Reflections on Health

  • Gabriel Shalom

Health according to WHO is a state of complete physical mental, and social wellbeing and not the absence of disease or infirmity. The questions “are you healthy”? or “are you living a healthy life” occasionally pop up in conversations and usually when there’s a medical emergency and people often claim they are in perfect health, and others claim their good health by faith even when they obviously need medical attention. But good health does not only mean that you’re free from any form of disease, exercise well or have a healthy diet, though these play a major role in your physical health. What about your mental and social well-being?  These questions beg for answers;

         Are you suffering from any form of depression?

         Are you confused about life?

         Do you have issues with making and keeping a relationship?

         Do you have any sympathy for those who are in pain?

         Do you enjoy seeing others happy or sad?

         How often do you put a smile on people’s faces?

 

These and many more are questions you need to answer to personally, independent of your friends or loved ones! And if your answers are mostly negative, one can argue your state of health.

Does that mean everyone in the world is not healthy? Not necessarily

We just have much more unhealthy people than we think or can imagine around us and we’re assigned with the task of making them better by virtue of our relationships and not the other way round.

How then do we remedy this you ask?

Well, for starters we need to make sure your physical health is optimum and no worries if there are any disease conditions that make this impossible! You know yourself better than anyone and you can tell one or two things that you can do differently in other build a better physical, social and mental health.

Here’s an example; Anna was a very reserved beautiful lady who lived across the street, she loves watching movies and reading books and because Anna was a freelancer, she had little or no reason to go out on a day to day basis. She was a member of a local church but she hardly participated in their activities as she loved her personal space. She would often turn to different genres of movies for consolation and advice in trying times. She lived in a city away from her family but her sister visits her from time to time. Anna felt ill for a while and was diagnosed with chronic depression after many consultations. Engage in things that make you happy and spend more time with family and friends the doctor advised her in addition to taking her meds. Anna then started trying to build her life but this time, she wasn’t the only one in the picture. What’s your story? You may or may not be like Anna, but whatever the case maybe, you need to be mentally, physically and socially sound to be declared healthy. So are you healthy? If your answer is no, what practical steps can you take to remedy the situation? And if you’ve been at it for a while without positive results don’t give up just yet! I’m rooting for you.

CALL FOR ARTICLES AND OPPORTUNITY TO WIN THE SOPURUCHI CREATIVE WRITNG PRIZE WORTH $50

CALL FOR ARTICLES AND OPPORTUNITY TO WIN THE SOPURUCHI CREATIVE WRITNG PRIZE WORTH $50

Precious Fountain Foundation (PFF) invites submissions from creative writers who are enrolled in Higher institutions. The article must exude creativity, be inspirational, motivational, educational or a combination of any of the themes above.

Submissions will be evaluated by a team of Evaluators led by PFF Team member Gideon Oyedeji. The articles will be checked for plagiarism, originality, and creativity.

The best submissions will be uploaded on the PFF Instagram page where it will be voted for.

 

Timeline:

Submissions are welcome till 31st March, 2022.

Evaluation and vetting of articles within two weeks after submission.

Announcement of shortlisted articles: 16th April, 2022.

Uploading on the PFF Instagram page: 20th April, 2022.

Announcement of the prize-winning entry: 30th April, 2022.

Nature of Article

  1. Article must not exceed 1000 words.
  2. Article should focus on a motivational, educational or inspirational theme.

The article with the most engagement will win the Sopuruchi Creative Writing Prize worth $50!

Submission process:

Kindly email all submissions to: preciousfountainfoundation@gmail.com.

All emails containing an article submission must be titled: Article Submission for PFF Blog.

Deadline for Submissions: 31st March, 2022.

 

To learn more about PFF and the different projects we do around Nigeria, kindly click here.

 

 

 

Choosing the Right Path After University

Precious Fountain Foundation in furtherance of its mandate to provide mentorship to undergraduate students, will be hosting this seminar- first of its kind with Gideon Oyedeji. This seminar promises a session where students will be guided on the options open to them after university.

