Osariemen, a caring soul.

“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

-Exodus 14:14

I prepared to visit the Emopkae family on the third Sunday in May. However, I received a call informing me they wouldn’t return to church on time. As a result, we rescheduled our meeting for Monday morning. Surprisingly, this was a blessing in disguise, as it allowed me to experience a day in the life of Osariemen, a senior student at the After School Academy.

During my visit, I couldn’t help but notice the close bond between Osariemen and her elder brother, Thompson. Thompson had left school to work at a local welding shop to support their family. I truly admired their relationship. Osariemen later shared with me that they had different fathers, but the divide didn’t affect their bond. Thompson is like a father figure to her, supporting her by paying her school fees. Paying her fee was especially meaningful because she had previously been sent home from school for late payment, which made her sad.

Osariemen’s mother, Mrs. Adeeze, warmly welcomed me into their home and allowed me to interact with her family. She introduced me to Osaretin, her youngest son, who attended the After School Academy. Mrs. Adeeze, mentioned that Access To Success had positively transformed their community where they had lived for many years. Although Osaretin’s father, Mr. Jude, was at work during my visit, he thanked A2S for their dedication to underprivileged children in communities like theirs.

The warmth and love displayed by Mrs. Adeeze could be seen in her children. I was impressed by how she managed to bring her family together and take care of them. It was remarkable to learn that, despite facing challenges, she works hard at the Slaughterhouse, washing cow meat for customers every weekday (except Wednesdays) in exchange for a day’s pay of 700 Naira (approximately 1 USD). In addition, she volunteers as a sanitarian at the After School Academy on her spare Wednesdays.

I also had the chance to witness Osariemen’s morning routine. She woke up at 6:00 am and said a short prayer for the day, quietly asking God for blessings and favour as her siblings might still be asleep. Afterwards, she checked the 30-litre water drum and fetched more water to fill it up for the day. Thankfully, there was a church nearby where she could fetch water for free. She feels fortunate that her home is closer to the water pump than others who come from a distance. Once the drum was filled, she swept the shared compound.

Osariemen’s family lives in two joined rooms of a communal house, where five families shared a toilet and a kitchen space. Although her mother handles most of the cooking in their room, Osariemen ensures the compound and rooms are clean. She also assists her mother with cooking, especially when her mother has to leave for work earlier than usual. Her favourite dish to prepare is spaghetti. Afterwards, she bathes and attends to her younger brother, Osaretin, ensuring he is ready for school. Her mother packed their lunches, and Osariemen is responsible for dropping her brother off at his school before making her way to hers.

It was already past 8:00 am when she arrived at school, and the assembly session had ended. Due to her lateness, she was tasked with sweeping a portion of the school compound as a punishment. Fortunately, the teacher responsible for disciplining latecomers was absent, so she was content with cleaning her designated area. She then proceeded to her first class, which was Mathematics. Throughout the day, she attended around 6-7 classes. They had a short break from 10:40 am to 11:15 am, followed by a long break from 12:25 pm to 1:00 pm. The school day concluded at 3:00 pm.

Osariemen sometimes needs help with one of her science courses, specifically chemistry. Because of this, she hopes the After School Academy can hire a chemistry teacher one day. Nevertheless, she is grateful for the opportunity to read books on chemistry, physics, and other science-related subjects at the Rutledge Johnson Library, which has become one of her favourite places at the A2S Youth Centre. Despite being unable to afford her own computer and an internet connection, she had access to one at the youth centre, allowing her to develop skills such as creating web pages on WordPress. She is excited about being computer literate while still in secondary school.

After school, Osariemen eagerly rushed to the After School Academy with her friend and schoolmate, Sonia, who is also a senior student there. Upon arriving at 3:20 pm, she took a 5-minute break in her class before heading to the cafeteria with her lunch card to enjoy a meal of hot rice, stew, and boiled eggs. Following lunch, she visited the restroom to freshen up and wash her face in preparation for her classes at the academy. She attended two classes there before leaving at 5:30 pm to return home. By then, her mother had returned from work and begun preparing dinner. Osariemen assisted her with dinner preparations, fetched water for their evening baths, and completed her school assignments. If she had enough energy, she waited for the electricity to be restored at 8:30 pm so she could study until 9:30 pm. Finally, as her siblings were already asleep, she said her night prayers before joining them in bed.

Being the only girl in her family, Osariemen naturally possesses a caring nature. She aspires to become a medical doctor and surgeon with honours from the University of Benin. Her mother remains hopeful that she will achieve her goals in life. Osariemen plans to build medical facilities with subsidized prices to ensure that more people can access quality healthcare. She firmly believed in the power of God and even quoted Exodus 14:14, which says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”

We pray that Osariemen’s life will be a testimony and evidence of God’s goodness.

Your monthly giving and prayers through FaithFuel help so many like Osariemen accomplish their dreams at Access to Success. Thank you!

This month’s story is written from the perspective of Mitchell, our Communications Coordinator in Nigeria. Mitchell writes all of our FaithFuel newsletters. Each month she visits the next family’s home and conducts an interview. A photographer joins her and takes the amazing photos you see in this newsletter and on your FaithFuel cards. Mitchell learns and observes so much while she spends this quality time with our families, we wanted to offer you her direct perspective this month to share a fuller picture.