What they wrote

Here are some of the testimonies from Tuesday's BRICC lunch.  I've left the unmistakable Nigerian voices to speak as they were written.  The overwhelming theme is love.

I am very happy that BRICC is in my life because in BRICC I learn many things like education, peace and also I learn how to speak English.  I teach people about loving each other.  BRICC is doing a good job, also bringing peace and happiness to my family and community.  Many people have learned peace education, maths and English who in our community have not done anything in the community.

Thanks very much.

Alhaji Jakubu Ibrahim

I first of all am enjoying the visit to my sister’s home.

I wish BRICC long life and progress throughout Nigeria and I wish BRICC would extend its programme through the Unity Fitness Centre.  Thank you.

Baba Saidu Abdullah

BRICC is a wonderful organisation.  BRICC forward ever and backward never.

Please try to market our programme, especially the skills for women’s empowerment.

Coach Musa

I really don’t know how to say this but first of all I thank God for BRICC.  I like what they are doing in Jos and for us.  May God give them the strength to do more than this.  I am very happy working for BRICC and my family are happy for me.  God bless BRICC and everybody in BRICC.  Peace to Jos.  Peace to Plateau State.  Peace to BRICC.

 Naomi Zang

BRICC has done a lot in my life. 

BRICC has made me know who I am.

BRICC has brought out of me what I didn’t know I had inside.

BRICC has brought happiness into my life and family.

BRICC has made me know what I didn’t know.

BRICC has made me meet different people.

I don’t know what to say but one thing I always say is, God bless BRICC and I thank God for bringing me to BRICC and the people of BRICC.  God bless you all.

 Veronica

BRICC is a one in a million organisation, NGO built on genuine love for human cohabitation.  It embodies people from all races and countries across the globe.  I am most appreciative of being part and parcel of the organisation in that it brings to mind the limitations of human differences.  BRICC has given me reasons to look beyond myself, my disturbances, to look beyond “me” and transplant these values to my neighbour to bring peace to Jos as a whole.

I love the people in BRICC.  I love BRICC.

 Thompson Onazi 

BRICC has taught me love in action, not just a verbal proclamation of it.  Through BRICC I have eschewed the mutual suspicion I formerly had.  BRICC has taught me that people deserve to be loved regardless of their religion, ethnic and racial background.  I don’t need anybody’s permission to love them.

Ponsah

 

BRICC has really touched lives, especially those at the grass roots.  Some of the young participants in the sports academy programme said they never thought they could come together to shake hands, play, laugh and even do activities together but through BRICC they have achieved all that.  Sometimes the kids call and ask why the sports department is not functioning which I have to answer that it’s due to the lack of funds.  You won’t believe what they say.  They wish the eyes of the Nigerian and Plateau State government would open to support the sports programme.

 Monday

  

Coming in contact with BRICC has made so much difference in me.  It has given me a platform to explore my talents further and express myself.

I’ve also met wonderful people: Vero, Ponsah, Yilgi, Coach, Monday, Alhaji, Thompson, Joseph, Dawn, Ruth, Saddiq, everybody including Toby!  I am a happy person!

 Iliyasu

If anyone feels inspired to support the work of BRICC, perhaps sponsoring the women's or education programmes or supplying funds to restart the sports academy please do get in touch.  We'd also love to hear from anyone feeling particularly generous who'd like to help us buy our own building so all the programmes could be housed together.  "BRICC forward ever, backwards never!"

BRICC trip

Yesterday we invited the BRICC co-ordinators and stalwarts to come over to TCNN for lunch and just to "hang out" together away from the office.  Sadly bereavement and illness meant that three couldn't come but despite these gaps in our family we had a good time.  I was encouraged from the start that our convoy of three cars from Jos to Bukuru went through two Christian compounds without any trouble.  Some security men would be very wary of allowing Muslims beyond the gates without subjecting their car to a thorough search but as I explained they were my guests we were waved on.

I made my debut welcome speech in Hausa, admittedly written down first and then read but received well.   However, people are so kind and encouraging that I'm sure they'd have received it well however badly written and pronounced so I said it all over again in English just to make sure it was understood.

