Forgotten Faces of Nigeria
Terry Sebastian
A Morgue for the Living
Forgotten, alone and confused at the end of a life lived.The wards at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Umauhia are jammed with patients. Concerned loved ones peer through windows from outside like they are watching a bad movie.
The women's ward is dark, foul, grimy and filled with many young women. Some of them are already dead. An elderly woman lies on the floor, because there are no beds left. A young woman clings to life. Beside her a mother watches her daughter gasping for air, on sheets [...]
Closing in on the Niger Delta
Nigeria Rising: growing stronger in the face of despairity.
Abia State in the southeastern region is about 4.2 million people and has grown rapidly since its creation in 1991. Even though it is a stone's throw away from the turbulent Niger Delta region, it is one of the more peaceful areas of Nigeria. It has been a haven for foreign investment. Due to large oil deposits and ease of manufacturing: cashews, rubber, cocoa, and coconut are produced in large quantities here.
The group was taken directly [...]
The End of the Earth
Forgotten faces from the "End of the Earth" are not just AIDS orphans; many are also innocent victims of war.
As of 2008, PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, America's initiative to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic has supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 2.1 million men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS around the world and it was inspiring to see one of these clinics operating smoothly. The infected individuals must travel vast distances [...]
Nigeria, will rock your world.
Another day and the team from Canada is exhausted but patient as they realize the necessity of meeting with another Government Official regarding their mission.
It's Nutrition Day at the Lifeline Plus Foundation in Enugu, Nigeria. It only happens once a month. Kids and their caregivers are supported with food and today the team from Canada will add music and art programming, medical consultations and counseling.
It is hot and humid and I setup my instruments in a tiny room, dividing 70 curious kids [...]
Top of the HIll in Enugu State, Nigeria
An entire generation of parents may have been wiped out by Aids in West Africa, leaving Grandparents to step in and help raise families.
On the bus ride from Kogi to Enugu, the landscape changes gradually from tropical rain forest to open wood-land then eventually to savannah. To entertain myself on the long bus ride, I resort to watching obsolete African soap operas. However, they are loud and in your face and unpleasant to my ears. Luckily I have my Ipod. So I turn it on and try not to notice [...]
