In this weeks ‘Partner Spotlight’ we are highlighting our partner, Patrice Miles. Patrice serves with C.A.R.E. Africa which is located in Nigeria. In this blog post you can hear about her current struggles, her exciting large project for a new school, and how DonorSee helped her have an amazing birthday!
Tell us a little about you. What inspired you personally to get involved with this work?
I moved to Nigeria in 2013 and saw children everywhere running around but not in school. When I found out they couldn’t go to school because they couldn’t pay school fees, I wanted to help. I started paying school fees but discovered there was no support for the kids if they weren’t doing well in their subjects. I also realized that the local schools didn’t offer accountability for the students or the teachers and the quality of the education was very poor. Many children were in secondary school and couldn’t read or write yet they would continue to get passed to the next level.
I decided that we needed to start our own school with a focus on accountability and quality of education. We now have 148 children in our school and about 40% are on scholarships.
Tell us about the work that C.A.R.E. Africa does.
C.A.R.E. Africa invests courage into the voiceless and exhausted through education, discipleship, empowerment and family based care.
Tell us about one amazing project you fundraised for on DonorSee this year.
My favorite was my birthday fundraiser for Pastor Alabi. He had been trying to build a home for his family for the past 10 years and needed about $5,000 more to complete it. It probably would have taken him another 10 years to save that much. The project was funded the day after my birthday and getting to tell him that he was going to get to move his family into their home was such an honor and a blessing.
What are the key challenges you face?
I now live in the states and have to travel back and forth between Nigeria and the US. Travel is dangerous as the roads have become a haven for kidnappers. Continuing to trust in the Lord for my safety and wellbeing is always a challenge every time I say goodbye to my family and friends.
What are your hopes and dreams for next year?
We are currently working on a building project for our school because we have outgrown our current building. We want to start construction in February but will need to raise $245,000 for just the first building.
Do you have a message for the DonorSee community?
We could not be the hands and feet of Christ without donors to fund the way. Please continue to support DonorSee projects anyway you can. No gift is too small and no gift is too big. You are changing lives globally and making a difference for generations to come.
