Portrait of girl having lunch:

In Nigeria, there are several SOS Schools throughout the country that educate many young children. The new school year in Nigeria differs from state to state. While schools in Isolo in Lagos state and many others are waiting to kick off on 21 September, those from Abuja state in the Federal Capital Territory reopened on 7 September 2009. The SOS Hermann Gmeiner Primary School Gwagwalada also opened its doors. Some children from the village told us how they spent their first school day.

Adeboye, (nine)

My name is Adeboye. I am in primary three. I am a nine-year-old girl. I woke up at 6:00pm on the first day of school. It was not difficult for me to get up. I greeted my mother, swept the house, brushed my teeth and took my bath. I had packed my books in my school bag by myself and I left for school at 7:20pm. The school is not far from my house so I went to school on foot. I went to school alone. The atmosphere at school on the first day was lively. I entered the class at 8 o' clock. The name of my teacher is Mrs. Helen Nwodo. I received moral instruction and two other lessons and the class rules were set. I went for recreation at 11.00am. During recreation, I ate noodles with cooked eggs. There were new pupils who joined the school. I made new friends. I was impressed by the number of new pupils in my class. The school closed at 2pm. My most remarkable memory of the day was the lesson on sense of responsibility.

I was warmly welcomed back at home by my SOS mother. She was happy to see me back and she asked me so many questions like how I found the school? How I spent my day or if I already had new friends? I ate Eba, vegetable soup with fish. [Eba is the name of local vegetables]. I went to bed early.

I want to be a nurse in the future after my studies.

Feyisayo, (nine)

My name is Feyisayo. I am a nine-year-old girl. I am in primary four. My first day at school was a great day. I woke up at 5:30am. It was difficult for me to get up after spending my long holidays. I said my prayer, laid my bed, greeted my mother, swept the floor, brushed my teeth and took my bath. I also dressed up my younger ones and myself, we took our breakfast and we ate noodles and fried eggs. My mother packaged my school books for me. I left the house at 7:25am. The school is not far from my house and I went by foot. I entered the class at 7:30am. The first lesson was English. The name of my teacher is Mr. Fred Achimugo. I went back home at 2pm. My mother was happy to see me and gave me a hug. I ate rice and fish for dinner and went to bed early. I am happy that I have returned to school. I have a good prospect of being a teacher in the future.

Olatunji, (seven)

My name is Olatunji, I am in primary two. I am a seven-year-old girl. On the first day of school I woke up at 5am in the morning. It was a little difficult for me to get up. I said my prayers, greeted my mummy, brushed my teeth, took my bath and dressed up. I had my breakfast and went to school on foot because the school is not far from my home. I was accompanied by my brother. I entered the class by 7:30am. The first lesson was English. The name of my class teacher is Mrs Aguigbo. I went for recreation at 11am and I ate yam and egg. I have a friend and her name is Praise Abba. I was impressed most by the increase in the population of the school. The school closed at 2:00pm. I was welcomed home by my mother and she was happy to see me. When I finish my studies, I would like to be dentist in the future.

Wasiu, (eight)

My name is Wasiu. I am an eight-year-old boy. I am in primary three. I woke up by 5:00am on my first day of school. It was not difficult for me to get up. I swept and mopped the sitting room floor and dusted the louvers. I later took my bath, brushed my teeth and prepared for school. I ate my breakfast; it was boiled Yam with fried Egg. I packed my stationeries by myself. I wore my school uniform to school on that day and I left for school at 7:30am. My school is not far from my house so I went to school alone and by foot. My first day at school was interesting. I entered my class around 8:00am. The first lesson I received was revision of last term's work. I enjoyed the lesson. My teacher's name is Mrs. Helen Nwodo. I went for recreation at ten am and I ate boiled Yam and fried Egg again. I received three lessons on the day. My most remarkable memory is the story my teacher told us in the class about the gain of being an obedient child. I was happy to see my friends and class mates. I made a new friend who just joined the school and his name is Mike. I went back home at 2:10pm after closing. I was welcomed home very well by my younger brothers and my mother was happy to see me back home. I ate Amala [Amala is yam flour cooked in water until it forms a thick paste and which is a very common side dish] and okro soup [traditional soup from Nigeria made with okra, onions, red chili pepper, salt, magi stock cube, thyme, water, palm oil, stockfish and crayfish] for dinner. I went to bed early. I was happy to be back at school and I enjoy it by playing with my friends. I like to be a lawyer in the future.