'It's My Best Gift Ever', Says 14-Year-Old Boy Who Received Pair of Shoes from US-Based NGO
It was a sunny Monday afternoon, a public holiday at that all over Nigeria and a clean pair of blue sporty canvas was the last thing on Monday Solomon's mind.
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Solomon, a 14-year-old boy at the Government Junior Secondary School, Apo in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria got a pair of shoes during a community drive by the None Should Be Naked organisation in Apo Dutse.
Source: Original
Led by Michelle Ayomide Soneye the founder and executive director of None Should be Naked, other residents of the community in their hundreds got gift items of either shoes, clothes or both with a heartwarming note signed by the team lead herself.
The overtly excited young Solomon said:
"I love this kind of thing and this is the best gift I have ever had in my life.
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"People come to meet with us, I never even thought that anybody will ever think of giving me this kind of shoe.
"Just look at it, I am going to wear it to church, I will wear it to school, in fact, I will wear it everywhere. When I leave this place I am going to show my new shoe to my friends."
Praying for the organisation and its team members, Solomon said he would not mind seeing None Should be Naked, a youth-run organisation focused on supporting and empowering all by providing clothing and books, in Apo Dutse community another time.
Another recipient from the cloth drive, Hauwa Sule admitted that she has never seen anything like this before.
Sule, a 70-year-old widow who received a black jumpsuit said she got the item for her daughter who she believes would be happy about it.
"My daughter will like this, she doesn't have anything like this and she will really really appreciate this," Sule said in Pidgin.
Speaking passionately about the drive, Soneye told Legit.ng that None Should Be Naked was borne out of her desire to ensure that no human is left without clothing anywhere around the world.
She said that the drive started while in High school in the United States of America - where she collects clothes from friends, neighbours and relatives to distribute to the less privileged people in Nigeria.
Source: Original
The None Should Be Naked had earlier taken its drive to Pacelli School Lagos and some other communities before reaching out to people in Apo Dutse.
With Nigeria, being her home country, Soneye said for her, seeing people, especially children without nice clothes or none at all is heartbreaking.
The work that None Should Be Naked does in Nigeria is not just about saving the globe from harmful environmental pratices that could have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and undrinkable water. The organisation hopes to offer warmth to less privileged persons.
A new World Bank report published in March 2022, said that as many as four out of 10 Nigerians live below the national poverty line.
The report also stated that many Nigerians - especially in the country’s northern region - also lack education and access to basic infrastructures, such as electricity, safe drinking water, improved sanitation and everything needed to make life worthwhile.
Her words:
"So I and my younger sister, Yemi in 2019, started None Should Be Naked because we noticed that there were a lot of unused clothes that would go to dumpsters and that would harm the environment.
"And so we decided that instead of throwing away all these unused clothes we can give them to people back in Nigeria."
Sourcing for clothing and other items
Soneye further stated the organisation's main vision is to ensure the well-being of humanity by using items that cost little or nothing to other people.
She said that the clothes are sorted by asking friends and residents of her neighbourhood to help with items they no longer need.
Her words:
"We started by packing clothes together, then we took it a little step further by asking our friends, neighbours and people in our community in the US to give us clothes that they did not like anymore.
"And instead of throwing them away, we folded them and repackaged them and we will write little notes inside the bags and hand them out."
Effect of COVID-19 on reaching out to the less privileged
Soneye stated that COVID-19 had slowed down the collection and distribution of items to the people who needed them.
Her words:
"We had to stop doing deliveries in 2020 and 2021 but we are back to them again this year and we are expecting to have more in the second half of the year.
"We are doing this because every single human being deserve adequate clothing and it's a human right. I feel like I and my sister are so privileged and by having access to these things we have to help in our own little way.
"I feel like it our responsibility to take care of those who cannot take care of some of their basic needs, I mean that's what humanity is all about."
Possible expansion for None Should Be Naked
Soneye confirmed that the organisation is not just focused on clothes and shoes for the people living below the poverty line in Nigeria but also hopes to distribute books and other learning materials to school children in communities.
Austin Otulu who was part of the team on the None Should Be Naked cloth drive told Legit.ng that this for him is satisfying.
"Seeing how happy the kids are to receive these items is just something else. Mimi is clothing humanity, she started this when she was a little girl and she just wants to make sure that nobody goes naked and that is why I am here to support her
For me, this also means that we still have people who have feelings for their fellow human beings and I wish everyone can emulate that aspect of life and let's show some love to one another."
How we enrol 'drop-out-married' girls into schools in Kano community, father highlights
Parents in Tarda community in Ungogo local government area of Kano state have adopted different measures to ensure their girls are not enrolled but stay in school to complete their basic education.
One of such parents is Mustapha Abdullahi Tarda whose focus is on making sure that girls who were married off earlier go back to school.
Also, mothers in the community encourage each other through an association supported by United Nations Children’s Fund and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
How 12-year-old chairman of children's committee encourages Kano kids to go to school
Twelve-year-old Habibu Usman who served as the chairman of a children's committee ensures kids do not drop out of school in Gwale local government of Kano state.
Habibu said his committee embarks on a house-to-house to enlighten parents and children on the need for basic education in life.
According to Habibu, the house-to-house campaign has successfully helped to increase the number of school children in Gwale.
Source: Legit.ng
