Egbe Nigeria | Miles In Missions

Archive for the ‘Egbe Nigeria’ Category

What’s Been Going on at C.A.R.E. Africa?

Posted: October 11, 2021 by Patrice Miles in African School, AWANA, Board of Directors, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Orphans, People of Egbe, Prayer, Seamstresses

From Canada to the U.S. to Egbe…..here a some beautiful pictures to illustrate what has been going on at C.A.R.E. Africa! Enjoy!

Guess Who Quit Her Job?

Posted: October 5, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Etsy, Nigeria, Orphans, Prayer, Sponsorship

We are pleased to announce that Diana Beville has accepted a staff position at C.A.R.E. Africa. She will be assuming the role of Child Sponsorship Coordinator.

In 2014 Diana and her husband,Stephen, made their first visit to C.A.R.E. Africa in Egbe Nigeria. It was to be a turning point in Diana’s life. She left Egbe knowing it had captured her heart and she would be back. Immediately on returning from Nigeria, she wanted to know how she could help.

Diana did a one table booth at a local farmer’s market selling jewelry the women in our ministry had handcrafted. Seven years later she has grown into a full, online Etsy store (http://www.CareAfricaStore.com in the US and Canada http://www.CareAfricaStore.ca ). Diana has expanded from a one table booth into huge exhibitor events at GMHC (Global Missions Health Conference), CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans), M3/Mobilizing Medical Missions Conference, and Paristown Flea off Markets. Her dedication and love for this ministry is evident and she has already returned to Nigeria three more times since her initial visit.

Diana is married and the mother of two beautiful girls, Kaitlyn and Charlotte. She graduated from University of Louisville. Diana previously worked at Shultz Career Consulting as an employment specialist for people with disabilities. In taking on the Child Sponsorship role, Diana’s goal is to deepen the relationships with our sponsors and their children in Egbe, while also finding new sponsors for more children. We are excited to see how Diana will take our sponsorship experience to a whole new level.

Diana’s first task is collecting letters and/or items for sponsored children to fill suitcases that are going to Nigeria in the month of October. If you sponsor a C.A.R.E. Africa child and would like to send a letter or an item, please email Diana at mailto:diana@icareafrica.org

If you do not currently sponsor a child please take a moment to visit our giving page at http://www.icareafrica.org to see the two beautiful children that are in need of sponsors.

Also feel free to visit our Amazon Wish List for items needed to fill suitcases for October at https://www.amazon.com/registries/custom/36KCX0BCJG62W/guest-view

Just a little bit more — Plantains Please

Posted: August 24, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, People of Egbe, Prayer, Titi

Here is another beautiful post by Titi…….
It seems just like yesterday when I was going through the process of applying to different colleges, plowing through all the uncertainties and doubts with complete blindness and a tentative faith in God. This was then followed by a hasty and quite inadequate preparation for leaving my country for an entirely different population group and […]
Just a little bit more — Plantains Please

Why Are You So Stubborn?

Posted: June 29, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe Nigeria, Jos Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, Prayer, Sponsorship

Meet Elijah and Inioluwa. They are brother and sister and double orphans. We met them several years ago when their father had just passed away. Their mother was destitute and barely managing to care for Elijah, Inioluwa and their older brother Segun. C.A.R.E. Africa took all three siblings in and now provides them with an education, discipleship and mentoring. We also began working with their mother to help with empowerment and discipleship.

Unfortunately, within a matter of months their mother passed away. We located the maternal grandparents and they took all three children in. It was very hard on the elderly grandparents as Elijah, the youngest, was full of energy and never slowed down. The grandmother constantly begged us to take all the children and adopt them out. We worked and prayed with the family and after a few months we felt like they were beginning to settle in. Then unexpectedly the grandmother passed away. This left the care of the children up to the aging grandfather. Shortly after the grandmother passed away the neighbors began to obsess about the deaths and started claiming the children were evil and needed to leave.

