David is Top of his Class at School

David is eleven years old. When he was seven his biological mother died giving birth to a new sibling for David. He had lost his father years before when he was still a toddler. He was placed with his ageing maternal grandmother who found it very difficult to care of the little boy. David was often seen in the neighborhood, malnourished and not properly dressed when going to school. The department of social development in Jos brought David to the attention of the team at the SOS Children’s Village in Jos. They immediately began proceedings to have the promising boy join an SOS family.

Today David is well focused, full of life and has become a role model to other children. He is fondly known to his peers and SOS co-workers as “Hermann Gmeiner”, founding father of SOS Children’s Villages as the eleven-year-old played the icon in a school play last year (2014). This has made him popular among SOS families.

“David is very stable in character with a loving personality,” said his SOS mom Victoria.

David has just graduated from basic five, similar to a junior in primary school, and has distinguished himself academically by coming out tops in his class at the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School in Jos. He is an Aflatoun Club member who knows his rights and obligatory responsibilities as a child. During the prize-giving day, he got the best prizes in mathematics, computer science and home economics, and was overall first position in class. In one of the centralized examinations (National Mathematical Center), he was named the best pupil in Jos South, and second best in the whole Plateau State.

Interview with David:

What was your life like before you attended school at SOS?

My name is David. I am a native of Zawan in Jos South Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria. I am 11 years old. My father died as a result of illness when I was a toddler; I did not know my father and my mother died at childbirth when I was five years old. After the death of my mother I was taken under my aged grandmother’s care before the information about me was taken to SOS Children’s Village. But before the intervention of SOS Children’s Village, I was enrolled into primary 3 in 2011 at Chung-she primary school Zawan by my maternal uncle when I was abandoned by my father’s people.

My experience in Chug-she Primary School, Zawan, was nothing to write home about and the teachers were not qualified like the teachers we have in Hermann Gmeiner Schools. We did not have teachers in all the subjects. The English we used to communicate with was too local. There was neither computer nor a teacher to teach computers. The classrooms were not enough to contain all the pupils.

I came to SOS Children’s Villages Jos in December 2011. I was enrolled into Hermann Gmeiner primary schools in 2012. I was supposed to be in primary 3 but after the exams because of my poor performance I was told to start from primary 2. I could not speak English fluently at that time. I noticed that there were so many computers and teachers in different subjects. My life was being really transformed. I was promoted from primary 2 to 3, 3 to 4.  In primary 4, I was the school time-keeper. While in primary 5, I was elected as an Assistant Head-boy. I emerged the best in Mathematics during 2014/2015 Speech and Prize Giving day. Now I am in love with mathematics and Basic Science and I have basic skill in computer.

What did you used to wish for before you came to the SOS school?

I didn’t have any dream until I came to the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School where I was thought about having a good dream and future ambitions.

What is your favorite part about your SOS school?

My favorite part about school is the high standard and quality education it offers to children.

What’s your favorite subject?

My favorite subject is Mathematics. I also like basic science and computers.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

My biggest dream in life is to become an Astronaut so that I can train others in it.