Meet Chima, an A2S Scholar

Education is the tool that breaks down all barriers in an individual and society. Chima has gone through many tough times, but as we know, tough times don’t last– tough people do.

Meet Chima, our media expert and musician! One would wonder what these two talents have in common: passion. Our 29-year-old scholar is a very passionate soul and applies himself to learning and exploring without reservation. He lives in Benin City with his father, Pastor Sam, and his mother, Deaconess Helen. His mother is a food vendor at the local market. He is usually not alone at home as his siblings surround him. Chukwuemelie (meaning God has won), Tochukwu (meaning Praise God) and Chekwubechukwu (meaning I depend on God) all look up to him as the eldest of five children. Chima leads by example for his siblings with his calm and soft-spoken manner. His favorite sister, Chukwuemelia, is truly his best friend!

A typical day in the life of Chima starts at 4am with an hour of prayer and Bible study. He then proceeds to help his mum with preparing and packaging food and fetching water for the entire house. Then, he prepares for school. Chima is a second year student at the University of Benin studying business administration. This is no easy feat as he is a multi-talented person and sometimes finds it difficult to focus on one thing and hone his skills.

The A2S scholar’s program helps Chima feel motivated to succeed and be a good ambassador. When he didn’t believe in himself, A2S did and made his dream of furthering his education possible. He finds his studies challenging, but he loves a good challenge and works hard to graduate with flying colors. Besides his academics, Chima is very creative, so he studies graphic design and photography whenever he has free time. In the future, he would like to own a media outfit where he can bring his creativity to life and use the opportunity to train and employ others.

Chima’s parents describe him as compassionate and enthusiastic about the things of God. In his words, “I would like to bring about a positive change in my community. I am a direct recipient of God’s grace, and He has favored me out of nowhere when I thought I would not be able to further my education. A2S came through for me and helped me open my heart to more immense opportunities and plans that God has in store for me”. Chima confessed that he had seen firsthand the impact of substance abuse, cultism, and hopelessness amongst the youth of his community. His heart goes out to them.

Chima wishes that more organizations like A2S could spring up. He believes it would make the world better and because of this he prays for A2S every day. He is also praying to God to give him the strength to reach out to youth in his community. He has started making plans to do small community outreach in his neighborhood to discuss living a purposeful life and overcoming challenges.

Being an A2S Scholar is empowering for Chima and has changed him in ways he never thought possible. He has interacted with like-minded people in the program and learned social skills. Now his relationship with his parents is better, as they have been trying to get him out of his shell. We can catch Chima in the spotlight whenever he is singing in church. His role model is Apostle Joshua Selman because he can relate the word of God to real-life issues. Chima would like to be as disciplined as Apostle Joshua is in the things of God. Chima believes that everything starts with an idea and he sees that come to light with the A2S story, which began with the genuine desire to impact Nigerian children and their communities.

If he had one wish, it would be to have enough wealth to help his family, community, and A2S, and his advice to everyone is to strive to be the best in everything, regardless of whatever is thrown at you.

Your monthly giving and prayers through FaithFuel helps Chima and so many others like him accomplish their dreams at Access to Success. Thank you!

Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.

-Psalm 119:105