G S A 2011 English

Task 6

EVALUATION MEANS TO SEE VALUE IN SOMETHING

HOW THE GAME WAS FOR ME.

The game was exciting and inspiring as well as challenging, demanding and worthwhile; i had to do so many challenging things i had not done before.Playing the game gave me the chance to see and approach things related to the environment in a more positive way.

Though demanding, I was able to explore hidden abilities within me to achieve my set goals.

“Experience is the best teacher” they say, i have learnt so many things, gained some skills, and explored abilities within me while playing the game. The advantages of  playing the game include

·         Preparing me in becoming a better and more creative social enterpreneur by helping me see possibilities in impossibilities and making the best use of every available resources around me.

·         Helped me to discover and explore abilities within me that made it possible for me to achieve my set goals

The game has really brought out the warrior within me , the warrior within that is ready to create change and make use of every available opportunity to affect lives positively through  social enterpreneurship. It has also created a great zeal and drive within me to remodify and redefine things around me for the growth of my community and the world at large.

The part of the task i like the most was when i gave Yusuf Abolarin some items (shoe and jean), i could see the joy in him which in turn created much joy  and drive in me to do more.

Task 5

ACTING THE PLAN

Acting the plan has been exciting. I was able to clear out a waste site with the help of the  volunteers and the labourers.

·         The first day was spent locating the sites, informing the volunteers about my plan, what i intend to achieve with the plan and hiring the labourers that will work the next day on the site.

·         The second day – I moved to the site and started work with the labourers and the volunteers, the day was really challenging because that was the first time most of us will be doing that kind of  work(clearing waste site). We worked for three hours on that day and made significant progress though there was still much to clear. some of the useful item that were found include metal scraps, cans, plastics and glass, majority of the waste were kitchen wastes and very dirty polythene bags which were cleared from the site and taken to the incinerator nearest to the site.

one of the metal scraps found on that day

·         Third day – work resumed as usual and everything went well with all volunteers and labourers on board, much progress was made and we could gather more useful items, we worked for three hours.

·         Fourth day was really challenging because we had to clear up the remaining sites totally and we took the useful items to the blacksmith (metal scraps and cans) which we gathered, the blacksmith bought the items for N24,000(approximately $170 us dollars).The plastic items were taken to the recycling factory in the neighboring state by one of the volunteers and sold for N6,000( approximately $42 us dollars).The four labourers were also paid N4200 (approximately $30 us dollars) each from the sales of the items.

·         Fifth day was unlike the past three days, i headed to the market to buy waste bins that will be distributed to homes free. I was able to purchase ten waste bins for N4400 ( approximately $31 us dollars) which were distributed to homes around my house that don't have waste bins in their homes.That same day i donated the remaining money  N8500 (approximately$60 us dollars) to Hope orphanage.

Task 4

MY CHANCE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

WHO CAN HELP

I am going to work with volunteers who are fellow youths that are energetic and purposeful. The youths (volunteers) are colleagues that I had  worked with in my previous  outreaches and projects. The youth(volunteers) are passionate about creating change,eager to affect lives positively and are all trustworthy.Their names are Alex, Sadiq, Gbenga, Amara, Funmi, Oguchi and Debo

myself and the volunteers i will be working with.

I will also employ unskilled labourers to helpin the clearing and packaging of the waste, they will be paid from money gained from sales of the useful items in the waste.

I will sell the metal scraps to a blacksmith who will be willing to buy the scraps.

The youths(volunteers) and the unskilled labourers will help in the clearing of the site and also the sorting out of the useful items in the waste.

RESOURCES I COUNT ON

Since the clearing is not capital intensive because I will be using volunteers that will work free and labourers that will be paid from proceed from sales of the useful items in the waste, very few  item will be purchased.Majority of items to be purchased are tools for clearing such as hoes, rakes, hand gloves, sacks, boots and a hired van for tranportation. 

Majority of the work to be done is unskilled so the volunteer and labourers  do not need to be highly skilled, all they need to do is be energetic  and purposeful.

I plan to finish clearing the first site in 4 days and I will furthermore go on to clear more site.

I hope to involve more youth in the clearing and the creation of awareness as time goes on and make this campaign( keep your environment clean awareness) a long lasting one until the message has been effectively passed and results are seen in reduction of waste on the road side and piles of waste everywhere

Task 3

GREAT IDEAS ARE BORN FROM SMALL CAUSES

I presently live in a fairly large community in the northern part of Nigeria though I am from a tribe in the south western part of Nigeria. My community is largely dominated by energetic youth, promising children and inspiring adults but poor infrastructure, damaged roads and poor waste disposal system  has adversely affected the environment, human development and productivity.

I am particularly interested in the environment which directly or indirectly has affected the health of the populace and their living conditions negatively due to poor waste disposal system and infrastructure. Recently there was an outbreak of cholera in the community which threatened many lives most of which were children.

Most houses in my community don’t have waste bins, wastes are thrown out of the home directly into the streets, the streets don’t have good drainage system which has caused rainwater and flowing waste water from homes to spoil the access roads, the waste also block gutters hereby stopping the flow of water which creates a breeding medium for mosquitoes (stagnant water) and other agents that cause deadly diseases.

Many of these wastes end up in piles at road sides and unwanted places hereby causing a great mess, the waste, aside reducing the aesthetic value of the environment; it creates a suitable breeding place for mosquitoes and other disease causing agents which will eventually affect the health of the people living around the place.

WHAT I INTEND TO DO

I plan to help clear out the waste in my localized community using volunteers and some labourers, the labourers will be paid from money gained from sales of useful scraps (metal, plastic, glass ,e.t.c) in the pile of waste while the useless scraps will be properly disposed of by taking them to the locally made incinerators.  The useful scraps will be sorted and sold to raise funds to;

·         Pay the labourers.

