“Had Costa Foundation not opened Choche Keta Muduga Preparatory School, chances are I would have been a daily labourer my entire life,” says Nesru Abdu, who after dropping out of grade 9, spent nine years out of school.
The nearest secondary school around Choche community requires a six hour round trip to access. Only a small handful of kids from well-off families are fortunate enough to pursue their education beyond grade 8 because their parents can afford housing rentals close to the school.
Nesru, unlike most of his fellow students, is able to return to school due to access and opportunity created by the Costa Foundation.
Nesru says, “I used to feel upset that so much of our potential to change the world remained untapped due to the lack of access to school in my community. Many outstanding students were forced to quit their education and lived in complete poverty. I was one of these students, who loved education and excelled from an early age. But my drive to learn and educate myself wasn’t enough to save me from having to drop out after grade 8. I waited for nine whole years to return, and it wasn’t until the Costa Foundation stepped in to support and raise awareness about the value and importance of education in my community that I could go back to school.”
Nesru’s parents and friends had been badgering him to get married, just like his friends. But he insisted he would not give up on his education – and his patience paid off. He is now in grade 10, making the most out of the opportunity Costa Foundation facilitated for him.
“I have suffered a lot to get back to school. But I have nothing to regret – unlike my friends who got married and became daily labourers. Thanks to the Costa Foundation’s new school facilities I was able to rank first in my class, even after I’d had to drop out the previous nine years. Apart from the school quality, which is very encouraging, I have ample books and laboratory equipment in my school. This has helped me cope with the adjustment more easily. From this journey, I have learned a big lesson – to not settle for anything less than what I deserve, no matter what. I want to be an engineer so that I can construct schools and create access for those in need in the remote communities of my country,” says Nesru passionately.