SIMTEC is a multi-country ministry of SIM International's Ministry Development Team (MDT). In 2007, the missionaries of SIMTEC helped to start an organization called the Transformational Education Network (TEN3). SIMTEC and TEN3 are now strategically allied to help churches in Africa attain their goals in higher education.

The SIMTEC/TEN3 alliance is a team of missionaries and volunteers who are responding to African churches which have requested help to start and/or operate Christian institutions of higher education. This includes technical colleges and universities.

SIMTEC was started in Nigeria by Dr. Anthony Petrillo through the establishment of the ECWA Information and Computer Science Institute (EICSI). Later the ministry expanded to help churches in Senegal and Burkina Faso start institutes. The EICSI school itself also helped a church in Niger start an institute. Today we have requests from churches in 23 countries in Africa and 2 in the Caribbean to help start Christian institutions of higher education.

Because the first stage of an institution in the SIMTEC/TEN3 model is a computer training institute, and because one of SIMTEC's major projects has involved providing computer laboratories for schools, the ministry has sometimes been mis-interpreted as primarily a computer-oriented ministry. The true focus of SIMTEC has always been transformational education for Christian post-secondary institutions.

A major development came when Dr. Petrillo (with SIM International leadership's blessing) joined several non-SIM educators to started a new organization, the Transformational Education Network, with the motto - Discipling to the Third Generation, and the acronym - TEN3. The new organization continues developing the vision started with SIMTEC, but is expanding significantly beyond the scope of what could be done effectively in SIM.

SIM continues to play a role in getting TEN3 off the ground as an independent organization. Some of TEN3's board of directors and staff are SIM missionaries. SIM maintains several projects which provide financially for cooperative efforts with schools in Africa, meanwhile TEN3 focuses on curriculum development and building its own public support.

The SIM missionaries serving with TEN3 include: George Cail, Ray de la Haye , Joe Gallop, Ken Klay, Dr. Anthony Petrillo, Bill Robfogel, and Jim Szymanski. We also have several SIM associates and appointees who are serving in various capacities part-time. They include Scott Frazier, E Harwood, Jean M., and Cheri Shea. SIM also continues to recruit for some of the key vacant positions in TEN3.

The major areas in which SIMTEC and TEN3 collaborate are :

• Curriculum Development and Writing of Course Materials

• Training teachers to be disciple makers who endeavor to see their students transformed to the image of Christ.

• Administrative consulting and provision of a financial model that enables a school's operations to be financially self sustaining.

• Establishment and maintenance of standards for excellence in transformational education.

Progress of varying degrees has been made, but the institutional environment in general and the education environment in particular pose great ongoing challenges to the churches in Africa. Developing a single quality post-secondary institution takes years of hard work to accomplish. SIMTEC and TEN3 share the goal of seeing many come into existence.

To find more information on the activities of TEN3, contact information, prayer requests, opportunities for service, and ways to give financially visit the TEN3.org website.