We moved Elijah into our transition home, Inioluwa moved into foster care and the oldest Segun stayed with the grandfather to try and help. These kids have experienced too much death and rejection in their short years here on this earth. As a result we began to see acts of bad behavior, stubbornness and lack of interest in school work. During this time we had hired Gloria, a counselor for our C.A.R.E. kids. We sent her to Jos for some training and when she came back she was able to work directly with Elijah, Inioluwa and Segun to assess the trauma. She observed them and came to the conclusion that not only had they suffered severe trauma but they all suffered from different learning disabilities.

Learning disabilities in Nigeria are everywhere but very few Nigerians in the smaller villages recognize or know how to help children with them. These children are normally classified as stubborn or too playful. They fall behind in school and eventually drop out because they cannot cope in the classroom.

Gloria, our school counselor needs more training and resources to help not only Elijah and Inioluwa, but other children in our ministry. We have found training specific to dyslexia in Jos, a city about 11 hours away. These professionals have agreed to evaluate Elijah and Inioluwa for a fee and to provide Gloria with the training she needs to effectively work with children who have learning difficulties.

Please consider helping us make this trip possible by donating towards Gloria’s travel expenses and training. We have also created a Amazon list of resources Gloria will require in order to work with children who have learning challenges. Click the links below to donate towards Gloria’s training and or purchase items at Amazon for her resources.

Donations towards Gloria’s dyslexia training in Jos https://donorsee.com/project/10142

Amazon List for Gloria’s resources for working with children with disabilities. https://www.amazon.com/registries/custom/FM34NRI4CXMM/guest-view

Make A Difference

Posted: June 10, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Oke Ere, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer, Sponsorship

When I moved to Nigeria I had my first experience with absolute poverty. Adults and children with no electricity or sanitation and unable to meet the basic needs for food, shelter and drinking water. No access to social services such as healthcare or education. No assets.

As of 2015, the three countries with the greatest number of people living in extreme poverty are:
– India (175 million)
– Nigeria (86 million)
– Democratic Republic of Congo (55 million)

It was overwhelming. How was I going to make a difference when the needs were so much bigger than me? How was I going to make an impact in the most populated and poverty stricken country in all of Africa?

Have you ever felt this way? So many ministries and nonprofits in need of support. It’s overwhelming. The need is so great. You wonder how your donation can make any impact?

Or perhaps you are cautious. Will my donation even reach the needed recipient after all the fees and ministry costs?

Well, most of you know where I am going …all that I do begins and ends with C.A.R.E. Africa.

We began C.A.R.E. Africa with just two small children.

We always want to think big…Build a School, Dig a Bore Hole, Feed a Village, Stop Sex Trafficking. These are all worthy causes but some of us want smaller, obtainable causes.

So, sponsor just one small child. Provide that one child with an education and access to healthcare. Put your focus on just one child and maybe that child will Build a School, Feed a Village, Dig a Bore Hole or Stop Sex Trafficking when they grow up – thanks to you.

Or sponsor a lunch feeding program for children. This program provides the nutrition many of these children lack. Instead of focusing on their hunger they can focus on their schooling. They will make better grades giving them the confidence to achieve more and go further in their education. A small change that will make a big difference in their future.

Or you could help with needed vehicle repairs. Small and obtainable but with a big impact. Without transportation – attendance to school and our Awana and discipleship programs would be disrupted. Our vehicles are essential as many of our children live remotely and depend on us for transporting them daily.

Small Changes Make a Big Difference!

These are just a few examples of how you can help us make small changes with big impacts. The best part is that all our small changes come with update videos and photos so you can see your donations at work in the lives of the people you helped.

Start making small changes now so you can help us make a huge difference globally.

Follow us on Donorsee to stay updated on all our projects. https://donorsee.com/icareafrica.org?follow After every project is funded, you and all the other donors will receive a follow up video so you can see your donation at work and hear from the recipients you helped. You will be able to see, know and hear that your donation to that small project made a big difference.

