Afrifeature

30/05/2022

We can spread love and show kindness, one person at a time.


☀️

27/05/2022

"It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless." – L R Knost

Reposted from



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04/05/2022

"We were being punished! Well so I thought at first because of the many restrictions I and my siblings received. We didn't get the usual childhood experience laced with carefree attitude and freedom. Many peculiarities were put in place for us who lived with sickle cell disease to enjoy the best of it. For example I was restricted from engaging in rough play with children in the neighborhood as physical exertion could trigger a sickle cell crisis, then it felt like punishment but the more I grew I understood why some things had to be that way.

15years ago I had a severe osteomyelitis of the right hand, and the Doctor who attended to me told me something I would not forget in a hurry. In his words he said “For your condition, you look way better for a five year old, I could have assumed you were 16+, your parents have done a good job in managing you” . No I know his perception came from the poor physical development of sickle cell warriors known as sickle cell habitus. His comment intrigued my little curious mind to know what others living with sickle cell disease looked and felt.
This experience triggered my passion of helping the sickle cell community.

As I advanced further in life with sickle cell disease being managed in a well-to-do family, the huge impact of having two siblings plus myself living with sickle cell disease on the family's finances, availability and psychology of every other member of the family wasn't any little. One could easily think it should be easier to navigate life since I had access to seeing specialists doctors (hematologist), routine medications, and better treatment options but otherwise is the case.
It then dawned upon me to think deeply about the fate of thousands of people living with same condition in a mediocre family who can bearly afford the cheapest routine medication (200 naira) as Nigeria is known to bear the highest burden of people with sickle cell disease. (150,000 children with sickle cell disease are born annually)
With all these thoughts, I knew it was time to change the narrative no matter how little.
I'm Anisa Ishaq-Balogun, and I'm inspiring and helping other sickle cell warriors navigate life."

01/05/2022

It's May!
You don't have to wait to get it all figured out, you've got all you need right where you are.

Do the little things you do with great love, that's a great step to making our world better.

Follow for featured stories of humans driving social change in African communities.

#ᴍᴀʏ2022

20/04/2022

"Growing up in a family of cheerful givers made it easy to learn even as a child that the world needs a lot of kindness, that a random act of kindness can make all the difference in a person's life; you just have to try.

But then tragedy struck when my family lost an important member at an incredibly young age to an illness that may have been diagnosed and treated early if the funds were made available on time.

Despite studying mass communication, the tragic experience ignited a burning desire to help people with medical challenges, having had a first hand knowledge of what it feels like to lose a loved one due to unavailability of funds at the right time for treatment.

The Ni’mah Andre Foundation was borne out of this desire to meet people at their points of need. Our goal is to make sure that we reduce, as much as we can manage, the number of permanent losses Nigerians have to suffer due to inability to pay up their hospital bills. We
provide funds to cover the treatments of underprivileged Nigerians living with critical health conditions or medical emergencies. We do this by passionate storytelling, nurturing, and mobilizing a large community of consistent donors across the world."

I'm Iresalewa Ni’matAllah Muhammed-Bello, mostly known as Ni’mah Andre. I'm passionate about providing hope and giving people a reason to keep holding on through the

17/04/2022

Happy Easter

04/04/2022

Serving humanity isn't about doing what you're comfortable with. It's about serving, even when it becomes uncomfortable.

01/04/2022

Welcome to April.

30/03/2022

"I grew up in a community plagued by violence; it was a way of life. I got a first hand experience of violence and radicalization at quite a tender age, daytime and nighttime were characterized with horror.

For the sake of my safety and sanity, my parents sent me to a boarding school. I experienced some difficulties adjusting to the new environment and this affected my academic performance. But in my new environment I transitioned from being a victim to an agent of peace at the age of 15.
It started with my involvement in the school's play. I was one of the lead actors and had mobilized and coordinated my peers toward using drama to sensitize the community on the need to put an end to violence.

In the year 2007, I began volunteering for community development groups in Cameroon and this gave me a new perspective built around peace and helping to improve communities. It was at this point I thought of finding a way to right the wrongs I faced during childhood, which other children were still facing.

I found myself speaking to my peers on several occasions. I also visited the prison to speak to young people, I tried to show them that there are better ways to respond to the challenges they face than resorting to violence and develop solutions to the drivers of conflicts.

