“If I win, you have to make me a promise, ok?” Abiola earnestly says to me as we sit on
the playground playing tic-tac-toe.
 

“It depends on the promise,” I respond with a smile.
 

“If I win, you have to promise to be my friend forever,” she says.

Caught by surprise, I look up at 11-year-old Abiola, staring straight in my eyes. My immature and self-absorbed 7th-grade self would never have believed that four years later, I would have created such a unique bond through Saturday mornings with Abiola. When I originally began tutoring African Refugees, I expected to teach math and grammar during my allotted time slot and then dive back into my usual routine of homework, gossip, and picking out my next outfit. 
 

What I didn’t expect when driving to a run-down church in the inner city was that I was going to create some of my deepest relationships in high school. It’s ironic how sometimes when you think you are going to do something to help someone else, it turns out the opposite, and they are the ones who end up helping you.
 

The students whom I tutor have an outlook on learning that I had never seen before, especially my dear friend Abolia. She has an eagerness to learn, which is inspiring to me. Instead of approaching word problems or reading work as a chore, she possesses an attitude and eagerness I had never seen before in any student. Her positivity is contagious. 

While practicing math problems one day, I asked her where exactly in Africa she was from. I had a pit in my stomach as I drove home that day. She told me that she hasn’t seen her mom since she immigrated from Nigeria at age 4-years-old, seven years ago. She matter-of-factly explains that her dad brought her to the states so that she could live a better life. Trying to raise her mood, I describe all the countries we will travel to together when we’re older. Her eyes lit up when she said, Let’s go to Nigeria, then I can finally hug my mom!
 

Abolia and other children have taught me that the things that I take for granted are actually blessings, even though I did nothing to deserve them. My relationship with Abolia led me to take a step back and reassess not only my friendships, but also how I approach learning.
 

Rather than looking at my precalculus as a laborious chore, I’ve found myself being grateful for my opportunities and appreciating the journey of learning rather than just the grade at the end. This experience has also expanded my lenses on multiculturalism. Our different backgrounds have led us to  enriched conversations and bonded us on a deeper level. Though our day-to-day lives feel very  different in some ways, as we laugh over a game of Uno during our break, our lives feel more similar than ever. 
 

Yet, as I research Nigeria and other periphery countries, I realize that these children are deeply suffering. In Sierra Leone, ⅓ children under the age of 5 are malnourished, with almost 100 child deaths per 1000 births. Sierra Leone’s literacy rate is under 50%, and communicable diseases (malaria is the single biggest killer) are the highest cause of death. 

When I clicked on the Develop Africa link, I realized that there are ways to help. It is important to raise awareness and provide support. Develop Africa educates the people of Sierra Leone in vocational skills ranging from sewing and cooking, to computer literacy and how to start a successful business.
 

While Develop Africa’s goal is to educate the citizens, it prioritizes the health and quality of life for the suffering people. A healthy mind and body is the means of success, which is why Develop Africa focuses on helping to prevent Malaria, an illness plaguing sub-saharan Africa. 


Finally, Develop Africa shapes the future for kids through education. As Nelson Mandela, activist and first president of South Africa says, “Education is the most powerful weapon.” In a society where women’s rights are extremely limited, education to empower women to be employed and find  independence is fundamental. 

As sweet Abolia grows smarter with more independent thinking every time I see her, the life of opportunity for her grows. Develop Africa focuses on doing the same in less privileged African countries, and works to provide them a life of opportunity.
 

“You don’t need to win for me to promise you that we will be friends forever,” I told her.

Virginia
September 2024

Photo: Girl in Sierra Leone.  Not Abiola