The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

34 DECEMBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL munity School in Niger state are drinking clean water from a borehole provided with the support of the U.S. Humanitarian Assistance Office. “By providing clean water inside the school compound, the children and teachers will be able to concen- trate on education without having to worry about a source of water,” said Deputy Chief of Mission Lisa Piascik at the event. Afterwards, she said to me, “The smiles I see on the faces of these children speak volumes.” But I didn’t just photograph boreholes. I was there when “Sesame Square,” Nigeria’s adaptation of the American children’s television series “Sesame Street,” was launched in the capital, Abuja, on May 17, 2011. Muppets Kami and Zobi were created to improve literacy, math and health edu- cation among pupils in Nigerian schools. The project was funded by the United States government, through USAID; and I snapped a photo of U.S. Ambassador James P. McCulley at the launch event (see photo above). The famous Nigerian singer, Onyeka Onwenu, was also in attendance. Since its inception in Nigeria in 2004, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has disbursed more than $5.1 million to support Nigeria’s HIV/AIDS response. A rap contest organized by the U.S. mission to educate secondary students in Abuja about HIV/AIDS was one part of that awareness program, and I photographed students from the Government Secondary School Nyanya, in Abuja, when they performed at the contest on Nov. 28, 2012. The girl in the photo was the lead singer of the group that ultimately won the contest. Muppets Zobi and Kami pose with (left to right) Ahmed Tijani of Nigerian Television Authority, USAID Mission Director Dr. Ray Kirkland, Charlotte Cole of Sesame Workshop in New York City, U.S. Ambassador Terence McCulley and Nigerian singer Onyeka Onwenu. A U.S.-sponsored rap contest in Abuja to promote HIV/AIDS awareness in schools. I was there when “ Sesame Square, ” Nigeria ’ s adaptation of the American children ’ s television series “ Sesame Street, ” was launched in the capital. IDIKAONYUKWU IDIKAONYUKWU