History of CoH
Children of the Hills has its roots in a place called Hebron, in the Hills of Bangladesh. In 1958, Paul Miller and Victor Barnard started work to bring God’s word to tribal people in the Hills. I was six years old when my family moved to Hebron to live among the tribes. It was an exciting time, living in our bamboo home with a mud floor. At our doorstep flowed a river where I could play with my tribal friends and behind us was a jungle with elephants, colorful parrots, and monkeys in the trees. Sadly, within two weeks after our arrival, my father left on business and never returned, for he died while he was gone. For a year, our family shared life with our tribal friends, but then we had to leave, for my sisters and I needed an education. The story was over….we thought.
Fifty-five years later, in March of 2014, I happened to Google the words “Hebron and Tribal Work.” I got a hit that told of the school’s needs at a place called Hebron. The very next morning, my sister Grace called with the exciting news that there was a tribal Christian school at Hebron, and they needed help. I learned that the tribal people’s grandchildren, with whom my parents worked, operated the schools, while God prospered His work in the Hills.
Others preached the gospel, established churches, and thousands had come to Christ. Sadly, I also learned that few could read the Bible, for most have never been to school.
Children of the Hills (CoH) was established in 2014 to respond to this need. CoH provides guidance and financial support to the Bangladesh Tribal Association of Baptist Churches (BTABC). The association’s efforts are to bring literacy to tribal families, where more than half have never attended school.