HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-02-24, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2011. By Dr. Rev. Peter Kugba-
Nyande
Walton-Bluevale Pastoral
Charge
I’m just returning from Sierra
Leone after spending my annual
vacation in January there. Together
with my wife Jinah, we departed
Pearson International Airport on
Dec. 27, but due to unavoidable
circumstances we encountered some
delays. As a result we arrived at
different dates; she arrived on Dec.
29 and I arrived a week later on Jan.
5. Three of our children Battu, Peter
Jr. and Hannah, who had different
flight schedules, arrived on Dec. 31.
As the saying goes, “There is no
place like home”. We were excited
to return to the place of our birth. For
me it has been two years since my
last visit, for my wife, it’s ten years
since her last visit and the first time
seeing her mom in a decade. As for
our children, it’s been ten years since
they left Sierra Leone, but the first
time to visit the home of their
parents. Jinah’s mom, who is now
the only surviving grandparent in
their family burst into tears of joy on
their arrival.
Going back home is an exciting
moment and for this trip in particular
it served several purposes.
First and foremost, we enjoyed a
great family reunion with the
remaining siblings and extended
families we’ve not seen for two
decades. Second, we celebrated the
life of my mom and her two siblings
who had passed away during the
brutal rebel war (1991-2001). With
the support of my two
congregations, Duff’s United and
Bluevale United we had a successful
wake-keeping and worship service
on Jan. 8 and 9 respectively. Also
with the financial support of
Bluevale United Sunday School,
United Church Women and a few
friends within the community we
launched the erecting of a new
school building in the community.
This new building will be comprised
of three classrooms, an office and
store, and an outside toilet. It is our
hope that we will provide safe
drinking water that will serve both
the children and the entire
community.
During our stay, we made several
visits to places of interest including
a surprising visit to the elementary
school my wife Jinah attended in the
1970s. What amazed us was, in the
midst of the hardship and numerous
constraints that rural communities
experience, the teachers were very
devoted. With only a handful of
chalk in the box and no other school
materials, we found them busily
teaching. Fewer students had
exercise books while the majority
relied on pieces of paper to write on.
On the blackboard was this story
for comprehension. The children are
to read and answer the questions
verbally: “An old man hid his money
in his bedroom. He hid it in a hole
under the floor and forgot the hiding
place because the house was very
big. He was the only one in the
house and would always go to the
kitchen to prepare his meal. One
night as the old man was preparing
his supper and a thief broke into his
house. The old man was afraid, ran
into his bedroom and hid under his
bed. The thief who had found the
hole and the money in it laughed.
The old man screamed when he
heard the strange voice. The thief, on
hearing the old man’s voice, dropped
the money and dashed out of the
house. As he was running away, a
man next door ran after him and
called the other neighbours to
help him catch the thief. The
people shouted, ‘Stop thief!’ They
finally got the thief and took him to
the police station. The old
man, though shaken, was relieved
because he had got his money back
and the thief would never return
again.”
Questions followed and pupils
answered correctly. We had time to
look at their log book and
interestingly they had 98 per cent
successes in all the NPSE (National
Primary Selective Examination). At
the end we handed over a football
and a cash donation of $100 (Le.
400,000) in local value to purchase
three packets of while chalk, three
packets of coloured chalk, three
packets of pencils, four packets of
pens, a renovator and a few dozen
exercise books. In a modest way we
motivated both the teachers and their
pupils to improve the lives of this
poor community.
The reason for mentioning this
particular event in this paper is how
much I value education as an overall
tool for sustainable development of
any nation. In order to overcome
illiteracy and poverty and to engage
in meaningful economic
reforms, good governance and rule
of law the only way out is through
education.
The recent uprisings in Tunisia,
Egypt and other Arab nations are
just the latest manifestation of the
lack of education. The lack of
literate men and women among a
few elite especially in Arab and
Muslim dominated countries such as
Sierra Leone; we do not expect any
good governance without sound
education for its citizens. Economic
reforms, no matter how impressive
on paper, have increased inequality,
undermined social protections,
enabled corruption, and failed to
create anything near the needed
numbers of jobs. Corruption is
dangerous, not only to Arab
populations suffering under
autocratic regimes, but also to the
world at large.
Numerous commentators have
pointed out that the combination of a
young population, the lack of
economic opportunity the stifling of
freedoms, corrupt leadership and
charismatic clergy has led to the rise
of “political” unrest. Without
relevant education, Islam will be the
only viable alternative to
official state dogmas. I hope that all
those reading this article may be
moved to increase their supports,
not on military hardwire, but on
education. As we soon approach
the period of Lent we can
make sacrifices to improve the
lives of most of our impoverished
nations.
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, February 27
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
6:30 pm - DVD series on the Book of
Revelation by James MacDonald
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age (mornings only)
Childcare provided for infants and toddlers
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact:
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Sunday, February 27
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Small Group
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women’s Ministry
Fridays 7:00 pm - Youth Group
Feb. 27: Matthew 4:12ff
“Leaving Nets
to Follow
Jesus”
Evangelical Missionary Church
March 4: World Day of Prayer
at Anglican Church, 7 p.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
We continue our series on the heart:
February 27th ~ “Your Open Heart”
March 6th ~ “Your Forgiving Heart”
Please join us for worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth
519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
The Evening Service will be
held at the Clinton CRC on
Sunday, February 27 at 7:00 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor Gary Klumpenhower 519-523-9233
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, February 27
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
Guest Speaker:
Rev. Eugene Neudorf
From the Minister’s StudyTrip to Sierra Leone sheds light on issues
See histories and historic
photographs on the
Huron History section
of our website
www.northhuron.on.ca
The Citizen