Dear Friends of A2S,
As we reflect on the season of Thanksgiving, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your support of Access to Success and our mission to create positive change for Nigerian children and their communities.
Blessing and Dorothy are two A2S Scholars. They come from similar humble backgrounds, share aspirations of becoming medical doctors, and have both taken unique paths through A2S to work towards accomplishing these dreams. Blessing was 8 years old when she joined the After School Academy and has been with us almost since day 1. Dorothy joined the A2S Scholars program in Nigeria at the age of 16.
Blessing is the daughter of a mechanic. Dorothy’s father is a teacher and her mother is a trader. From an early age, both Blessing and Dorothy knew that being a doctor would not only allow them to serve their community but it also would provide stability for their families. Growing up, Blessing went so far as to warn her father that he should save money for university, because she was going to become a doctor. Dorothy knew that she would have to find exceptional opportunities for her parents to be able to send her and her two siblings to college. Both families were worried about access to necessary resources to further their ambitious children’s educations, which is where Access to Success was able to bridge the gap. When Blessing began the After School Academy, she quickly became a star student. Dorothy, meanwhile, is now poised to be our first A2S Medical Doctor at the young age of 23.
Both scholars have a deep rooted desire to be servant leaders in their communities. Blessing and her family have experienced loss, which has fueled her passion to support other families facing similar challenges. Dorothy has shown no less determination. In addition to clinical work, she wants to advance to a leadership role in administration to affect policy changes in Nigerian healthcare because of the lapses in the healthcare system.
So many gaps were bridged for Dorothy so she could choose her path to living out her life’s purpose. As Dorothy nears the end of her educational journey, we are amazed to see the agency she has developed to choose her career path. We are so excited to see her go off into the world, live out her life’s purpose, and create change for the better.
For Blessing, gaps are being bridged each day through A2S, her host family, and the Covenant Day School community so she can discover her passions and develop the agency she needs to find her purpose. In her short time in Matthews, NC, she has already discovered a love of sports (catch her on the Field Hockey pitch or out on the track!), made new connections, and found academic success. Can you imagine what the future might hold for Blessing? We can’t wait to find out.
For kids like Dorothy who have reached the end of their educational journeys and for kids like Blessing who are just getting started, thank you for helping A2S make the long-term investment necessary to ensure they live out their dreams. We ask that you prayerfully consider contributing to our end of year campaign and helping us bridge more gaps for children and youth like Blessing and Dorothy in Nigeria.
With Gratitude and Warm Wishes,
