Challenges are inevitable!!!

Challenges are inevitable. If we must succeed, we must map-out strategies to overcome those challenges. I have encountered several challenges and barriers in my course of trying to make change happen, often times, I would identify a course I’m passionate with but lack of finance and resources would want to choke it up and I will be bent on making that change happen. One of the major strategies I identified that helped me overcome most of my challenges was the strength I found in COLLABORATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS.

When I left the university, I had to do my one year National Youth Service, during that period, I identified this particular Army community that lacked access to safe water and sanitation, children were affected with Diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. Women and children trek about 3km away in search for safe water, during my research, a retired Soldier’s wife story struck me, She said “Corper (A name given to youth in National Service) motor kill two of my pikin dem when dem go fetch water, as dem won cross na so motor hit dem before dem carry dem reach hospital dem die” (she cries) meaning she lost two of her children to a moving vehicle when they went to fetch water, they died before reaching the hospital.

Considering the need of this community, the challenge was how to make them have direct access to safe water and have a behavioral change to environmental sustainability whereby saving the lives of women and children that suffer on daily bases. I shared the idea with some of my fellow youth in National Service; they tried discouraging me, “NEVER TRY TO SHARE YOUR DREAM WITH PEOPLE WHO WILL BRING IT DOWN TO 6FT”.

I am happy today that for good six years that community is drinking from that borehole I donated six years ago. I succeeded to donate the water because I refused to give up against all odds, financial constrain didn’t stop me either. I would leave my house everyday with letters of support for materials and resources to various individuals/organizations, my key message then was "Support my course and take the glory as long as this community’s need is met", When they saw I wasn’t giving up and I wasn’t interested in just money but resources, people collaborated with me and gave me all the support I needed in other to donate functional borehole water. I still monitor it because it’s my pet project and is still serving women and children in that community.

Coming to the World Pulse community will help me a great deal overcome challenges and barriers in my change projects as there’s great strength in the amount of RESOURCES, NETWORKING, PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS we are exposed with in this powerful community, though I have started using Facebook, TakingITglobal, and other online communities to create impact, I see myself succeeding in PulseWire and using World Pulse to reach millions of unreached women.

Watch one of my visits to the borehole site;