It's All I Could Do!
During the winter of 2006, Stacey Collie from Thunder Bay, Ontario, spent 5 months volunteering at a Christian School for special needs children, in Jos, Nigeria. Here she gives a glimpse of what that experience was about. Her volunteer opportunity was supported by CRCNA's Disability Concerns. God pushed me to the limit during my time in Nigeria, but he also found ways to sustain me. This happened on a daily basis as I worked with children with special needs at a school called Open Doors. Every day I would be driven to the school where I would spend time with these special children. They were divided according to ability, from levels one to seven, and I would help out where I could, whether that was singing along with the students in level one, or helping the students in level seven with their spelling. Nigeria, of course, was a very different setting for me. I lived in a house by myself and made my own meals—often pounded yams and red stew, which I grew to love. The compound where I lived was protected by armed guards and it took me a while to get used to moving around in this environment. There are always challenges when living and serving in a different culture. While I was there, the rent collectors came to collect the $50 that was owed to them. Again, I wasn’t sure of my place: how should I help them? Should I give the money? I sat there feeling awkward and eventually I let the family sort it out themselves. When I left, I still wasn’t sure how they made the rent that month. Leaving Nigeria was of course a very sad time. There was an elaborate going-away party for me, and many people gave me gifts, even homemade dresses from some of the teachers. I was so surprised when Joanne’s father showed up on the last day to give me a gift from the family. It was this big box of goodies: fabric, key chains, and even baby pictures of Joanne and Judith. I was overwhelmed once again by his generosity. All I could do was thank him. God pushed me to my limits in unexpected ways, both with the challenging times, and these overwhelmingly good moments of human connection. Throughout it all, He was continually opening my eyes, showing me different things going on in the world, and showing me that with whatever is going on, I can rely on him.  I did feel as if I made a difference in the life of my little friend Joanne. Joanne was five years old, deaf, and had one bow-leg. She and her twin sister Judith were students at the school, both mentally adept, but physically challenged. Joanne was such a happy little girl, always giving me hugs and rubbing my white skin in wonder. I was amazed how fast she excelled when I worked with her one-on-one. She has so much potential, even though it’s hard for disabled people to do well in Nigeria. I missed Joanne over Easter break, and when the holiday was over, I went to call her back to school along with a few other teachers. We traveled outside the compound to this very simple home in a rural area. Joanne’s parents owned a bar, which made them a less respectable family in Christian circles, but these issues seemed to matter little when we sat down together. At this home, I was greeted with lavish generosity. Joanne’s parents brought me a maltina, an expensive drink for honoured guests. We sat and talked for a while, and it was good to spend time with these loving parents; not all parents of children with special needs send them to school, but Joanne and her sister were well taken care of. By Stacey Collie (with assistance from Ali Symons) If you are interested in volunteering with Open Doors, please click here for more information. In a further interview with Hank Kuntz, director of Disability Concerns, Stacey shared how her desire to volunteer overseas was inspired by housemates who had served as volunteers in Haiti through the ServiceLink office. Stacey noticed how their lives were impacted, and felt called to do something similar during a break in her schooling. Stacey had previous experience with special needs children before heading to Nigeria, and her time in Africa confirmed to her that special needs children are people just like you and me, who just need a little accommodation in different activities. She did notice however, that the view of special needs children in Nigeria differs somewhat from the North America view. There are more pressures or burdens on the Nigerian family, as they don’t have the support systems in place to help them. This is especially difficult as many families already struggle just to put food on the table. |
