GETTING STARTED

GETTING STARTED

At first, I thought this was going to be a walk in the park. As I was motivated, my spirit was lifted and I was excited feeling like a 10 year old who was just bought his first game of Pro-evolution soccer. But then, when reality struck, the caves seemed to be crashing down on me and at a point I felt like I was gasping for air while in the middle of the deep blue sea. This was a case of I do it or die trying but I knew it wasn’t possible to die while on the path of changing lives and fixing hopes that seemed tarnish. If I didn’t get it done, I wouldn’t be fulfilled and if I tried but didn’t finish, what then would the future hold for those who want to receive inspiration from the decisions that I made. Making choices did not seem easy without a sort of guidance from one chance person.

Olugun community is located in the south west of Nigeria in Osogbo city, Osun State.

Even inside the city itself the marginalization is present; there is a deep demarcation of the economic gap, the main highway of the city is built up with decent buildings, the main banks of Nigeria, medium and small business. However, that reality is pretty far from the one in the communities a few blocks away from the main highway.

Olugun community can be easily taken as another country inside the city, the environment changes dramatically just in a few blocks walking from the highway to the community’s territory. The conditions of living there proof the deepness of the economic gap between classes even within the same area. Olugun community’s economy is based on a small cyclic trade and exchange of basic products economy, which means that every single member of the community offers a specific product, service or benefit (such as hand work) for the community and the reproduction of this system is the key to the community’s subsistence.

Stirring the Waters

My passion has always been driven towards making an impact in the lives of humanity; from my days as an undergraduate I joined an organization that gave the opportunity to explore my potentials while impacting lives in the process. This organization is known as AIESEC.

    The time of Youth Service came and one goal was set aside which was basically to make an impact wherever that I found myself to be, whether in the camp or during the months of working at my Place of primary Assignment.

  On getting to Osogbo, which wasn’t a first time, my mind toured back to a particular community of interest – Olugun community. A friend of mine by the name Josh (Amazing guy) who had served in Osogbo at a certain time was a member of AIESEC while we were in school. He had started out a project in that same community which consist of Skill training for the youths (hairdressing, tailoring etc) and opportunity presented itself to me; being posted to Osogbo and I met the chief of the community. Chief Kayode Esuleke, a very interesting fellow who upon your first chance meeting would think he was quaint, proved very resourceful and offered all the necessary support that I required getting every aspect of the project on track and running in due course as expected.