Children's Centre University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
| Children's Centre University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. |
The Children's Centre is participating with schools around the world in an online global water summit. The 14-week project lets children learn about and find solutions to global issues through communicating online, sending digital photos, accessing video clips, calculating water usage, and sharing ideas and experiences. The project was introduced to us by Ogonna Agu, a former staff child and Children's Centre member who is now teaching in a New York public school.
Merrileas Nursery raises funds for Children's Centre
Children of the Merrileas Nursery of Parkside School, England recently raised fundsfor Children's Centre by designing and making their own Christmas cards. Proceeds of the sales came to 317 pounds sterling. The Children's Centre is very grateful to the children for this laudable effort.
1,400 books donated to school libraries
Primary school libraries in Nsukka recently received a boost when 1,400 books donated by People United for Libraries in Africa were distributed to five schools that have shown outstanding efforts at self-help. A team from Children's Centre held on-the-spot cataloguing sessions to help the schools organize their collections. Recipients included Township II and Agu Achara in Nsukka and schools in the rural communities of Obimo, Nguru, and Nru.
CCL helps schools develop library hour programs
In an encouraging step, the Enugu State Ministry of Education recently approved library hour as part of the primary school timetable. In response the Children's Centre organized a one-day workshop on planning library periods. On January 16, 2008 thirty-five teacher librarians and head teachers from 22 schools in Nsukka Local Government Area met to consider the use of library use instruction, story hour and project work in furthering the aims of education. Resource persons included Prof. Virginia Dike and Dr. Ogo Amucheazi of the Children's Centre Committee, Dr. Nancy Achebe of the University of Nigeria and Dr. Nwana of Nnamdi Azikiwe University , Awka. The Centre also demonstrates the use of library periods during class visits from neighboring schools, like that of Onuiyi pictured here.
Gift from Uju Ubagu Memorial Fund
The Children's Centre family suffered a great loss with the death of one of our children, Uju Ubagu, daughter of our former member Sue Ubagu, in England late in 2006. At the memorial service Sue requested that donations go to benefit the Children's Centre, which played such a positive role in Uju's childhood. The Centre has since received 530 pounds sterling from this memorial fund and another 100 pounds sterling Uju inherited from her grandfather. In recognition of Uju's talents as a musician and composer, these donations will be used to develop the Children's Centre musical programme. Additionally they will be used for artwork in the playground and building. Together we believe these will make a befitting memorial for our beloved daughter Uju.
Tribute to Maria Chukwumah (1931-2007)
The University Women's Association (UWA) deeply mourns the passing of Maria Chukwumah, former Headmistress of the University School and President of UWA from 1977 to 1987, during the crucial formative years of the Children's Centre. It was she who suggested the name “Children's Centre” as an expression of what we were trying to accomplish—a comprehensive child and youth advocacy facility providing a range of educational, developmental and recreational programs. She participated actively in the preparations leading up to the opening of the library, as a leader of the delegation to alumni donors, as chairman of the Implementation Committee constituted to oversee expenditure of development funds, and as a participant in the hand-over of the Madam Hulder Iwuanyanwu Building to the University in 1986. For her many contributions she was honored as a Founding Mother at the Children's Centre Silver Jubilee in May 2004. We will always remember Maria Chukwumah for her strong leadership qualities, her devotion to quality education for children, her commitment to creativity and openness in teaching and learning, for the smile on her face and twinkle in her eye. She made a lasting contribution to the University Women's Association and indeed to the University of Nigeria through her role in developing the Children's Centre.
CCL Mini-Library goes to Abuja
Materials from the Children's Centre Library supported a workshop exploring the role of school libraries in the basic education programme. The workshop, organized by UNN's Department of Library and Information Science for the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), attracted participants from all over the federation to Abuja from September 18-22, 2007. The Children's Centre supplied extensive book and bulletin board displays to support sessions on resources for learning, project work and reading promotion.
Prison Library at Awka starts examination classes
Inmates at Awka Prison have begun preparing for standard examinations at junior secondary and primary school level. Classes are based in the library started as an outreach program of the Children's Centre. At present 8 inmates are preparing for the junior secondary school exams and 8 others are preparing for primary school equivalency exams. There is a long waiting list, but only this number can presently be accommodated in the small space available.
The Nigerian Television Authority visited the Children's Centre on May 19, 2007 to film a reading picnic. This took place through the good offices of Tony Alum, a reading consultant (see www.ivoryreader.org ) and graduate of the Department of Library and Information Science. The program features an interview about the Children's Centre, scenes of children reading in the library, an outdoor story hour for younger children, older children reading and playing table tennis outside, and a discussion on reading.
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