Jeremiah 20:9
But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Recycle with C.A.R.E. Africa

Posted: May 27, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, People of Egbe

Recycle With C.A.R.E. Africa Please! We need your chip and cookie bags!

A dream of mine has been to have the women at C.A.R.E. Africa learn how to make the candy wrapper purse so we can sell them at markets. These adorable purses are not easy to make! Each purse takes 6 strips of 50 pieces each. That is 300 pieces that have to be cut and folded and joined together. Check out the video attached.

Please save you bags! The sale of these purses will help put food on the tables of several women at C.A.R.E. Africa. If you live in Louisville I can pick them up once you have a box filled. If you don’t live in Louisville then you can ship to me. They are so light and shipping them isn’t expensive. Email me at patrice@icareafrica.org and I will give you my address for shipping.

Thanks for recycling with C.A.R.E. Africa!

Send to Nigeria

Posted: April 27, 2021 by Patrice Miles in African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, People of Egbe, Prayer, Sponsorship

We are excited to have the opportunity to send some needed items to Nigeria for our kids and our school. Can you help? Check out our Amazon Gift List at https://www.amazon.com/registries/custom/36KCX0BCJG62W/guest-view and donate in any way you can.

We always do our best to buy in country and support the Nigerian economy. Sometimes there are items that we either cannot buy there or the quality isn’t the same so we prefer to purchase in the U.S. Thank you for helping us in anyway you can to get these needed items to Nigeria. If you are local to Louisville and want to donate items, email me at patrice@icareafrica.org and I will be happy to pick up.

We also would love to send letters from our sponsors. If you are a sponsor you should have received an email from me already about sending your child a letter and picture. If you didn’t receive it please message me at patrice@icareafrica.org.

We are also seeking donations for the $400 in luggage fees we will need to pay. Those donations can be made to our general fund at give.icareafrica.org.

We Bought a Bus!

Posted: March 9, 2021 by Patrice Miles in African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Fundraising, Miles In Missions, Nigeria, Orphans, Patrice Miles, People of Egbe, Prayer

Over a year ago our C.A.R.E. Africa leadership team decided we needed to start saving and fundraising for a bus. We had almost 70 children in our program and driving multiple trips in a minivan to pick up as many kids as we could was no longer an option.

I had no clue how much it would cost to buy a bus in Nigeria. Emma researched and started sending me pictures of used ones that were around $30,000…. I almost threw up. We had never raised that much money before. I feel like all I do is ask for support for C.A.R.E. Africa and now I had to ask for $30,000! Oh my goodness, can I just go hide some place. This was just too big an ask. It would take years to raise that amount of money. I was overwhelmed.

Emma, our spiritual warrior, reminded me that God would provide and encouraged me to not put God in a box or limit what God could do. We started praying for the bus project every Tuesday at our prayer meeting. We began putting aside $500 a month for the Bus project. Then we put the word out letting people know we needed a bus. I am telling you – it was amazing how God opened doors. Here are just a few of the stories.

We had a donor reach out to tell us they had a car they were going to sell and donate all the proceeds to the Bus project. He sold the car and mailed us the check. When it arrived, I was thinking a few thousand dollars, but no, it was $14,000!

My home church chose to use our Bus Project for one of their missions offering in their Children’s Church Ministry. We would receive all offerings collected from the Children’s Church Ministry over a two month period. Then COVID hit and church was closed. I thought for sure the funds would never happen but even with COVID they raised $2,400 in offerings from the children for our Bus project!

We were close to our goal when I received a text from a friend asking what needs C.A.R.E. Africa had and I said “We need a bus!” A few minutes later a $1,350 donation came through. We were now only $1,002 shy of the $30,000 needed for the bus. I put a post on Facebook with our Donor See site and in just 2 hours the bus project was fully funded! WE BOUGHT A BUS!!

