by By Elijah Ugani
Cameroonians who flee their homes due to the crisis that continues to ravage their country are taking refuge in Ogoja Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria have described Children of Rural Africa (CORAfrica Nigeria) and its Founder Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue as God sent.
The refugees in Adagom 3 settlement took turns to eulogize the Founder/Chief Strategist of CORAfrica, Rev Fr Peter Obele Abue , for his love, passion and desire to see that their children get the needed knowledge to prepare them for the future.
They made the commendation at the Parent and Teachers Association (PTA) meeting at the newly founded John Bosco Academy compound on the 25th October 2023
They noted that despite the fact that CORAfrica is not being funded by UNHCR, the organization is able to provide an eight classroom block, provide a bus to carry their children from their homes to the school and return them after school. This can only be imagined.
Some of the refugees mentioned that CORAfrica, citing the school closer to the settlement eased their truama as most of them could release their children to go to school because of the nearness of the school to the settlement. They averred that the provision of the school bus has made it very enticing as no child wants to stay back home because they want to enter the school bus.
They prayed for God to continue to open doors and provide for the founder to enable him to continue to assist them, even as they wished him long life.
Responding, the Founder/Chief Strategist, commended the refugees for embracing the school and sending their children to be grommed for the future. He noted that the success and failure of the children depends on both the parents and teachers of the children and called on parents to play their roles by preparing the children early enough for school.
CORAfrica had in 2020 conducted a survey and found out that the number of children of school age who stay back from school was very high compared to those who go to school at the time.
In order to bridge the gap, CORAfrica has now founded the John Bosco Academy Adagom, cited about 2KM away from the Adagom 3 settlement. The school currently has an enrollment of over 600 pupils, 80% of them being refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.
