SHADE-IN Team @ Government Secondary School, Okporowo Ogbakiri, Rivers State, Nigeria on 7th May, 2013



SHADE-IN TEAM with Teachers and Students

We were all so excited knowing we would soon be in Ogbakiri. The reason for the joy is what I can’t explain myself, perhaps, it is the joy to reaching out to the great people of Okporowo. We were eager to be a blessing, and to give the lives of these little ones a meaning.

We had a mental picture of what we thought the place was like but believe you me, we saw more than what we imagined. When we saw the driver pack, we were hoping we would go down to where the school was but  did not know that where we were was the school we sought.  It is really not a wonderful sight to behold such that we found it very necessary to appreciate the teachers who work there.

Should we say the school is suffering from the greed and selfishness of our fathers who had no clear picture for their children’s future or those were times of ignorance? Whatever the case, suffice it to say that the consequences are so enormous and heart breaking.  

Mr. Roland With JSS 3 students

The school is surrounded with bushes and the classroom blocks are all without roofs safe for the one the community came together to fix.

Bushes everywhere within the school compound

It is quite obvious that the community now wants development but the resources may not be handy. They desire that the Government should come to their aid as well as well-meaning Nigerians. We want the kids in these schools to be happy again and find school an interesting place to be.  

What then do we do for a people like this who need great help and their children cry for security and hope? 

Education is a powerful driver of development and one of the strongest instruments for reducing poverty, improving health, promoting gender equality, peace, and stability. Although there has been tremendous progress in the last decade, Government Secondary School, Okpoworo Ogbakiri Community and the children should not be left out.



ROLAND, CHARITY & WEST
 

SHADE-IN team has decided to step in to see how  we can support the transformation of these children, the School and the Community at large. In our discussion with the students on why they think their mates don’t come to school, the following are some of the reasons they gave:

·        Some go to the river to catch fishes and crabs

·        Some have gone to set traps to catch bird

·        Some have changed their schools

·        The fear of teachers’ punishment for the inability to read and write.

·        Failure to complete home task

·        The poor state of the school environment

·        Poor state of health

·        Some prefer mixed school and not single

We are optimistic that solutions will come our way soonest as God will help us deal with these issues. We call on the great people of Okporowo Ogbakiri Community and everyone within and outside this nation to lend a helping hand. 

Roland Ojeruse
SHADE-IN