To participate in this training, click on this link to join a lively vibrant community of scholars on a platform hosted by PFF.

Training Date: 11th March 2022.

Time: 8pm West African Time.

Taraba Visitation Report

 The Original Motivation for the Trip

PFF was motivated to visit the Mission in Jalingo because the core activities of the mission reflected the core values of PFF as an organization. The mission provides free education, accommodation and feeding to children orphaned by the lingering crises caused by Bokoharam and other fundamentalist terrorist groups in the north east of Nigeria.

(A section of the students and pupils from different parts of the northeast.)

After contacting the Head of the Mission, we decided to play our part in alleviating a need or two they may have. The Head of the Mission told us that they prioritize physical visits and that the encouragement they get from visits are as important as material and financial support. It was on the strength of this that we decided to make the trip even though it required journeying for 2 days through Nigerian bad roads. The need of the mission and the amount of support needed to meet it are so large we were only able to play a little part in rendering support.

Travelling to Jalingo took two long days through Nigeria’s very risky roads. Our drivers mentioned that the route to Jalingo was a den of kidnappers and the police patrolling the roads were aware of the risk in travelling the roads. We first arrived in Makurdi after 12 hours of travelling, rested and continued to Taraba the next day. On the border of Kogi State, we ran into a number of policemen who threatened to confiscate our laptops since we looked suspicious. In all, while the journey was arduous particularly due to the fear we had for our safety and the bad state of the roads, we return every glory to Jesus who kept us safe from the dangers on the road and from every mishap.

(On the road to Taraba from Makurdi, we had to use a boat to convey both the car and passengers in a river between Buruku and Zakibiam. Behind me is the vehicle marked Taraba State Transport Company (TSTC))

Arriving Taraba

On arriving Taraba, we were blown away. The work was far more elaborate and serious than we actually imagined. Realize that the mission had relocated from the village where they were previously settled to a more cosmopolitan part of the state. In this new place, there were close to 300 children who received education, feeding and accommodation at no costs. Volunteer missionaries teach the children, prepare them for WAEC and raise funds to cater for their undergraduate education. Students from the school administered by the mission has gone on to represent the state at regional and national competitions.

As already stated, the mission (which is not named here due to security reasons) provides education, feeding and hostel facilities for children who are victims of the insurgency in north east Nigeria. The mission itself is located in the north east of Nigeria and has received more than its fair share of the violence that have bedeviled the region. The Founder of the mission was murdered by Fulani herdsmen when his car broke down on his way to the mission. His remains were returned to the mission and buried in the interior northeastern village he had labored in. The second serious round of violence which the mission experienced was far greater. Recently, the mission was attacked by Fulani gunmen. All the facilities within the mission were burnt down and those unable to burn where vandalized. The missionaries and the workers in the mission fled for their lives and today the remains of the Founder of the mission lies lonely in the village where he has laboured.

(We accompanied the missionaries to park the remaining property of the mission from their original location).

When we visited the original location of the mission in a village in the heart of Taraba, we found that the mission had a functioning school, male and female hostels, a computer lab, and a library among others. All of these were destroyed during the attack from Fulani herdsmen. We were told that during the period after the attack that fleeing missionaries who came to pick any remaining property of the mission that were not burnt were ambushed by Fulani herdsmen who opened fire on them. The stories sounded like a scene out of a movie except that we saw the bullet holes on the vehicles and the buildings.

(The ruins of the mission remain till today. Almost like the land is mourning the dearth of activities on it)

The mission has since then relocated to a more cosmopolitan part of town and is rebuilding from the scratch. It is like once the gospel is pushed away from one tree branch, it lands on another and continues cooing. When PFF arrived, we discovered the need was far greater than we envisaged. Currently the mission thrives on a small piece of property with makeshift accommodation for the staff and close to 300 children and teens. As the mission is currently being evicted from its current location, there is still need for support in building new facilities that would decently house the missionaries and the children.

PFF Volunteers

Iyanuoluwa Adelusi and Christian Sopuruchi represented PFF.

