Reach out and touch someone - Part 2.....

I made that trip to Jane's home today. Earlier on, I had told her I wanted to see her after church, she looked scared. Perhaps she thought I wanted repayment for the N800 loan! Imagine that! Funny and not funny. Anyways, I shared the good news with her, I think I have some people willing to help you, I said, but I need to go home with you and meet your mum.

On getting to the single room apartment, deep inside Fagba area of Ifako Ijaiye local government, her mum immediately got up from the bed, wondering what I had come for. She was feeling much better today but not well enough to make church. I briefed her on why I had come and asked if she had any form of identification for a bank account; it would be wishful thinking to assume she had a bank account, and yes, I confirmed she doesn't have one, not even any form of identification. Whatever happened to our national ID cards? Nigeria!

During the week, I managed to gather some small change for them to get a phone, so I gave them the money and my number so we can communicate and follow an action plan. That I'll share here, because without your emails, phone calls and comments, I couldn't have come up with this;

Action Plan - #ProjectJane

We all know the saying,

 "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"

We can raise loads of money and place Jane and her mum on support, but for how long? This can even do more harm than good, making them dependents for life. The main objective of this action plan is to empower Jane through a series of activities and support so that she can stand on her own and be the best she can be. Everybody is born with a potential to be great, we all just have to be able to connect with that inner greatness.

• Take off the current pressures and free her to think:

By this, I mean placing her and her mum on basic support to take care of their essential needs such as feeding, accommodation and clothing. She goes to a public school, so her education is covered for now. With these out of the way, Jane can channel her energy and thoughts towards other creative things. The steps to take towards this are,
1. Open a bank account for Jane's mum
2. Agree on a monthly stipend that covers the essential things and commit to it (I currently have more than enough volunteers for this)
3. Start paying from the month of August

• Change her mindset. Poverty is a state of mind:

A mentality of poverty is a limiting one. Any person with that mindset cannot dare to dream, let alone achieve anything out of the ordinary. Imagine how far you can go if you believe nothing can stop you! That's what I want to attempt to achieve with this reading plan. The first 3 months will be in this order;

- Think and Succeed  Read about it here
- Parable of Dollars Read about it here
- Start with what you have Read about it here

I have exposed myself! haha. I am a huge fan of Pastor Sam Adeyemi's mini books and I am a lazy reader, I have only read a handful of books. I recently joined a book club to expand my reading, still...... *covers face*. If you know any other books that would be good, please feel free to recommend. Let's do this #projectJane

• Teach her the value of money through the following process:

Step 1: She will have to present a report on this. "What businesses can you start with N 3,000 capital without interfering with your school?"
Off the top of my head, I can think of a few, she can sell water, sweets or biscuits, nothing grandiose, just something that brings in N 50 a week or more. It will be interesting though to see what her mind thinks up.

Step 2: Run a pilot of the selected business after an elimination process.

Step 3: Review the business on a monthly basis, how much is going out, how much is coming in, what can be done better.

During her long holidays, she will be attached to a small business where she can earn a salary as a receptionist, typist or sales girl. She needs some exposure and experience.

This is the action plan I have developed for the rest of the year. I am grateful to all those who have shown interest in supporting this cause, together we can make a difference. #projectjane

I cannot categorically tell you that this is a fail proof plan (borrowing a line from our "oga at the top" saga, hehe), so please your comments and suggestions are more than welcome. It would be nice to read your comments on here, but you may contact me directly if you prefer, by mailing me at mofolusadesonaike@gmail.com.

God bless!