Our Story
As a child, I remember a home filled with laughter. My Mom was a stern disciplinarian while my dad was the family comedian. My parents were once successful in their careers and began to face major challenges that made things very difficult for us. The financial challenges that followed stirred up a lot of tension in their lives, which brought about disagreements that eventually led to mom and dad being separated. I was barely 7 years old then.
I witnessed as mom struggled through the transition from being a wife to being a single parent who had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities with limited support from family and friends. We faced untold hardship that altered many things for my family emotionally,mentally, and physically. I was sometimes teased as the child whose cries by the door alerted neighbors that I had not eaten all day. We lived in a compound surrounded by different rooms occupied by different families. We were about 32 individuals from 6 families and we shared two bathrooms and a kitchen. At the time that was the life I knew. A life where having big dreams was nonexistent but all about surviving.
At a young age, my elder brother had to work very hard to step in to support mom in taking care of us. My sister soon joined the wagon and even sooner, it became my turn.
We grew up fast-fitting into shoes that were bigger than us.
The lingering memories of a home filled with laughter, the reality of my struggles, and an uncertain future overwhelmed my daily existence. Love, support, and care took a new meaning, and most of all, I feared I would never find my True Identity. I had to fight for the life that I have today which is nowhere close to being perfect given its ups and downs. Nothing was handed to me. With minimal opportunity, I had to pay the price for every of my journey’s successes. Education, a change of environment, and the gift of God’s unconditional love opened me to a world of opportunities in which I realized that I could be more. That gift is what I’m committed to passing on to the children and the
young women we serve at True Identity. I wish no child’s world is turned upside down because of a lack of opportunities and healthy thriving communities.
Finding True Identity
I worked two jobs simultaneously to earn some extra funds to support myself through university. At one of the offices where I worked for 4 years, I picked interest in a group of young children who sold fruits and soon became their most loyal customer, since I bought fruits from them daily, and after a while when those fruits were out of season, I found myself buying things like broom and wood from them that I didn’t need. I built a relationship beyond what they sold. I traced their homes and visited their parents and discussed their education with them when I could barely pay my own school fees. It was then I realized it wasn’t about my love for fruits but that my daily purchase and interest was a way I thought to reduce the pain and the burden of the children. And even though I earned a minimum amount as a salary monthly, I was content and more than what I could do for myself, I was always more concerned about what I could do for others. It was that realization that gave birth to True Identity Poverty Alleviation Initiative (TIPAI).
Women’s empowerment is non-negotiable for the growth of Nigeria and the world. Join us to help turn dreams into realities
I founded TIPAI with a vision that women and children are empowered to discover their true identities and to in turn become agents that empower identities. Working towards that vision has been the most challenging and fulfilling path of my life’s journey. I have been able to set up programs that empower, inspire, and nurture a community where love thrives. Helping to lift the survival burden of young women and children and creating opportunities for quality education and skill development.
From brokenness, I created strength. I know what it means for one to lack the basic necessities, a shoulder to lean on and someone to cry to. Even though I have fought my way through life and I am now finding my voice, a vacuum remains in my heart that I could have been more. I could have been more if I grew up in a stable happy home, if I had someone to step in for me and lifted the burden of shuffling two jobs to support my way through the University, if I had a sound orientation of the importance of education, if I had someone to hold me accountable and mentored me through my most challenging times, If I knew how to ask for help, and most importantly if those words I LOVE YOU wasn’t so strange to me.
At True Identity, we believe that every child should grow up in love, and have access to education and a robust support system to help them achieve their full potential.
True Identity's Impact
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