Overview

Malcolm X once said “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” City of Joy International School in Kogi State, Nigeria. embodies our vision to prepare a generation of students to become leaders in the global community.

The vision of City of Joy International School was birthed from a trip to Egbe, a small village in Kogi State Nigeria. Egbe is a special place that is home to approximately 28,600 people.The peaceful atmosphere has earned it the nickname as the Jerusalem of Nigeria. Residents are warm and friendly. Evidence of their loving nature is illustrated by how they greet each other and visitors.  It’s also illustrated by how quickly residents are willing to take from their limited resources to give to others.

Most villagers own their own business selling a variety of goods. Although the people of Egbe are hard working, the average family of four survives on  just $1800-$3600 per year. School fees are about $450 per year for primary school and $540 per year for secondary school per child. The average family in Egbe has at least 2 children so this means they would have to spend at least $900- $1620, almost 45% – 50% of their income, per year on just school fees. This extreme financial cost is one that many families simply cannot afford to pay.

Despite the financial burden, most residents believe that an education is the only way their children will have a chance at having a successful life, therefore they sacrifice what they have to enroll their children in school.

When you visit a public school in Egbe Nigeria you will find a few overcrowded classrooms in buildings that are in need of a lot of physical repair. Students learn in classrooms with collapsing ceilings and seated at uncomfortable splinter-filled wooden desks and chairs. The students do not have access to text-books, a library, computers, or even a playground. The average student does not have an opportunity to use a computer until their senior year of high school when they have to fill out college applications. Students at public schools in Egbe often have their education interrupted due to frequent teacher strikes because the government does not consistently pay the teachers’ salaries.

Our Vision

Parents in Egbe have a big problem when it comes to educating their children and we want the City of Joy International School to be the solution.

We, the visionaries of City of Joy International School, have personally been afforded opportunities to walk through great doors because we have had a good education, and we want the children of Egbe to have that same opportunity.  We have invested $52,900 of our personal funds to begin the project. With that money we were able to purchase 2 acres of land to build the school on, begin constructing the school buildings, and purchase a mini-van to assist with transporting staff who will work in the school back and forth from their homes to the campus.

Our vision is to create a campus environment that is inspirational, and motivates students to become lifelong learners. Students will have access to new desks and chairs, textbooks, library books, computers, a playground and a gymnasium where students can learn about physical education and play sports like basketball. We know that a facility like this will not only attract students from Egbe, but also neighboring communities, so we are also constructing dorms to lodge students who live in the neighboring villages while they are matriculating at City of Joy.

At City of Joy International School students will not only receive an excellent academic education that meets national standards, but they will also receive the character education required to mold the hearts and minds of the next generation of leaders. We are prioritizing character education in addition to standard academic coursework  because we believe it is important to educate students in a way that fosters civic, good mannered, healthy and successful individuals.

To do this we will utilize a curriculum and extra-curricular activities that teach students about social and emotional health, respect, responsibility, integrity and perseverance.

Impact

Officials from Kogi State have come for an early inspection of the work done so far, and have stated how excited they are that a project like this has begun in Egbe. They have seen the potential impact that a quality educational facility can have in the community. Besides providing students with access to a quality education the addition of a new school will be an economic stimulus to the community by offering jobs to local villagers, and also attracting visitors from nearby towns who will patronize local merchants.