We took the opportunity of having everyone captive to encourage them to write down thoughts about what BRICC's done and how we can develop in the future.  These will appear at a later date on the BRICC website (www.briccjos.com) but the overwhelming theme is how BRICC has touched people, showing love in action, removing fear and suspicion and helping in practical ways to improve and rebuild lives.
It wasn't all BRICC business.  We wandered round the garden before lunch arrived courtesy of the TCNN cafe - an easy way of entertaining and very tasty too.  After that the conversation got really useful.  We're now aware of a certain tree in Africa that'll kill you if you sleep under it although no one could tell us what it was called in English or what it looked like but they did assure me that we didn't have any in the garden.  Then we got onto survival methods in the desert which is encroaching on northern Nigeria.  You can't outrun a sandstorm so what you need to do is lie down and roll, you'll move faster.  Remember this.  With global warming you never know when desert survival tips might come in handy.

Coach Musa, "I'll be back."

Light in dark places

As an open follower of Jesus I know that I'm always on display.  Every time I lose my temper, act ungraciously or give in to the temptation to make sarcastic comments it reflects badly on him and can put an obstacle in the way of people who don't know him.  This was brought home to me very clearly last week when a young man I'd never met before came up to me and said "I want to become a Christian."  He had been watching me and some Christian friends for three months and had decided to take the plunge.  I don't think he truly understood that becoming a Christian didn't involve me immediately adopting him and taking him home but God is stirring something within him, especially as his decision means that he feels he can no longer go back to his family.  I introduced him to a Nigerian pastor who has experience in such situations and the young man has now gone to a safe place where he'll be taught what giving his life to Jesus really entails with all its possible difficulties and overwhelming joys.  He'll be with others from a similar background, some further along in their journey to faith but all of whom are interested in finding out more about Jesus whatever the cost.

BRICC Ladies Graduation

Yesterday the latest group of women graduated from the BRICC (Building Relationships In City Centre; www.briccjos.com) women's skills programme.  If any event celebrates what BRICC is all about it's a ladies graduation.  The students, their relatives and friends, all in their best clothes, gathered in the courtyard of the Plaza building where most of the women's classes are held.  The BRICC male stalwarts came along to support (and not only for the food, glad as he always was to eat it, Monday assured everyone).  The sun shone and person after person got up to testify about what BRICC meant to them.

Veronica, amazing co-ordinator

Veronica who took over as co-ordinator about six months ago told us "Now I know what the meaning of my life is." She defined BRICC as "giving joy to those who are crying, hope to the hopeless and bringing the future back to those who thought it was lost.
"Go out there and share the love," she instructed her students.

Some of the students are already doing that.  Even before they'd completed the course some Muslim women had started going to the Christians' homes to bake and sell together.  Since the crisis in Jos these areas had been more or less no-go for Muslims; not only are the BRICC friends now visiting each other but they've invited the Muslim water sellers and shoe-menders to return to those streets as well.
One speaker said, "Plant what you've learned in others.  If you put it in your pocket it'll die."
Another exhorted the women to take what they've learned to all people.  In fact there have been requests from other areas for a team from BRICC to visit and train their people in how to start a women's skills programme.  We might well be spreading before long as the women are just as enthusiastic as the men to pass on all that they've learned about cake and peace making.

The two students who spoke, one Christian, one Muslim, ended the session happily.  "BRICC has put a smile on my face," said one.  "BRICC is a very special place," said the other.  "I'm very proud and thankful to be here."

We gave out the certificates and finally got to sample the doughnuts and bottles of fizzy drinks that had been tantalisingly waiting at the side.  We thought that was it but then women appeared with plates of jollof rice, coleslaw and meat for everyone.  They'd already been making money by selling their baking and wanted to make their graduation extra special for everyone.  It was: a proper party and great advert for BRICC in the neighbourhood .

A sadness

I'm sure many of you already know that peanuts can contain a fungus which produces toxins which can cause cancer.  Somehow I'd got through life without becoming aware of this fact and have been consuming my regular breakfasts of plantain and peanut butter in blissful ignorance. Last week a friend broke my happy state with the information that she no longer buys the delicious locally made peanut butter because of the risks.  A few years ago one of the high school biology classes tested peanut products from all around Jos and discovered that just about all of them were contaminated with the fungus so, after dutifully doing my research online, out goes my newly bought jar of peanut butter as I rack my brains for to what to replace it with.  I made soybean butter today but it just desn't taste the same. Once the electricity comes back on and I can use the blender I might try sesame seed butter but I'm not at all convinced I'll find a suitable substitute.  Of course peanut butter made in factories in the UK is tested for this fungus so should be fine.  Guess what's going on my list of things to bring back next time.

