Last month, Trinity Western alumni gathered at a local church in Kelowna, B.C. to volunteer with alumna Antonia DeBoer (’06) and pack donated children’s books for Niteo Africa, a Canadian non-profit that has partnered with Uganda to focus on addressing literacy inequity.
Antonia has been working as the Executive Director of Niteo Africa since January 2022. In her role, she has had the incredible opportunity to support various Ugandan organizations in the goal of establishing and developing school and community libraries across the country.
“Literacy and education build bridges to bright and hopeful futures for children. Open books, open minds, open doors.”
“It is our hope that through these libraries, we will see the literacy levels among children increase and in turn that this will open doors of opportunity,” says Antonia. “Literacy and education build bridges to bright and hopeful futures for children. Open books, open minds, open doors.”
“We live in a global village... I love that my job is centered upon global partnerships in order to provide maximum local impact.”
One of the biggest challenges for literacy in some communities in Africa is a lack of books. In a classroom of fifty or more children, there may only be one book that they all have to share and learn from. This is one of the reasons why donated books can be so valuable.
“We live in a global village and the well-being of one another across borders and continents is intertwined,” says Antonia of her work. “I love that my job is centered upon global partnerships in order to provide maximum local impact.”
When it comes to having developed the skills to do this type of work and to understanding the kind of vocation she wanted to pursue life, Antonia credits her experience at Trinity Western and some of her professors as essential in her journey so far.
"Trinity Western provided a place to deepen my faith and worldview—my understanding of who I am and my place in this world."
“I had initially decided TWU was out of my budget range; but when I looked at the website something pulled me to it and I couldn't shake the sense [that] it was where I was meant to go!” says Antonia.
As she reflects on that season of her life, she says she remembers entering university without a clear sense of what her future career would be.
“I just knew I wanted to help people in some way,” explains Antonia.
Thanks to the support of her professors and the great community of friends she made, Antonia began to get a clearer picture of the type of work she would love to do. It was through one of the friends that she made as a student that she eventually heard about Niteo Africa for the first time.
“Trinity Western provided a place to deepen my faith and worldview—my understanding of who I am and my place in this world,” says Antonia. “Looking back, it is encouraging to see how my path was being formed one step at a time. I think that's all that each of us can do, is take one courageous step at a time and the way will become clear as we go forward.”
If you'd like to learn more about Niteo Africa, you can find them on instagram: @niteoafrica or www.niteo.org
About TWU Alumni
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Words and images by Jonathan Fehr ('09) Director of Alumni Engagement and Communications.