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Loads of Love
Jmad
From Kutara : Influencing lives
One question we often ponder over at different stages in our lives is “what is my purpose”. The Purpose driven life by Rick Warren has sold over a million copies and many years from now it would still be on the shelves of bookstores. Experts say, in finding your purpose look out for things you hate and seek to change. A few friends and I haven’t fully discovered our entire purpose but we all share one thing in common, putting a smile on someone’s face and giving them a sense of belonging. We are the Friends of Kutara IDP camp and we spent some time with them a few months back.
If you are a frequent reader on the blog you may have read our first visit to the camp. You can always read it up here. Something Adamu – the camp coordinator said that still resonates with me “We were displaced, but placed by God here”. Most of them are from Borno and Adamawa states who were affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria. They are currently 55 men, 99 women, 136 youths and 208 children.
We started planning for our second visit and just like the first one, God smiled down on us through people. A few lines on a whatsapp group gave us two amazing Doctors – Babarinde and Mariam who happen to be classmates and hadn’t met since graduation. A friend donated his truck, two others sent in money to contribute to hiring a bus, another person sent in money to buy sanitary towel. People sent bags of clothes, books, shoes even damask gele. Not to talk of Marie Stopes International who sent three staff with their equipment to facilitate talks on family planning and Halima became our Hausa translator during the talks.
The greatest gift you can ever receive is the gift of human beings and we sure received such gifts. Chioma was generous enough to capture the moments with her camera. Babarinde and Mariam attended to 43 patients mostly women (hopefully the next visit we would attend to more people including men and children). With instructions from our Doctors Efe, Halima, Chinwe and Akachi became pseudo nurses by dispensing drugs to the patients. The men Ebuka, Emeka, Tochi and Anthony were not left out. They spent time with some of the men and some of us visited their homes.
One thing we all agreed on was the transparency in the way they shared the relief materials. We saw how they shared everything into 79 parts to cover the number of families they had in the camp and I mean everything. They all took turns to pick up their items by sending a representative when the family name was called.
We are planning another visit in a few weeks from now and would be extending our hands to you to be a part of this amazing trip. So while we hope they can go back to their previous communities and resume their normal lives we can do a few things to improve their present condition. These are the current needs we would be meeting
- Clothes (Men, Women, Youths, Children and Babies)
- Shoes
- Food items (Rice, Noodles, Tomato Puree, Beverages etc)
- Toiletries ( Bathing soap, Washing powder, Sanitary Towel)
- 4×4 Trucks
- Buses
- Medical Professionals (Doctors, Pharmacists, Dentists, Medical Lab Scientists)
- Drugs
- School Materials (Note books, Text books, Pencils)
- Transferable skills (Soap making etc)
- Renovation of their make-shift class-room block
Sometimes I wish I had the power to end the suffering in the world but sadly I can’t but I believe in the power of changing one life. We are doing just that and you can be part of it. You can reach us through the comment section or send an email to ccogbogu@yahoo.com.
Loads of Love
Friends of Kutara
Just a lil’ bit closer
A few months ago I had a conversation with a lady from the Eastern part of the country. I jokingly told her I was married to a man from the North and she literally rained down fire and brimstone, you know that kind of thing the Igbo people will say “tufiakwa” or “Chukwuaju” which both literally translates to God forbid. She had every right to make such statements after all, her brothers and sisters were been killed in the North, all of them in the North are killer herdsmen, all of them are members of Boko Haram. While you’re wondering where I’m headed with this story I’ll paint another picture.
Sometime last year I had attended a program organized by my local Church for the youths. It was a week long program with some adults from Church living in a camp with about 700 youths. On one of those days the organizing team for the variety night was supposed to shop for the gifts for the pageant winners. One thing led to the other and I was co-opted to join two (2) ladies. I literally fought my friend who made the suggestion… “I don’t know her well, we don’t talk, it would be one awkward drive” – my words to my friend and to make it worse, the second lady goes to sit at the back and leaves the front passenger seat for me *insertrollingeyes*. The first few minutes were indeed awkward and then a word here and there, then music, then more talk, then hysterical laughter, then we end up eating in the market (Agidi and pepper soup), then we buy boiled corn and coconut and then I peel to give her to eat while driving and then we start to dance to loud music in the car on our way back.
How often have we made decisions on assumptions, half-truths, media-sensational news? I have a colleague who is against globalisation. He feels everyone should remain in their countries. But here’s the thing about such statements no one is an island. Life happens, and we find ourselves constantly on the move. You will never understand anyone from a distance, you’ll make false assumptions when you don’t understand someone. Can you make an effort to get to know that loner in your class who everyone thinks is weird? Can you choose to seat close to that colleague over lunch and get to know her better although your colleagues feel she’s mean? Can you spend an extra minute speaking to that security man in your estate who you can’t stand his guts?
