Wheels in Nigeria 2018: Day 3
A Wheels team of ten people are hard at work in Nigeria this week - they'll be there from the 14th to the 24th November, and we'll bring you stories from their trip as often as the internet connection allows. Please keep praying for them as they work! Today, the team divided into two, with one group taking a rest day, while the others visited the annual national conference of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone) Foundation of Nigeria. You can read each group's blog reports below...
Day 3 blog from Martin
Rest day. After some confusion with breakfast we managed toast eggs coffee and tea cereal without bowls then bowls then milk all back to front order. Juice arrived when we had finished everything else. However all were well fed and satisfied. Sally and Beth got away first to join Tarela at her conference while the rest of us took the minibus to downtown Lagos Island for an orientation experience!
After 45 minutes and a million people we arrived downtown. Huge contrast from street markets in our area to high rise offices and banks in the city. First stop Nike Art gallery full of contemporary works, sculptures made from anything from car tyres to large colourful paintings of people and streetscapes. Good guided tour with introduction from young prolific artist whose work was being hung. Inspirational works full of optimism and hope for a better future for his country.
On then to a tropical park experience at Lekki conservation centre. Cat walk through swamp with monkeys and warnings of snakes and crocodiles. Very green and lush with a climb at the end 75 ft up to a tree house.
Lunch at a chicken parlour on the way back to central Lagos and eventually to our hotel by tea time. Tomorrow is Sunday and a special Thanksgiving Service. We have all been given Nigerian costumes so that we won’t “stand out”.
Day 3 blog from Sally and Beth.
Today was the annual national conference of the Osteogenesis Imperfecta(brittle bone) Foundation of Nigeria which was founded by Tarela Asanti who is one of our partners in Nigeria. Beth and I had the privilege of attending the conference on behalf of the UK team. The conference was very well attended by families who are affected by children with OI. Government officials and local tribal chiefs also attended. A local king sent his apologies but did send someone to represent him. We were very warmly welcomed and enjoyed the talks as well as meeting all the families. One mother had travelled for four hours by bus with her four year old son who has OI. She was struggling to cope with the condition and had come to meet other families with children who have OI.
