Sheri Adegbesan: Making positive impact in the lives vulnerable citizens

Mrs. Sheri Adegbesan is the founder of Life Changers Foundation, LCF, a UK-based, non-profit organization, with a branch in Nigeria called Life Changers Foundation Children’s Home. Recently, her foundation sponsored the end-of-term party for two schools: Mipamawu Children School and Mawumadoka Orphans and Less Privileged Home/School, Oko-Agbon, all in Makoko. The Nigerian Xpress spoke with her:

 

Tell us about your organisation?

Life Changers Foundation is a UK-based registered charity (NGO) founded in the year 2005. Our work transcends borders as we have successfully supported over 2000 individuals to access vocational skills training to attain meaningful employment to support their families. Other projects include free eye tests, cataract surgeries, and the distribution of glasses and pharmaceutical drugs to the less fortunate in Nigeria. The foundation also hosts what is dubbed ‘Give Back Weekend’ where it supplies toiletries and household essentials every month to vulnerable individuals in Lagos and Ogun states.

We do vocational training, hairdressing, tailoring, fashion designing, cake baking, insecticide, things to help people become more sustainable, that’s what we do, and free health checks too. But recently, it’s been on my heart to work with children. So, we registered Life Changers Foundation here in Nigeria. We are building our orphanage home in Ibeju Lekki.

Any special reason why you chose Makoko?

Makoko community is dear to my heart; the people are doggedly committed to bettering their lives, seeking opportunities to succeed, and making a positive difference in the world. Even before meeting these wonderful children, I have heard of their resilience, courage and thirst for knowledge. We understand that everybody needs a push to get where they desire in life, therefore, Life Changers Foundation, decided that we would be one of the tools in God’s hands to bring succour to these children. We are all angels to someone. And talking about angels, there are these two amazing young men here today, committed, dedicated, humble, aspiring, kind and empathetic who are sold out to helping these children fulfil their destinies (Mr January Wheduto Urban of Mipamawu Children school and Evangelist Martins Zannu Joshua of Mawumadoka Orphans and Less Privileged School).

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I came across the two founders of the schools on the water; they talked about their schools and I said we could support them. That’s why we are here. Instead of just bringing the things to the school, we said let us celebrate these children for staying in school despite the harsh conditions. Despite that their parents don’t value education, somehow these children have stayed in school. I just thought it’s a good time to sponsor the end-of-the-year party as well as use the opportunity to give them gifts.

During your speech, you mentioned you have a consultancy firm?

By the grace of God, I am also the chief executive officer of Novelty Consultants which has supported the establishment of over 120 charities and limited companies in the United Kingdom. The services include consultancy on how to secure grants, access business loans, and marketing. I am a trained teacher, I relish family life as my ability to remain grounded is attributed to my Christian faith.

I am also a teacher, a UK qualified teacher, I teach in London, I teach primary education.

What compelled you to take this route in life?

From childhood, I have always loved community work. I would take food from my house and give people outside. My family kept wondering what was happening to their food in the house but it’s just something that I have always done. I don’t have any poor life experiences. Thankfully, I came from a privileged background and I attended good schools. My family all reside abroad but my passion for Nigeria draws me back home.

Makoko is a whole new experience even for an average Lagosian, what was the experience like? Did you experience culture shock and how did you overcome it?

No, I didn’t experience it because my team had already come here to do a documentary and they told me about what Makoko looks like, so I wasn’t shocked. And in a place like this, you have all kinds of people and for the kind of work I do, I meet all kinds of people. Like when we came here, we were harassed by the Area Boys, I know what they want and I know how to deal with it because we are used to working with communities like this but not on the water. Maybe when I get to the water I will be more shocked but I haven’t been into the water yet.

You said that the government needs to do something here in Makoko. Could you outline the things you need the government to do? Every environment has its peculiar challenges, what do you think are the peculiar challenges here?

I am only interested in education, there are other complications here.

In education, where do you think the government can come in?

I think in education, the government has adopted 130 children from Joshua’s school but I think they can do more because they’ve offered them sponsorship but there’s no documentation to show how long the sponsorship is for. They bought uniforms for them, bought their school shoes. These children will grow up. Who will buy the next set of school shoes? Who will buy the next set of uniforms if they are growing? So, I think that when the government wants to do something for communities like this, they should have it documented so that we can see that there’s continuity.

