“You see these people here?” asked Jude Okonkwo, as he pointed at the houses we drove by. “They live in darkness!” he exclaimed. Jude, brother of Deacon Leo, said this to me one evening in Nigeria in 2017 while driving me back into Akpim village after our excursion to experience some local Igbo culture.
He was referring to the poor people of his village, who have no light besides the sun and, if they are fortunate, maybe a flashlight or two in their homes. This is a common problem in rural Nigeria due to the inefficiencies of the nation’s power generation and distribution system.
In fact, the Federal Government of Nigeria’s “Power Sector Recovery Plan” (January 2018), asserts that Nigeria has distributed only 30% of its total power generating capacity to end users in the last few years! As Africa’s most populous country of nearly 200M people, Nigeria’s demand for energy is clearly outpacing supply to an alarming degree.
So, if you were wondering why our mission is dependent on a diesel fueled generator for power, you now know. Recently, we launched a campaign to repair our generator, which had broken down a few months ago. The goal for fixing the generator is $12,000. Up to date, we have raised $7,000 and have thus begun the repairs requiring costly replacement parts and skilled labor.
Rev. Leo is prepared to prevent a similar breakdown in the near future. “The gen broke down because of overheating due to air filter blockage by dirt”, he explained. He then added, “We cut corners on the recommended monthly service and relied on a local mechanic instead of the generator’s service technicians.” We will henceforth be paying the $500 per month to service our generator!
We need $5,000 as soon as possible to reach our goal and ensure that light and clean water are readily available to the children, “the Masters”, in our care. Join us and be a hero for them today!