REACHING FOR THE STARS: TILL THE FIFTH & BEYOND (A volunteer’s POV)
By Ebunoreofe Adedeji
She dreamed of stars, and she tried to reach for them. Hot, flaming balls of untamed, naturally endowed energy and potential. These stars looked so far, in another galaxy. She wasn’t a space girl. Heck, she wasn’t even an engineering or a physics student; there was no aspire to perspire for a spacesuit dream. It was simply just a dream.
She had the determination, but the problem was “how to reach the stars”. So, she did the most powerful thing she could think of — she PRAYED. Talking to the creator of the stars, He showed her the way and provided her with the gift of men.
This woman’s name is Esther Chineye Mbabie, and this is her fifth year on a mission with the Chrysolite Foundation to reach the star embedded in every Nigerian child.
Esther’s “little big” idea was born in a small room, marked simply in the alphanumeric term “C11”, lodged in Queen Idia Hall, University of Ibadan. Living with three other ladies, she visualised an organisation that would serve as a channel of comfort to children who simply did not have the means to shine as brightly as they should.
So, she shared this dream with her roommates, and they became part of the very first outreach of the team.
Make no mistake. This is not just a story of one woman. It is a story of a dream fuelled by the passion of this one woman and supported by hundreds of other people.
Thus, the Chrysolite Foundation came into being in December, 2019. A team composed of mostly young university students, burdened with the task of empowering children and young adults in low-income communities with needed skills for intellectual growth and development.
Each outreach meant that many stars had to be reached and polished. Every strategy, every teardrop, and every single naira spent resulted in a great profit for our stars; our profit was seeing the resulting smiles, satisfaction, growth and self-confidence.
Nevertheless, if there is one thing many people fail to realise, it is that running a Non-Governmental Organisation is no joke! I mean, five years have shown us that when the going gets tough, the tough must get going.
For example: Searching for sponsorships and partnerships is one thing; actually getting them is another thing. Planning events to go a certain way is one thing; having the expected outcome is another thing.
This story is not a tale of perfection, but one that highlights the struggles of making an impact and pushing our stars to shine in the spotlight. For each star taking the world by storm, there’s a team working tirelessly behind the scenes.
The first category of crew members is known as the volunteers. The struggle of getting active volunteers cannot be overlooked, but over time, this organisation has been blessed with humans who do not see this as a mere routine but as a privilege and a sacred mission. These people have continuously emptied themselves and their resources to ensure the success of every outreach. They add flavour to every campaign with their uniquely intriguing personalities, whether it’s under the bridge or in a hall of concrete.
Chrysolite Foundation is a family of great people using their strengths in different areas.
Teamwork makes the dream work.
Perhaps, one of my favourite memories has to be my first outreach, nervously connecting with unfamiliar faces, but I got the hang of it soon enough. Acts of kindness here and there, crazy ideas flowing with ease, laughter with no restrictions — I said to myself, “This is home”.
Moreover, the real behind-the-scenes people that we don’t see are our anons and knowns too, of course. They embody the Igbo phenomenon in the title “Odogwu”. Spending their hard-earned money, they indirectly impacts the less privileged without meeting them. It is the ever-present willingness for us and passion to support our cause every time. It’s the fifth year, and we would love for the partnership to go beyond, till infinity, yes?
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The members and leaders of the communities are also heroes in our story. With their partnership, we have been able to make sustainable impact within their communities.
Chief Sikiru Agboola (Community leader; Isale Osun community)
Moving on, the most challenging part is probably trying to teach children new concepts and perspectives on living. Speaking to them in English and Yorùbá mostly (because our operations are based in the South West), the volunteers do their best to positively encourage children to believe in themselves and learn the necessary skills needed to bring out their potential.
Chrysolite Foundation has thrived with the different projects it organises every year, such as “Back to School”, and “Ray of Hope”, alongside other periodic projects including clothes and food drives.
Ray of Hope brings the colours out in the sunshine, with different facilitators empowering young ones in skills such as tie-dye, crocheting, and upcycling. The best part is the annual exhibition after the six-week intensive training, showing the products made with the hands of these stars. It is always a beauty to behold. With over 100 young people in low-income communities reached thus far, watching trainees start and scale businesses using these skills is another story that fills our eyes and hearts with wonder.
Back to School, on the other hand, has impacted more than 100 school children within underprivileged communities since its inception, providing them with bags, stationeries, and relevant materials needed for the school year and inspiring them to dream beyond the walls of their communities.
One interesting thing to note about Chrysolite Foundation is the concept of evolution, which was made evident in the 2024 edition of the Back to School. Aside the usual donation of school materials, the organization put together a spelling bee competition for students of select schools in rural areas in the bid to spark a new passion for education among the children and their communities.
Other periodic projects such as the 2020 food drive, the 2021 literacy project for children living with disabilities, the 2021 medical outreach and the 2022 clothe drive have marked this journey in no small way.
Over time, we have realized what each project means for the children and young people that we reach. Their wide smiles tell us what we need to know about their enthusiasm to learn and to get the best out of the available opportunities.
Finally, one of the highlights of the last year was Chrysolite Foundation making it to the news.
Transforming the world will be more effective when we transform the future leaders and equip them with all they need for growth and development.
This is the fifth year. We won’t stop doing what we do. We won’t lose sight of the goal. We won’t stop polishing stars till they occupy space.
For the fifth
and beyond, cheers.
Ebunoreofe Adedeji is a volunteer at Chrysolite Foundation. She serves in the city of Ibadan with the on-site outreach team as well as the content and social media team.
