Each year around the Holidays, the IBSF board donates a modest amount of money to the Light Nursery and Primary School so that the students and teachers can celebrate the season. In the past we have prepared a small gift bag for each teacher with a few essential toiletries and a 6-yard piece of fabric so that they can sew a new piece of clothing for themselves.

This year, the office of the British High Commission in Lagos chose IBSF as their Christmas charity. They made an amazing, overwhelming donation! The British High Commission presented a wrapped gift for each student, plus a sports gift for each class. The school now has two sets of football goals, a supply of new footballs and a basketball net! The British High Commission also donated first aid supplies, a variety of classroom essentials and a stock of rice, garri and beans for school lunches.

We couldn’t wait for the teachers and students to see what had been donated! We told them what day we would be visiting, and the teachers organized a Christmas assembly on our behalf. The classroom benches were pulled out to the covered porch and the school was decorated with palm and flower archways.

The children wait quietly for their Christmas gifts to be distributed at the all-school assembly.

After a bit of madness distributing all the gifts, the children were beyond polite. They sat and and held their wrapped gifts tightly until they were told they could unwrap them.

A young student holds her Christmas gift proudly.

Our deepest thanks to the British High Commission for making Christmas at Ishahayi so special this year. Your contributions will not soon be forgotten!