RESPECT is growing everyday, everywhere!
RESPECT Nigeria News
January - February 2005
News from Oru Refugee Camp
- Since the beginning of the year, Oru Refugee Camp has recorded about 5-7 deaths including children. The major cause of the death is through vomiting and diarrhoea which sadly lead to death in many other parts of Africa. Apart from this, all other activities on camp seem to be normal, with vocational students, the students of Oru Primary school and students attending schools outside the camp having returned back to school after a short break due to the festive period.
- Sporting activities such as football, volleyball and basketball are being played by young people on the camp. The UNHCR Nigeria is reported to be conducting registration of ID cards for refugees at the camp which will continue in the Lagos office from the 14th of February, 2005.
- UNHCR Nigeria has also supplied foods to the camp but by all accounts the food has not yet been distributed and it is yet to be confirmed if the foods are meant for everyone or specifically for the more vulnerable or ill on camp
February
- Oru Primary school pupils received their pen pal letters and replies this month after returning from their short break. They have since been working on their replies due to be sent before the end of the month. The letters were delivered to the RESPECT Nigeria Volunteer Teacher of Oru Primary school, Mrs. Deo Linda, by RESPECT Nigeria country coordinator Francis Abayomi and RESPECT Nigeria volunteer Bassey Okon under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Aladesua and Mrs. Odetola (Camp Refugee Welfare Director and camp assistant).
- RESPECT Nigeria this month received the first set of assignments from Iona Lister (RESPECT University Co-Ordinator) done by the five students mentioned in the January section of the newsletter. The assignments were delivered to the students by the coordinator of RESPECT Nigeria.
- Through liaison with the country coordinator, who directed a questionnaire to the world computer exchange program, RESPECT Nigeria developed a proposal for a computer shipment. The proposal was supervised by the International coordinator Marc Schaeffer and RESPECT International Volunteer Messa.
- Francis Abayomi of RESPECT Nigeria was interviewed by email by Edward Mishaud, a writer with the United Nations Volunteers programme, and his colleague Andrea from Online Volunteering who were compiling stories on online volunteers to highlight the OV service's and also preparing one article on RESPECT's at the upcoming OV's 5th anniversary in March.
- RESPECT Nigeria sent out the second batch of RESPECT Pen pal Letters to the International office in Canada on the 16th of February, 2005. Along side the pen pal letters sent through the Nigerian postal service are the five Students completed assignments to RESPECT tutor and RESPECT University coordinator Iona Lister in UK, and Replies pen pal letters Hawthorne Elementary school USA from OIru Primary school.
January
- RESPECT Nigeria received pen pal letters and replies from Hawthorne Elementary school USA this month. However, the students are on short break and will receive their letters early next month.
- RESPECT Nigeria registered five academic students to study English under the
tutelage of Iona Lister (Coordinator of RESPECT University). The registered
students are:
- Guehi Herve - Cote d'Ivore
- Madame Iosembe Nkoah - Cameroun
- Mathieu Mateso - Congo
- Bosenda Jean Denis - Congo
- Muzembe Willima - Congo
- These students underwent a careful selection process before registration that took account of age, gender and students need and interest in learning the English language. The list of selected students was approved by RESPECT Nigeria Country coordinator Francis Abayomi, RESPECT Nigeria Volunteer Mrs. Aladesua and the minority Refugee chairman Inza quattara from Cote d'Ivore.
- Early this month RESPECT Nigeria received five online volunteers. The online
volunteers, from different countries worldwide, applied to work for various RESPECT
Nigeria assignments posted on
www.onlinevolunteering.org. The volunteers accepted were:
- Hermengildo Santisteban - Mexico
- Lisa McClurkin - USA
- Madhuri Yechuri - USA
- Ajayi Olusoji - Nigeria
- Tom Wingfield - UK
