The COVID-19 Safe Spaces Project for Women and Youths in Kontagora Community: A Rewarding Experience

As the Project Coordinator for Safe Spaces for Everyone, before I ever considered supporting excluded people, I had no idea how much joy it would give back to me. It’s a lot of sacrifices but so rewarding when you consider the positive impact on vulnerable and disadvantaged groups like women, children, and young people in rural communities. Our network has always loved helping under-served people but we feel so very lucky to have actually been able to do that in the past few years. 

At Safe Spaces for Everyone, we have been actively involved in various charitable causes in rural communities. Supporting the design, plan, and implementation of several development projects has opened up opportunities for women, youths, and children. It’s also changed the way we think about our role in these communities.

The positive feedback from community stakeholders and the recipients of our various activities have encouraged us to go above and beyond to effect change in our local communities. And so, this week, Safe Spaces for Everyone launched the COVID-19 Safe Spaces project to stem the unfortunate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable people, especially young women and young people in rural areas.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, if the lockdown continues for 6 months, there will be 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence. Sadly, that's just one of the negative effects of COVID-19 as it is already limiting women and young people's access to economic opportunities, leading to extreme poverty and hunger.

However, through the COVID-19 Safe Spaces project, I and a team of volunteers are implementing innovative activities that fit around women and youths affected by COVID-19. 

We have reached over 388 women and youths and plan to reach 1,000 more in the next three months if the pandemic persists. In small but effective ways, our network of volunteers is working towards a world where everyone (including people living in remote/ rural areas) can access economic, health, and social amenities, even during a pandemic.

Making Life Work

Like everyone else, I have challenges to overcome, plans I need to align with God's will (this is actually the tasking part!), and of course, a lot of little stuff in between. Most pertinent is an issue I have to make peace with in few days. So when this Lady who didn’t know me told me “You look good,” it was definitely well-received! I left home this morning late for work, with no make-up and a bit down but suddenly with that compliment, I was grateful! 

I’d like to say gratitude has worked for me. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is. No matter how many pleasant things I do, if I‘m not grateful, I will always see things negatively.

I'm trying not to sound like it's all that easy but here's the thing - If you're grateful and you think life is going to get better, it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I know some of us are just not wired to appreciate the seemingly little things. It's not like these kind of people are particularly ungrateful; their eyes are just set on bigger achievements. 

That said, I believe gratitude can be learned and that we can teach ourselves to see a half-empty glass as half-full. All we have to do is dwell more on all the things that have gone right for us, rather than those that have gone badly.  I discussed something similar in a previous post – here.

You might as well know that dwelling on negative events can induce worry, impatience and even depression. However, the thoughts of your many 'small' blessings can help pick you up. If you are a religious person, simply take a moment out and be grateful to God for His everyday mercies. It could be anything from a rewarding conversation, to your teeth looking nice, or even that it didn't rain on you when you were out on a bike.

The bottom line is, whether you are a Christian, Muslim, Atheist or of any religious affiliation, a little gratitude wouldn't hurt. Give it a try today!

Routines Are Profitable!

I had this roommate who after a quick intro with some English, only spoke Igala with me. And by the way, in Igala, we “sh” up our ch’s and “j” up our z’s. My people will understand this :). Okay, back to my story. At first I was surprised she couldn’t communicate fluently in English but somehow I continued and found it incredibly hard to get out of that routine with her for the whole stay. Even when I speak to her in English, I didn’t get answered back in English!

Did I mention she was an English Language Undergraduate? By today, I must’ve smiled at that memory at least a thousand times because what ensued in that room was pure awesomeness:).

Before then, I spoke some smattering Igala with my Dad but almost never with my Mum and always never with my siblings. With this roommate, I spoke not so good Igala from the start and slightly less terrible Igala after a few months, but within months I had improved drastically. This proves that consistency is good and it is incredibly hard to break a routine once you have set it. I’m really glad that I got into this one routine. It helped me speak my language better!

That period of my life is one of the many reasons I‘ve come to believe in consistency. One important lesson that really needs to be emphasized is that it is very hard to change things you are used to. As shown in my example above, I am as prone to this as anyone else, and I’m glad I didn’t  restrict  myself to the use of English!

The secret is to start and keep up the flow. With time you’ll be making dramatic progress towards your goals!

PS: I understand this may be an unconventional example to the topic of consistency considering the disposition of the object of this illustration but I hope I got my point across! :)

Lazy Weekend!

I had the best week in a good long while. I was at a Shoe Store last weekend and I got these amazing books from this nice store owner, Uche. Yeah, I know I promised myself I won't be begging for books from random people anymore. But trust me, these books called me! Well...I almost heard them call my name!

 

To tell the truth, they were my only companions at night after work. And now that I'm done reading all three of them, I'm doing a whole lot of nothing! I’ve been thinking about something a friend mentioned about my reading anxiety. It’s weird that it does seem to happen all the time. I’m totally fine with reading without eating or sleeping! And I think part of the reason is that books provide me with a place to go when I have nowhere else to go (and even when I do have somewhere to go!) :) To see the world through another person's eyes, it is quite breathtaking and overwhelming. Reading the right books have made me a better person and helped me grow.

Does anyone else have some kind of obsession? What gives you the kicks?

Numb, That's How I've Felt

I was just a numb empty shell. I didn't know what to think. I knew it was better to let it all out but somehow there was nothing to let out! Yes, my heart was not ready to feel any more pain. No, I was tired.

You see, I had lost a good friend a couple of months ago. And I lost my mojo! Yes, I did. Like most people, I erroneously keep thinking relationships should last forever. I had not seen her in 3 years. Infact, we've only spoken once in this period. But her passing gave me panic and anxiety attacks especially at night because of the stress. It brought back tucked-in memories of every loved one I had lost. I couldn't just understand anything anymore.

Sadly, there's no ''right'' way to respond to losing a friend or relative - it's an extremely personal response that is unique to just you. It still hurts when I think about it but aknowledging my feelings and remembering the good times we had has made me grateful. 

Here's the conclusion I came to - God is infinitely wise and kind, and He has the power to welcome whomever He wants home. And that I should be grateful for every family member and friend He has blessed me with and enjoy as much time as I have with them.

If you're reading this, Daddy, Ugbe, Tumo, Oji, Tina , Ugwa, Comfort, Yebe, Bekky, Uyo, Esther, Susan, Olive, Juliet, Favour, Ebere, Eze, Oshuwa, Monday, Mary, Joy, Simeon.... hmnn, the list so long, I would never be able to mention you all. This is just to let you all know that I love you and cherish your presence in my life. Rest in peace Charity Imaji-Silas.

It's Never Too Late or Early!

Every time I score myself on my 2013 goals, it almost always involves the word "FAIR". I'm all for mapping out plans on how to achieve your goals (hey, if you've got plans ...go ahead and write them down!) but I've noticed that I've achieved more outside my well-written goals :-)  It's not because I'm not diligent but when it comes to New Year Resolutions, I'm not just a stickler! I find more satisfaction in being more intuitive rather than the planning of stuff. Okay... maybe that isn't too right but you see, that's me!

And just in-case you're feeling sad that some of your plans haven't quiet materialised, I put together these inspiring quotes just for you! It's never too late or early to start! Enjoy your weekend:-)