PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (June 3, 2021) – Earlier this year, a tragic explosion in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, rocked the country, killing more than 120 people and injuring hundreds more. Houses were destroyed, leaving many homeless, and there were fears of more missing or injured people not yet found in the aftermath. A Covid testing lab and several schools were also destroyed, leaving the country in a horrible state as they tried to rebuild and recover during an ongoing pandemic.
A world away in Prairie View, Texas, students at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU) saw a need and got to work.
Although they were thousands of miles away from their home country, 29 students from Equatorial Guinea led relief efforts for those affected by the explosion. It was the next best thing to being able to be home to help their families and their country.
“I think it is an African thing. We are community-oriented people. Whenever one of us is down, we look for ways to immediately help them get back up,” PVAMU student Roberto Mba Obama Angono said. “I might be down, and one of the people who needed help before me would offer to help me in return. It’s what we do.”
A Call for Donations
Thanks to their leadership and service, the group of students from PVAMU, along with support from various university partners, collected items to send overseas, such as over-the-counter medicines, inflatable beds, bedding and sleeping bags, clothes for adults and kids, diapers, powdered milk and non-perishable foods, school supplies, hand sanitizers, masks, toiletries and sanitary items, and more.
In addition, donations were received from the Mayor of Prairie View on behalf of the people of Prairie View. The University’s Community Liaison Officer, Frank Jackson, also brought in donations from members of the PVAMU community.
Several pallets of bottled water and multiple trucks of donations were sent from PVAMU, organized with care and thoughtfulness by two student leaders in particular, Erica Mba Mbang and Pedro Angel Mico Mbasogo.
“After receiving the news of what happened in my country, we felt very devastated by that news,” Pedro and Erica recalled.
Erica began by trying to stop students as they walked through campus, offering news of what happened and her contact info in case anyone wanted to help or get together.
“This was something very important to me,” Erica said. “Being able to help my people relaxes me and makes me happy.”
Pedro agreed and soon decided with Erica and several other students to get an official organized effort in the works.
Support from Above
“I remember that day I did not eat anything because it was difficult to stop thinking about my country and the people who were suffering and others who had passed away,” Pedro said. “Inside of me was the need to try to do something for these people and not just write an empty tweet. Personally, I love children. For several years, I was a youth entertainer in my country and always surrounded by children. I saw many deceased children and others without arms or legs, and some who were orphaned because their parents died in the explosions. That broke me even more. I felt a lot of pain inside, and I felt that something had to be done for these people and especially for the children who are the most vulnerable in all that chaos.”
Pedro credited the idea’s success to the support of Erica, students Rubén, Joaquin and others, who were willing to do whatever it took to help. Despite being told that bureaucratic red tape would delay their efforts, they decided to take their idea to PVAMU President Ruth J. Simmons, who wholeheartedly supported them and helped them launch this effort, which has had international effects.
“I was starting to get the feeling that we were going nowhere with this. Not knowing how to go through with this, I decided to email President Simmons’ cabinet, whose response was quicker than I expected,” Pedro said. “Dr. Simmons, through the cabinet, called a meeting with us to see how we can help those affected in Equatorial Guinea. From the meeting with Dr. Simmons, all the mechanisms were activated to launch a campaign to raise humanitarian aid. It wasn’t easy, but in my perspective, Prairie View made it look easy.”
When the supplies were received, Equatorial Guinea’s ambassador confirmed the country’s gratefulness to PVAMU for their aid and support, writing to President Simmons that the “supplies provided encouragement and solidarity to the people of Nkoantoma (Bata) and bridged the gap for those in need while the government works on a longer-term solution.”
In addition to collecting donations, the students also organized a GoFundMe account to send monetary donations to Equatorial Guinea. The items were sent by ship from a Houston port in April, coordinated to be picked up by representatives from the local Consulate General of Equatorial Guinea.
More than tangible support, the students also sent their prayers and thoughts to their families and friends. One student noted that though they were able to talk on the phone or chat via WhatsApp, they wished they could see their families in person. Many were navigating the grief of losing a family member or friend to the tragedy, but they found themselves unable to do much from where they were in Texas. This act of service in collecting donations banded them together and amounted to a huge encouragement not just to their country but also to each other.
They were each other’s families away from home, the students said.
“I saw how they were suffering, and given that we are a small country, we all almost know each other,” student Joaquin O. Afugu Ntoo said. “We all are like a big family. That gave us a starting place and inspiration to help our country any way we could.”
Knowing the difficulty of navigating an international project like this, the university was extremely responsive in finding a way to help and propelling the students’ efforts forward, Pedro said.
“The help we received was more than I could have imagined, a great solidarity from many people at Prairie View,” Pedro said. “I will always be grateful to this institution and to all those who have made this humanitarian aid possible.”
Godlove Fonjweng, Ph.D., executive director of the Office of International Programs, said the relentless efforts of the students in helping their country was an inspiration to him.
“Reflecting these efforts, we have been reminded that when hope is kept alive, there is nothing that cannot be achieved,” Dr. Fonjweng said. “The students displayed sheer determination in getting their voices heard and achieving results by working along with university leadership on ideas to implement the donation drive.”
He noted that this kind of service and support is just one of many ways the International Student Services (ISS) office works with international students. Their existence is a vital connection, especially in times of tragedy or need.
A Place for Support Year-Round
On a day-to-day basis, ISS at PVAMU makes the transition process easier to navigate for all international students by breaking down the process of satisfying various requirements into detailed steps, clearly explaining the steps and then guiding the students through transitioning to the U.S. and Prairie View.
Some examples of resources provided include New Student Orientation, which includes sessions on adjusting to life in the U.S., the U.S. educational, immigration policies, followed by bi-weekly personal and group chat sessions throughout their time at PVAMU.
In these sessions, each advisor serves as a guide and friend for students navigating their new life at the university. In conversational settings, students can ask specific questions regarding their immigration status; learn about laws and regulations and student check-ins, or troubleshoot getting tasks accomplished, such as figuring out how the meal plan actually works.
Through this relationship with ISS, students establish a regular rapport for connection, updates, and assistance, Dr. Fonjweng said.
“The work of our office compliments Prairie View’s service component of the teaching, research, and service model that has been adopted by the university,” he said. “In keeping with PVAMU’s culture of hospitality and service, we make PVAMU a home-away-from-home for our international students.”
More to Give
The Office of International Programs works with students regularly to organize cultural events on campus that reflect their home cultures, and these are great opportunities for American students to learn about other cultures.
It’s part of the deep-rooted culture of respect and kindness to others and the legacy of pride that PVAMU has established.
The university is truly an international student’s home away from home, as well as a place they may always call a “second home.”
But Dr. Fonjweng pointed out that though this was a tragic event for the students who are from Equatorial Guinea, a project like this taught them not just organizational and service-based skills, but it was also a way for them to share their culture with others who may not know much about it.
Most importantly, it was a way for them to share their hearts for their country.
“I’ve been focusing on my education while I’m here,” Roberto said. “Social media gives me the illusion of not being far from home, as I can easily reach anyone from anywhere. I have also developed connections with people over here to help with the actual physical absence. But, there is no place like home. That’s the place I long for. I have a special sentiment for the country. Even when I’m away, my thoughts always go to the people back home and how I could use what I’ve learned to help in the ways I can.”
By Meredith Mohr
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