Budget

We raised N294,000 (two hundred and ninety-four thousand naira), we spent N401,000 (four hundred and one thousand naira). The difference was offset through the personal funds of the PFF volunteers.

(The donations were channeled towards purchasing books and bags for the children. We still have plans to pay for the school uniforms of the students and pupils.)

Reflections

We could not fathom why the missionaries refused to leave the work considering they were not being paid and their lives were in danger every day. Many of the missionaries had arrived Taraba for the first time as recent graduates who volunteered for the mandatory NYSC. It is clear that these missionaries remained on the land because they believed the hand of God was on their work there. Also, there was evidence that the education and mentorship they availed the students God had placed in their hands was working. This evidence showed itself in the tremendous progress of the children both academically and otherwise.

(One feature that was just too obvious was the unusual amount of joy that radiated from the missionaries. It was like they had a seamless endless supply of joy).

Another incident that stood out for me occurred on Easter Saturday. The children were playing games which involved drills. This form of drill was different as the children were rehearsing actions they would take in case they were attacked by gun wielding men. I was touched drastically as it has never occurred to me as a person to prepare just in case someone attacked my community with a gun. Personally, this journey taught me that I was not as brave as I thought. There was no way I would have put in the level of sacrifice as the missionaries in order to spread knowledge, education and the Word of God.

Evidently, there is no better way to combat Nigeria’s growing insecurity than to educate children and teens before they are radicalized by violent adults. Nothing beats catching them young, educating them and giving them Jesus. Violent groups already use this strategy but in the reverse. Vulnerable children who lose their parents to terrorist acts are themselves captured by the terror groups and unleashed on society thus maintaining the cycle of violence. While educating children is a long, arduous and risky process, it remains the best way possible to secure a future for Nigeria free of terrorism.

The task before the mission continues. As the mission is currently being evicted from their current location, there is still need for more school bags, foodstuff especially grains, sanitary towels for adolescent girls and others. While God continues working, we promise to keep doing our part in making the spread of the gospel and the education of children a priority in Nigeria.

 

If you desire to contact the mission or to speak with the missionaries, contact PFF and this would be arranged.

Report on the Just Concluded ‘Accessing International Scholarships’ Seminar

This seminar held from the 18th -20th of December 2020. There were three speakers who handled different days and different topics. Sunday Okafor, on the 18th spoke on ‘Accesing Commonwealth and other British Government sponsorships.’ Iseoluwa Akintunde, on the 19th spoke on ‘Accessing Canadian scholarships.’
Tuamuro Odii on the 20th spoke on ‘Accessing Nigerian based scholarships for international studies.’

The seminar was supported by Building Nations Initiative through the provison of her Zoom platform for our use.
The sessions on the 2nd and 3rd day were recorded. These recordings and presentation slides used by the facilitators were sent to participants to consult at their own time. The seminar achieved its purpose which was to educate a number of Nigerian students on different ways and avenues for accessing scholarship for international studies.

Given the feedback from the students, we hope to flag off a paid mentorship programme where students will be coached through the A-Z of graduate applications for international studies and scholarships in chosen schools. Details on this will be communicated shortly.

The PFF Back to School Projects (BTSPs) Report

The Ufodo Back to School Project is one of our Back to School Projects. This project spanned 2 days and included the age-specific numeracy and literacy lessons. It was a resounding success and we are grateful you trusted us!

Our first BTSP was PFF organising free barbing sessions for children in Awka Anambra state in an effort to get them groomed and ready to head back to school. You can check out the project by clicking on the link below:
https://preciousfountain.org/event/back-to-school-barbing/

Our second BTSP was PFF sending food and writing materials to children in Lagelu LGA Ibadan Oyo State. You can check out the project by clicking on the link below:
https://preciousfountain.org/event/gift-a-child-a-meal/

This Ufodo mission is the 3rd anniversary of the PFF Back To School Project. The idea for the BTSP is to empower select Nigerian children with the resources necessary to resume school effectively. Our target is children in primary school and students recently enrolled in secondary school.

