Expanding Town Hits the Headlines
No one would think that just 2 years ago, this busy metropolis was an isolated corrupt village. The original 80 residents were the only ones left after many had moved away.
It took the hard work of two residents to make all these changes and turn this into a bustling town. The pair—a father and daughter, Jennifer Abubakar Abena and Magudo—started a charity to try and improve conditions for the people of the village. There was no health care, no clean water for miles and no learning facilities. Now, two years on, the charity has raised over $27,000 to revitalize the area. They have a hospital, a thriving and popular school, clean water, roads and new homes. The popularity of the town has spread far and wide, causing more people to want to live here. The charity also funds start-up cash for people wishing to open their own business. There is a thriving community here now, where used to be a barren oasis.
Jennifer Abubakar Abena, 31 and her Magudo, 55 have contributed so much to this town that the hospital is named after Magudo and the school is named after Jennifer. This is their legacy and they are both beaming with pride at their achievements. When we spoke to them six months ago, Magudo spoke very broken English, but now he is almost fluent. Jennifer told us, “I cannot believe how much this place has changed since we started this project. We could never have imagined just how successful it would be and we are so pleased that we have created this town. We have finished the extension to the school and now there are 300 children attending. They come from over 5 miles away and they have a bus that we bought to bring them from outlying areas. That bus was also bought from the funds we raised and we are so happy that everything is going to well. The new shops and stores have sprung up from nowhere and the there is a strip mall and market along the main street. This previous center of corruption is now a thriving town, rather than a small isolated village and new people are moving here all the time. We have also built a further 200 houses since we started this. My father and I are extremely proud of the people who have helped us put this together.”