Education is a Sure Way Out of Poverty
Education is a sure way out of poverty. Yes, it is! Especially, in this story from Nigeria, and bears out that the value of education is not something that can be imposed, but one that must be owned and valued by the community. However, the underlying poverty may be so excruciating that it is difficult for the community to think beyond mere survival. There may be need for local leaders to go above and beyond the obvious.
The Community Health Evangelism (CHE) trainers from a community in Nigeria known as Mogla began a CHE program in their village over 10 years ago. The Community Needs Assessment showed that there was a great need for education. There was no school in the community, so children were playing in the streets unsupervised. Efforts to meet this need were launched through a local church.
A school started with kindergarten classes and admitted just a few students. The school teachers were paid by parents who either gave them food or food produce in lieu of the cash fees. However, many of the children left school because of their parents’ inability to contribute the needed school fees. There was also very little local ownership by the parents for their children’s education.
Not deterred by these circumstances, the CHE trainers decided to try some other options. They launched a program to begin teaching adults about Microenterprise and Improved Agriculture to help them increase their income. The attendance in the church increased and new churches were planted in other communities through this CHE initiative as well. Parents began to change their attitudes about their children’s education. They were now paying school fees with cash. The community rallied together and started working on improving the school building and constructed more classrooms. Increased income for parents resulted in more of them being able to pay school fees and take responsibility for the education of their children.
The community-led educational program in Mogla is now parent-owned and more sustainable. Children are being educated and growing up with a hope and a future. The church committee that initially saw its role as being responsible only for the spiritual development of the community is now proud that some of the students are ready to graduate and go on to higher education in nearby well-established schools.
Education is a sure way out of poverty, but valuing education for the next generation is something that must be owned by the community for it to have true value.
