News from CORAfrica

Dispatches

by Fr. Peter Abue

November 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

Dr. George Crosby’s Visit to Nigeria
July 31 – August 4, 2007
Courtesy of State University of New York, Cobleskill in partnership with Children of Rural Africa
by George Crosby, Ph.D.Tuesday

July 31, 2007
My trip to Nigeria was at the invitation of Children of Rural Africa (CORAfrica) and the State University of New York (SUNY), Cobleskill campus. I was asked to represent the SUNY system as an agriculturist and to explore ways in which SUNY might partner with Nigerian universities, ultimately with the goal of assisting Children of Rural Africa. I departed Entebbe International Airport after two weeks in Uganda and traveled to Abuja, Nigeria via Nairobe, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria.  I arrived at Abuja International Airport at 9:15 p.m. and was greeted by Fr. Dr. Peter Abue and Mr. Larry Abuo of CORAfrica. We stayed at the Sharon Hotel and spent some time getting acquainted and discussed plans for the next several days.Meeting Father Peter at the airport

Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Fr. Dr. Abue and I returned to the airport and flew to Calabar, Cross River State. Upon arriving, we were greeted by Dr. Tom Ojikpong, an agronomy faculty member at Cross River State University Faculty of Agriculture, Obubra as well as other members of the CORAfrica team. We traveled the short distance to Cross River State University of Technology where I gave a presentation to Dr. Eka Braide, Vice Chancellor of Cross River State University of Technology, Calabar and 24 faculty and administrators, including Dean Prof. A. E. Akachukwu from the Faculty of Agriculture, Obubra campus. My presentation included information on the State University of New York system as well as the campus at Cobleskill, where I have served as a member of the faculty for twenty years and teach courses in irrigation, hydroponics, and vegetable crop production. We discussed numerous opportunities for collaboration, including faculty and student exchange, internships, and joint research projects.Meeting with the faculty and adminitrators at CRUTECH I also presented information on my research with Moringa oleifera, a multipurpose tree having promising potential for its nutritional benefits.  Reaching a height of 7 to 12 meters, moringa is considered a “vegetable tree” because almost every part of the plant has food value. Moringa is known commonly as drumstick tree (for the seed pods), ben oil tree (for the seed oil) and horseradish tree (for the flavor of the roots). Roots are used as a substitute for horseradish, although the bark must be removed from the roots before they are used because it is toxic. The leaves are eaten as greens, used as an ingredient in vegetable curries, as well as a seasoning in other dishes. Ounce for ounce, moringa leaves contain more beta-carotene than carrots, more iron than spinach, more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than oranges, and more protein than peas. Moringa leaf powder has been identified as a dietary supplement in developing regions of the world, where leaves are dried and crushed to make a powder that can be added to other food. Giving the presentation The International Plant Genetic Resources Institute has identified moringa as a priority species of underutilized crops for food security in sub-Saharan Africa. Moringa also has been promoted by non-governmental agencies such as the Church World Service (CWS) and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) to combat malnutrition among nursing mothers and infants. While there are references to health-related moringa studies in Nigeria in the literature, it remains relatively unknown, underutilized, and few of my hosts are familiar with it. I suspect that we will see moringa in our travels; chances are moringa has been introduced in some villages and is being used. I also shared my experiences with gravity-feed bucket irrigation systems that I have used in Uganda and the West Indies. This particular system is in use in over 100 different countries and is especially helpful to farmers during the dry season.  We enjoyed a great discussion period following the presentation, and visited more about moringa and irrigation. There also seemed to be a great deal of interest in hydroponic crop culture. Dr. Braide addressed the group and provided a strong commitment to collaborative ventures between Cross River State University of Technology and the State University of New York. All were appreciative of the efforts of Fr. Dr. Abue and CORAfrica in providing the leadership to cause these discussions to occur. We took time for some photos before leaving for our next meeting with nine CORAfrica members at the CORAfrica headquarters in Calabar. I enjoyed a wonderful dinner hosted by Dr. Braide with 24 faculty and administrators at the Channel View restaurant in Calabar and was presented with a gift of a table covering and ceramic bowl from Cross River State University of Technology. We spent the night in neatly furnished rooms at the CORAfrica office complex.Meeting with Dr. Braide.

