Celebrating the abundance of an American Thanksgiving hits a little different when you live in sub-Saharan Africa (the 20 poorest countries in the world are in sub-Saharan Africa, google it!). So in the spirit of Thanksgiving this year, we would like to share 10 amazing things we are thankful for in Nigeria.
We are thankful for all our donors who have supported the work this year, because you have literally made all this possible for the kids. We appreciate both our American donors and Nigerian donors who have made the work possible. Each dollar has translated to HUGE CHANGES here in Kano for the kids! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We are thankful for our 80 plus kids who have received play and physical therapy. The work these little guys do is so hard and courageous. They are learning to talk, to sit, to walk, to play, to read and do basic math! They have made so much progress.
We are thankful for our new home and office to house all of Shield City activities. The stability and energy of this old space offer so much strength to our programs.
We are thankful for all of the new students that we have coming to the center each week, so we can provide education to their parents and caretakers with evidence-based tips for special needs disabilities, like autism and cerebral palsy.
We are thankful for the ability to provide urgent care for these families with donated malnutrition mixes, medical support, mosquito nets and cloth diapers. Because of donors like you, we’ve raised 50 cans of malnutrition mix for kids with cerebral palsy, medical aid for 20 kids, mosquito nets for 20 kids, and cloth diapers for 20 babies/toddlers. Amazing!!
We are thankful for all the small businesses that our soccer team has been able to start. We are thankful to see many of their businesses thriving. Many of our 17 or 18 year old soccer athletes feed and fund their many siblings from their daily earnings from these small businesses, and they WORK SO HARD.
We are thankful for international opportunities that continue to open up for our boys in soccer, which include 2nd division teams in Nigeria and exposure to talent agents from Europe and Northern Africa. We are hopeful that opportunities will continue to open and we will see more progress in their football careers in 2025.
We are thankful for the educational opportunities the soccer players have been able to pursue this past year. Many are continuing with computer sciences degrees and university, a fantastic blessing for boys raised in the ghettos of Kano.
We are thankful for all our Nigerian staff who work and volunteer at the Shield. We have physical therapists, soccer athletes, mothers, guards, Nigerian donors, and American donors who work so hard each week. There is so much joy in seeing others learn to love kids with special needs so well!!
We are thankful for all of the laughter and smiles we see on the faces of the kids at the Shield. It’s so sweet to watch the little 2- or 3- year olds make friends and play. The Happy Birthday party we threw for all the center children earlier this year- with cupcakes, hats and a big meal- just warmed their little hearts. Love that!
We are so thankful for all of you who have made things possible at the Shield this past year. All of the kids send a huge thanks from our tiny babies to our young adults. We are thankful for each of you and your love and support! Please keep our little guys in your thoughts this holiday season.
Love,
Director Laura Sharpe
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