Benue Region

Benue Region, Nigeria               

Our Lady Queen and Protectress of Nigeria, pray for us.

Holy Rosary Sisters in Benue
“The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all those who encounter Jesus. A joy ever new. A joy that is shared.” Pope Francis.

 Benue Region, in the “Middle Belt” of Nigeria, lies south of the River Benue and stretches from Makurdi on the Benue to Idah on the Niger.                                                                                                                                                                 

Regional Headquarters: Holy Rosary Convent, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
Regional Leader: Sister Mary Unwuchola. 
Telephone:00234 813 042 1347
Email:nugwa50@gmail.com

Vocation:  Contact number :+2348165095030

About Us
Benue Region lies south and east of the River Benue between Makurdi, capital of Benue State, and Idah, in Kogi State.The Region was separated from Southern Nigeria in 1956 to allow for development. The first post-primary schools for girls in the whole area were Queen of the Rosary Secondary School, Gboko; Holy Rosary Teacher Training College, Adoka; and Holy Rosary TC Idah. In due course our past students took over the administration of these schools; Adoka and Gboko are now run by the Sisters of the Nativity, founded by the Holy Rosary Sisters.
Medical work includes Grimard Hospital, Anyigba; Mother and Child Clinic, Ankpa, and MSHR Efofe Clinic, with Primary Health Care Services reaching out to the surrounding areas. Diocesan Development Services in Idah served the farmers in Idah Diocese.  Education includes Holy Rosary Nursery and Primary School in Makurdi, and Holy Innocents Secondary School in Otukpo. 

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Holy Innocents Secondary School Otukpo

Holy Innocents before

After

Sister Mary with her grads

This school belongs to the Diocese of Otukpo and Holy Rosary were asked to take it over four years ago.  A lot of renovation was needed, and in October 2019 a grant came for the classrooms.  Sister Mary Unwuchola tells of her joy when this happened:
“It is only those who have been to the school that would understand the story of these buildings. They were on the verge of collapsing. There were no proper doors, windows, no ceilings and all broken floors.  The school is not fenced and so many things are lacking. A school which a food vendor referred to as (pidgin English) “de school wey e name get respect passam” This means that the name of the school has respect more than the school itself!  God has started the work. We pray for better things to come!”

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Holy Rosary International Nursery and Primary School, Makurdi

 At Makurdi, Holy Rosary International Nursery and Primary School planted like mustard seed some years is gradually growing into an enormous tree.   They have their first graduation this year. The total number of pupils has increased from to 319 and the staff strength has also risen to 42.  Our children went for all primary school science quiz competition and got first and second prize in the whole of Makurdi.   Sister Rose Chinanakwna, Julieta Muruthi, Njideka Ngene and Ebele Onwuatuelo are making a mark there. Below, see the activities at the graduation day.

Response to the needs at Internally Displaced People   

                   All the all the sisters in Makurdi community are still responding to the needs at IDP camps in Mbawa Camp of Gatu Local Government area of Benue State Nigeria. Thanks to the generosity of the donors who enabled us to purchase food and other necessaries. We mobilized all the sisters in the community including our domestic staff in the distribution of food to the internally displaced persons who are suffering as a result of the conflicts which have affected many areas in Benue State.

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Youth and the Environment in Makurdi

Awareness campaign on environmental pollution and care of the earth:

Still in Makurdi  Sr. Onyinyechukwu Ezejesi  mobilized the youths, the stakeholders, including Benue State Environmental Office, in her awareness and sensitization campaign on environmental pollution and care of the earth. She organized cleaning campaign with youths, market men and women and workers in environmental office. She also got a truck from the environmental office and they cleaned up the markets and street refuse dump. Sister also pleaded with the secretary to provide station buckets for dumping of refuse in the community which he promised to do. It was a successful campaign.  They have stopped dumping refuse behind our convent in Makurdi. She  had another workshop with women and youth on how to use energy saving stoves and each participant got an energy saving stove.
A big part of her work was to empower youth groups to be responsible for these initiatives.

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Idah Diocese: Ankpa: Mother and Child Health Clinic, Ankpa.
                             Efofe: Holy Rosary Clinic.
                             Anyigba: Grimard Memorial Hospital
                             Idah: Diocesan Development Services.

