I FINALLY DID IT.... AFRAID

In 2015, I got the idea to design a website where organizations in Nigeria would showcase their opportunities and find volunteers. I was going to call the website \"Volunteer Hub\". Because of my involvement in the impact space and projects with my nonprofit, Beyond the Classroom Foundation, I was unable to kick start this Volunteer Hub. In 2016, I randomly came across an organization with the same name doing something similar. 

Angry, frustrated, and sad, I decided to change the name to \"Voluntify\". My quest for a software developer who would develop the site at an affordable rate took another year. By 2017, I saw a lot of organizations popping up creating communities around the volunteer space. We all want to solve the problem, but no one was solving the problem the way I wanted to solve it in Nigeria, just yet. I became afraid they'll think I copied their ideas and for that single reason, I decided to dump the project and move on.

In January 2018, my husband, who's a software developer tried to convince me to start the project but no, I couldn't and I didn't know why. He was ready to develop it, but I wasn't. I later realized I was afraid of change. I was afraid to fail. I wasn't ready for people to see me as someone other than what they already knew me as. I was afraid of change.

By June 2019, I randomly saw an organization with the name 'Voluntify\". It cried and felt like my idea would never come to life.  Yet again, I did nothing about it.

In January 2020, I decided it was time to stop running from what I really want to do and just go ahead and do it. I designed the website on paper and my husband brought it to life. I looked at the document to find what to call this project and my eyes went straight to a phrase, \"advancing good work\". Immediately, I searched for Good and work in several languages. I stumbled on \"Nzuri\" in Swahili which means \"good or beautiful\" I instantly fell in love with that word. Then I brought it home to Nigeria and added \"Aiki\" which means \"work\" in the Hausa language. We named it \"NzuriAiki\". Good work or beautiful work.

I lost two names, but I got an even better one with a deeper meaning and connection to my roots.

On September 28, 2020, we launched the website. Now, organizations in Nigeria can find volunteers easily, thanks to www.nzuriaiki.com, a website that lists volunteer opportunities and helps make making an impact in our communities easier. The website doesn’t only showcase opportunities to connect people who want to volunteer with nonprofits, It also records volunteering history, allowing volunteers to track the various organizations they’ve worked with for future employment.

It is exactly 7 days since the launch and we have over 6oo volunteers, over 60 organizations, and 37 volunteer opportunities on the platform.

If you know any young person or nonprofit in Nigeria, tell them about www.nzuriaiki.com

I was afraid, yet I did it. I am still afraid but I will continue to push it.