My name is Achaleke Christian, from Fiango Kumba, Cameroon, a town renowned for youth involvement in violence. Over the years and I have contributed my efforts to end violence in my country, I have consistently worked and volunteered in the domain of peace, conflict prevention and security.
I am a member of the Global Youth Advocacy Team of the United Network of Young Peace Builders (UNOY), and help them advocate for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security."

28/03/2022

It's another week to volunteer loudly for that social good cause you believe in.

Be rest assured, your efforts no matter how little is shaping the world. You're not working for free, but for humanity.

25/03/2022

No legs, no limits!

This is Babatunde, going against all odds to earn a living through driving even without having legs.

Truly the first step to creating the life we want starts with the mind.

23/03/2022

"Happy moments were way out of reach for me. Such moments were rare. I never knew one could find happiness and fulfillment in between the lines of a chess board. My childhood was characterized by hunger, gunshots and bloodbath. We were constantly on the run.

My family fled to Uganda in the year 2011; I was still a teenager when my family settled in Uganda as refugee. My country, the democratic republic of Congo, was politically unstable as at then. There were lots of conflicts going on between the government and the neighbor’s. We had no other option than flee for safety.

Few years after we became refugees in Uganda, I lost my father. It was a traumatizing experience for me, coupled with the discrimination I faced from peers because I was a refugee. And so I had to struggle with depression for such a long time; it was difficult surviving each day.

In the year 2015, I was introduced to a game that changed my life for the better. Chess became an escape out of the trauma I was going through. I connected with people and moved from being that lonely and depressed teenager to being a chess coach.

I discovered in early 2020 that a lot of refugees from my country and other neighboring countries were traumatized too and there was high rate of discrimination amongst refugees from these countries. This put the thought of creating a friendly environment that would enable the refugee children enjoy their childhood free from trauma and discrimination. But filled with happy memories. I was able to express this idea using the game of chess through the Raise Chess Academy; an NGO dedicated to helping refugee children in Uganda reach their full potentials whilst having fun memories through the game of chess.

My name is Mayele Joshua; a refugee from the democratic republic of Congo. My drive is to help refugee children reach their full potential via the Raise Chess Academy."

21/03/2022

Let love and compassion lead always.

Happy new week!

16/03/2022

"There's nothing as shocking as something you've never known existed in you, that takes you unawares and just shows up.

I wasn't born with epilepsy. I never knew it existed somewhere in my cells until I turned ten. it just happened and that was when my family came to know that I had it afterwards diagnosis by a doctor.

My first epilepsy seizure happened at home and then the next was in school ( primary school). It was an embarrassing moment for me and after that, a lot of my friends withdrew from me and I was nicknamed an ogbanje.
I had a seizure on the road which really affected my self esteem. It was really embarrassing for me because a mob gathered around me, they talked and laughed at me, I could do nothing but cry until the crowd dispersed before I got up.

It was really difficult being that girl with Epilepsy, the people around me at that time didn't know what epilepsy was and the stigma that followed made me withdraw from school for a while.

I was only able to get back to school after my parents knew what epilepsy truly is.
During this time my family was very supportive and that really helped my confidence against the stigmatization.

I got to embrace my situation with time, although it was difficult.
I was told by the doctors that with constant medication, I would outgrow epilepsy. Whilst believing in God and carrying out some spiritual prayers, it was laid in my spirit to advocate for epilepsy.

My name is Ambila Jaja, from Rivers, Nigeria. I have found purpose in my pain, to sensitize, educate and support people living with epilepsy through my foundation, I am also a part of epilepsy ambassador initiative, Nigeria."



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14/03/2022

How are you affecting your world?

This week strive to do more for humanity, go out of your comfort zone, take that step, your single act of kindness is everything the world needs.

Do more for the world, than the world does for you.

11/03/2022

Suspect to Savior

This is such an amazing story about Joel, a West African man suspected to be an internet fraudster. He teaches the world that a person might be poor but rich in character.

08/03/2022

Today we should create an equal and safe place for women by breaking the bias.

Bias equals inequality.

04/03/2022

Dumps to Vegetables!

a startup in Lome, Togo is turning illegal dumps and flooded areas into vegetable gardens to encourage people to grow their own food.

