Enugu, Nigeria. The 24th of January was a great day all over the world as it was the International Day for Education. The SOMI Team of East Nigeria Province in collaboration with Claret Academy [Secondary] School in Garriki, Enugu took the opportunity to initiate the young people into an ecosystem friendly vision in line with the Laudatio Si of Pope Francis and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 2030. The students were first introduced to the SDGs through the Claretian representative to the UN, Fr. Miguel Angel Velasco, CMF in November 2019, during the Claretian Educational Exchange between the Claret Schools in Santiago, Spain, and Nigeria.

The chairman of the Justice, Peace, and Integrity in Creation [JPIC] Commission of East Nigeria Province, Fr. Cletus Obasi, CMF was the main speaker at the event. Other speakers at the event were the Director of Claret Academy of Garriki, Fr. Matthew Mmuo, CMF, its Chaplain, Fr Paul Onele, CMF, and the School Principal, Mrs. Elizabeth Agwu.

The Speaker of the day, Fr. Cletus, took the students on a tour of the efforts of the United Nations in bringing a better life to people all over the world, especially in Africa. He gave a breakdown of the structure and functioning of the UN; the MDGs – Millennium Development Goals which metamorphosed into the SDGs – Sustainable Development Goals targeted for 2030. He highlighted the prospects for each goal and particularly Number. 4 – Quality Education. He also outlined the structures that are needed to be put in place to enable the Nigerian society and Africa to reach the desired targets. The students also had interactive sessions with the speakers where they expressed their worries and hopes for their education and future in line with the SDGs.

The School Director, Fr Mmuo composed a mantra that helped the students of the school to memorize 17 SDGs. He made an introduction to what he called, “the Eco-spirituality of Laudatio Si”. In the end, the students have learned the SDGs, put into practice what they had been taught by going into the streets of the local community to clean the environment. In the words of one the participants “we surely look forward to having more these encounters so that we can contribute our part in making the world a better place”. – by Valentine Obasi (Claretian Postulant)

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