This is a story about why we must never judge a book by its cover!  Many times, you have to take a chance on someone, believe in them and help them see and achieve their potential.  When you do, they start to believe in themselves, and they will apply themselves to succeed.

Ramon was 17 years old, when we met him in 2015.  He was one of the children who took part in our Talent Search Competition with Ultima Limited, that Christmas.  And he was one of our TOP FIVE winners!

I must admit, when I first saw him during the auditions for the competition in October 2015, I thought, “NO WAY!  He can’t win!”  I thought he was too amateur, and I wasn’t impressed.  The other judges saw potential, and they marvelled at the sketch he had just done of himself, without looking in the mirror.

During the competitions in December, I remained unimpressed….until I gave him a challenge to do a drawing of Nelson Mandela.  He did, and he also did one of the Nigerian President, Buhari.  I was impressed!!!  That’s when I realised that I had judged him too soon.

Ramon has continued to impress me since then.  We linked him up with an Art School, and he has been developing his talent, and his growth seems to be exponential!  Every piece is more impressive than the last!  I just know that we made the right choice with him.

Ramon definitely has a special talent for fine art. He sketches mostly portraits, paying attention to minute details that bring out the soul and character of well-known faces to life. With more training and exposure, he will surely go far to make his mark as an artist.

Ramon is an orphan who lives with his three siblings in a room and parlour family home at Ajegunle-Apapa, where they share amenities such as kitchen, toilet and bathroom with other neighbours. He has now completed his secondary schooling, and is looking to develop his talent so that he can be an Artist professionally.

During our Christmas Party, 2016, Ramon showed off a couple of his skeches.  He has sold one painting so far.  The rest are still available for sale.  Ramon is working on producing a new piece each month, as he grows his portfolio.

He will be collecting the prize for the most improved and impressive Vocational student during our Valentine’s Brunch this Saturday, 18th of February.  He will also be presenting his paintings for the two lucky draw winners, whose pictures were chosen during our Christmas Party last year.  Do follow us on social media, to see the latest from Ramon.  We are @fairlifeafrica on Instagram.

Ramon still doesn’t have a sponsor.  If you would like to sponsor Ramon, please contact us at support@fairlifeafrica.org.  Thanks for all the ways you enable us to go on and empower others…  God bless you!

This report was originally published on GlobalGiving, where we have a project page!  Please visit and make a donation.