The group is at the forefront in tackling the challenges of environmental sustainability.

03/03/2022

02/03/2022

"Three gruelling times, my family bore the pains of losing a loved one to a killer virus due to stigmatization.
As a kid, I had dreams to be a medical doctor. I would fantasize about treating the sick and volunteering as a missionary doctor. But I never became a Doctor. Rather, a public health worker with my mission to care for the wounded and needy still intact and alive.

While keeping in with my mission I signed up for the institute of human virology (IHVN), my experiences with orphans and vulnerable children inspired me to do more to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS.
One of such experiences was when I met Joe, a 17 year old orphan at the verge of death. He was going through that phase as a teenager where he needed answers for everything especially the pills which he had to take everyday. Unable to get the answers he sought from his care giver, he became rebellious and stopped taking his pills. As a result he became very sick and severely infected, his viral load increased to over a million and at that point he was highly infective, just a single drop of his blood can infect so many persons.
He became susceptible to all kinds of sickness, a severe malaria typhoid could end his life. He was struggling but dying slowly.

It was at that time my counselling with Joe began, I talked to him and gave reasons why he should take his medications, I encouraged and motivated him then I introduced him to a reward system which motivated him to take treatment. After the series of therapy, he was healthy again and his viral load dropped below 20.
Today Joseph now looks forward to his treatment and is living a happy and healthier life, he is now an advocate to other people living with the Virus.

With the sober experience from his case, I further expended my mission by supporting and promoting prevention of mother to child transmission. I believe with our collective efforts, we can achieve an AIDS free world by 2030.

My name is Frank Ebenezer Kpoa; a public health personnel and currently the paediatric and adolescence focal person for children living with HIV\AIDS in Khana local government area, Rivers State. Fulfillment for me is If by 2030,we achieve an AIDS free world".

28/02/2022

Together we achieve more, there's power and peace in unity.




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25/02/2022

Children from slum communities and disadvantaged families are usually at risk of dropping out of school due to poverty.

In countries like Nigeria there's a high record of out-of-school children roaming the streets and most usually end up as miscreants. But thanks to
Africa, children from poor homes and slum communities now have access to quality education.

Africa is a social intervention driven by young volunteers with a mission to reduce the total number of out-of-school children in Nigeria and across Africa.

23/02/2022

"How can someone be such a foodie all their life? Cooking was one thing that always tickled my fancy from an early age. There had to be a reason why I was so passionate about food and anything to do with hospitality. As I tried to find answers I started exploring my culinary skills as a child. It was no surprise that I became the food prefect in Secondary school. You can see that my food love didn’t end in school. Cooking still gives me fulfillment and this is why I became a chef running my own restaurant. During my sojourn with food I discovered a greater joy in serving humanity.

It was in the year 2018 in Lekki, an elitist area in Lagos, where I saw school children walking to a tuition free school. They looked haggard and malnourished with no shoes on their feet. Their parents could not afford fees or transportation despite living in an area with upper class residents. It struck me that hunger is still a challenge in these parts. I thought to myself, these children may not be getting quality education if basic needs such as food, clothing and probably shelter have eluded them.

It became clear to me the purpose of my food love was really to feed the needy. This became the inspiration for ' Feed the Kids Nigeria ’. This is an NGO that provides nutritional meals, snacks and values that enable young minds to dream of a sustainable future. So far we’ve established kitchens in local communities in Lagos, Abuja and Kwara states of Nigeria. We distributed lunch packs to over 50,000 children and gave educational support to children in underserved communities.

My name is Chef. Sanni Sheriff from Ondo state in Nigeria. As a community developer I am committed to ensuring that children, especially the less privileged have the ability to pursue their dreams and aspirations without having to worry about basic needs like food, I believe we can achieve a hunger free future if we harness our God-given passions".

21/02/2022

Choose to be the reason someone believes in humanity.

18/02/2022

Beauty from Trash!

Meet Jakkalas Monyamane, a talented South African taking his time to transform waste products into beautiful pieces that can be used to decorate homes.

16/02/2022

"For someone to have cancer, that person must be associated with witchcraft. This was really my belief. While growing up it was common to hear people in my locality talk about this rare and strange illness that was caused by witchcraft. It’s safe to say that I was naive as a child. It was only during my study at the university as a veterinary student that I learned and unlearned the lies.

