“Before you leave the house, hit 5516 on the dial pad, then push ‘on’ and you will hear a beep sound.” That’s how my dad first told me to turn on our home security alarm. I’m sure you probably have invested in some kind of security system for your own home because the facts of life make it a necessity.
Well, the facts of life in rural Nigeria, much more than in America, make security a primary concern in HEAL’s mission of forming poor and marginalized village children into future servant leaders. I learned this during my visit to Nigeria last spring. In Umuagwu village, a young student named Solomon Agugom spoke of threatening antics by some restive youth, who had been hired by a malicious interloper as part of his efforts to confiscate HEAL mission property.
“They came during the school hours and pursued the workers, the MOJ sisters, and some of the students all while shooting their guns”, Solomon said to me and HEAL Founder Rev. Leo Okonkwo. His testimony brought to light for me a common problem in developing African countries, namely, the social difficulties often associated with even legitimate title transfer of real estate.
Solomon’s brush with danger recently became more physical. In a heated argument with the same aforementioned paid youth, Solomon defended HEAL’s partner NGO, Water For Life, as the rightful owner of the mission property. “Solomon spoke up as the most senior student, but the young henchmen responded by buffeting him with blows”, Rev. Leo told me. What courage Solomon exhibited in this situation, already knowing the violent tendencies of his attackers!
All together, HEAL is educating and developing 300 children on our two mission sites in southeast Nigeria. Like every child, they have dreams for a future of peace, prosperity, and purpose. In fact, when I first visited Nigeria in 2014, I asked Solomon what he wanted to be and he replied, “I want to be a doctor.”
Of course, the learning needed to acquire any skill requires a safe environment. Solomon suffered blows for his and his peers’ future. Please help us fund our security wall project to help protect our children and property.