An Educational Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Jennifer Abubakar Abena’

Jennifer Abubakar Abena, 32 and her father Magudo, 56 are owe their local fame to their fund raising work and success in rejuvenating their village. The village—previously a center of corruption in a barren terrain—is now a prospering town with bustling shops and businesses, run by local people. Funds of almost $30,000 have been attained over the last 3 years and this area is a now tiny cosmopolitan metropolis.

Jennifer Abubakar Abena told us “We have progressed so far in the last three years and the changes are amazing. This was once a corrupt village which had only 80 people living here. Today, the population has expanded and we now have 862 people in the town. The school has between the ages of 5 and 16 and we are hoping to build a college nearby. We funded the start-up businesses here too, which are thriving and earning us money. We built 200 new houses and we are planning a further 150 in the coming months. All the houses are low rent properties which give people a foot on the ladder. We are immensely proud of the town now and the main road runs to the next town and has improved transport links to major cities. We have law and order and very little crime here because people choose to live as a community and  help each other. It is a very special time for us.”

Her father also added “We have worked tremendously hard to accomplish this project and we hope that people enjoy living here and working here.”

The hospital recently went through an expansion project, adding two further wards and an additional operating theater, making a total of three. Doctors, nurses and admin staff now flock to work here, where previously, there were no jobs. Stall and shop owners employ people from the local areas and restaurants are bloated with patrons. This is a great success story.

When we visited this once corrupt village over a year ago, we were in the middle of a construction site. The hospital had been completed and was serving both local residents and people from more than 20 miles away. The new school was filled to bursting with eager new pupils and the fresh-water purification plant was still under construction. What a difference a year makes. Taking a look around, we see that the school’s new extension wing has been finished and is now capable of housing 8 classrooms for over 250 pupils. New teachers have been brought in to educate the students—ranging from ages 5-16—and the school has a waiting list.

The team responsible for this success are Jennifer Abubakar Abena and Magudo Abubakar Abena. Jennifer Abubakar Abena, 30, and her father, 54, have been staunchly raising funds for more than two years to get this project to completion stage. Their main goal has been to revitalize their village and improve its economic prospects.

Speaking to us about the projects, Jennifer Abubakar Abena said, “This has been the most exciting time of my life. My father and I have worked extremely hard to make this work and the kind generosity of people from all over the world has made this possible. The hospital is now busy we’re adding a new section and have purchased a car to transport people for further away. The water cleansing facility has made a big impact on the health of the villagers and the school has more than 250 pupils—an amount we never could have foreseen. We are no longer a corrupt society here and we intend to wipe out corruption totally.”

The village has also begun work on new houses for residents who wish to live there and new shops have started sprouting up too. Soon, this sleepy, under-developed village will become a major thriving town to be proud of.