Children of Rural Africa (CORAfrica) was conceived in 2006 by Fr Peter Obele Abue, while he was completing a doctorate degree in International Development from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. Fr. Peter felt moved by the disparity between the developed and developing world so much so that he wanted to close the poverty gap through this initiative. In order to adequately complement his pastoral work and as a corollary to his research, Fr Peter in collaboration with his home diocese of Ogoja, decided to concretize his studies with this non-profit initiative.
Our History
In 2006, CORAfrica was formally granted a 501(c) non-profit status in the United States through the cooperation of her original member Board of Trustees and began building facilities in Nigeria. Later in 2009 when Fr Peter finally returned home, CORAfrica co-opted more volunteers from the Western Pennsylvania region of the USA to form the new board of Trustees. This team of devoted volunteers in collaboration with Abode for Children Inc, in Evans City headed by Mary Rutkoski and John Stilley of AmeriKohl Minining Inc, Butler PA, actually helped to upgrade key projects such as The St Joseph School/Orphanage, the Cora Farms, the Ogoja Diocesan Agriculture and Investment Programme (ODAIP), the John Stilley Secondary School located in Victoria, among other projects.
Over the years, devoted men and women from the USA and Nigeria have donated their time, funds and energies to make CORAfrica projects stand the test of time. Back home in Nigeria since 2011, CORAfrica received support with the National Planning Commission under the Bilateral and Economic commission and the Corporate Affairs Commission and has been operating basically in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria. The new CORAfrica team in Nigeria is ready to forge ahead building on its past in spite of the COVID 19 pandemic and other drawbacks. Our new historical land mark is to make our local children and communities thrive, with CORAfrica making in-routes into the Refugee and IDP camps, as well as other rural communities within the Cross River and Benue Regions of Nigeria.
Initially founded based on the belief that rural indigent children deserve support to have access to quality educational opportunities, CORAfrica collaborates with Churches, Communities, Organizations and Institutions to bring succor to indigent children and communities. Through experience, we have learned that support systems are crucial to enabling maximal educational attainment for growing up children. To that end, CORAfrica has developed a strategy of integrating health, agriculture and economic empowerment into its Community Education Center (CEC) Model and shall continue to collaborate with willing partners to keep our vision alive.
PROFILE OF OUR FOUNDER, PETER OBELE ABUE
RIdum-Mbube, Ogoja LGA of Cross River State,
Nigeria. He was ordained a Catholic Priest of Ogoja
diocese in 1985 and later went for further studies obtaining
a Master’s Degree in Mass Communication from Duquesne
University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA (1994) and a Phd.
in Development Studies from Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York, USA (2006).
Upon his return from studies in 2006, he became the
chaplain of several organizations like The Knights of St
John, the Catholic women Organization (CWO), where he
initiated empowerment programmes for women across
the diocese.As chairman of the Diocesan Agric
Commission, in collaboration with his Diocesan bishop, he
founded the Ogoja Diocesan Agriculture and Investment
Programme (ODAIP), with a micro-lending facility, several
Cafeteria spread across the diocese, a furniture company
and streams of Diocesan and Parish farms.
He also founded the Little Flower School IpongObudu, the
John Stilley Secondary School, Victoria-Ikom, the St Joseph
Primary/Secondary School and the Medical clinic in Idum
Mbube, Ogoja now a property of his home diocese. In June
1997, he was honored by Cross River state with a special
award during the state jubilee celebration of Cross
River@50.
He is presently the Parish Priest of St. Thomas Aquinas
Parish, Igoli- Ogoja and the Vicar General of the Catholic
diocese of OGOJA