On a happier note I have two baby rhubarb plants in the garden.  I didn't realise rhubarb could be grown from seed and out of a whole packet only these two have survived but I'm as excited about them as any of the more exotic things growing in my garden.  The day they're big enough to be turned into rhubarb crumble will be a day of celebration indeed.

Back to school

The first week back at school is over.  James is settling in to high school but his involvement in football three times a week means that we have eleven hours between leaving the house in the morning and getting back at night (me too when I go to Hausa lessons and BRICC in between dropping the children and picking them back up).  Ruth is enjoying being back with those of her friends who are still in Nigeria (many have returned to the USA) but she's picked up a bad cold already. I blame the travellers who bring bugs from the planes.  I'm enjoying my one-to-one tuition in Hausa although it'll take a lot of practice before I'm speaking naturally.  We're all in some kind of education except Fraser but he's busy helping students in the library, sorting out the cataloguing and working out how to get reliable and affordable internet access for the college.

Our new terms (or semesters as I'm supposed to get used to calling them) have just started but the current BRICC women's skills class is coming to an end.  Their examinations are taking place this week so on Monday, Wednesday and Friday a third of the women are doing their practical baking test.  BRICC is a family: everyone wants to be involved and support other departments so Madam Vero's call for volunteers to taste and grade the women's efforts unsurprisingly didn't go unanswered.  I missed Monday's test but yesterday I was there along with a good number of the BRICC regulars to help assess the cakes, doughnuts and bread.  It's great to see the enthusiasm and comfortable mingling which goes on and which I'm sure will be repeated on Saturday when people turn out to support the education department's graduation event.  There's still one group of women due to be tested on Friday with cookies and cakes the rumoured subjects so I'll have to do my best to go along and lend a hand.  It's a hard job...

BRICC Sallah

Ramadan ended on Thursday and today there was a sallah (holiday) meal of rice and chicken in the meeting room for the BRICC family.  It was lovely that Fraser, James and Ruth had received a special invitation as none of them had been to the meeting room

at all and many people in BRICC were sceptical that James even existed.  The four of us turned up in our Nigerian clothes to bask in the love that always emanates from such BRICC gatherings: Christians and Muslims eating together, talking together and building the relationships that are the only way to secure peace for the future.  Fraser, as a special guest, was prepared to be asked to give a short speech.  I, although I shouldn't have been, was completely taken aback when Siddiq called on me.  My few words were highly commended as being very short, not always a quality evident in speech-making but one that I value.  Just about everyone there, including neighbours and representatives from the neighbourhood watch, had something to say about the value of the work BRICC is doing.  Fraser's illustration of the two communities being like hands went down especially well.  Hands can clash as two fists; they can move together as in clapping - touching but not really involved with each other; or, as is the case with BRICC, the fingers can intertwine as the hands clasp, each fully connected with the other.  Long may our hands clasp and multiply!
Alhaji is always very pleased when Ruth comes along to BRICC and makes sure she gets in the photographs.

On a completely different subject: our puppy, Luach, has had a tough couple of weeks.  He got the second of his puppy vaccinations and reacted badly, hardly eating and spending most of his time sleeping or curled up (preferably on someone's knee) looking thoroughly miserable.  Now he looks on all Nigerian men as the vet coming to do something nasty to him and barks his little head off at any who approach.  Yesterday was the first day he improved and started to show more of an interest in life.  Unfortunately yesterday was also the day of the very strong wind coming from an unusual direction.  Luach has a pastic crate to sleep in on the back porch which we put inside the huge box from the washing machine for extra protection.  Yesterday afternoon Fraser heard him whining and went to investigate.  Poor Luach was sitting where his house should have been, staring forlornly as his entire dwelling place sailed off across the garden.  So we don't have to change his name to Toto it's now weighed down with a very heavy rock.