Our history

How was the NGO SUPPORT ORPHANS EDUCATION  born? The full narrative

 by Dr. KRAFFA Blaise, Founding President of SOE 

From 2008 to 2011, Dr. Blaise KRAFFA went through a series of difficult ordeals in Cote d’Ivoire, then through the Ministry of Rev. Euverte Yai, God intervenes in his life and consequently was granted a scholarship for studies in China. Pr Mansilla Edmee played a vital role all the way through. Once in China, he was led by God to a young Chinese maiden orphan who lost her parents during the Wenchuan earthquake.

All the narrative in the lines below...

… At the moment the earthquake struck the Sichuan region, Ms YAOYAO underwent an unprecedented predicament for a girl of her age. She recounts her ordeal, 

 “The day of the earthquake, I was then sixteen (16) years old, I was still at school. I think I was the third out of the classroom decamping at a high speed. Our school building was spared, for it did not collapse like the others. But my plight started after school. I had to leave the town of Pengzhou where I was to join the Dujiangyan, thirty-five kilometers away to reach my grandfather and my grandmother who lived there. In Pengzhou, I lived for school reasons, and I did not have any parents in that town. 

At that time, because of the disaster public transport was not available. Private vehicles that provided transportation could not be afforded. So I had to borrow money from a friend to be able to get a place in one of these vehicles. Thus, we headed to Dujiangyan. Once at the entrance of the city a big surprise lay in wait for us. In fact, because of the earthquake, the access road to this place was completely destroyed, so it was impossible to go by car;   the rest of the trip was to be done on foot.   I really did not know the way through, and I was just following the crowd without knowing where I was going to.  It was all along this difficult and painful trek that I could realize the magnitude of the disaster: several houses and building completely shattered up. Therefore I began to worry more about my grandfather and my grandmother I was going to join.   Finally I could reach the ground floor of the building where both of them lived, but I found no one. Our apartment on the   fourth floor was hit hard, but I was determined to go and take a look. After much effort, I was able to access our floor. Upon opening the door, I completely slumped: Nothing left in the house as if the family had been looted.  

Gazing our house in such dire straits, made me very sad. Because of the risk of collapse I had to hurriedly scramble away from the building.  I could not see Grandpa and Grandma on site. To me, this could mean they are safe, and it relieved me somehow. Then came up that lonely, homeless and helpless night, bombarded by the rain.  I desperately needed a place to be sheltered from it. Finally I spent the night under a blanket I could recover during my brief passage in the shambles of our house. 

Early in the morning I set out to seek for my Grandpa and Grandma. After two days of searching through various sites, I was still without any news from them. So I grew more and more worried and sad.  

On the third day, I kept on searching through, desperately, while shaking with tears. Then, I decided to return to the home camp, where a big surprise laid in wait for me, my Grandma was there. Very glad to see her, I leapt to hug her. Then she told me that she and Grandpa had been looking for me all the while, thinking worriedly about me being alone. ‘In fact I remained all alone those three days, but now that I have found Grandpa and Grandma I feel safe, for they henceforth represent my household”

If YAOYAO could happily find her grandfather and grandmother, it won’t be the same for her father and mother. She depicts what happened in these words, “Dad and Mom, meanwhile, lived in Yingxiu in Wenchuan District. 

As young as I was, I could not imagine that outside our area, other areas were also hit hard by the earthquake. For me, as mom and dad were far away, they would be safe. So I felt great joy over this. Later, I heard through the media that the earthquake epicenter was located in Wenchuan. Thinking about mom and dad living there dulled my spirit all the more and everything grew darker again in my life.  Afterwards we heard the heart breaking news according to which mom and dad perished in the earthquake. We could do nothing, but accept that harsh truth. Thus, I turned an orphan. Listening to mom and dad’s neighbors who survived the earthquake in Yingxiu, we were told that dad was downstairs the building and safe, but upon hearing from mom blocked up, he rushed to her rescue and the worst befell… both perished.

 Although I became orphan, I still keep the picture I have of my father, that of a hero who deeply loved my mother.”

