Ocaka Jacob

Ocaka Jacob fights for his future in a manner that makes one sit back in awe. His father died as a result of the war, leaving his mother to care for he and his 4 siblings in an Internally Displaced Person's (IDP) camp. His family values education and so, in order for him to attend a decent school, Jacob and several of his younger sibblings live apart from his mother in a hut closer to town (one family member must remain in the IDP camp in order for the family to recieve assistance and maintain rights to their land). When we first met Jacob in 2006 he was just 13-years-old and wearing the status of a “child-headed household.” He would often arrive to soccer or dance practice late or leave early in order to make the long journey home so that he could prepare supper for the younger ones. He worried about his sibblings and what would happen to them if he didn’t fulfill his duty as "pseudo father".

Jacob is respected by his classmates but holds his strength back in order to maintain equilibrium. He wants others to be happy and content. He won’t rock the boat. But, if he has to fight for what is good and just, he doesn’t hesitate. In the autumn of 2008 he was sent away from school because of unpaid school fees. This meant that he might not be able to complete the term and he would therefore have to repeat an entire year of school! Instead of sulking or accepting this sentence, he and a classmate jumped the wall of the school and took their term exams on time.

Jacob, now 16-years-old, continues to pave his way through secondary school, but now with a Firelight Project sponsorship he can focus on soley on his studies and not have to worry about jumping walls in order to take his exams.

Firelight Project

for future, for hope, for life

Ocaka Jacob