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By Peter Dewberry On Friday November 9, 2018 two Africa Education Partnership board members, Elaine Chagnon and Peter Dewberry travelled from Connecticut to St. Edmund’s Episcopal Church in the Bronx, New York City in Ms. Chagnon’s SUV, which was loaded down with books and education materials destined for our schools in Nigeria, this was the second consignment of books we have sent 
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By Elaine Chagnon After a good night’s rest, Bob and I awoke refreshed and ready to travel. Bishop Markus arrived with his driver promptly at 7:00 a.m. We loaded our bags into the trunk and headed out on a beautiful morning. It was a long ride - about 3 hours - on pretty rough roads, but the scenery was beautiful - far more lush and green than in the north. We passed groves of trees with strange berry-like clusters- teak trees. Sources for lumber are abundant here.  By Elaine Chagnon Kafanchan Nursery/Primary School; Kafanchan Secondary School We arrived at this first location- Kafanchan, the original school in the diocese. The first stop was in the original chapel, built in the 1930’s by missionaries. The building is currently used for an examination hall; however, the interior ceiling is on the verge of collapse, making the space currently unusable. Note the sag in the photo. The building is in need of an entirely new roof.  By Elaine Chagnon After a week of medical outreach, and participating in the dedication of the Graceland International School (GIS), Multi use/Exam hall. This was a momentous event and a milestone in the history of Africa Education Partnership (AEP) and GIS. Our time in Gusau ended abruptly at 2:00 p.m., as the first free clinic at Graceland Hospital, Gusau, came to an end. After a quick lunch, we piled into the bus for the 4 ½ hour drive to Kaduna, our midway resting place on the way to Kafanchan. Our “mission” in Kafanchan was to investigate schools in the discese to determine needs. We also wanted to assess the planning and organization within the diocese to see if there was a possibility of a new partnership with Africa Education Partnership (AEP).  By Elaine Chagnon I was able to sneak away from the hospital to photograph our students in classes. It was wonderful to peek in and I always forget how much they all love to be “snapped”! The eagerness that these young people show for learning is inspirational and encouraging.  There was a buzz of excitement as we got dressed for the dedication of the hospital and the hall. Festivities started at 10:00 and lasted until noon. The grounds were filled with dignitaries and clergy, including the representative of the Emir of Zamfara State. We gathered within the school walls and then set off to the hospital, a football field length away. I was able to meet with a small group of teachers and the administrative team to discuss the progress made at the school. In addition, we discussed the formation of a maintenance budget, which would allow us to make necessary repairs from normal wear and tear. We discussed items such as replacement of computers and furniture, bus maintenance, supply requisitions, and physical plant repair including painting, plastering, plumbing, and other miscellaneous expenditures. This budget will be discussed with members of the building committee, as well as with administration, and forwarded to AEP for review.  We were very excited to get a tour of the school after our survey of the hospital. The changes in just a year’s time were quite remarkable. The exam hall was completed and is truly beautiful. The exam hall is on the second floor; below on the first floor is an 18-desk computer lab, a media center with two computers, a teachers’ work room, and three administrative offices. The structure is quite large and is outfitted with fans and lights. The upstairs hall can also be used for community functions when not being used during the school day. There is also a high speed copy machine, something that was desperately needed the last time we visited! The site for the new borehole was shown to us. Although the ground is still too saturated with water from the recent rainy season, the blocks are made and once the water table lowers, construction will commence. The borehole is oversized and will service both the school and hospital. Many thanks to Canton/Avon Rotary Club for their support of the borehole project.  We arrived in Abuja in the early morning at approximately 5:00 a.m., Nigeria time (5 hours ahead). We had been on the move for about 24 hours. We got through immigration and collected our bags and were met by George, Bishop John’s right-hand man, at about 7:00 a.m. People and bags were loaded into the Graceland International school van and our journey to Gusau began.  A view of Graceland International Hospital from the school exam hall. The vacant lot is school property and is currently being used to grow rice as a cash crop. |
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