How We Started…
We started as a single donation to help a school in Garam, Nigeria, the home area of Father Kizito Okhouya who has been a priest in the Omaha Archdiocese since 2004.
When Father Kizito went home to visit in 2009, he brought that financial gift, which turned into desks for the St. Joseph School in Garam. He shot a thank-you video at the Nigeria school to show parishioners in Omaha the impact of their gift. It created the first bonds between the people in Garam and those in Omaha.
Two years later, he hosted the first mission trip, bringing six others to Nigeria for 12 days. They carried 14 pieces of luggage filled with school and medical supplies. A project began to build four new classrooms. When the missioners returned, an official organization was formed, Hope Connecting Hearts Nigeria.
Why It’s Important…
Father Kizito Okhouya, who is the driving force behind Hope Connecting Hearts Nigeria was one of those Nigerian children. He escaped poverty through education. With him we are hoping to provide the opportunity for education for more children.
What We Do…
We are building an organization that can construct schools for children in rural Nigeria. To date, as we’ve worked in two areas, enrollment has grown substantially. In one school that previously had fewer than 80 students, there are now more than 400.
We are working with communities of people who are investing their efforts with us. There are parent teacher organizations that make sure the project produces results for their children.
We are building classrooms, libraries, lunch programs, providing clean water and restrooms. We are bringing books and building bonds with people half way around the world.
In the future we’ll tackle the teacher shortage by building teacher residences near the schools. Better educated young people can make good decisions that pull them from the grip of poverty and point them in the direction of opportunity.
