News from CORAfrica

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

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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