Our History

2025 Trip Report

2025

Trip Report

4th Graduating Class
Kathy Rice Entrepreneurial Center and Warehouse
Vacation Bible School
Pastors / Widws Conferences

2024

Trip Report

3rd Graduating Class
Visit to our new 62 acre farm
Using the new tractor.
Learning conservation farming

2024 Trip Report

2023 Trip Report

2023

Trip Report

2nd Graduating Class
New drone video of campus.
Visit to our new 5 acres of Palm Oil Trees

2022

So much Happened.

New Promotional Video
First class of Seniors Graduate
New Chapel built and dedicated
Another 62 acre farm acquired

Structure going up

Roof getting rolled on

Trusses were made on-site

Facade being worked on

Crazy hights for roofing

Roof half way there

Chapel widened and Balcony added due to a large donation

Front Facade completed

Front completed with a marker listing donors

Photo of completed exterior

Rendering of front of Chapel

Rendering of side view of Chapel

March 2022

Promotional Video

New drone video used to get an overview of the entire complex. The first comprehensive video attempting to give a full overview of what goes on at the school.

october 2021

First mission trip after Covid

Fundraising for more bunk beds
Expansion of the girls hostel
More farm land to provide more food
Click on any image for a slideshow

ECWA President Rev Stephen Panya dedicates new 12 classroom building

Girls hostel extension

Getting new Roja’s for the dedication service

Meeting with trustees

Meeting former president Goodluck

Meeting dignitaries

Meeting local chiefs

A Visit to the new rice farm

Sights along the way

Worship Services

Snaps with Students

Children receive pillow cases from Oreland EPC

Boys Brigade at Fundraiser

Local Mayor and many others come to fundraising event

John Kennedy Opara gives speech

New classrooms for expanding classes

Classrooms

Worship Services

Lunch time

Sports is a big part of life

Volleyball, Soccer and Ping Pong are favorite sports

Working the Farm

Bible Study during free time

Braiding Hair

Life in the Dorm

Mission Team 2021

Before and After

Sponsor a Child

2020 Rishama International Gala: An Evening of Music & Praise

october 2020

Rishama International Gala Event

Faith & Hope for Nigeria
An Evening of Music & Praise

June 2020

First School Year Completed

Junior High graduated to first Senior High class.
Dorms expanded.
More classrooms being built to accommodate up to 400 Students

Progress Video for Donors

March 2020

Coronavirus

Praise God no children or staff of Rishama were effected by coronavirus.

Spiritual Emphasis Week 62 baptised and discipled

Money raised for Sound Equipment

Local pastors baptizing 4 at a time

Using new sound equipment for worship

Children leading worship

62 children get baptized after spiritual emphasis week

Discipleship Groups meet outside

Discipleship group

Girls study during free time

September 9, 2019

School Opening

A total of 210 Children arrived for the opening of the school

Don Jones with Exec Director Rev. Thomas Maijamaa at our new school sign

Children in their new Uniforms

Board of trustees on opening day

Dinning Hall setup for Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Inner court of girls hostel

Girl with scissors for ribbon cutting ceremony

Gathering for Ceremonies

Emir of Keffi with his security detail

Don with Staff

Don with children

Don having fun with children on opening day

Children taking entrance exams

Children raising their hands

Children lined up with new uniforms

Sunday Worship

Children being Counted

Children being Counted extending arms

Children finishing entrance exams

Celebrating in the Dinning Hall

May 2019

Staff Interviews

Teacher interviews and hiring of 21 full-time staff

February 2019

Orphanage

First 20 children came under the came of Rishama put $20,000 down payment on 25 acres of back property to farm for food and income.

First 20 Children

Lunch time

Hanging out

Staff in new hostel

December 1, 2018

Building dedication and school inauguration

Former President Gen Yakubu Gowon dedicated the buildings and inaugurated the
school on December 1st 2018. What a wonderful event. Raised $72,000 by December.
I can see why everyone loves Dr. Gowon. He really loves the Nigerian people. He called the children up and encouraged them to do well in school and to live for Jesus.

