Volunteer Work in Nigeria with People with Disabilities

            My whole adventure started back in April 2005 with a simple walk to Tim Horton’s with a friend who was going to Amsterdam with YWAM the following September. We were talking about her upcoming trip and the experience that two of my friends had while they were working at an orphanage in . When I said that I thought something like that would be really cool to do in Africa my friend replied by saying what’s stopping you and I didn’t have any real reason. And that was the day that would start the journey to changing the way I view life. It is funny how sometimes God speaks to you in really simple and random ways.

            Straight away when I got back from that walk I started looking on the Internet to find a place to go. I knew that I wanted to work with kids, possibly kids with special needs, and I wanted to go from January to June 2006. After a long time of looking I decided to apply at Christian Reformed World Relief Committee (CRWRC) Service Link, and after the interview it was just a matter of waiting to see what Carol Sybenga could find. It felt like forever to me waiting to see the name Carol Sybenga in my inbox, but really it wasn’t that long at all. When it did come, it said that she had found a school called Open Doors for Special Learners in Jos, . I was so excited when I read the email; however, there was still a lot that needed to be figured out, visas, place to stay, plane tickets, and probably many things that I don’t even know that Carol did for me. I was excited and couldn’t wait until January. However, my bubble popped when I got the email about the travel advisory for coming to . I talked to my parents about it along with praying and I decided that, travel advisory or not, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. I accepted. The feeling of peace that I got when I accepted it confirmed that I made the right choice.

            On January 14th I got on my first plane from Thunder Bay to Toronto. After Spending one last night with friends from Redeemer University in Hamilton, I was back at the Toronto Pearson airport and getting on a plane to the Heathrow Airport in London. On one hand I was thinking maybe I just won’t go. It would be a lot easier than saying goodbye to everyone. But on the other hand, I could not wait to get there and meet all the teachers and children. When I landed in London I had a 16 hour layover. After sleeping, checking email, and wandering up and down the airport waiting for my flight to appear on the screen I was standing in line to get on the plane. My stomach was in a huge knot, and I was thinking, "What did I get myself into this time?” Then there came the landing in Abuja, . Going through customs in airports has never bothered me before, but I was terrified of these Nigerian customs. Before I knew it though I was out of the airport and experiencing Nigerian driving.

            Open Doors was started by Joanne Umolu who came to from the in 1965 with her Nigerian husband. She started the school after retiring from the University of Jos where she was a lecturer with the Department of Special Education. The Centre has three Units, Special Education, Reading Clinic, and Vocational Training Unit. There are currently 60 in the Special Education Unit There are 13 students with Down Syndrome, ranging from ages 3-31. There are 6 students with Autism, and 10 with Cerebral Palsy. A large number of the students suffered brain damage at birth or immediately after birth. The Reading Clinic provides one on one help for both children and adults to learn how to read and write. There are about 25 students that are part of the Reading Unit. The Vocational Unit has 20 of the older and most capable students in it. They learn skills which they will be able to use to survive as they get older such as cooking and arts and crafts that they can sell. Apart from the 3 Units there is also a Physical Therapy Clinic where there are currently 17 students attending regularly.

            When I first get to school the children are doing morning devotions. From about 8:00 to 8:30 a.m. everyone gathers in one room to sing and to pray.

            After devotions the students change and head out to the field for training for Special Olympics. We start this by singing the National Anthem, saying the Nigerian Pledge, and the Olympic Oath. The Olympic Oath is, “Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” After the stretching and warm-ups, some kids go for running and standing long jump and some go for table tennis. Most of them stay in the field to train for the running and walking events. I was one of the timers for the walking and running events. We timed the kids everyday and use the times for divisions for the competition. Then after all the races are complete we join in a big circle and say the Oath again and give the students praise if they did well and encouragement if they didn’t give it their all.

            When we are finished with the training it is usually 10:00 and time to head into the classrooms. On Mondays and Wednesdays I am usually working in Level 6. The first thing that we do is have the students write their news. This means that they write the day and date, and then how the weather is outside. (In level 7 they also add what they saw on the way to school). The math work that they do is simple adding or subtracting, drawing objects to represent the number on the page and writing numbers. The English is usually writing sentences using different new words. Then Language Development is writing things such as single and plural, opposites, and past and present tenses. During this time I usually walk around the classroom helping the students, mark their work, and help Aunty write the assignments. Then at 11:00 it is time for football practice, we have 3 footballers in level 6. Our football team plays other teams in Jos as well as participating in the Special Olympics. While they are training for football, the other students have a break to eat and play games outside. Depending on whether football goes until 12:00 or 12:30 depends on what we do next. If it is finished sooner we often read a story. After the story the students retell the story to us and then together, we pick out new words to use in their English assignments. If football is finished later, then we often just rest. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I will usually be working in level 1. In we will go out to the toilet and while we are outside we check the weather. Then back inside we sings songs about the days of the week and do various nursery rhymes. Then at 11:00 we wash our hands and eat our snack or lunch. After lunch is finished we play outside on the equipment or we play in the classroom. By the time that 12:00 comes around the students are often tired so they nap. At 1:00 all the students come back to the level 1 classroom, and we do more music, singing, and praying.

            At 1:30 most of the students go home, except for the older ones that are in vocational training. We do many different things in vocational. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday we either make candles or Specialine (which is like Vaseline). The school sells all the candles and Specialine. Then on Wednesdays we cook various things, from puff puff to rice. The students get to eat what they cook. The reason that the school does vocational training is so that the students can learn how to take care of themselves by making things to sell and cooking for themselves. Then at 3:00 the day is finished and it is time for everyone to go home.

            A part of the academic and vocational work the children participated in Special Olympics. We train every morning for all the different events. There is 100m walk, 100m run, running long jump, standing long jump, table tennis, and 5-a-side football.

            In February Open Doors held the local Special Olympics at Open Doors with other schools from the area. From this competition we had about 38 athletes from Open Doors advance on to the Regional competition which Open Doors hosted at Hillcrest School in March. 17 Open Doors athletes advanced from the Regionals to the Nationals. The Nationals are going to be held in Lagos in June. We hope and pray that some of our athletes will be among the 15 that represent at the 2007 Special Olympics in China.

            My favourite part of Special Olympics was how happy it made the children. The big smiles on their faces as they crossed the finish line made all the work that goes into the competition worth it. They were all so happy and proud of the medals that they won. But not only at the competitions but in the mornings during the training. They were always so excited as they crossed the finish line. Special Olympics is a great confidence booster for all the children. Some of them aren’t able to do well academically, so being able to compete and do well in something else gives them the self-assurance that will help them their whole life.

            It is hard to put into words just how much that I have learned and grown in the past 5 months. I have become a lot closer with God. Relying on Him is something that I had to do many times, just trusting in Him. There were times when I was so tired of everything or things were starting to get to me. I had to remind myself that God is in control, and He won’t give me more than I can handle. Relying on God is something that a Christian should know how to do and I know that I will have to do it many more times in my walk with Him.

            I have also learned to be so thankful for all the things that God has blessed me with. I used to take things for granted but after seeing people in with such few things I realize that I am so blessed. They are able to be so happy and love God so much that to them not having many possessions doesn’t even matter. They really showed me that it’s not what I have in my hands but it is what I have in my heart that really matters.

            This whole trip, the good days and even the not so good days, has been an awesome experience. I have grown a lot and it is something that I will never forget and hope to maybe one day return to.