Thursday, August 2, 2007
We traveled to Cross River State University of Agriculture, Obubra where I had an opportunity to speak to Sub-Dean Dr. E. Ayuk and approximately 80 agriculture faculty and students. I again presented information on SUNY as well as my Moringa oleifera research and work with gravity-feed irrigation systems. Following a question and answer period, photos and some informal discussion, we departed for Ipong-Obudu Community, site for the proposed Community Education center by CORAfrica and, on the way, met briefly with Bishop of Ogoja Diocese, Rev. Dr. John E. Ayah. We had a chance to meet informally this evening with many who had remained to greet us and stayed at Fr. Dr. Abue’s home.

Friday, August 3, 2007
I attended 6 a.m. Mass with Fr. Dr. Peter, following which I gave a  presentation to 150 local residents and farmers on irrigation and Moringa oleifera. After seeing moringa photographs, Mr. Chrysanthus Akan, a local farmer, left briefly during the presentation and returned with a branch, leaves and seed pods, wanting to know if they were moringa. I identified them as indeed samples of Moringa oleifera and we later visited a home to see two moringa trees. Several hours later we stopped in Igoli town to visit with a boy from the Hausa tribe carrying a bundle of moringa branches to take to his mother to make soup. Later, while stopping for fuel, I spotted another moringa tree in Abakpa town in Ogoja.  The fact that moringa is here and being used by a few is incredibly encouraging. Since moringa trees are prolific seed producers and also propagate readily from hardwood cuttings, it should be relatively easy to begin to establish a nursery bed for seedling production. It is also much more desirable to periodically coppice, or cut back to about 15 cm above the ground, young trees so that new, vigorous shoots sprout from the base of the trunk. Moringa trees tend to produce relatively few leaves as the trees mature and these young shoots will be far more productive. Young leaves are also much more nutritious and taste better compared to older leaves.We had a great practical session and demonstration on gravity feed irrigations systems, although it was becoming apparent that wherever we seemed to go to irrigate, it rained! I brought thirty systems with me that will be used in the two CORAfrica demonstration farms. Should these seem to work well, we will need to come up with a plan to obtain more of these and make them available to farmers. I also brought 1800 packages of vegetable seeds, including tomato, pepper, beets, and cucumber, compliments of Mike Mueller and Hope Seeds. Again, these are available for use in the demonstration farms as well as for distribution.  Demonstrating the gravity feed irrigation system I was treated to a ceremony in recognition of my visit, including music, dance, skits, and the presentation of a gift by Chief Joseph Ugbe, representing Kakum village in Obudu. This framed piece of artwork depicts a farmer working in his field and now hangs prominently in my office for all who enter to see. It was clear from the start that everyone involved with this trip had a goal of making my brief stay in Nigeria memorable in every way. You were successful; please accept my sincere thanks!We traveled to Idum village via Igoli-Abakpa to St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Idum-Mbube, where I had a chance to again visit about agriculture, irrigation, and Moringa oleifera to 70 students and 45 faculty and staff. Our hectic schedule had caused us to again run behind schedule so the children had been waiting a very long time. They were extremely attentive and seemed to particularly enjoy the practical session and demonstration on gravity feed irrigation systems we did outside. The evening was spent at Joseph Abue’s home.Visitin St. Joseph’s Orphanage.

Saturday, August 4, 2007
This was a travel day as we made our way back towards Abuja – about nine hours total in the car – so I could make my 9:15 p.m. flight home. 

Appreciation
Special thanks to Dr. Tom Ojikpong for his help throughout the trip. I especially appreciate your willingness to share agricultural information as we traveled! We hope to be able to welcome you and some of your Faculty and students to the State University of New York at Cobleskill in the near future. I also look forward to returning to Nigeria with some of my students.Sincere appreciation to Vice Chancellor Dr. Eka Braide. As a graduate of Cornell University in upstate New York, she was already well aware of the SUNY system. Dr. Braide expressed strong support for partnerships between Cross River State University and the State University of New York, and I left encouraged that this trip marked the beginning of what hopefully will be a long-standing relationship between our institutions. To the CORAfrica team in Calabar, my sincere thanks for your hospitality and for the important work that you are doing. The partnerships that you foster will bring benefits to the children of rural Africa. Special thanks to Prince Joseph Abue for your kindness.Recognition and special thanks to Sylvester Eneji, photographer and chauffer, as well as Owen Daniel, interpreter at St. Joseph’s. Special thanks to Bob Abue for his expert driving skills navigating the heavy Abuja traffic to get be there on time. And to Chief Joseph Ugbe and the members of Kakum village, I’ll always appreciate how welcoming you were to me.Finally, to Fr. Dr. Peter Abue, I extend my utmost appreciation for being a wonderful host and for the work that you are doing with CORAfrica to bring those together who can work cooperatively for the benefit of children of rural Africa. While I made many new contacts for the State University of New York on this trip, I also made new friends.Special thanks to the CORAfrica team!

