Our Story: Journey to Reinstatement
Deep in the heart of Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area, existed a girls’ high school, which produced many girls from across the Niger Delta area and beyond.
They grew up to become successful women that changed the trajectory of poverty in their respective communities. And then, it was closed.
The road to reinstatement started from a conversation between a few Ladies…Alaro George-Lawson, Nderiya Princewill Harry and Okorite Akoko at a funeral in Buguma, Rivers State, Nigeria. They shared the idea with Ene Dokiwari-Taylor, whom they knew had always been very passionate about giving back to the school prior to its closure. Together with a few more Ladies, they forged on the reinstatement journey.
With the use of social media, the concept of the Alumni Foundation was realized in December 2018. This allowed the ladies to seek and invite other alums to attend and engage in the discussion of reinstatement.
This effort led to a fact-finding mission that revealed the deplorable state of the school site.
The effort also discovered that the school was closed in September of 2008 for no good reason, other than the desire by the then State Government to give schools with historical religious background back to religious organizations.
In the case of Kalabari Girls’ High School, the only girls’ school in the local community, was erroneously handed over to the church.
The church soon abandoned the school, giving way to dilapidation and ruins.
This action created a complete vacuum and total devastation in the community. It left high school age girls with nowhere to go for their education. Instead, the inaction led to a community with very high teen pregnancy, unruly behavior and even criminality.
The Kalabari Girls’ High School Alumni Foundation is growing in leaps and bounds. With more than 300 vibrant Alumni registered members and still counting, the Foundation has now restored the school with the help of the Rivers State Government.
Like other girls’ high schools in Rivers State, Kalabari Girls’ High School has produced notable graduates from across the State. Many went on to become very successful women in various endeavors. Among them are accomplished Businesswomen, Lawyers, Government Workers, Medical Doctors, Nurses, Judges and Teachers to name a few.
With the achievement of reinstatement, the goal is to instill competence and confidence in the girls’ to compete worldwide.
