachelors Degree from Ensign College in December 2024. In Fall 2024, Grace applied for a job requiring a Master’s Degree. She was hired, even before earning her Bachelors degree, enabling her to send her daughters to an excellent school!

This is the power of the partnership between The Lord’s Hands and Pathway education!

This is the power of your generous donations to The Lord’s Hands!

You are changing lives!

The Lord’s Hands held two major award campaigns this year, receiving nearly 7000 applications. We will distribute over 3000 computers in 2025, CHANGING OVER 3000 LIVES, THANKS TO YOU, our donors!

To watch “Pathway to Hope,” google pathway to hope byu Jane Clayton Johnson.