Humanitarian mission log: Rosi Bianco

In Nigeria... I feel a bit suspended in air.

On the journey from the airport to the compound in the village of Ngugo, the scenery was devastating. In your lane you can meet people on foot, on scooters, and many cars coming towards you in the opposite direction, all asphalted at times and a total absence of road signs. In this chaos, where life takes place on the side of the streets, religions have their power over the people. Nature becomes more present and important as we leave the city for rural areas. I don't have an opinion for now, I simply find myself observing with sometimes incredulous eyes. I like this suspended state of mind.

This morning I woke up at 5.30 to the sound of bongos. The nuns in the convent sing, dance and pray and since the volunteer's house where I am staying is very close to the convent, I immediately understand that this will be my awakening for the next few weeks. In the end I go back to sleep with a very specific idea: to explore the whole compound and understand how it is organised. I visited the primary school, the secondary school, the orphanage.

I learned that in Nigeria there is a ghost president, maybe he is dead (it's just a rumor) but this is so that the people cannot rebel and go to vote. I found out that in Nigeria there are 3 ethnicities and the Ibo ethnic group is predominantly present in Imo State. I discovered that the Biafrans (5 ethnic Ibo states in southeastern Nigeria, formerly Biafra) are fighting against the army for their independence, because they are exploited and subjugated because of the presence of oil in this geographical area that constitutes a large part of the country's national wealth.

I discovered a bunch of very young children in orphanages, between 7 and 24 months old. Tender, very tender in their cradles. I discovered Ngozi, the little girl who stole my heart.

I discovered Rosi....

The weeks that passed after the first day of stay that I described were unforgettable, fabulous, tiring but also very trying. Lots of laughter, games, sports, discoveries but also tears, fatigue, hard work.

Each of us knows that there is another point of view, the tangibility was personally a magnificent experience. An experience that I will repeat because even if I know that I have given a very small hand, everything I have received in return is not in the least comparable.