As a vet student I saw people die of cancer. It was heartbreaking. Occasionally, my friends whom had burdens of cancer came to me for prayers. At that time I was serving as the Prayer Secretary at the Redeemed christian campus fellowship so you can imagine how much I prayed against this disease. However, people were dying of cancer. I watched many. My friends buried loved ones who could not survive it, it was devastating. I felt helpless that I could do nothing to ease their pain, even as a Scientist.

After a close friend lost his relation to cancer, I reflected on possible ways to provide solutions. It was not until after my first degree that it struck me! I can channel my efforts to change the narratives about cancer and provide care for these patients. Without hesitation I switched course of study from veterinary medicine to oncology. It was an intentional mission to help people living with cancer. This led to the birth of Dove-Haven foundation, an NGO that I was passionately inspired about to address the scourge of cancer.

Like me, people still know very little about cancer. It’s still a myth to many. Did you ever hear that it was a disease for only whites? Or that it’s only the rich that can have cancer? Those are myths and I am doing all I can, along with others who share vision, to create awareness.

I am Dr.Ekundayo Samuel. I believe we can eradicate cancer in Nigeria and the world. Please join me to make this happen".

14/02/2022

Be humane, in words and actions.

09/02/2022

"Slum life was my life! I grew up in the Port Harcourt slums yet I was lucky to attend one of the best schools in the State. This gave me a different perspective of life. Life was more than congested buildings, chaos, and the vibrancy of children in the slums. I became an adult with a mindset that people who lived in the slums deserved better. In 2003 during a car accident which nearly took my ability to walk, I cheated death. After series of surgeries people went out of their way to help me gain mobility back. Alas! I could walk again and at 10 years old I understood that there were people out there who would go the extra mile for others in this mean, cold world. This triggered my passion for volunteering further and also inspired my career in the medical field.

A defining phase for me was when my kid sister had to struggle with the stigma of living with the sickle cell disease. It was in 2018 my sister entered adulthood. She began to have crisis that got everybody involved, doing things for her that she could have done herself. She didn’t really understand what it was like to be a teenager living with sickle cell disease so she got depressed, had questions that needed answers.

She realized that people treated her and others living with the disease badly due to poor awareness. She then came up with the idea of a support system for people living with sickle cell disease. It was easy for me to jump on the idea because I already had the passion for community service coupled with my medical background. Together we built a community for people living with sickle cell called SCAHF. Through the Foundation we have offered 650 free genotype screening. We’ve organized 10 blood drives and received donations of 450+ pints of blood to save lives of indigent patients in public hospitals.

My name is Dabota Omubo Pepple. I am an advocate for voluntary blood donation. I work as a nurse but I am also Co-founder of the Sickle Cell and Health Awareness Foundation SCAHF. What do I believe in? Giving is living".

07/02/2022

Wishful thinking and compassion is not enough, action is required to achieve the desired results you want in your society.

Start today, no single act towards social good is wasted.

02/02/2022

"Not being able to go to school was a blessing to me; not a challenge. After my primary education I could not further my education. But that inspired me to explore my creativity. But unlike me, there is this kid, Elijah, I met recently who his own case of not being able to going to school was not a blessing in disguise. For him, going to school was a challenge.

Driving along the streets of Port Harcourt I was stuck in traffic when I first saw Elijah. That day, I was on my way to Burna Boy's Grammy Award home coming show. There were lots of people on the driveway--hawkers bombarding me with their goods, window cleaners taunting me with their forceful services...--and my gaze fell on Elijah with his windscreen wiper.

My heart filled up as tears welled up in my eyes as I watched him passed by. I broke down in my heart for this little boy who I knew could be anything great like my kids if given the right opportunities. And I was willing to take this responsibility to ensure Elijah gets the right opportunities like other kids.

I got to meet his family to know more about him and how I can help. Elijah happens to be the third child in a family of five boys. His mum sells kunu to cater for five boys, his father works as a security guard, while Elijah dreams to be a mechanical engineer--even as realities of life kept him on the street as a windscreen cleaner kid. At that moment I decided I will do all I can to ensure he gets all he needs to succeed in his chosen field of Mechanical Engineering. Bringing in Elijah to become part of my family was not easy. At first my, wife and biological children fought it. But in no distant time they were able to adapt. And come to terms with the new addition to the family.

