After conferring with our board at the end of 2019 we decided to target 5 water projects in 2020 (a target we all felt was quite ambitious). Amazingly as of February 28 we have fully funded three of the five water projects and completed drilling the boreholes on all three (I have attached a video of the drilling). We expect all the projects to be 100% complete by the end of March. We are anticipating completing the fourth project in advance of the rainy season which begins in June (getting work done during the rainy season in very challenging). Construction on the school in Rija continues. Doors and windows have been recently installed (photos below) and we expect the project to be substantially complete in the coming weeks.
While we have enjoyed great progress in the community development efforts that have been undertaken the social and economic challenges in Nigeria remain daunting. I recently reached out to Dr. Samson Chuga, our leader on the ground in Nigeria, to both check on and encourage him. His response further solidified in my heart that we have the right team in place in Nigeria to take on the endeavor.
I have included an excerpt from our dialogue below:
Me: Things are very tough in the world and there are many tensions, but we are committed to continuing in the momentum God has graced us with.
Dr. Chuga: We wake up every morning not certain of how the day is going to end; feeling very unsure because of insecurity, economic hardship, fear of Corona virus etc. However, the promises of God through the words of God written in Psalm 23 and 91 keeps brightening our spirit and providing hope to move on.
This is the spirit of hope and endurance of our partners in Nigeria. With partners on the ground in Nigeria who exhibit this kind of enduring attitude and partners like we have here in the U.S. who believe change is not only possible but impending, I feel very confident in our future.
Jason