(Written by Emeke Ndego)

‘In the journey to success, tenacity of purpose is supreme’ – Aliko Dangote

I believe most of us would understand what it means being on the waiting list to seek advice/counsel from a medical practitioner or perhaps an organ needed for a life saving operation.  Being on the waiting list can be quite frustrating sometimes, especially when the individual is in dire straits, but the reward can be satisfying especially when it’s a life-saver!

Eleven year old Emmanuel and his two siblings have bright hopes for the future.  Survival hasn’t been any easy after their dad passed away a few years back, and the current economic situation of the country means there’s very little or nothing to spend from his mom’s unstable income.  All three are in school, but Emmanuel is the stand out performer with an average of 86.4% during the last school examinations.

Muslimaat was referred to us by a friend of the organisation, who was quite confident of Muslimaat’s academic abilities.  Our social workers visited Muslimaat’s family at their residence after a series of calls for an appointment. Muslimaat is fourteen and she lives with her mother and two siblings in a room shared accommodation.

Two other siblings had to start staying with relatives after her dad passed away, because their mum’s meagre income from her tailoring business can hardly sustain the whole family.  Muslimaat is one of the top students of her class of 85 and she’s ever focused to reach her goal of becoming a Lawyer someday in the future.

The road to the top they say is always under construction as it’s never a smooth ride.  It’s not unlike the accomplished stories of successful entrepreneurs or scholars in different fields of endeavours.  Our assessment processes give us the opportunity of witnessing first-hand experiences of a burning desire to succeed, exemplified in the lives of children who continue to post impressive academic performances, despite discouraging conditions at home as revealed in the stories above.

Empowering people for a fairer life is what we do at Fair Life Africa Foundation and what better way than to invest in the lives of children through education.  With TWENTY EIGHT children enrolled under our Disadvantaged to Advantage Initiative, TWENTY ONE more are currently on the waiting list for adoption by a sponsor before they can successfully join our FLA Family.

It costs just N20,000 per month to sponsor a child with us.  We hope you will be the one they have been waiting for!  Visit our website at www.fairlifeafrica.org to learn more about our Disadvantage to Advantage Initiative and to view to profiles of those awaiting your support.  Thanks so much!

Photo credit: http://www.oldbawngymnastics.com

(Edited by Ufuoma E-Ashogbon)