Silicon Valley’s River of Life Christian Church, based in California, founded ACTS Africa Career Training School, which has built schools and clinics in Togo, Benin and other West African nations. The latest annual report notes that through vocational education, clean water projects and five health stations, the organization is helping young people in West Africa become self‑sufficient and improve community health, while planning to make ACTS29—their campus expansion project—the vanguard of AI education in Togo.
Mission: empowering African youth toward self‑sufficiency
The acronym ACTS echoes the Book of Acts in the Bible and stands for Africa Career Training School. Headquartered in California, its mission is “to help African youth achieve self‑sufficiency.” According to the organization, ACTS designs courses based on market needs, offering vocational training in media production, administrative management and English. It also addresses public and mental health issues, encouraging students to avoid crime and drugs and to cultivate Christlike character.
Founded in 2014, the organization plans to establish 100 schools and 100 clinics across Africa to bless local communities through education and medical outreach. During the tenth anniversary celebration last year, founder Pastor James Wang told the Gospel Herald that over the past decade 960 students have graduated from ACTS and more than a thousand have participated in courses. With an 85 percent employment rate, ACTS leads locally despite facing challenges. The transformed lives behind those numbers, he said, inspire them to continue this entrusted path.
ACTS emphasizes the idea that “education changes lives.” The 2025 annual report states that the ACTS school in Togo has 176 students, a 25 percent increase over last year, and 18 full‑time faculty and staff. Teachers not only teach computer skills, baking and other trades but also nurture local children’s Christian character; their testimonies show that education is more than acquiring a skill—it is a process of nurturing life.
The school is working with a former Google executive from Togo on a transformation plan to become a leader in AI education in the country, responding to the growing demand for technology education.
Expanding the medical network: clinics and health stations
ACTS not only provides vocational training but also invests in Christian healthcare. It notes that in 2018 the organization established the River of Life Clinic (Clinique Fleuve de Vie) in Togo, making healthcare more accessible in rural areas. It plans to build health stations in villages in the future, combining clinics and schools to provide medical education.
The annual report adds that ACTS’ five health stations in Togo continue to provide basic care, serving 1,608 patients this year. ACTS also partners with the international nonprofit Vitamin Angels to provide nutritional supplements to pregnant women, newborns and children at nine locations, ensuring they receive the nutrients needed for life. The report notes that “a single vitamin and a word of concern embody God’s compassion and everyone’s love.”
Clean water wells transform communities
In addition to schools and clinics, ACTS promotes access to clean water. The organization joined Step30’s “Living Water Project” in 2021 to dig wells in villages; to date, five wells have been completed in five villages. The 2025 report adds that a brand‑new well was completed this year in a village and another will soon be drilled in another village. Clean water not only saves children from walking kilometers to fetch water but also causes 70 percent of local diseases to disappear, transforming the future of entire communities.
Benin vocational school receives government accreditation and expands campus
The report states that the ACTS vocational school in Benin obtained official accreditation from the country’s Ministry of Education this year, meaning the school’s certificates are now recognized nationwide. It also opened a new, larger rented campus with more spacious classrooms and equipment, doubling student capacity. The baking class took first prize at a local food fair, demonstrating the school’s educational success. Since opening in 2019, the Benin school has served more than 240 students and has begun admitting youth from Niger, Gabon and the Central African Republic, training the next generation of skilled professionals across borders.
ACTS29 project: building an AI education and medical headquarters
As the schools develop, ACTS is advancing its “ACTS29” project. The website explains that, to address overcrowded facilities, ACTS has purchased land to build a large campus that will serve as the future headquarters for 100 schools and 100 clinics. The ACTS29 campus will include a teaching building for 320 students, a dormitory for 60 residents, and programs offering multimedia, information technology, electronics, business, language and nursing—fields in high demand. It will also provide internships for nursing students to train healthcare workers for remote villages. The site will feature a business incubator, multimedia studio and distance learning center, with a total budget of about US $880,000.
The report notes that ACTS will combine the ACTS29 campus and medical resources to create a premier nurse training institution in West Africa, cultivating “professionals with hearts for God’s kingdom who will influence Africa and bless the world.” Change will not happen overnight, the organization says, but it requires ongoing faithfulness and perseverance.
A journey of transformation: walking with supporters
ACTS stresses that the journey from a single dream to a cross‑border ministry network is the result of God’s faithfulness and the company of many donors. The annual report concludes by thanking all supporters, donors, volunteers and prayer partners and calls for continued support of the ACTS29 project to build cutting‑edge AI education and medical headquarters and keep transforming more lives. The organization points to the metaphor of Acts 29—the unwritten chapter of the Bible’s Book of Acts—to suggest that today’s dreamers are writing a new chapter to bless the world.
