A Community Takes Root
On Friday, June 24, 2016, Chioma Okonkwo (the Area Reference Person for Lagos, Nigeria) and I left Lagos at 5:00 a.m. for Akungba, to keep a date with history. That day the first RC Community in Ondo State, Nigeria, would be inaugurated—bringing to fruition the sustained efforts of the contact person, Adekunle Akinola, which began in 2015 after his encounter in Paris, France, with the Sustaining All Life delegation.*
When we arrived, we received a warm and loving reception. Though skeptical, the participants were eager to know more about RC.
The next morning we began with a beautiful game of ball throwing, which calmed nerves and restored confidence. We progressed with teachings on basic RC theory, the art of listening, the counselor-client relationship, and confidentiality, as well as information about Sustaining All Life.
The participants asked questions and appreciated the opportunity to be at the workshop. Many expressed a desire to attend RC classes. Adekunle, the contact person, showed so much zeal and passion for RC.
My appreciation to Chioma, who led the workshop. Her deep commitment to RC has been of immense benefit to the RC Community in Nigeria.
Lagos, Nigeria
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list
for Area Reference Persons
(Present Time 185, October 2016)
* Sustaining All Life is a project of the RC Communities in which Co-Counselors bring what we’ve learned in RC to people working to stop climate change, the degradation of the environment, and environmental injustice. In December 2015, a Sustaining All Life delegation went to Paris, France, to share RC tools with the activists gathering there during the United Nations conference on climate change.