Construction of a School

Project location: Nigeria, Okuni
Project start date: January 2007 - Project end date: January 2008
Project number: 2006-36
Beneficiary: Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus

ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS

THE SCHOOL BUILDING:  The construction on the school building in Okuni is complete with the roofing which ended in February, 20 2008.
The entire community is stupefied about its completion and this gives each of us a reason to say "Thank You" to NANDO PERETTI'S FOUNDATION.
We now have eighteen classrooms for the children as well as other rooms to serve as office, library, common room, sick bay, hall and toilets.


ADMISSION OF STUDENTS: Since the ground floor was ready before the new academic year took off in September 2007, we have 270 pupils already. Although the building is now complete, we cannot admit children immediately. We have to do so in the next academic year. The number is limited to enable them learn better. We are certain that up to five hundred children will by next academic year gain access to basic education which is their right.


ANTICIPATED ACHIEVEMENTS:
ABILITY TO READ AND WRITE: The pupils of GREMCA school are growing intellectually. They are able to express themselves without shame and fear within and outside the school. It is amusing to see them correcting their parents at home when they utter wrong grammar and even in the school when they hear the teachers speaking vernacular among themselves they hush them immediately asking them to speak English in school. Although not all are able to pick up easily, a great majority do and for the sake of those who are a bit slow, we have organised extra moral classes for them to revise and learn better with concentration. This takes place after the normal school hour for an extra hour.

SELF WORTH/ESTEEM: It is almost incredible that the children whose occupation was hawking have now a new sense of direction. Thanks to your help, the children from these communities have education as a basic tool to guide them in lives. They are able to talk with anybody without being shy and can express themselves in public without having any inferiority complex. They are disciplined. We have great hope. They will no longer be manipulated easily by politicians.

DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS: Information about the school is principally in our parishes and outstations as well as the Cross River State Radio broadcasting Service. In addition to this, we have began participating in the national and local government functions to enable people see and hear us for themselves. Below are the two major events as at the time of this report.


OFFICIAL OUTING: On October 1, 2007, the pupils and their teachers like every other approved school participated in the match past to mark the Country's independent day. This was the first official outing and it was a unique moment especially as it made all present to see this school that they have been hearing about only from the Radio announcements. As a result now we have pupils from Omindom, Ekpopa, Alesi and Ekukunella villages which is about fifteen to seventeen kilometers away from the school.
Okuni Village where the school is situated also witnessed an exciting scene when on November 28, 2007 the pupils had their first official picnic to the Nigerian most famous park, TINAPA PARK, in Calabar, the state Capital. Calabar the capital of Cross River State is about two hundred and forty {240} kilometers away from Okuni and due to our depilated roads, the journey is made for about four hours. We chattered 3 buses to enable us make this journey. Apart from seeing the beautiful scenery in the place they met with some popular actors of the home video. Parents and the entire community have been overwhelmed with what they see; the transformation brought by the school in their midst, especially in the lives of the children. Thanks to your support, our rural children are now able to enjoy some popularity, develop intellectually and socially and also visit places that they would never have been able to go to or see in their lives. The school too in this way, is making its name.

QUIZ: The education Authority in Ikom Local Government organized a quiz on December 6, 2007 and our school participated. It was interesting to see the children of primary two in our school win their counterpart who were in primary four in Presbyterian nursery primary school in the nearby city. The organizers were proud of the pupils from GREMCA School and we had our heads high. It is worth mentioning that we would not have been able to hold our heads high if you did not stretched out your hand to us.

OTHER INFORMATION: It is worth knowing that till date we have not been able to meet up with all the anticipated achievements. This is basically because we had to concentrate on the construction job. The computer training and vocational activities will come later. At the moment we have to see that the main building and its environment is descent enough with all that it takes such as writing boards, books for the various classes, equipments for the office and classrooms. All these is in preparation for the next inspection by the education authority from the state capital.

YOUTH CORPERS: Having seen the school officially, the government has taken it upon itself to send youth corpers to help us in the education of the children. This will also save us the high cost of salaries if teachers are employed from outside the locality. At the moment we have two corpers serving with us, and the government pays them.

 

Handmaids of the Holy Child Jesus
P. M. B. 1183 Uyo
Akwa Ibom State
Nigeria

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