Return to Kaduna

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.

The outreach ended at 2:00 p.m.  We all grabbed a quick lunch and boarded the school bus for the trip to Kaduna! The bus was full of Kaduna friends who were to be dropped at various locations.  Bob and I were to stay overnight in Kaduna before an early pick-up to travel on to Kafanchan, the next leg of our trip. It was important to be on the road and get to Kaduna before dark. ​

 We began our journey, traveling out of Gusau through farmland - fields and herds of cattle.  We had been on the road for several hours when the bus began acting up - it slowed to an idle.  The electronic throttle was not working properly.  We pulled to the side of the road and the hood was lifted, wires jiggled - to no avail.  Luckily, we were on the outskirts of Zaria, a large college town.  The bus limped along and coasted into a gas station - with a mechanic!  It took the mechanic and his electrician friend about an hour to rewire the throttle . . . and we were on our way once again.  We arrived in Kaduna around 7:30 and dropped our friends at the the bus transfer stop, continuing on to our hosts, where we were to spend the night.  We were welcomed with a delicious meal and were then driven to our nearby lodging for the night - showers and sleep!