Ajuba Educational Project (AJEP)

Ajuba is one of the communities being reached by Total Missions Network Global Ministry (TOMGNET),  in their Bariba field situated in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, Nigeria. In this community they saw a large number of school age children who had no school to attend. The Lord, through the support of brethren in the US, enabled TOMGNET to dig a well for this community in 2011. At the well dedication, done by Brother Troy Van Sloten, the community leader made a passionate plea for the establishment of a school in the community, in order to give their children a bright future in an increasingly literate world. TOMGNET conducted a survey on the entire area in 2012 with an intention of carrying out what was tagged Ajuba Educational Project (AJEP).

On reading about this community in one of TOMGNET’s publications in 2012, Pastor Mary McCauley of RCCG, True Vine Centre, Thornton Heath, UK who is passionate about children and young people’s education, took a keen interest. Almost immediately, the Trustees of her parish adopted the project for partnership under their community outreach Opengate DR2DV8, with effect from 2013. Precisely, the parish pledged to take responsibility for the teachers’ wages and books. The church made good their pledge in the first quarter of 2013 when they sent down a sum of fifty thousand naira (an equivalent of two hundred Pound Sterling) and a big bag of clothings for Ajuba children.

TOMGNET is so grateful for this partnership and pray for more of it. During a TOMGNET outreach to Bariba field in March 2013 they had a meeting with the entire community. Children of school age in attendance numbered up to fifty, aside from the teenagers who were busy enjoying themselves on the football field.

The Lord made it possible for TOMGNET to actualize this plan in the month of September 2013. Recruitment of staff commenced in the early part of the month with a head teacher. In the second week of September the Head teacher and Pastor Ilugbuhi, the Bariba field missions coordinator, visited the village to carry out a house-to-house enrolment of pupils. Thirty five (35) pupils were enrolled.

Having procured the necessary materials for the take off of the school, Rev. Jonathan O. Adeboye, the President of TOMGNET, went to Ajuba on Friday October 20 2013, in company of TOMGNET missionary representative and the teachers for the inauguration. Parents were gathered together with their children/wards for the opening ceremony of the school, at which over fifty prospective pupils turned out. Thus the school long awaited in Ajuba has finally kicked off. The initial site of the school is the worship place of Deeper Christian Life Bible Church in Ajuba.

One of the highlights of the ceremony was the request by the young adults for adult literacy classes in the evenings. Academic instruction formally began on Monday October 23 that year. Pupils in attendance numbered about sixty. The school was initially named De Cross Royal Academy. However, the name was changed to De-Vine Nursery & Primary school, on the advice of the local education authorities. Pupils are being taught Maths, English and French languages.

The names of the initial teachers are:

Lafia Jacob (Head teacher), Moses Amos (French & Mathematics teacher), Aliu Saliu (Class teacher). Pastor Emmanuel Ilugbuhi was appointed the School Administrator.

TOMGNET is grateful to God for the partnership of Pastor Mary McCauley and True Vine Centre, Thornton Heath, UK on this project. Their partnership contributed in no small way to the effectual take-off of the project.

During the visit of Pastor Mary to Ajuba in March 2015, the village head promised to encourage all parents in the community to send their children to the school and enhance their relevance in the community. The middle age men also pleaded passionately that provisions be made for them to acquire Western education as well.

This is a community school for Ajuba, Kwara State, Nigeria under the Ajuba Educational Project (AJEP); being built to provide educational facilities for two generations that have never received formal education.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Opengate DR2DV8, a UK charity set up as an initiative of True Vine Centre, Croydon has partnered with Total Missions Network Global Ministries (TOMGNET) to provide primary, secondary and adult education for deprived communities in Ajuba, a locality of Kwara State in Nigeria.

The target locality comprises seven villages with no fully educated persons. This spans across two generations and is largely due to the lack of government backing to establish good schools in the locality.

The target group comprises of:

1. The older generation of parents and grandparents including the local chief whose grading as king in the land is affected by his lack of formal education.
2. The younger generation of:

• Able bodied teenagers who support their parents as farm hands when they ought to be at school. The parents are aging so can’t afford not to have their youths work on the farms which they depend on for their living.
• Primary school aged children who are currently being educated in a hired church hall. The church is however demanding for the space back as they expect the school building project to have completed its initial building phase.