In the two stories certain assumptions were made. On one hand my new-found friend attended the same Church with me, served in the same ministry with me but I didn’t know her. Did I forget to add she also felt uncomfortable going with me – in her words it would be one awkward trip. On the other hand what I didn’t mention was my dear Northphobic lady had never lived in the North, all she knew about them was what she read and heard. What she doesn’t know is my first night in England during post-graduate studies was in Zainab’s house – A northern and a Muslim (We are not related, she was referred to me by a friend in Nigeria). What she may never know again is the few weeks I was using crutches to walk in school, it was a Pakistani-Muslim who offered to be dropping me off in school and asked I called him after my lectures to pick me up. The only link I had with him was we shared an apartment building.
Yes we live in a world dominated by technology and you’re a keypad away from any information in the world. But the question remains who controls the information you read about? Whose narrative is it? Is the information verifiable? If it is verifiable, what is the criteria? Cos at the end of the day, you will never know the person you don’t understand. If you don’t understand the person, you can’t make excuses for the person cos of misunderstanding. If you can’t make excuses for the person, you’ll be quick to make judgements. By making judgements you fall into the category of generalisation. And honestly almost everyone is fighting some demon. Can we all take a step closer to know someone.
Loads of Love
JMAD
Photo Credit : Google Images
Just one more
There are some movies you see and you literally forget it’s a movie – suspension of disbelief. You know that moment you suddenly feel your eyes getting wet and it’s not a vicious cry, it’s just that gentle stream of tears that run down your cheeks. Unlike other tears you just let this one run down gradually cos’ you love the movie and at the same time it’s affecting your emotions in some way.
So a friend and I were discussing such movies that open the flood gates of tears and he suggested I saw “Hacksaw Ridge” directed by Mel Gibson. Of course I cried, it’s Mel Gibson – how can you see The Passion of the Christ and not say the sinners prayer over again. He now decides to move a notch higher with this true-life story of courage and faith. If you haven’t seen hacksaw ridge, I advise you do.
But we are not here for my tears. A part that struck me was when Private Desmond was on top of the mountain and letting down wounded American soldiers with a rope, his palms were already scarred and bleeding from the friction of the rope but he kept on saying “Please Lord let me get one more”. I wouldn’t be a spoiler, once again you should go see it if you haven’t. Wondering where I’m headed, just stay with me a little longer.
I joined an online workout group called The Challenger. It’s a small group of people interested in keeping fit and experiencing a total well being. We have different variations of workouts that’s most suitable for you. Recently cycling was added but on the condition you have to record 10 km before it can be calculated as a complete workout. I love cycling, but I usually do 3 – 5 km. So when I saw the distance we were to cover I fainted in my heart but then again that’s why it’s called the challenge.
I decided to attempt it this morning, woke up pretty early and headed out. By 2 km I was considering going back home. Energy was low and I had the option of combining the cycling with other routines to make for a complete workout but I remembered Private Desmond so I said one more and for every time my phone notified me of completing 1 km I said again just one more. And guess what, I completed and exceeded the target – 10.56km (waving my pom-pom).
We are gradually winding down in 2017, some of us have probably given up on our plans for the year. You may be thinking it’s November what can possibly happen in the 11th month that couldn’t happen in the entire passed ten months. It was recorded in Matthew 20 one of the parables of Jesus Christ that a man went out at the eleventh hour to recruit workers. Can you imagine what those workers had been thinking for the past 10 hours. They may have sent out countless CV’s, written multiple business proposals, who knows they may have even applied to the same company of the man and got rejected but in a split second their stories changed.
The interesting thing is, the man went out to look for them. These workers didn’t throw in the towel cos it was almost the end of the day, they were ready once they were called. A typical example of when opportunity meets preparation. The icing on the cake was that they were paid the same wages as those who started at the break of dawn. I’m sure you’re beginning to catch my drift.
What is your one more? What do you have to give the extra push? Who says you can’t start out that business this month? Who says you can’t sign that new employment contract? Who says you can’t get pregnant this year? Who says the amount of time you spent waiting is the same amount of time it would take to get it? Whose script are you reading? Who are you listening to? You’ve got 43 days left in the year and if you ask me, a whole lot can happen. So cheers to one more shot at our plans.
Loads of Love
JMAD
JmadReflects 