Wellness and Words: Empowering Minds and Nourishing Bodies...
Community Schools in Nigeria
Our first projects have been to five schools in local communities in Abuja Nigeria. The first was a visit to a school in Bwari a community located about 40km from the Federal Capital Territory. We have since visited other schools in remote areas around Abuja. The schools there had very enthusiastic children who wanted to read but had no libraries or books available for them to do so.
About the projects
Starting point
We started off by visiting the schools to determine the books which were age appropriate for the children we would be visiting. Our volunteers then sorted through the book donations received and agreed with the schools on the appropriate time to visit. We delivered the books and spent time reading to the children
Support from local communities
The parents of the children and the educators have been particularly supportive. Explaining to us the enormity of their need for books. As one educator rightly said, ''reading books opens your mind up, but unfortunately we haven't had any books for the children. ''
End result
Seeing the excitement on the faces of supposed middle schoolers flipping through picture books was rewarding. Most of the children had never seen those type of books before. The needs are real, picture books are typically for kindergarteners. Our resolve was heightened to bridge that gap for the children.