I am a resident of Awka, and for almost two years now, I have toed the popular Regina Caeli Junction in Awka Anambra State.Each time I crossed pass the ever busy Expressway, I encountered a teenager,with big swollen head covered with boils , (Chibuzor) who created a bridge to enable people cross to the other side of the road, instead of trekking the long distance to follow the main flyover at the Unizik junction. Sometimes, he demanded for money and even got into fights with some pedestrians who wouldn’t give him money. Hmmm… I once had a quarrel with him too..hahaha..because there was little or no money in my purse to give the young boy that day.Thank God I was rescued by a good Samaritan who gave him fifty Naira on my behalf. Anyways, after that incident, I became so emotionally attached to his ordeal, he was always there from the morning hours when people hurry to their workplaces and back in the evenings.Which clearly stated that, he was not enrolled in school, he hardly ate good food, he most times got beaten by some pedestrians who for one reason or the other feel they wont give him any money.
I pitied him dearly and sometimes I voluntarily gave him the little I had but he never had smiles on his face.Oh! I wished he smiled. Recently, I noticed Chibuzor was no longer at his artificially created bridge,what could have happened to him?I wondered…
To my greatest surprise, this morning I stumbled into a story while surfing the net ,there, I saw pictures of ”Chibuzor” as he is fondly called, smiling…I wondered,what could have made him smile…Read the story below of how some Young people encountered him….
I met this 13yr old boy ‘Chibuzor’ when I moved down to Awka 3weeks ago, I was passing through Regina Caeli Junction Awka when I saw the young lad for the first time as he created a bridge with a long wood that enables pedestrians around the junction cross through the busy expressway without having to go round using the provided bridge at the next junction… HE USES THIS MEDIUM TO BEG ALMS IN RETURN.
I was attracted by his swollen face, big lumps all over his head, reddish looking eyes balls that you can hardly identify the pupil, swollen lips and his haggard looks, he does this during school hours exposed to the hazards of the high way.
I visited him at the junction for 3cdays consecutively with my friend and brother Udozor Chikezie and it took 3 days of chats, laughter and playing together for him to trust us and muster enough courage to tell us about his background, why he’s not in school and why he’s doing what he’s does.
He was born that way with the lumps and swells all over his head from a mother with a worse condition and three other younger ones, the Father’s condition I won’t talk about here but their story is indeed too much for a 13 year old to carry on his shoulders… The little money he makes from what he does sustains the family with the little his mother makes from doing menial jobs in the village, no one would hire her for a good paying job cos of fears of the boils and lumps all over her body, most fear it must be communicable. It’s really a terrible situation. We have been there, seen and can’t keep watching the young chap suffer with his family while his mates are in school.
Because you can’t see people suffer and do nothing… The young lad has been registered back in school and will start with other pupils next term… A shop has been secured for the mother courtesy of my beautiful sister and friend Wendy Eyisi, she’s been empowered to start a small scale grocery store courtesy of my brother my friend Kingsley Youngest Arafat. I know you don’t want these mentioned my sis, and bro but we keep bringing this out for humanity.
May God’s blessings never leave your household for being a blessing to this family. Let’s keep winning! Blessings to our boys Lee Munati and Chukwunonso Charles Ofodum for moving along with me yesterday.I heart Ya’ll.
Source:#RocFoundation
(…Young People Inspiring Humanity)