Technology Transformed Tosin

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The story of my life and living cannot be complete without mentioning technology.  To some, this may be blasphemy, but to me, who went through it, it is to the glory of God Almighty. 

The summary of my message is  no one can write anyone off until the end of the journey, because,  I died. I was resurrected by Technology. 

Ten years ago,  I was depressed and wishing for death. I became so Ill and no disease was diagnosed and I moved in to live with my elder sister and her family.  

I left everything behind except my old laptop. With the laptop,  I remained connected to Worldpulse.  Every evening,  I would come online,  shared my stories and personal  experiences,  except what I was going through at the moment.  My life was gradually slipping through my hands. 

The only hope I had was my online sisters who were daily dose of encouragement. People may not believe,  but I know that, many women are experienced Psychologists, even without certification.  They can detect who needs soothing words even when we mask our challenges, and these women will stand by one another, knowingly or unknowingly. .

Worldpulse sisters were the great friends who helped me back on my feet. These women  allowed Technology  to use them for my lives. Many of these sisters,  did not know the magnitude of what they did for me, but I am also sure that some know too. And I am eternally grateful to these earth Angels.

The fact is that, I left a job. To move on became a challenge,  I was without a dime and blessed  with  intelligent  girls who must be In  school. Imagine my days and nights.

Yet, the sisters pushed me on, they showed me the way out of my predicament and some dragged me along on the sands of time while others clap as I moved forward in  great pain.

Time takes care of many things,  and, I started life once again.  Hello, starting is always the easiest thing to do for a social entrepreneur,  but waking up every day to make the dream work, is the hardest part.  It's easy to draft a beautiful action plan in a paper, implementing with an empty pocket causes a headache that has no medicinal cure.

But, my journey became easier by the day because of technology.  I founded my organisation with just a plastic table and chairs donated by an online sister who has never met me before, the  same sister bought one hundred chairs and twenty beautiful and colourful Tables for us two years ago. I am still yet to meet her, she is a Ghanaian, living in Ghana. 

My story is a learning experience for all sisters and brothers who work in the social sector.  My life is a confirmation that Technology can resurrect a dying person.  It is an instrument of hope, and another chance for a hopeless situation. 

That was how I started in front of our rented apartment and began my work. It's so funny because even my husband said a poor person cannot lift a poor person.  Yet, my goal is just Transformation and my proposed beneficiaries are poor women and children and I plan not to send proposals to international funders. How could I send a proposal when I do not have a registered organisation???

As a very shy person,  begging is not an option.  So, I decided to use my skills  to produce  items to sell. But then, I had no shop, no stall and no physical friends to buy the products.   Hmmnn, what can I do??? I decided to turn my online page to my shop, displaying whatever I had to sell, who are the clients? My Worldpulse friends.

Great answers to bothering questions,  then, I put my skill into good use and began to produce. Yes, produced, displayed,  sold to Worldpulse sisters and brothers and suddenly, I took off.

I began my work like a woman who has an inheritance from her late parents. The only difference is that my inheritance are my online family,  my assets are my online family,  my social capital are my online family; they are these sisters and with you here. 

Worldpulse stood by me like the rock of gilbratha!

Do you know that most times,  Worldpulse staff, sisters,  brothers just buy my products for the sake of buying,  they don't need my products.  This made me cherish each and every one of them. They bought the products because they bought into my dream. God Almighty used them to bring me back to life and to bring my dream to life.

How I wish that there is not just one Worldpulse on earth!

How I wish that there are as many Worldpulse as there are many women on earth!

How I wish there are a million Worldpulse organisations in this world!!!

My story is unbelievable to myself,  but I have every picture to back up every word that is writtenby my today.

And,   when the time came for me to fly higher from the ground, on which my condition has tied me; Worldpulse became my notice board for opportunities around the world. The more I search here, the more I found opportunities for training abroad. 

In May 2010, I saw an opportunity for a month program abroad,  I sold many products and attended,  till date, the opportunity for training  abroad never stop, until I stopped applying for training opportunities. 

Technology connected me to powerful women and men here and on Facebook.  Many of them, I have never met in person,  and may never meet.  

 More than three years ago, In other to exhaust the tiniest trash from the fabrics  we were using to create quilts,  I started creating artworks with these tiniest  remnants,  using these pieces of fabric waste. Everyone around me discouraged me because it was strange.  Picking tailors waste and turning to them to Art. Who will buy my Trash??

Nobody who saw it bought it.

I was depressed. 

One day, I blamed myself for allowing people around me to dictate my path when it was people who were faraway that have been my best encouragers. So, I decided to return to my shop online.  I posted my artworks online and the major Transformation happened. 

A Worldpulse staff was the first to buy my art piece, I gave my price, she tripled the amount.  My eye opened like a flash of lightning. That was the genesis of my Trash to Artworks. I never looked back and never lower my price. 

Three years ago, one of  my online sisters  here supported the construction of our first building in Ibasa,  alongside the building, she constructed  the largest water reservoir for us too. We have built two more facilities after that, through internet  connection  and online sales of our products.

Technology made all these and more possible! Without the internet,  how will I have Connected with these destiny angels????

Two years ago, a man sent a friend request to me on Facebook.  I was sceptical,  but after checking his profile,  I accepted.  He messaged me and praised my artworks.  An artist in Florida.  We became friends.  He promised to sell my products.  He made good his promise and tripled the already tripled price.

Less than two years ago,  another my Worldpulse sister and I came together to start a food bank for women and children. 

Within two years, you should imagine what I was able to accomplish.  Without technology,  I would be on my plastic table and chairs in front of my rented apartment,  because it is a building with high wall, no passersby. 

Our center in Nigeria became a centre for my sisters all over the world. Welcoming sisters with a 5 minutes hug at the airport became my slogan. The more they visit,  the more they went back as changed women who continue to work wonders in their communities too.

Technology Transformed me and I am Transforming my community. And my dream now is to start an Institution for female social entrepreneurs and teach others how to use technology to create legacy out of nothing.