Final thoughts…It is 2007. Worldwide, approximately 840 million people lack adequate amounts of food each day, and over 2 billion suffer from malnutrition, including protein-calorie and micronutrient deficiencies. Vitamin A deficiency alone affects 7 million pregnant women and 100 million children in more than 100 countries. More than 250,000 children lose their sight each year, half of who die within a year. Vegetables are the primary source of micronutrients for human consumption and provide the most practical and sustainable method for alleviating micronutrient deficiencies.  It is 2007. We can do better than this.

Additional Information
For a great article by Beth Doerr of ECHO on Moringa Leaf Powder, go to: http://www.echotech.org/mambo/images/DocMan/MorLeafPowder.pdf

For an excellent website on moringa, go to:http://www.moringanews.org/
For additional resources on moringa, go to:http://treesforlife.org/treesforlife.asp
For information on bucket irrigation systems, go to:http://www.chapinlivingwaters.org/

Dear Friends of CORAfrica,

Greetings from Nigeria!This month I bring you a report that signals hope for the children of rural Africa by way of scholarly research benefitting rural people at the grassroots level. CORAfrica’s intensive effort to encourage partnerships between universities has led to the recent visit of one of America’s renowned scholars to Nigeria. Dr. George Crosby, Professor of Plant Science at the State University of New York (SUNY), Cobleskill campus was CORAfrica’s guest this August 2007 (Read Dr. Crosby’s trip report). He represented the SUNY system to explore ways in which SUNY might partner with Nigerian universities, ultimately with the goal of assisting children of rural Africa. On his arrival early in August, Dr. Crosby was warmly welcomed by the Cross River State University of Technology (CRUTECH), Calabar Main Campus, where he gave a presentation to Dr. Eka Braide, Vice Chancellor of CRUTECH and 24 faculty and administrators. This interaction afforded both parties a forum to discuss numerous opportunities for collaboration, including faculty and student exchange, internships, and joint research projects. He later traveled to the Agriculture Campus of CRUTECH, located in Obubra-Nigeria, where he had further opportunity to speak to approximately 80 agriculture faculty and students.Perhaps what in practical terms put smiles on the faces of children across Nigeria during this visit, was the new knowledge that Dr. Crosby shared with us on Moringa oleifera, a multipurpose tree having promising potential for its nutritional benefits. In a world where there are staggering statistics about the lack of adequate amounts of food each day for children, with billions suffering from malnutrition, including protein-calorie and micronutrient deficiencies, a new discovery such as this signals a ray of hope. Moringa oleifera will surely be useful to boost the nutrition of African children because its roots are used as a substitute for horseradish, and its leaves are eaten as greens. According to Dr. Crosby, Moringa leaves contain more beta-carotene than carrots, more iron than spinach, more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than oranges, and more protein than peas. Moringa leaf powder has been identified as a dietary supplement in developing regions such as Nigeria, where leaves could be dried and crushed to make a powder that can be added to other food. While there are references to health-related uses for moringa according to studies in Nigeria found in the literature, the tree remains relatively unknown and underutilized.
One of the main goals for the establishment of CORAfrica was for rural children to put their agricultural studies into practice. That was precisely what this visit achieved as our host shared his experience with gravity-feed bucket irrigation systems in use in over 100 different countries, and especially helpful to farmers during the dry season. Both Children and adults watched with keen interest how drip irrigation systems are operated. They are ready to apply this practical knowledge themselves on their farms. With thirty systems on ground donated by our host, CORAfrica has already started demonstration farms in two sites at Idum-Mbube and Ipong-Obudu. Should these work well, we will need to come up with a plan to obtain more of these and make them available to farmers. With 1800 packages of vegetable seeds, including tomato, pepper, beets, and cucumber supplied by our host, we cannot wait to apply the new knowledge in our demonstration farms. On behalf of CORAfrica, we congratulate Dr. George Crosby for a successful visit. We are hopeful that his visit will encourage many others and jumpstart the partnership options now open to our universities. More so, this avenue will enable CORAfrica to intensify its efforts to bring university research to the grassroots, especially in its existing locations in Nigeria. As a follow up of that visit, CORAfrica is pairing with CRUTECH to do a proposal to the SUNY International Programs office, with a view of implementing its 5×5x1×2008 program. We are hoping that more scholars and vacationers will consider a trip to our projects and thus bring more hope to our children.

