(Part 1/2) My teenage years were very challenging. I’d lost both parents and I was putting myself through school, I also have three younger brothers who I had to take care of. 

One day while in my 2nd year, I was on my way to school, University of Lagos (UNILAG), I was really broke at that time, so I had to walk to school that morning from home, even though my house wasn’t too far, because I was hungry and tired it felt far. I had a test that morning, but I was just upset. So while I was walking I was just talking to God and telling Him “You know what, this is not the kind of life I asked for, I didn’t ask to be born, you can’t just bring me to earth and make me suffer.” And so I was just complaining and having conversations with God that day. 

I was listening to a song while I was walking and the song was actually a prayer, because right there, God opened my eyes to see a small boy on his way to school (Akoka Primary School) right beside UNILAG. He was wearing tattered socks, torn uniform and he was just not bothered. And then I don’t know what happened, all I do know is that I followed the boy. Instead of going straight into UNILAG, I followed him into his school. 

In the school compound, I saw a bunch of kids being punished. I thought they were being punished for being late, so I went to go plead on their behalf and then I also noticed they all weren’t wearing socks. The teacher was saying, “if I beat you then you’ll tell your parents to buy socks for you.” And it just hit me, it’s not their fault they don’t have socks, beating them won’t change anything. And so I said to the teacher, “Is it possible to let them go?” He said, “Are you going to buy socks for them?” Without knowing what I was doing I said: “Yes” then he said “Okay, no problem, you can all go.” The children were all so excited, they kept saying “Thank you aunty, God bless you,” and left for their classes.

(Read the concluding part of this story on our website.)