Dispatches

by Fr. Peter Abue

October 2007

Dear Friends of CORAfrica,

Greetings from Nigeria!

A new lease of life began for 73 infant children in the Ipong -Obudu community of Cross River State, Nigeria. These were the newly admitted children of Little Flower Nursery Primary School located in Kakum village. The new school is to be run by the Parish community under the CORAfrica educational program. The school was formally opened on the 2nd of October with a 7-member staff headed by Mr. Clement Uzor, a seasoned school administrator who has spent the past 25 years heading schools in different parts of the country. Other faculty include: Cora Akomaye Adie (Kindergarten), Philomena Atuaka (Nursery 1) Christiana Amokeye (Nursery II) and Martina Agio (Transition Class). Also, Margaret Ushie and Lydia Igben are designated as nannies and non-teaching staff members. So far, this 7-member team has shown itself as a formidable force that hopes to train the newly admitted infants in a positive direction. Though the school opens with only four classes in the Nursery section this October, it is hoped that in the near future, the Little flower will blossom into a full blown institution in both Primary and Secondary school sections, with facilities fitted to enable rural children to enjoy basic education as their privileged counterparts in urban areas.

Staff members with children at Little Flower Nursery Primary School

As a kick off for the founding of a Community Education Center (CEC) in Ipong, CORAfrica has recently negotiated with the Ipong community members to donate a building for a Nursery Primary School. In a meeting held in the palace of the clan head of Kakum, Fr. Peter Abue addressed the community representatives and encouraged them to come together in partnership with the Parish to initiate this educational facility for its rural children under the CORAfrica programs. The clan head of Kakum, Chief Joseph Atuaka, together with other members of his cabinet, jointly welcomed the idea of this new school in the community. They unanimously voted to donate the newly erected 4-Classroom block originally built by the European Union for the community under the MPP6 Program (Micro projects programme for 6 States) in Nigeria. In a formal ceremony held on October 2nd, 2007, the keys of the classroom block were formally handed over to head teacher Mr. Uzor, who promised together with his team to bring quality and community-based education to the children under their care.

Clan Head handing over keys to the headmaster

According to a Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) conducted recently in the area, about 80% of Children live in rural villages, and so it is becoming increasingly reasonable to encourage quality and model schooling for this category. CORAfrica’s vision is not only to found such schools and equip them for rural children but also build support systems such as health clinics, agricultural stations, good sources of water supply and viable economic facilities that will enable parents to provide the means to educate their children. Such a system would be modeled after the St. Joseph school system, already existing in the village of Idum-Mbube in Ogoja Local Government Area. It is expected that the population of the school will grow from the present 73 children, and the benefits of the new school will be reaped by surrounding villages such as Okambi, Igwo, Bebuagbong, Bebuatsuan, Bebuabie, Begiaba, Kutiang and Akorshe Oweh. In the surrounding villages of Ipong, for example, the majority of schools have been existing in the past, with most of them founded by private individuals as business ventures. With very little attention paid to those at the receiving end of educational programs, most schools owned by government are not well equipped to cater for the holistic upbringing of children. The only hope lies in creative initiatives by creditable agencies such as churches, sometimes in collaboration with governments.

Children playing outside the new school building

Education of children has fared rather poorly in rural villages of developing countries in general. According to a World Bank report, the majority of school children who live in rural areas drop out of school due to the lack of support facilities to attract them towards staying. Also, the rate of transfer from primary to secondary school is less for rural children than their urban counterparts. In general, less than 5% of children who completed secondary education from rural villages go on to college, while a whopping majority of youths who are opportune to attain some kind of education fail to establish sustainable ventures in the villages that will enable them stay on. Educational initiatives by CORAfrica hope to turn these situations around for upcoming generations. In collaboration with willing partners from the outside world, Little Flower Nursery Primary School hopes to bring hope to the aspiration of rural children in the Ipong Obudu community of Cross River State, thanks to the CORAfrica initiative.

Fr. Peter Obele Abue