17 Sep New School Location for the Real Mercy School in Lagos, Nigeria
Our first location for the Real MERCY School in Okobaba, one of the poorest floating communities in the world, was in a danger zone, at an intersection between natural disasters – a fire and flood zone – and constant flareups of street violence. When a fire burned down a section of the neighborhood, including a wall next to the school, the leadership team knew they needed to start looking for a new place to move their school for the safety of their students.
Luckily, they were able to locate a new building a short walk away that was in a safer and more secure area.
New School Renovation and Reconstruction
The new site, an old abandoned school building, was much larger and included an outdoor area surrounded by a perimeter wall, however it was in urgent need of major repairs, renovations, and reconstruction.
Reconstruction began on the perimeter wall surrounding the school. The entire wall was resurfaced on both sides, and a storage area was added behind the school.
A 60 foot bore hole water well that feeds an above ground water tank was also dug and constructed behind the school to provide the facility with fresh water for plumbing.
Eight bathrooms total were constructed, four inside the school and four behind the building, along with fresh water sinks for handwashing and hygiene.
Inside the building, eight classrooms (up from 4 classrooms at the old location), an office and a kitchen area were added. All outfitted with new ceilings with electric installation for lights and fans.
Once construction was complete, the classrooms, building, and perimeter walls were painted with fun bright colors and educational images.
The classrooms were then furnished with desks, chairs, and whiteboards. And with that…
Success!
The school was complete! And ready for the students to officially move in to start their second term of the year in the new building!
The start of term, on May 10th 2021, was a celebratory event! MercyWorldWide’s International Directors Nick and Denise Bordieri flew in for the ribbon cutting of the new school, and were joined by Mercy WorldWide Nigeria Director Tony Adamu along with the school’s headmasters Biodun and Yewande.
After the opening ceremony, the children were excited to begin classes in their new school rooms.
In addition to the renovated building, our organization also helped provide a new program to the school; free daily school lunches for the students and teachers!
As the school term has progressed, the teachers have noticed that the children (Grades 1-4) are more focused in class now that they are fueled by a school meal.
We could not be more thrilled to see the positive impact the new school and meal program has had on the students of The Real Mercy School! We are committed to ensuring their continued success for years to come.
“MERCYWORLDWIDE is very grateful for the partnership with The Wong Foundation, whose financial support has made The Real MERCY School Project a reality.”
– Mercy WorldWide Team
In 2020, the MERCYWORLDWIDE and The Wong Foundation leadership teams met to discuss specific plans for projects to help those less fortunate across the globe, including The Real MERCY School in Okobaba, Nigeria. (Left to right – Yelena Astanin/MERCY Global Administrator; Kip McKean/World Missions Evangelist of the International Christian Church and MERCY Chairman; Elena McKean/World Missions Women’s Leader of the International Christian Church and MERCY Board Member; Barry Brown, Chief Science Officer/BAXCO Pharmaceutical; Dennis Wong, Founder & Board Chairman/The Wong Foundation; Mark Alexander, Executive Director/The Wong Foundation; Jennifer DePlanche, Social Media Manager/The Wong Foundation; Denise Bordieri, MERCY VP of Operations; Nick Bordieri, MERCY Executive Director)
If you would like to get involved in our work at the school, follow the link below to our GoFundMe page for this project.
Thank you,
Wong Foundation
More information on the school’s relocation and renovation can be found on Mercy WorldWide’s website at https://mercyworldwide.org/2021/05/25/mercy-special-report-5-16-21/