To those of you out there that feel like something is overwhelming or just too big for you – you are right! It is too big for you…. but not for God. Trust that when God puts something on your heart He will provide!

Happy Birthday

Posted: January 27, 2021 by Patrice Miles in African School, C.A.R.E. Africa, Child Sponsorship, Egbe, Egbe Nigeria, Orphans, People of Egbe, Sponsorship

Birthdays at C.A.R.E. Africa are the latest rave! Thanks to our new volunteer Birthday Advocate, Hilary Wang, our children have their very own special day.

In the U.S. childrens’ birthdays are celebrated in many different ways. From full blown theme parties, to petting zoos and bouncy houses – every child has their special day. Even families who live on a smaller scale in the US generally celebrate with a cake, gifts and the singing of happy birthday to their child.

In Nigeria, that is not the case. Most of our kids in C.A.R.E. Africa don’t even know their birth date. Not until we get birth certificates do they know when they were born. Some don’t have birth certificates, so we choose a birth date for them. Normally, only the wealthy in Nigeria can splurge on a cake and a gift for their child. Well not anymore!!

Check out some of the pictures of children at C.A.R.E. experiencing Christ’s love on their birthdays! Our sponsors are responding to this need and allowing us to make certain each birthday child gets to celebrate their special day of the year!! Thanks you sponsors!

Our New Home

Posted: January 19, 2021 by Patrice Miles in C.A.R.E. Africa, Egbe Nigeria, Miles In Missions, Missionaries, Nigeria, Patrice Miles, Prayer, SIM

If you haven’t heard already, Louisville Kentucky will be our new home. I am excited to announce that I will be assuming the position of the Executive Director at C.A.R.E. Africa, Inc. I will continue to work in an administrative role in donor relations, child sponsorship, and marketing. As Executive Director, I will now also coordinate with the board of directors and those on the ground in Egbe to facilitate growth of the C.A.R.E. Africa ministry. I will also travel back and forth from the U.S. and Nigeria several times a year to continue to oversee operations.

C.A.R.E. Africa, Inc. has been a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) since July 2017. God has grown the ministry PHYSICALLY with more children, staff and programs in Egbe; SPIRITUALLY with lessons learned through fellowship and studying His word; and EMOTIONALLY as we have dealt with COVID and the effects on our children and caregivers.

We currently have 73 children being taken care of by 60 caregivers in the town of Egbe.
Our school (Foundations Academy Egbe) is in its 3rd year and currently enrolls children from nursery to 7th grade.
Secondary School (Middle/High School) is under construction.
Two C.A.R.E. Africa children are in university and two are waiting on admission.
Vocational school under construction with plans for providing classes in baking, sewing, hairdressing, barbering and shoe repair.
Weekly AWANA (Approved Workers are not Ashamed) and High School Discipleship.
Monthly community service programs where our kids are able to give back to the community.
Our transition home is being remodeled and currently houses five C.A.R.E. Africa children
Monthly sports outreach in Egbe and surrounding towns has been successful in leading others to Christ.
Seamstress program with six women sewing for our Etsy store at www.CareAfricaStore.com

Our family is excited to have finally planted our feet somewhere. As of January 4th we officially became home owners and are excited to see what this next chapter of our lives will hold for our family and C.A.R.E. Africa. Lenny has started a remodeling company call GR8 Home Improvements. You can visit him at http://www.GR8hi.com.  Cason is planning on heading to EKU this fall and Jolie is praying she gets to go to school in person at Dupont Manual High school someday soon. Titi has only 3 semesters left at Lancaster Bible College. Our Nigeria Golden Retriever, Tuck, is doing great and loving all the cats and squirrels everywhere. We added a little one to our family and his name is “Biggie” and he is such a funny little puppy.

Thank you to everyone that has supported our family over the past 8 years through prayer and or finances.

Thank you to everyone that is continuing to support our ministry directly through C.A.R.E. Africa. We feel like God is up to something big and we cannot do it without the support of loyal donors.