St Louise's Inclusive School in Nigeria, access to quality education, including for disabled children.

Founded in 1983, Louise's Inclusive School is run by the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, under the supervision of the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Ikot Ekpene in southern Nigeria.  

In response to urgent educational needs in the region, the school was expanded in 2010 to accommodate children from poor families as well as disabled children. 

“Inclusive education aims to increase the enrolment of all students, regardless of differences in age, gender, ethnicity, language, and especially to Integrate children with disabilities.”  

“In Nigeria, lack of infrastructure, cultural beliefs, limited parental involvement, stigmatization and lack of qualified staff are a hindrance to the schooling of disabled children. This deprives them of good social interaction with their peers and hampers their communication and relationships with people.” Sr Joyce Celestine

Thanks to St Louise's Inclusive School, 116 young people with mild to severe disabilities (hearing, intellectual or physical impairments, behavioral deficits, autism) have access to education, out of a total of 205 students from kindergarten to secondary school. 

"Awareness of inclusive education has brought about a positive change in the community: it has helped to reduce stigma and exclusion, abuse, exploitation, child labor” Sr Joyce Celestine

“Students, whatever their differences, are happy together in the school; they look forward to learning and playing together, as the management and staff work tirelessly to create an environment conducive to learning.”  

 “In addition to theory courses, our students can also take courses in baking and confectionery, knitting and sewing, beards and hairdressing, art, and basic computer use.”  Sr Joyce Celestine

A sustainable development project: fish farming and solar energy 

Constrained by scarce resources, schools have to struggle to find the means to continue offering quality education, provide basic school materials and equipment, and operate at low cost.

“Many of our students live in broken or poor homes, and some families can no longer afford to pay for their children's schooling"

"Inflation, rising fuel prices and economic difficulties have also taken their toll on the school's finances, which can no longer cope with the number of children sponsored"

“So we decided to create 3 fish ponds and buy 2,000 baby fish”.  Sr Joyce Celestine

After completing a 6-month training course in fish farming, the young students and their families will be able to sell the fish on the market; the school's boarders will be able to finance part of their school fees, while benefiting from a more nutritious diet.

To compensate for the lack of electricity in the region, a solar lighting system will also be installed, which is less expensive in terms of fuel and maintenance costs. 

It will supply water to the fish pond via overhead tanks, as well as providing a good electrical connection to the school. 

“Once the panels and batteries have been installed, we'll be able to set up a computer room equipped with 3 desktop computers and a laptop. These digital tools will be made available to around a hundred students, disabled or not.”

 Your support helps provide access to education for all children, without distinction.

Un grand merci !