In Nigeria, insecurity has besieged the nation to such an extent that it is negatively impacting learning environments. An inflation induced food shortage has pushed extremely hungry people into crimes they otherwise would not commit. For instance, a man recently attempted to break into the storage room of our school to steal food!
BOMCA food service supervisor, Chika Okonkwo, said of the attempted theft, “Because of the extreme hunger in Nigeria today, people will risk breaking the law and even life imprisonment just to obtain food to avoid starvation.” Of course, if a school food service is disrupted because its food supply has been depleted for any reason, education will suffer.
Because of this ongoing food and hunger crisis, local farming of crops and livestock have become the only reliable food source for survival. Moreso, farm work is how our students learn the agricultural skills that will help them become future Servant Leaders (Mt. 20:26-27).
In farm work, “…students learn the humility of tilling the earth’s soil while also expecting a great harvest”, explains Rev. Leo Okonkwo. But, just as food insecurity and inflation have disrupted learning, political insecurity has also impeded learning both in the classroom and out in the fields.
In the southeastern states, including our mission home of Imo State, activists have organized a sit-at-home or lockdown order to be observed by all residents every Monday during business hours in protest of alleged government violations of human rights and the rule of law. But, this initiative against injustice is having harmful side effects.
As the sit-at-home order restricts movement and activities on Mondays, school attendance has declined on that day. Also, amidst the heightened tensions, many residents have armed themselves for personal security. Sadly, a subsequent spike in gun crimes has tarnished the protest’s peaceful reputation and made outdoor activities like farming less safe.
“Parents are now prohibiting their children from going to unsecured areas for farming or any outdoor work because of the uptick in shooting incidents throughout the Niger Delta zone,” laments Rev. Leo about the present effect of insecurity on the learning process.
While HEAL’s mission territory is subject to an insecurity beyond our control, we must keep our students as safe as possible. We employ two full time security guards, who work with our teachers and food service team to ensure our students keep learning in safety.
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