Where there is compassion, there will be miracles.
Here’s a story of how we took 55 homeless children off the streets of Lekki/epe expressway, and helped them find their place in the world again.
A thread…
Here’s a story of how we took 55 homeless children off the streets of Lekki/epe expressway, and helped them find their place in the world again.
A thread…
They say a child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it’s warmth.
Thousands of homeless street children who wander the streets of Lagos, often seen but rarely heard, will someday lose that childhood innocence,become Area boys and a menace to society.
Thousands of homeless street children who wander the streets of Lagos, often seen but rarely heard, will someday lose that childhood innocence,become Area boys and a menace to society.
So we made up our minds to share our lives with them everyday for the entire month of December. The plan was to show them Love, kindness, empower,and help them find their place in the world again.
We walked the length of Lekki all the way to Jakande to talk to every child we could find on the streets.
We walked the length of Lekki all the way to Jakande to talk to every child we could find on the streets.
We visited one of the biggest ghettos in Marwa Lekki and told the boys to join us . They were hesitant at first as December was peak period for them to make money by begging in traffic and even in extreme cases ,harass commuters.
Their life was one of survival they explained.
Their life was one of survival they explained.
I brought out a Chess board and laid it in front of them. I could see their eyes lit up with curiosity.
I told them they had two options-one was accept their fate and the other was to make new choices.
Their lives had been defined by the poverty of their parents sadly…
I told them they had two options-one was accept their fate and the other was to make new choices.
Their lives had been defined by the poverty of their parents sadly…
The next day, all 55 of them showed up at our make shift training center right in the heart of Lekki Freedom way.
It was the first day of the rest of their lives.
They made their very first winning chess move by just showing up to learn with no incentive.
It was the first day of the rest of their lives.
They made their very first winning chess move by just showing up to learn with no incentive.
6 hours everyday for 16days, we taught them Chess, Art, literacy and mathematics.
All of this became a window to express their inner world, a world they had seen much of but had little opportunity to tell.
We gave them education beyond the walls of a classroom.
All of this became a window to express their inner world, a world they had seen much of but had little opportunity to tell.
We gave them education beyond the walls of a classroom.
They solved complex maths in seconds like I had never seen before, and found new confidence in their own abilities. They had come to the full realization of their own potential.
A gift no one could ever take away from them—The gift of knowledge
A gift no one could ever take away from them—The gift of knowledge
After 15 days of sharing our lives ,it bothered us so much to see them wear rags.
So we got them new clothes and gave them nice haircuts.
For the first time, we saw them not for what they looked like, but for what we knew they could become.
This was their story of becoming.
So we got them new clothes and gave them nice haircuts.
For the first time, we saw them not for what they looked like, but for what we knew they could become.
This was their story of becoming.
We had a heartfelt conversation with them during a mentorship session.
The stories were truly heartbreaking- Drugs, sex abuse, violence, hunger. It was too much
Some were orphans who never knew their parents, many came to Lagos from their villages with hopes of escaping poverty.
The stories were truly heartbreaking- Drugs, sex abuse, violence, hunger. It was too much
Some were orphans who never knew their parents, many came to Lagos from their villages with hopes of escaping poverty.
Fawaz Adeoye used to be a street kid like them, hustling under oshodi bridge two years ago but now works as an intern in a lawyers office and builds websites.
Some of them were his friends from the ghetto, they used to call him “Tiny”😊. His story inspired them
Some of them were his friends from the ghetto, they used to call him “Tiny”😊. His story inspired them
Day 16❤️
With a different mindset and outlook on life, they were finally ready to show the world their newly found skill and confidence.
We made them regal Agbádá attires because we wanted them to know they were worthy of celebration.
That they too mattered, just like us.
With a different mindset and outlook on life, they were finally ready to show the world their newly found skill and confidence.
We made them regal Agbádá attires because we wanted them to know they were worthy of celebration.
That they too mattered, just like us.
They competed and played chess brilliantly.
We celebrated our champions 🏆 ❤️
It is possible to do great things from a small place.
We marched together into the slum where they lived.
The community was proud of them.
They were proud of themselves ❤️
The community was proud of them.
They were proud of themselves ❤️
From the 15 year old Daniel who had to drop out of school to pick out plastic bottles from dumpsites, to Funmi a teenage mum who works with Lawma and had her first child at age 14.
Daniel hopes to become a doctor and Funmi hopes to start her own Tailoring business someday.
Daniel hopes to become a doctor and Funmi hopes to start her own Tailoring business someday.
Day 18.
The kids came up to me and pleaded that they didn’t want to sleep in the ghetto again. They now felt out of place.
It was time to finally go home.
So we partnered with @Childlifeline1 to reconnect them with their families and placed the orphans in shelter homes.
The kids came up to me and pleaded that they didn’t want to sleep in the ghetto again. They now felt out of place.
It was time to finally go home.
So we partnered with @Childlifeline1 to reconnect them with their families and placed the orphans in shelter homes.
Some of the boys in their new home❤️
For the boys reconnected with their families, we had to travel for several kilometers to their villages.
We will get all of them mobile phones to stay in touch, enrol them in vocational schools and connect them with a mentor within their vicinity so they don’t relapse.
This was by far the hardest project we’ve ever had to do, but if it gives us all one more thing to believe in the face of so much hardship in our country, then it can only be worth it in the end.
We will get all of them mobile phones to stay in touch, enrol them in vocational schools and connect them with a mentor within their vicinity so they don’t relapse.
This was by far the hardest project we’ve ever had to do, but if it gives us all one more thing to believe in the face of so much hardship in our country, then it can only be worth it in the end.
We helped 55 homeless children find their place in the world again.
Now they can become heroes of their own stories rather than pawns in the hands of the wrong people.
I’m glad we got to them first.
We can learn to love anyone, when we know their stories.
Area boy signing out
Now they can become heroes of their own stories rather than pawns in the hands of the wrong people.
I’m glad we got to them first.
We can learn to love anyone, when we know their stories.
Area boy signing out
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