Now Dr KRAFFA Blaise (KEHAO), tells of the events that took place during his stay in the Sichuan region of China (2012), precisely in Yingxiu and which have resulted in the creation of the NGO SUPPORT ORPHANS EDUCATION.

        …Early in the morning, when they woke up, KEHAO and their classmates were taken to one the schools of Yingxiu. In that school hit hard by the earthquake, more than 200 student perished under the rubble, about three quarters of the total estimated (ford garage, 2008). ‎The disaster site is kept as it was by authorities by way of memories. 

            It was a highly emotional visit for KEHAO. He collapsed at gazing all that unbearable disaster. The view of the rubble of the school uncovered a more apocalyptic setting. At the end of the tour, KEHAO left the group forward and stood back. He donated a small gift to express his support to victims. He then rushed to join the group. KEHAO’s lofty gesture for victims, although conducted discreetly, was known by officials from Tsinghua University, who led the delegation.  The latter approached KEHAO not only to give him thanks for this brand of compassion, but above all, to tell him it was very touching.  Indeed, she recalled that this earthquake was a National disaster that still weighs in the heart of the Chinese. 

          Upon trying to catch up with the others, God spoke to KEHAO saying, “You have to do more”, but he did not know in what it would consist. However he remembers that before his departure for China, he asked God to allow him to perform an act of social impact in China as a thanksgiving to this country.

         He asked the manager to give him her email address, for in the evening he would send her a mail.  

          In that very evening, God persuaded KEHAO to provide assistance to one of the victims of this disaster by taking a portion of his scholarship in terms of a monthly financial support. KEHAO therefore wrote that same night a message to the Vice-Dean of his Department explaining everything; regarding the prayer made in Côte d’Ivoire on his desire to lay down an act of social purport in China as a thanksgiving unto this country. For God used China as a blessing means in favor of KEHAO after those years intertwined with disappointments. KEHAO explained to the manager that the Sichuan region is the fulfillment of that request. Thus, he stated that after having exchanged with his wife, the decision was taken to provide for financial support during his stay in China, to one of the victims of this earthquake, and if possible, one of the survivors of that school of Yingxiu which was destroyed during the earthquake.

       KEHAO received a mail response from that aforementioned responsible of Tsinghua University running like this, “Dear KEHAO, thank you for your love and attention. I sent the head of the town of Yingxiu, your willingness to provide financial support to the survivors of this disaster in 2008. He promised to discuss with the concerned school’s officials to identify a student your kind support might help. I’ll feed you back as soon as I have an answer from them.” ‎

        Months later, the Sichuan authorities handed over to the Vice-Dean a list of three people eligible for help. On university boards, the choice was finally focused on the student YAOYAO as her English is fair, which should facilitate communication with KEHAO. 

Thus, KEHAO’s and YAOYAO’s destinies crisscrossed in China.

       Tsinghua University Administration also informed KEHAO that it has decided to provide financial support to the other two victims of the earthquake.

          After KEHAO had agreed, the administration sent him details on YAOYAO. In fact, she lost her parents, both mother and father during Yingxiu earthquake, the town KEHAO had just visited. 

        When KEHAO received these information, he was deeply moved.  He and his wife decided to immediately keep on supporting the young student, until she gets a job. KEHAO notified this intention to the administration of Tsinghua University which received it with great emotion. Dr. KRAFFA and his wife would give her financial support for two years. Today this young maiden orphan got a job. This story was transcribed in a book published in 2015, EDILIS editions, under the title of “Two hardship-stricken destinies: The story of an Ivorian official and a young orphan Chinese maiden”. Chinese Embassy provided great part of financial support. The author, Dr KRAFFA decided that part of the sale be used to provide financial support for orphans’ education. Then, in order to better organize this support to orphans and to extend the number of beneficiaries, he divided his project to set up an NGO with friends in Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and the United States, hooking on this vision. Thus, in November 2015, they decided to create the NGO "Support Orphans Education" to support orphans’ education worldwide.