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We have truly missed being with our partners in Nigeria. Although we are grateful for photos, phone calls, and emails, there is nothing quite like meeting in person to share stories and laughs together.
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It’s hard for us to imagine living in our homes without safe, clean drinking water and flushable toilets. What if you had to send your child out every day to collect water for domestic use? And what if the closest source of water was a polluted pond, stream or river, more than a mile away?
One-third of Nigerians have no access to clean drinking water. This photo was sent to us from one of our partners in Nigeria to illustrate the need for clean drinking water in Nigeria. Acknowledgement: The photo was taken by Genuine Ernest Bishop Ahiabli, to show the dire need for clean drinking water in the village of Akpatoeme in the Ketu North Municipality In Ghana.
A joint team from both Africa Education Partnership (AEP) and Kateri Medical Services, is in the planning stages for a spring trip to Nigeria. Two board members from AEP, Peter Dewberry and Elaine Chagnon are part of this team. The plans include visits to our original project in Gusau and then to the Kafanchan area to assess progress of our current work and assessing next steps.
The Kogum River well is used every day by the school and by the wider community. It is a major factor in bringing renewal to this rural community. The provision of clean water is cutting absenteeism by reducing the incidence of water-born diseases for students and the wider community.  "Promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment" by Energy for All 2030 is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 The Kogum Well The Kogum River well is used every day by the school and by the local community. It is a major factor in bringing renewal to this rural community. The provision of clean water is cutting absenteeism by reducing the incidence of water born diseases for students and the wider community. 
In May, 2019, Africa Education Partnership board member Elaine Chagnon traveled to Nigeria to visit and gather more information about our projects in Kafanchan, Kaduna State. One of the most exciting events and a highlight of the trip was the dedication of the well at the Kogum River Nursery/Primary School. This well was funded by the Avon-Simsbury Rotary Club, Connecticut. It will supply the school and the community of several thousand with clean, safe water for drinking. Prior to the well, students had to walk to collect water from the nearby Kogum River, which was polluted by the livestock that also came to drink.
Elaine cutting the ribbon at the dedication.
Handmade feminine hygiene kits help girls stay in school.
Jolly, a friend of board member Elaine Chagnon, does work in Uganda and shared several feminine hygiene kits with Elaine before she left for Nigeria. Jolly has helped train young girls to sew their own kits. The kits include soft, flannel pads that fit inside a "holder" that wraps around the underwear. There is a bar of soap, a washcloth, and an additional plastic bag where soiled pads can be placed with some water to soak them. Everything fits inside a cloth bag which can be discreetly carried. The kit is brilliant. The board of Africa Education Partnership recently decided to fund the drilling of a well at each of the school sites, where there is no access to clean drinking water. We have discovered that there is a direct link between clean water and student health/education. Having access to clean, safe water for drinking and sanitation can make a difference between life and death.  Lack of clean water a health hazard that affects school attendance. Clean water, toilets and good hygiene practices are essential for the survival and development of children. Poor access to clean water and sanitation in Nigeria remains a major contributing factor to high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five. The use of contaminated drinking water and poor sanitary conditions result in increased vulnerability to water-borne diseases, including diarrhea which leads to deaths of more than 70,000 children under five annually.  After a long delay, we are excited to announce that the well at Graceland International School is finally being drilled, the delay was caused by the the fact that the raining season made the soil waterlogged, now that the dry season has arrived work began in earnest. This well is vital for the provision of clean safe, drinking water for the school. The well will not only serve the school, but also the adjoining Graceland Hospital, opened last October.  |
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