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Efofe Clinic

Our two sisters in Efofe are great women.  A lot has happened in that Clinic this year through their effort and hard work. They now have a  borehole in Efofe, supplying water to every part of the clinic as well as to the villagers. Second Solar energy light has been installed, the clinic now has scanning and ultra sound machines and they have a resident doctor and two laboratory scientists. The numbers of the patients using this facility have increased, they have more deliveries now. There is also functional mortuary there . Thanks to all our donors who provided   financial means in order to achieve all these developments.

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Grimard Catholic Hospital, Anyigba Updating all the time.

Sisters Ene, Cecilia and Christiana have been working, together with their dedicated staff, to give the famous hospital a face-lift, and on September 29th 2018 Bishop Adaji, Bishop of Idah Diocese, came to bless the new and refurbished buildings.  These included the new gate-house and mortuary, and the formal renaming  of some of the wards.  Bishop Shanahan Ward was the first port of call, followed Sister Bertilla Ward, plus some others.  (Sister Bertilla was matron of Grimard for many years and is well-known throughout Igala-land).  The School of Midwifery had matriculation that day, and the foundation stone was laid for the new School of Nursing. 

May this blessing today extend to all who come to the hospital seeking healing and comfort.

Opening of fertility clinic at Grimard Hospital Anyigba:  

 The fertility clinic was opened in January. It has attracted client from all over Nigeria because of the success they have recorded. A good number of couple have been looking for children have been helped and some who wanted to select the sex of their children have also been helped.

They have also opened eye clinic which is doing very well. Staff and patients are happy with the addition of this clinic and many people that came, were rendered free eye care services.  The first eye operation was carried out on the 13^th of January 2020. Dr. Malu, a Consultant from the University of Jos did the surgeries and all were successful.

We have opened two new wards, one dedicated to Sister Bertilla, long-time matron of Grimard, and one to Bishop Shanahan or founder.

Mother and Child Health Clinic, Ankpa

In Ankpa, sadly, there are motherless babies too.  Women find it hard to pay the transport to come to the clinic for deliveries, and sometimes die in childbirth.  When this happens the wider family steps in to take care of the child, and the carer comes for support at the clinic.   Each month more than fifty motherless babies from the area come for vaccinations, health check, and food supplement, while we spread the message: Come in time, come and have your babies here in a safe environment. 

A joyful day as Biliamu takes his first step at exactly nine months.  Little Joseph with his greatest friend, his grandmother.  And the carers of the babies who are glad to come every month to discuss problems and take home milk and food supplements.

The clinic is now carrying out Genotype as one of the means of reducing maternal deaths.  The motherless babies program continues to give meaning to our charism. About forty of the motherless children and their carers attended their Christmas party on December 1st 2020. The care-givers say that if it were not for the sisters most of these babies would have died.

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Development

This book, Food Most Royal,  by Sister Nora McNamara and Professor Stephen Morse,  is now availaable on Kindle.
Visit our Development Page to read more about yam improvement and surveys of trees in Igala and Idoma in Benue.

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Sister Chinyeaka C Ezeani presents her valuable new book on interculturality in religious life.

A new book on Interculturality and the Religious life has just been written by Sr Chinyeaka C Ezeani, published by Pauline Publications Africa.
    “Taking seriously the prayer of Jesus that all may be one (John 17:21), Sister Chinyeaka tries in this book to articulate clearly the challenges as well as the beauty of living as people from different cultures in religious life.  The underlying assumption in her work is that it is possible and necessary to appreciate the beauty that each culture brings.  This requires continuous to conversion to the heart of Christ, and prayerful attentiveness to biases and complexes that tend to support mischaracterization of other cultures. ” (From the Foreward)

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Building peace between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that.  Hatred cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
  Martin Luther King.

In Ankpa town where the population is shared between Muslims and Christians, Sister Franca works to draw people together.  In simple ways, like sharing the same water bore hole joyfully; in serious ways, like the peace workshop with Christian and Muslim Women leaders, see photos below.

Below, Sister Franca with young people at a workshop in non-violent confrontation in Jos; with children in the  camp for internally displaced people in Yola, and with friend Mariam.

“Whether or not I create the peace and reconciliation I want in the world, I want to die knowing that I lived with the integrity of trying.”  Miki Kashtan, Little Book of Courageous.

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 Wild Flowers of Benue

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