General Gowon cuts ribbon

General Gowon gives inaugural address

Meeting with the former President

Women singing

August 14, 2017

Roofs completed

Second Floor

Ready for Cement Floor

Roof Trusses

Ready for metal roofing

July 2017

Fundraising

Raised $52,000 visited to do fundraising in Nigeria and to inspect progress

december 2016 – June 2017

construction Begins

Girls Hostel, Admin Block, Dining Hall Walls

Artist Rendering of what they are building

Must have water on-site

Mixing sand and mortar to make cinder blocks

Laying the Foundation

Lots of mortor to carry

Trustees oversee construction

Back of Admin Block

Front of Admin Block

Bamboo to support second floor

Rev Thomas inspecting stairs of girls hostel

No Caption

December 19, 2016

Children’s Conference

Part of what we do is to just spend time with the orphans to experience God through
prayer and worship.

November 2016

Fundraising

$27,000 raised to start construction on Girls Hostels, dining facilities and Administration building.

April 2016

Land Cleared

Description

Beacons mark the land

Tractors clear the land

Trustees walk the land

Land Purchase on a hand shake

Land is surveyed and marked by beacons

ECWA Trustee at Ground Breaking Ceremony

Photo Op

Finding Beacons at Night

December 19, 2015

Ground Breaking Ceremony

Steven Modricker and Don Jones went to Nigeria to celebrate the purchase of our 5 acre plot of land. We also went to raise awareness and funds so we can start building an orphanage on this land. $40,000 is raised to purchase 2 acres of land in Jigwada.
We only had 5 days but it was packed with visits to:
– 2 National Assembly Men.
– Jos – Director of SIM, President of ECWA and Director of ECWA Pharmacy
– Zaria – Professor Berki Adam, Samuel’s family (Don’s adopted family from his time as Director of Pharmacy)
– Jigwada – Many chiefs and officials at the ground breaking, then walked the perimeter of the land.
– Abuja – ECWA Goodnews Maitama church, Mrs Ruth Ibramim from Hope for Survival Orphanage

Foundation Stone

2017 Trip Report

July 2015

Children’s Conference

A wonderful day to experience God through prayer and worship with the orphans. They loved it and we enjoyed it together, and God’s name was glorified. Praise God!

July 2015

The Road

A road is constructed that will give access to our property.

December 21, 2014

Inauguration service – ECWA Church Keffi

An inauguration service is held to promote the vision to build an orphanage in Keffi Nigeria. During the inauguration service, over 300 children raise their hands when asked if they do not have a mommy or dad. This sparks the vision for building the Rishama International Orphanage and School.

May 29, 2014

Inception of Rishama International

Thomas Maijamaa graduated with a master degree in urban ministry at Westminster Theological Seminary. During that summer he and his wife, Hanna, stayed at the home of Steven Modricker. With Steve’s help, Thomas’s vision of a school and orphanage started to become a reality with the foundation of the non-profit organization, Rishama International.

Rev. Thomas and Hanna Maijamaa

William Thomas

Matthew Thomas

David Thomas

Thomas Maijamaa is an ordained minister of the word of God in the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). He is married to Hannatu and has 3 sons. He received God’s call into full time church planting and evangelism in 1994. Since then he has been a national missionary under the Evangelical Missionary Society (EMS of ECWA) in Nigeria.

He transferred his service to ECWA Keffi District Church Council in 1997 where he served as a senior pastor in various churches. He has been involved in the ministry of church planting and evangelism in rural and suburbs of Abuja environs.
In 2005 ECWA Church ordained him for the task of church planting and evangelism in confirmation to God’s call upon his life. Thus, that is the work he has been doing – preaching the gospel of Christ, planting churches in villages (among animistic people); organizing local evangelistic conferences, and crusades in the rural and suburbs of Abuja environs in Nigeria

It has been quite challenging since these rural areas and suburbs are gradually becoming urban with an influx of people from different cultural backgrounds. These needs inspired his passion and search for further theological training at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, USA. In May 29, 2014 he graduated with a master degree in urban ministry at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is presently a student at the Billy Graham school of Missions and Evangelism Southern Seminary, KY, USA and hopes to get a PhD in Evangelism and Church Growth in a few years. He hopes to go back to Nigeria after his studies to continue with his pastoral ministry with the Evangelical Church Winning All and to run Rishama International.

He believes that with God all things are possible, thus he holds strongly on total dependence in God in prayers. Passion for the lost souls is the driving force of his life.