Would you give up marriage and parenthood in exchange for helping others? Because that is exactly what one of our former scholarship holders did. Meet Caroline Chigbo - teacher, social worker, community helper, celebrated philanthropist, and, of course Mama G.
Introduction
Caroline graduated in 2019 from the University of Debrecen with a Master's degree in Social Work in the framework of the Scholarship Programme. Today she lives in the South Eastern region of Nigeria in Enugu and tries to help where she can to her community.
“If you are doing something that you really like, you will never ever get tired of it.” - She says that even though her work is hard and tiring, helping people gives her a lot of satisfaction and that is what makes her happy. She tries to help in whatever way she can, whether it's caring, assisting or even financially. Nevertheless, the little she has, she shares with them and this gives joy. The Bible says that charity covers multitude of sins. She really believes in that and that is why “the harder she works, the more she lives”.
“I dedicated my whole life to humanity by reasons of the nature of the social work I am into. My vocation and inclination is to serve others, not to be served. Accordingly, that made me to decide not to marry and raise a family of my own. This decision was strongly jettisoned at by my parents, who gradually later understood and accepted my decision. Ever since I came back from Hungary, I have been busy putting into practice what I have learnt to contribute to the development of my country both in the private and public sector.”
She is one out of the 43 developers of Early Grade Reading teaching Learning Materials for Nigerian Schools. Secondly, she busied herself with the advocacy and sensitization of parents, children, school based management committee members on the children’s rights and privileges, especially right to education. As a social worker, she has been in the forefront promoting students’ learning and well-being. She developed a comprehensive and cohesive academic and social supports, and applied diverse frameworks for evidence based approach practice and programme development for educational process.
Please, welcome our interview with her.
Interview
1. Please, tell us what your vision and mission is!
I want to establish a program of activities towards training monitoring and evaluating all successful initiatives towards motivating the humanity and thus promote self-help efforts. I want to make difference by promoting a life filled with purpose, delivering superior care that transforms and improves the quality of life of every people, old and the young, through concrete words and actions. I also want to establish partnerships and sponsorship.
2. How did you learn about the scholarship programme, and what was your experience about the Hungarian education?
I started the programme on 1st September 2017. I incidentally, heard someone making a phone call in which the scholarship programme was mentioned. I became curious and collected the details. I applied immediately and was fortunately admitted.
Studying in Hungary opened my eyes, since travelling itself is part of education. Lecturers were incredibly dedicated, and their education system was quite solid. The knowledge and experiences I gained motivated me to start an NGO (Solid Rock Empowerment Initiative). I discovered the great diversities among people and cultures. This normally provides loads of opportunities to reconcile issues, cement relations and solve problems for one another.
I really like this culture, although I had problems with the language, I adapted by using “sign method” or “sign language” to communicate. I found great joy in going to the church in the city center every evening to interact with the people. I deeply integrated into their community with my sociable nature, and they nicknamed me “Mama G,” meaning a general and versatile mother. Whenever I needed any form of help, they responded positively.
3. What was the most unusual thing for you when you returned home? Did your personality change during your time here?
The difference between Hungary and Nigeria is immense. When you work in a serene, well-furnished and air-conditioned space, your efficiency and effectiveness are naturally enhanced. However, suddenly finding myself working under the scorching sun, dealing with unstable systems, and facing daily challenges made me realize how much my body and mind needed to readjust. The socio-economic and political differences between the two countries are significant, and adapting to these changes required serious mental and emotional resilience.
I have known my vocation right from the start, but the programme gave me a lot of insight into the profession. I was awarded a prestigious TALENT ID CERTIFICATE in appreciation of my outstanding performance. I learnt that every city or country can be made ideal depending on the mental character alertness of its people. Nigeria can be like Hungary or even better if we can change our mentality and each person plans his or her role in a most determined, sincere, and committed way.
4. Please tell us about your work! What a typical day looks like for you? Can you share some cases you have worked on?
My work includes coordinating social workers, implementing children's right to education, assessing learning habits, identifying factors that hinder academic performance, and monitoring and evaluating overall academic progress. My days are always fully occupied with mentoring, giving demonstration exercises, counselling, handling projects, or managing cases, depending on the situation. The most challenging part of my job is securing financial and logistical support for seminars, projects, and essential materials.
I have encountered various challenging cases:
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There was this case of a 12-year boy Victor who was abandoned by his parents after they divorced. He was left in the care of a neighbor, who started maltreating the boy with hard labour. We rescued the boy and he was rehabilitated accordingly.
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I helped two businesswomen in resolving a jealousy-driven conflict by addressing personal attitudes.
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I also had a seven-year old girl in school who was raped. She belongs to a single mother. I took up the case, got involved and ensured that the culprit was jailed.
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I helped a physically challenged man hit by a truck, by taking him to the hospital. Miraculously, he was healed to the glory of God.
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And the last one I would mention is that I fought against illegal salary deductions from teachers, took the case to the State Assembly and court, and ensured their earnings were restored.
5. What are the biggest needs in Nigeria, especially in education?
The schools are not equipped. Many of them have no seats, no blackboard, the pupils sit on the floor. Many schools lack learning materials. Classes typically have around 40 students. The biggest help would be providing fund for purchase of materials like assistive technologies and learning tools (such as audio books, speech-text devices, hearing aids, tape recorder, type writer, Braille paper, laptops, board, wheel chairs, basic stationery).
Essential subjects include Basic Hygiene and Technical Vocational Education (sewing, growing crop), which prepare students with practical skills for employment or self-sufficiency. A child, who is well behaved, even though he is not learned, is an asset to the society, while a bad mannered child with all his education is a harm to the society. If, however, the child is both educated and well behaved, the outcome is excellent.
“I always prayed for a scholarship and God answered my prayers by getting the scholarship to do my Master Programme.
Dear Scholarship Holders, there is always a place for good work, and good work means sharing the knowledge one have gained. Hard work is always rewarded and when you return home to share the knowledge you have gained, God will reward you, and the people you work with, the community will honor your legacy.”
Congratulations to Caroline Chigbo for being such a brave and dedicated person, even when her work is difficult and exhausting. She is an alumna of the Scholarship Programme who has taken the core mission of the programme seriously, because after completing her studies, she returned home to support her community with the knowledge she gained and to contribute to the improvement of society.
Seeing these success stories gives us fresh reassurance that this programme is truly needed and that we, as human beings, always have opportunities to help those around us.
Thank you, Carol! We wish you success and ask for the Lord's blessing upon you.
The Scholarship Programme for Christian Young People Team is always proud of our students’ achievements.
Because your success is our success too!