Local Coordinator and Community Liaison

PFF partnered with Christ True Mission, a local denomination indigenous to the community. Adoni Levi, a local missionary served as the PFF Liaison to the community. At the end of the event, PFF received kind words from Levi and other leaders in the denomination and community.

Beneficiary Demographic

The BTSP 2020 provided school bags, books and writing materials to children in Nursery, Primary and Junior Secondary school in Ufodo Enugu State. PFF has for 3 years held projects targeted at improving literacy and numeracy among children in the community and this time decided to additionally empower the children with materials that will enable them start school in earnest.

Financial Breakdown

Bags: 320,000
Books: 87,000
Shipping: 13,000
Production of lesson materials: 30,000
Transportation of volunteers: 40,000
Total :490,000

Total amount raised both from GoFundMe and local contribution: 504,000

Bags and books were locally manufactured in Nigeria.

Feedback from the community:

The community was full of gratitude and kind words. A message from the Bishop of the local community denomination read

‘I want to thank you for your gifts of school bags and exercise books to the children, my God will you back in 1 million folds In Jesus Name. Thanks & God bless you.’
We were inundated with message which resembled this one.

How to support BTSPs

To support the next BTSP, kindly register to our mailing list  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScFjyc-hbERCornT6wFgg7582oJn9QvD3k3uj3fwc_Xp5NKJA/viewform?usp=sf_link

You’ll be the first to know when PFF announces the next BTSP.

Kindly click on the link below to see images from the Ufodo Mission Project.

https://bit.ly/ufodoimages

PFF BACK TO SCHOOL PROJECT, UFODO

THE NEED

Ufodo is a rural community in Enugu-Ezike in Nsukka Enugu State. Amidst the challenges of lack of access to clean drinking water, a dilapidated health center, hawking to assist their parents provide for the family, and other characteristic problems of rural Nigerian communities, Children in Ufodo have very limited acess to quality education, standard educational facilities and stationery.

Precious Fountain Foundation (PFF), as an NGO dedicated to providing educational intervention services in defective areas of Nigerian education, has decided to tackle some of these problems that undermine access to quality education in this community. This we intend to achieve with the Back To School Project.

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:

Precious Fountain Foundation(PFF) has over the past four years organised a Holiday Camp for children in Ufodo, Enugu-Ezike in partnership with Christ True Mission Church, an indigenous denomination popular among rural Igbo communities .
The nature of this Holiday Camp is such that PFF organises educational interventions in Arithmetic and Reading in an effort to improve the ability of this children to read and do simple calculations. There are over 150 children who attend these camps. At the end of each Holiday Camp, scholarships are awarded to deserving students who excel during the camp.
This year, PFF will be taking this initiative a step further. These students, most of whom come from very low income households will be resuming the new session amidst a lot of difficulties. COVID-19 and the attendant lockdown measures in Nigeria have disproportionately affected their parents who are the major, and most times, the only source of educational funding for these children.

PFF has decided to intervene this time with this project that aims to provide school bags and books for these children. The entire budget for providing 150 school bags and 150 dozens of books for these children is N900,000.

You can support PFF to achieve this through any of these means:
1) Donating N3000 or above. (300 people who donate N3000 will help us meet our target).
2) Sharing posts on this project on social media. Someone who may want to be a partner to this may find this information through you.
3) Donating school bags or books that you have. (We have volunteers all over Nigeria who can receive in-kind donations.) Kindly let us know if you intend to donate in kind by inboxing our social media channels, or sending us an email.

Once you make a donation, kindly inbox PFF through:
IG or Facebook @PreciousFountainfoundation;
Or send us a mail: preciousfountainfoundation@gmail.com.

You could also click on this Gofund me link to give:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/pff-back-to-school-project?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=chat&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

We’ll acknowledge your donation and update you on how your funds are being disbursed.
We believe it is possible to achieve this goal of providing these materials to the Ufodo children. We look forward to these children resuming school with the materials you helped in providing for them.