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A lot of people come to Makoko to do things but there is no continuity. They feel that it is a one-off thing and they go but the problem remains. Now, if you want children to go to school on the land, why can’t the government find a way of meeting the community somewhere? I know the government cannot do everything. Giving them a bus that will take them from the waters to the school, would encourage them. Why is the government not doing that? I don’t think the government is encouraging them enough considering that their parents are not that educated. You need a lot of orientation here. They must meet them now. The children that go to the school on the land, I heard that it costs them N400 transport every day.

Tell me, in Nigeria nowadays, who can afford that? N400 every day for transport alone? Now, I heard that the Federal Government said they are feeding children in school, not in this community, they don’t get food but now the parents have to give them money for food, maybe another N100 or N200 to N600 every day. So, tell me, Nigeria of today, in this community, some people have not eaten today, N600 every day coming out from someone who only sells fish, they will probably just want to stay at home. The government needs to be doing more. Even if it’s going to feed the children in school, feed them, help ease the burden on these people. Don’t just tell us that you are doing it but the reality is that it is not being done.

Now I am not putting you on the pedestal of the government but you said something about continuity. Is there going to be a continuity?

We’ve given them school uniforms, we’ve given them school bags, I think we’ve given them enough to last them for two years. Now, if they need anything, I am now part of the community. I will continue to do things every year in this community, not just for the children, the free eyeglasses, we bring them here, the free health checks, we do them here. I looked at the water when they did a documentary. They need to be taught how to take care of the water, they urinate in this water, they drink the water, so there’s a lot we can do. Life Changers in Makoko has come here to stay, we have come here to do more things for them.

Now let’s talk about Life Changers, is it only Lagos that you are focused on or do you also go outside Lagos?

We worked in Ogun State. During the pandemic, a lot of food that we gave out was in Ogun State. For one week straight, we were giving out to those who didn’t have a place to cook. We contracted one of the ‘mama-puts’ in the area that everybody was familiar with. We paid her a lump sum of money to carry on feeding people during the pandemic. We are going to Ondo state next. In Ondo State, we will be starting vocational training where we are going to be doing hairdressing, tailoring, make-up, gele and all of that. We are not restricted to Makoko somebody just told us to come to Ibadan. So, it depends on where we are called, we will go.

Any last word?

I want to appeal to the Nigerian government, to let us do what we say we are going to do. The election is around the corner. People are expected to vote…it took me a lot of time to try and track down some of the honourable members. Those who are representing this community were not easy to track down. It shouldn’t be like that. You are representing these people. Show them that you love them; show them that you care. If it was in my constituency, maybe it would be different because they would support their child but when it comes to elections, they are going to come here and ask them to get their PVCs and go vote. Imagine if we had some of those dignitaries here, they will understand the realities these people face. Well, I am grateful to those who came or sent representatives which is good but this is not an event that should be ignored. This is a community project and that is what they should stand for.

As a community-based NGO, how has the journey been so far?

We started in 2005. It’s been up and down. Sometimes we are low, and sometimes we are up because we need money and we need support but right now I would say that God is faithful because when God calls you into something, He will always back it up. Whatever you need, He will provide it. He might not do it now, but once you are content, He will surely do it. Doing all these make me happy. Seeing that the children are happy is what brings us joy. That’s what we stand for and that’s what we are looking for. That is my satisfaction.

Where do you see Life Changers in the next 10 years?

My orphanage home, my children’s home, because I intend to retire to as many orphanage homes as possible. We look forward to having a fully functional children’s home where the government gives us the backing to pick up children that have been abused. We will have the power to remove children from abused situations and keep them until we can find a stable environment for them. We have started, we have registered, so in the next two years, there should be a functioning, not orphanage but a children’s home.

What is the difference?

I prefer….even if I am not your father or mother, I can still be their mother when it’s a children’s home. Orphanage home is for people that don’t have fathers and mothers. But once they have Life Changers and other people around them, they have parents so I prefer to call it children’s home.