- Father Peter Obele Abue

Explore new and exciting updates from Nigeria and find out how you can get involved with CORAfrica.

Visit http://www.corafrica.org/July2007.htm for the July update - learn about our microfinance workshop held in Nigeria.

Visit http://www.corafrica.org/MayJune2007.htm to read about founder Peter Abue’s visit to Ithaca

Dispatches

by Fr. Peter Abue

April 2007

Dear Friends of CORAfrica,

Greetings from Nigeria!

In
my last dispatch, I raised two fundamental issues. One was the need for
us to revisit the question of a Community Education Center (CEC) in the
Ipong-Obudu area and the other was the issue of clean water supply for
the community. In my judgment, these two issues are still burning and I
would like to share with you, friends of CORAfrica, my ideas about a
way forward in this regard.

Based on the enthusiasm of our
youth and children, as I visit and associate with them on a daily
basis, there is an urgent need for us to start our own project that is
basically anchored on community ownership. Though the Ipong community
has established a few schools and a community clinic located within the
area, I have increasingly found a severe lack of output efficiency in
these institutions. That’s the story all over Nigeria! Communities
build, government establishes, yet the people see little or no change
in the lifestyles of children. It is time for CORAfrica to set an
example by initiating a project that is started by the community,
funded by the community, managed by the community and owned by the
community, as this will most certainly affect the lives and future of
children. Recently, in the parish, we asked all youth groups and
children to cultivate a farm within the church premises and the
response we got from the youth groups was amazing. Youth groups went to
work to invest their talents on what they love to do best; work. A
Community Education Center is surely a project that the youth of Ipong
are all ready to embrace, because through such an avenue, they will all
be working to turn their lives around.

Youth standing behind their church farm

I
have observed that though the community members are quite ready to give
their children basic education, they do not have the means to leverage
themselves towards attaining such education. For example, daily in
Ipong, parents who wish to ensure a better future for their children
transport their kids on motor bicycles to nearby urban schools,
exposing them to road hazards, with the hope of attaining a better
education. This can happen in the villages. A good education center
that caters for both the present and future needs of children has to be
conceived. CORAfrica is hoping to make a difference through building
such a center. A Community Education Center will educate children to
remain in the community and give back to the community what they have
learned. This recycling process will bring about a viable rural sector
that will ensure the future of Africa. We strongly rely on our friends
and supporters far and wide to realize this dream.

CORAfrica
emphasizes, however, that such a community education center is not just
a traditional school because it involves both students and community in
an ongoing process of community development. This kind of involvement
benefits the entire community, for example, when a Community Education
Center ensures that villagers are provided with some of their basic
needs, like clean water supply. Who will maintain such a project? How
will the community benefit? How can it be sustained? CORAfrica purports
to answer these questions by encouraging key community members to be
involved in our CECs. Recently we selected a 12-member committee to
discuss the need for a borehole and water tank project in the community
as part of our preparations for a future community education center.
The special project committee members have since come up with details
that will ensure clean and drinkable water supply to all of the
villages of Ipong in the near future. Hitherto, this community has
suffered from acute water supply. Thus we tie education with community
needs together, while educating our children to be aware of the real
issues that ensure livelihood and sustainability for our communities.

Project community members at a meeting with Fr. Peter

In
St. Joseph School and Orphanage in Idum-Mbube, the ball has already
been rolling. Last week, the institution celebrated its Arts week.
Children were proud to exhibit several artistic materials that they
themselves took part in creating. Not only is conventional education
taking place in this center, there is also vocational learning. When
children learn from community members how to make pots, mats, hoes, as
well as instruments that will be used to make traditional items like
garri, akpu, brooms, baskets; they are learning about their future.
This is the education that we in CORAfrica are calling for through
viable Community Education Centers. Alone we cannot do it, and that’s
why we call for the collaboration and cooperation of all our friends to
come and help us start Community Education Centers, especially in Ipong
– Obudu in the first instance.

Children in traditional Classroom: How will they transgress into vocational artists?

