March 2007 Update from Nigeria
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
