RESPECT Nigeria Country Coordinator Makes an Impact in First Year
(this is the first in a series of three articles regarding RESPECT Nigeria)
"My vision of a world that works for everyone is a world free of [the] poverty which brings illiteracy, lack of information and education, conflict…inequality, unaccountability, ignorance…government corruption, HIV/AIDS, and unemployment." These are the words of Francis Abayomi, the country coordinator of RESPECT Nigeria, who has spent the past ten years turning this vision into a reality. Mr. Abayomi, having obtained his Higher National Diploma (HND) in civil engineering from Yaba College of Technology, is now completing his graduate studies in the same discipline at the prestigious Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomosho (Oyo State, Nigeria). Born as the first of five boys, Francis has long understood the gravest threats to his native country, Nigeria, and our world as a whole. Now, through his own education and experience, he is committed to fighting against them.
"For more than ten years I have been working as a humanitarian and as a volunteer," says Francis, who just celebrated his 29th birthday. This decade of service began with the Leadership Experience and Opportunity (LEO) Club, a youth-related branch of Lions Club International. Within this organization he served in a number of different offices, including President of Yaba Leo Club (2000-2001), District Assistant Treasurer (2001-2002), Vice President, Club Tamer, and Club Secretary. On his own initiative, he then founded Children Rights Agenda (CRA), a non-profit, non-governmental, non-religious organization. Programs and activities implemented by CRA seek to defend and advance the rights of children in Nigeria, especially the right to a quality basic education. Francis was also a participant in both the World Youth Congress 2003 in Morocco and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders Conference 2004 in Sierra Leone.
In January of 2004 Francis took over as the Country Coordinator of RESPECT Nigeria. Over this past year, he has been devoted to the development of the program in the Oru refugee camp, which is jointly managed by the Nigerian Red Cross and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Among the camp's occupants are over 2000 children, less than ten percent of which are currently involved in any course of study. Mr. Abayomi has represented RESPECT Nigeria in meetings with some of Oru camp’s most important stakeholders, including the Red Cross, UNHCR, the Justice Peace and Development Commission, and the African Refugee Foundation, all of which have approved the RESPECT Nigeria program. Unfortunately, Francis says, "Respect Nigeria is not enjoying any funding from other stake holders…it is only the endorsement and moral assistance and backing we have." In October 2004, the first batch of 20 letters written by children at Oru Primary School were sent off to pen-pals at Hawthorne Elementary School in Canada.
The commitment of Francis Abayomi to the development of RESPECT Nigeria, which already includes about 200 participants including children, teachers, volunteers, and others, is multi-faceted. Thanks to his constant efforts applied over the past year representing RESPECT International, meeting with Oru stakeholders, organizing volunteers, and getting the pen-pal exchange program up and running, RESPECT Nigeria has grown into an organization that is making a difference. However, Francis has given more than just time; at this point all of the realizations of RESPECT Nigeria have been possible through funding that he personally provides. "Now I use most of my personal finance to run RESPECT Nigeria and it [is] telling on me. But I hope this will be for a short term only."
For more on RESPECT Nigeria, Oru refugee camp, and follow-ups on Oru Primary School letter exchange, look for stories in future issues of the RESPECT e-Zine.