Let
me seize this opportunity to thank you for your friendship and for your
willingness to listen to our yearnings and aspirations. Keep being part
of our dream to make life more meaningful for our children.

May God bless all of you, well wishers of CORAfrica

Fr. Peter Abue   

Dispatches

by Fr. Peter Abue

March 2007

Dear Friends of CORAfrica,

I
am giving you all an update on how things are settling for me and the
children in the rural community of Ipong in Obudu, Cross River State. I
have been here for more than two months now and so far it has been an
exciting adventure. Apart from obvious hardships like putting together
a living quarter for myself and negotiating a proper means of mobility,
I have so far been having a wonderful assignment being with the people
I love so much. These people have been placed under our care and we are
determined to collaborate with them. Ipong is a community of several
villages including Kakum, Bebuagbong, Bebuabie, Bebuatsuan, Begiaba,
Kutiang and Igwo. So far I am trying to take an accurate census of the
entire populations of men, women and children that live in these
villages. By my next update, I should be able to give you a more
precise record. The children have been the most interesting group to be
with and I am optimistic that our dreams for the children of this rural
community will be achieved in time.

During this past Easter
celebration, I seized an opportunity to conduct a special seminar for
the children in all the villages. It was amazing to see the response of
children and youths to our events, which were conducted over three days
(Monday, April 2nd to Wednesday, April 4th). Here, we wanted an
opportunity to get to know each other and share our fears as well as
aspirations for the future. We formed groups of children (ages 7-15)
and youths (ages 16-21) with a total of 460 children and youths in
attendance. Both groups were so excited to discuss generative issues
affecting them, and all agreed that this had never happened before.
Sessions like this are often held by adults for adults to discuss
issues affecting the community and what adults can do. All agreed that
such attention has never been paid to children and youths and we
assured them that this is just a sign of greater things to come.

Fr. Peter Abue during a special gathering with rural children in Ipong-Obudu

One
obvious constraint (among others) faced by the children is that they
could not clearly define what their hopes were for the future. When
asked where their education would lead them, the youths especially
could not articulate in clear terms what their present educational
focus was. Most of them could hardly read and write, yet they spoke
their native languages fluently as well as a bit of English. A few who
came home on holidays from the urban areas somehow articulated in
speech and writing what most of the rural children had in mind.
Ironically about 95% of all children from this locality live in the
villages with only 5% living in the urban towns with their well-off
parents, uncles and aunties. There is a clear need for attention to be
paid to these teeming rural youth populations.

Children in rural Obudu: 95% of them live in villages

One
of the hardships faced by children and youths, as well as all rural
dwellers, is the lack of clean water. Mostly children complete the long
treks to far away streams to fetch buckets of water on their heads for
their family chores. Most of their quality time is often consumed by
these extra activities like fetching water, firewood, or food items
from farms. Young girls are more often involved in these extra domestic
activities. Most of the boys in our group were school dropouts or
children whose parents have found it unnecessary to send them to
school. Those who attempt school do not prove to be helpful to the
family both at present or in the near future. Most of the boys are
often seen retiring from the farms with hoes and knives after a heavy
day’s work in the intense heat of the sun.

Fr. Peter with children returning from long treks in search of clean water

Child returning to the village with firewood

I
am seeing wonderful potential in these young people. It is obvious that
with a little incentive to jumpstart them, the sky is their limit. I
have always believed that children in rural areas – though least cared
about – are the ones who will reinvest in their communities to their
benefit and thus boast a more meaningful future for all.

In
my next update I hope to bring you precise figures of both the
populations and potentials of the children in this area. It is also my
hope that by my next update, we will have completed arrangements for
our partnership with the Cross River State University on ways our local
universities can play a leading role in making education relevant at
the grassroots.

Thank you all once more for your support and
goodwill towards our programs. The future for us looks bright and I see
a lot of hope in our children in the rural settings. Do not relent in
making your contributions to CORAfrica and our numerous programs.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter Season.

Fr. Peter Obele Abue

We’re now accepting donations at http://www.cafepress.com/corafrica. Spend $25 or more and receive a gift. Choose from a variety of items - from teddy bears to t-shirts, tote
bags and more. All profits earned from sales will help fund CORAfrica’s
goals for improving education in rural Africa.

Dispatches

by Fr. Peter Abue

February 2007

Fr. Peter sits with friends and members of the Hanns family   in front of the St. Joseph’s sign

Hello Friends of CORAfrica. Greetings from Ogoja, Nigeria!

