Barbara and Carolyn had a fascinating 10 day visit to our Link Dioceses in Nigeria. Their report is shown below or can be downloaded as a PDF document complete with photographs by clicking here. Please do invite them to your branch meeting or other event within the Diocese so that you can hear more about their amazing experiences.
Visit to Nigeria June – July 2010
Our president Carolyn Peuleve and I have just returned from a fascinating 10 days in Nigeria. We spent five days in each of the two Dioceses to which our Mothers’ Union is linked.
Wusasa Diocese is in the mainly Muslim area in the Centre / North of the country, 200 miles north of the capital, Abuja. The Bishop’s wife, Mary Lamido, who is also the Mothers’ Union President (as is nearly always the case in Nigeria) was our hostess.
She has a great concern for the lives of women, who are often not valued by families because their education and skills will leave the family upon their marriage. Their work is needed on the land in this agricultural economy. Consequently they are often not educated at all, and are married at a very young age to a life of constant childbearing, in a situation where childbearing is dangerous because of lack of medical knowledge and support. The Maternal Health group, formed by Mary, is working to make childbearing safer for mother and child, through education and medical provision.
Mary is working hard, with others, to teach the women skills, and empower them to take control of their own lives. The picture shows the shopping plaza with 6 units where women can start small businesses at a low cost – another 6 units are planned.
Mary’s dream is for a skills centre on the same site, with dormitory accommodation, where women can be taught skills with which to make a living, and also taught about health in childbearing.
Here we visited each of the 7 Deaneries of this deeply rural Diocese, to be met with ecstatic welcomes, with singing, dancing and hugely generous gifts.
We also visited schools (including Holy Trinity School, Mai Mai, whose staff and students are pictured) and the Anglican hospital, as well as hearing of the Theological College next to the Bishop’s house, where many priests are trained for work throughout Nigeria. We gained a view of a church in a hugely challenging area, striving to move forward and to overcome difficulties.
Gwagwalada Diocese is further south, and nearer to the capital, but, like Wusasa, almost all its people are involved in farming. We had asked to be shown the projects through which they raise money both for Mothers’ Union work and for their own survival – and we were!
As we travelled round the 7 Archdeaconries with ‘Mama Gwagwalada (pictured above), members had set up their cooking pots, pestles and mortars, and sieves, their weaving looms, bead-making and hair dressing, either in or directly outside church!
It gave a great sense of the whole of life being a part of our service of God. We were told regularly what equipment could make their work more productive. We saw how contaminated water and shortage of water causes illness.
Everywhere the welcome we received was wonderful. We spoke everywhere and explained our link, as well as meeting with Mothers’ Union members and with clergy. I believe our visit was very fruitful, and will make our links a reality.
Carolyn and I are eager to share what we have learned and show our pictures – both with Mothers’ Union groups and with others in the Diocese. We hope in due course to be able to raise some money in an imaginative way to support grant applications from the two Dioceses.
We hope that you will become as excited as we are about it! Please do invite us!
Barbara Packer
Action & Outreach Coordinator