My name is Mr. Isaac Utere from Akwa Ibom; a veteran creative artiste, and media consultant. I believe that we can make a difference in our society; I still believe that all the street children--even the ones that have turned to miscreants--in our society are not up to one tenth of the people that can absorb them. If each and every person who is well-to-do picks up one street child (or miscreants), and nurture that individual, our streets will be free".

28/01/2022

Trash to cash

Every now and then, we use a huge amount of single-use plastic each year. We buy one million plastic bottles each minute around the world most of which ends up in landfills, oceans, and other natural spaces. Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Nairobi, is combatting this global crisis by recycling bags, containers, and other waste products into bricks used for bricks and other construction projects.

24/01/2022

Are you driving a force for social good?

What are you doing for others?

The true essence of life isn't to live for oneself, but to live for others.

21/01/2022

We all have something to contribute for the betterment of our society.

Meet Samuel Aboagye, a 17 year old who uses his love for science to build electric bikes and tricycle to help people living with disability.

19/01/2022

I started substance use when I was still a teenager. My own gateway to drug use I would say was peer pressure.
Substance use can also stem out of family dysfunction. As a child I was very bright academically and was one of the best students in Lagos state. I scored the highest in common entrance and then I got into secondary school where I had lot of friends. One thing is, the bulk of the blame were on me because I wasn’t able to balance my social side and my academic. My grades started to dwindle and by the time I wrote Senior School Certificate Exam (SSCE), I got four Passes and 4 Fails.
It was then in secondary school I met some new friends that were very playful but then, they were doing drugs. Due to my background and the rejection I experienced as a child, I went everywhere looking for who would accept me. So when my friends did drugs and they were trying to exclude me from it, the same feeling came again that these people were trying to reject me. I didn’t want to be rejected again. So I did whatever I did to get accepted by them. That was how my journey of substance use began from when I was introduced to it in 1995/1996, and more intensely in the year 1998 till I stopped in 2018.

2018 was a defining moment in my life. I hit an all-time low. Suddenly, all the things that used to give me pleasure, substance use, all the partying--none of them actually made sense anymore. I got tired of that life. And It happened that my friend had invited me for a women’s fellowship. So I went with her. There, I decided to give my life to Christ. I became a Christian.

It was then my journey as a recovery coach started. when I realized that there have been lot of issues with drug use and rise in substance use in Nigeria. And for the fact that I was also a party girl and a substance user, I realized that if I had someone speaking the way that I am doing now, maybe I wouldn’t have done it.
So instead of allowing people make the same mistakes that I make, why don’t I speak about it and help some people avoid those same traps?

My name is Tega Omogor, a substance use counsellor and recovery coach. I’m from Delta State currently living in Abuja FCT.

17/01/2022

Look around you, your immediate environment. Opportunities abound to make positive impact, it doesn't matter how little. What matters is the impact you are making for a better society.

12/01/2022

"Perhaps you may think suicidal thoughts are not common among teenagers but I had these hallucinations as well. Some people would believe I was mad. Voices in my head kept whispering ‘you would die today’. I even dropped out of school for one academic year because of this.

My battle against schizophrenia began when I was 19. Schizophrenia is a long term mental disorder which breaks down the relation between thought, emotion, and behavior, leading to false perception and taking inappropriate actions. Before my diagnosis I was diagnosed at a neuropsychiatric hospital. My parents had looked everywhere for a solution, including religious houses.

A particular place advised my parents that I have spiritual problem and they should pay for me to be delivered. Sadly, in Nigeria, mental health is still seen as a spiritual phenomenon. After diagnosis I got medications and it took awhile before the treatment started having effect. I had to be patient. Dealing with mental health challenges inspires my activism. Living in a country where mental health is not taken seriously; where mentally unstable roaming the streets, drives me to do something.

A great misconception about mental health in Nigeria is that psychiatric hospitals are only seen as a place where mad people are sent to. This misinformation needs to be addressed with more awareness especially in the rural areas. But make no mistake, mental health issues are rampant among people in our cities too.

I am Onwuzuruike Chidera from Imo State, Nigeria. As a mental health advocate I am committed to changing the narratives about mental health in Nigeria."