One
major stride recorded for February was my formal pastoral posting to
the rural community of Ipong in Obudu. Obudu is a town in the state of
Cross River, Nigeria that is known for several historic landmarks and
is yearning for education. In the villages that make up the Ipong
community, for example, education is a cherished dream and this can be
seen from the existence of several ‘mushroom’ institutions of learning
stemming from local efforts. My new appointment coincided with the
visit of the Hanns family from Barrow, Alaska USA, who were hosted in
Ogoja and Obudu from February 13th to the 27th, 2007. Cyd Hanns and her
mother, Martha Hanns, originally lived in Ogoja 43 years ago while
volunteering at the Moniaya Hospital. These two were accompanied by
their youngsters Sam George (14), Cyd’s son, and Tyler Hanns (20),
Cyd’s nephew. You can read about their adventure in a Journal we have put together specifically in honor of this trip.

Obudu,
my new location, is significant in many respects. The most popular
landmark of course being the Cattle Ranch located towards the
Nigeria-Cameroon border in the South-East of Nigeria. The Ranch is over
1,524 m, and has a temperate weather climate to ensure green vegetation
and grazing of cattle year-round. In popular parlance, it is a tourist
delight as a result of its divergent attractions:a natural swimming
pool, horseback riding, beautiful waterfalls, a gorilla camp, bird
watching, sporting facilities and accommodations thanks to the effort
of the Cross River State government. There is an airstrip in Bebi-Obudu
about 55 km from the ranch resort, making it accessible by charter
flights. There is the Cable car project; the longest in the world,
constructed to convey visitors up to the Ranch, and covers a distance
of 11 km from the bottom to the top of the Ranch. The Cable car project
accommodates a reception hall expected to bring in the bulk of guests
from down the hill, with a bamboo bar at the top of the hill to
complement the reception hall at the bottom.

The Hanns family, Fr. Peter and friends at The Cattle Ranch

Apart
from the unique ranch resort, other landmarks in Obudu town include the
Federal College of Education, Obudu, still being sited at the
comprehensive secondary school. Subsequent expansion of the FCE forced
the relocation in 2000 of this town’s premier secondary school. In
turn, the local high school also displaced the first primary school in
that part of the country. Obudu’s pioneer primary, secondary and
tertiary institutions all stand along Hospital Road. That avenue’s name
derives from the Catholic Mission-run Sacred Heart Hospital, which
stands adjacent to the Saint Charles Parish of the Catholic Church. As
could be seen, the first primary school in Obudu was founded by the
Catholic Mission around 1922. In other words, it is not surprising that
Obudu LGA is largely a Catholic enclave. One of its key constraints,
however, is the lack of virgin educational institutions founded on new
locations and boasting local ownership.

Parish School Students

Our
hope is that the CORAfrica initiative of Community Education Centers
would harness most existing and divergent local efforts at educating
rural children in Nigeria and thus complement local initiatives towards
rural community ownership. In the villages of Ipong-Obudu, for example,
one sees several nursery, primary and secondary schools located in
huts, thatched or mud houses. Communities in Obudu are also notorious
for their ethnic dances and festivals such as the New Yam Festival.
Obudu could fittingly serve as a breeding ground for CORAfrica’s new
understanding of tourism as an opportunity to experience new lands and
cultures as well as volunteering in participative education for rural
children. Take, for example, a typical dance performance in Obudu that
includes Alom, an interesting puppet show that dramatizes local
folklore. Obudu people also boast a war dance called Ayita, during
which sacrifices are made to mythical creatures in appreciation of
military victory. Another celebration of dance, called Udeng, is
usually performed in commemoration of circumcision, an age-old
tradition among Obudu indigenes.

Already the CORAfrica
Nigeria Team is looking at possible partnerships with developing
agencies within and outside Nigeria to inaugurate its premier Community
Education Center to harness educational efforts within villages. With
the view that the core goal of education extends beyond simply building
traditional schools, CORAfrica indeed hopes to leverage community
talents and knowledge toward value-based education for young people.
With the courageous examples recorded from the Hann’s family visit this
February, we are hoping that our working vacations will in the future allow more volunteers to help build our centers from the ground up.

Thank
you once again for offering to be our partners in our efforts to bring
education and value-based development unto the grassroots.

May God bless you all

Sincerely,

Fr. Peter Obele Abue