LAPTOPS NEEDED!

Our high school in Ogun State, Friends and Neighbors High School, is in dire need of about 6 used laptops. Phyllis will be able to carry these home with her, if you can get them to us by the end of August! If you are able, mail used laptops to our Treasurer, Don Standley at 1010 Silver Springs Way, Stanwood, WA 98292. OR if you're on our tour route this summer, we will be happy to accept them in person! Thank you so much!

Persecution Continues! UG!

I (Carisa, SFA Secretary) am about to share TWO stories of really horrible persecution of the Fulani in Nigeria. Before I do, I want us all to remember something that Phyllis said this week. She said, "GOD LOVES THE FULANI, AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!" This has been SO ENCOURAGING to me. It's TRUE! God loves the Fulani more than we do. God is FOR THEM, and He is making a way for them. Despite the ongoing challenges, the many delays and terrifying frustrations, God is FOR THEM. Schools For Africa will persevere in love, because of the mighty love of God, and in His mighty STRENGTH we WLL CONTINUE!

Please be praying for us, and for our dear Fulani, as you read of these events.

Peace Village

Peace Village, Ogun State is a beautiful place on a river, with our ONLY circular school. Phyllis lives here year-round, and enjoys the school and many Fulani families who live (IN PEACE) all around.

From Phyllis: While we were in Port Harcourt last week (NEXT STORY), news came that police had come to Peace Village, closed the school and ordered the staff to pack up and leave. Apparently there was a kidnapping case where two Fulani were arrested and their weapons were seized. This incident was NOT ON OR EVEN NEAR OUR LAND!

I called the assistant to the Kabiyesi, the traditional ruler of the area. The Kabiyesi is the one who invited us to this area. He signed an agreement with SFA for the school. I made an appointment to see him as soon as possible, and left immediately for Ogun State.  

Upon arrival, we collected Head Master Peter, Principal Ojo, Ubong, Sariki Bature and Haruna and went to the Kabiyesi's palace. We met the Kabiyesi and his assistant in a hall filled with over 20 Yoruba chiefs. I cannot express how awful it was. It was the same old story. The Fulani are all bad. You must permanently close down the school. Send all the Fulani out of the area. You're harboring criminals in your school, and using the school as a hideout and base for their criminal activities.  

Can you imagine??

One Yoruba pastor shouted right into Sariki Bature's face.  "You are a bad person. You must be stopped. Get out of our land." It was heartbreaking. 

We defended our Fulani people, the school, the staff. No law has ever been broken on SFA land. No criminal activity has ever happened there. The debate went on for hours. Principal Ojo and HM Peter lay face down on the floor before the king, begging him to keep the school open. After all, it was not our Fulani families who had been involved in this matter. We left the palace with no final decision. 

The next day, we went to the District Police Headquarters, gathered the police, and went back to the palace. After much talk, Kabiyesi acknowledged that there had never been an incident involving any Fulani at Peace Village. He acknowledged that we had submitted to him a detailed list, names of all the families and their children living on SFA land and attending school. He agreed to our suggestion that we visit and photograph every family again, updating the list, getting parents' thumbprints. We agreed that if we found people living on SFA land who did not have children in our school, we would ask them to leave immediately. 

Kabiyesi said if we did this, and submitted lists to him, the police and local Yoruba chief, that we could reopen the school. Head Master Peter, with Sariki Bature and Haruna, began the house to house visits early the next morning. 

We gathered all the Fulani heads of families and had a serious talk with them about the importance of safeguarding our village and school. On their part, they should report any strangers entering our land; no new people wanting to bring their children to school should settle there without following the due process of registration and reporting to the Kabiyesi. 

Pray for us. Pray for our Fulani people. Pray for the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of these non-Fulani and let them treat the Fulani as equals, as friends - with love and understanding. This is so terrible. God, save Nigeria. 

UPDATE: HM Peter has updated and submitted to the Kabiyesi the records of all the Fulani families at Peace Village. We're now waiting for them to approve the reopening of the school.  

GOD LOVES THE FULANI AND THATS ALL THAT MATTERS!

The Port Harcourt Saga CONTINUES...

From Phyllis 6/26: The Local Government Area Chairman called a meeting with us this afternoon. He didn't tell us he'd invited all the chiefs, traditional rulers, everyone he could think of who HATE the Fulani. The speakers' table seated about 15 of them. The hall itself held over 300 people, all from the Sogho community - all haters of the Fulani. It was horrible. One after the other the speakers stood, shouting against our project, swearing they would never let us start. They brought the 300 to the boiling point, shouting, 

"Do we want this NGO in our community?"

"NO!!" roared the 300.

"Do we want Fulani to settle here?"

"NO!!" 

And on and on it went. I cannot describe how really evil this was. We got up and left. We drove straight to the Department of Security Services office where we met with Samuel, the security officer we've been working with. I described to him the fiasco that was the 'meeting'. Then I asked Samuel the crucial question. "Who has the greater authority - the DSS or the LGA Chairman?"

"The law of Nigeria," he answered. "And we, the DSS , are here to uphold that law. You bought the land legally. The law says you have the right to enter and develop your land. And I, representing DSS and the law, give you FULL permission to do so!! You may start today!"

Wheee!!! Praise God! Praise God! It is a huge answer to prayer. I am so, so thankful. 

We won't do any work on the land for now - not until things calm down. Even then, we may want to do things differently. Mogodi has taken his cows to another state, where he'll keep them until things are more stable. I'm going to spend time with Mogodi and his family tomorrow or Monday; it will be good to discuss the whole situation with him, as he wasn't present at the Chairman's meeting. 

Monday our surveyor will do the final survey, removing the 18 hectares that was illegally sold to us and adding back 18 hectares that are valid.

We will wait and see how God leads us. We will not put one foot out ahead of Him. He will lead us!