Sustainability for me means supporting families around me to thrive and ensuring no child goes to bed hungry. I am a Vincentian (a member of the Society of St Vincent De Paul an international interdenominational society) which means that I chose to live by the biblical tenets:
Whatsoever you do to the least of my sisters;
That you do unto me;
When I was hungry, you gave me to eat;
When I was thirsty you gave me to drink.
Part of being a Vincentian is that periodically we raise funds to feed people around my area – Ikate and source for clothing needs. We source for both food and clothing because people are not only hungry for food, but for dignity and clothing represents the first part of personal dignity. It gives the recipients confidence to go out and help themselves. Vincentians are organised into groups called conferences and the whole Lekki is organised into a council. We also have a relationship with St Kizito Hospital in Lekki where we raise funds for people who cannot afford medical care. I find it extremely rewarding and it helps me achieve internal balance.
At times it gets overwhelming especially when you see people who try to take advantage. There was an instance where someone visited 3 different Vincentian conferences and solicited for funds for the same medical issue. Each conference asked if she had visited another conference and she said No. However, she got caught when the first group submitted her request to the Lekki Council because the bill was too high for them to manage. She was counselled about not using resources meant for others and one conference took over her fund raising.
However, there are many experiences that make it worthwhile. For example, during COVID-19, we fed over 100 families monthly. Shortly after that was the End SARS protest and while driving home, I got to a check point, and suddenly someone created a way for me, and I said thank you. I later saw the person during the next monthly food sharing, and I realised that he had recognised me and helped me… I then asked myself “what if I had an issue with the person?” I also experienced same during the just concluded elections. My voting area was a bit rough but someone who recognised me helped me. My two best cases till date though, was a mentally challenged woman who we took care of at our conference and rehabilitated over 6 months at Yaba Psychiatric Hospital. She later regained her senses and was reunited with her family in Cotonou and another man, that we also rehabilitated; his family wrote a letter to our organisation. They were so grateful to have their brother back.
I make my children join in preparation for food sharing so that they can appreciate the value of food. (Yes, I like food). It made my son stop throwing away food in the house, so I guess there are additional perks. It’s amazing how much N5K can do. We are able to provide a care pack to people within our area who were in need, with rice, beans, garri, sachet tomatoes & oil, salt and 2 bars of soap for each family to ensure they have food to eat. Sometimes if funds are enough, we add N2k each pack for protein. It’s rewarding to see the change in the children in these families thrive.
I always tell myself that Nigeria is really hard, there are no safety nets, so every little thing helps. When next you have a spare N5k somewhere, consider donating a care pack to a family. If you look around you, you will see so many people deserving of that support, the gateman in your estate, washerman, cleaner, the people who sell in small kiosks, the akara seller with many children. Most of them are one sickness away from losing their jobs and livelihood. If you do not know where to start, most churches and mosques have welfare programs. I promise you that if you do, there is no program that improves your mental health and gives you a positive outlook to life more than that… you gain a sense of satisfaction with what you have.