·         Buy waste bins that will be distributed free to homes.

·         The remaining money will be donated to Hope orphanage.

I also plan to create environmental awareness on the negative effects of reckless waste disposal, though the community lacks good waste disposal system, the message of proper waste disposal will still be passed by informing them not to throw waste directly into the street but instead take it to any incinerator located near them, though may be far, and also to buy waste bins in their homes. A “keep your environment clean” awareness will be created. Sign post showing “do not dump refuse here” will be put in cleared sites to discourage people from dumping waste at such sites that have been cleared by me, the volunteers and labourers.

HOW I PLAN TO ACHIEVE THIS

·         I will first of all map out and select the piles of waste I want to clear in my community

·         I will go and check the type and amount of wastes that are available in the pile so as to determine the number of volunteers I will involve in the clearing.

·         I will inform the volunteers about my plan to clear out the piles of waste in the community and sell useful scraps such as metals and plastics to raise money to pay the labourers that will be working with us, buy waste bins and give it free to homes so as to reduce improper waste disposal and donate the remaining money to Hope orphanage.The useless scraps will be properly disposed in the incinerator rather than leave them on the road side and on the streets.

·         I will also inform them that the whole exercise is not just about raising money alone but also help to secure the health of the people by clearing the piles of wastes that are hazardous to health.

Task 2

I MAKE THE DIFFERENCE

“Small individual actions can create longer collective difference”

MY TRASH another person’s treasure

The past one week was really demanding, I had to properly dispose my trash and create a recycling system in my home which I belief will have a long lasting positive effect on my surrounding environment even though we don’t have a good waste disposal system in my community.

I THREW AWAY

Food wraps

Egg shells

Plantain and potato peels

Tissue paper

Damaged lamp holders

Used toothpaste pack

I RECYCLED/REUSED

Plastic bottles

Glass bottles

Metal cans

Nylon bags

Newspaper/magazine

·    The plastic bottles were properly rinsed and reused in the home to store drinking water and other liquid in the house such as vegetable oil.

·    Glass bottles were packed in a specific bin till I eventually sold them to people who come around from house to house to purchase such materials which are later recycled in factories.

·    Metal cans were also stored in another specific bin and later sold to blacksmith who reforge them into other materials such as cooking utensils.

 

                                             
      my used cans (over a week) at the blacksmith workshop, the other picture is showing me and the blacksmiths during reforging

·    I discovered I had lots of old newspapers and magazines which I personally packaged and took to a paper recycling factory that was 2 hours away from my community by road on the sixth day. I also made little cash from the sales which covered my transport to the factory.

·    Nylon bags were reused as shopping bags.

MY EXCESS

“As little as I have, I know that there is always someone out there who has less than I do”

·    Elementary school textbooks I used while in elementary school, I donated the books  to Al-Hikmah nursery and primary school,Gusau library

·    Secondary school textbooks I used while in secondary school, I donated the books to Government Girls Secondary School, Gusau library.

·    Oversized T shirt was donated to Mr. Segun Abolarin (a Tanker driver that lives 2 blocks away)

·    Shoes and jeans were donated to Yusuf Abolarin (only son of Segun Abolarin).

·    Children interactive novels I used while growing up were donated to Hope orphanage Gusau.

One thing that touched me most was the smile I saw on Yusuf Abolarin’s face when I gave him the shoes and jeans which signified appreciation, though he is out of school due to financial challenges but hope to get back into school next year. At that point I could feel a warrior within me.

MY CONSUMPTION

“Everything I consume has an impact in the world”

What I consume

·    Food – Rice,         beans,      yam,        potato,      plantain, sugar,           bread,      noodles,       eggs,        beverages,        milk,             meat,        fish.

·    Water – for drinking, washing, bathing and cooking.

·    Electricity

What I could economize

Water

I flushed the water closet with less water and also reduced my consumption of water during washing of clothes and dishes.

Food

Beverages – I took lots of water and reduced my beverage consumption all through the week,i was able to save money from not buying much beverages.i stuck to 1 - 2 cans a day.

Meat – I reduced my consumption of meat to once in three days

Sugar – I reduced my intake of sugar and substituted it with honey which is lot more cheaper in my community.

This reduction in purchase of these items had a significant positive effect on my income; I was able to save some money.

Task 1

WHO AM I

I am Ojajuni Oluwasijibomi Paul, a young social entrepreneur from the south western part of Nigeria, a place where the people are accommodating, culture is rich and the land flows with milk and honey. I am a resourceful and energetic social entrepreneur with a strong passion to affect lives positively by creating opportunities to reposition lives and reconstructing minds through inspiriting information.

This poem I wrote reflects who I am

ECHOES OF FATE

As doubtful thoughts began to sweep through my mind,

About life, future and alliances that must bind,

Concerning fulfillment, love and people we find,

Convincingly I looked within and said to myself,

I was born to love, give, rule, and conquer.

My name and life radiates providence,

Day by day I gain wisdom and grow in confidence,

I am much more planned, not a coincidence,

At this point I paused and said to myself,

With all this what will the future offer.

I see a future filled with grace, favour and prosperity,

With joy, I shall live and love life without worldliness,

I picture a loving family built on God the rock,

I smiled and whispered to myself,

“May his loving kindness and blessing be abundant upon me”.

Now I can share life and make friend without doubt,

Knowing fully well that my future is secured by faith,

I feel so optimistic, enthusiastic and spirited,

To create change, and help secure the future today,

‘Cos I am OLUWASIJIBOMI PAUL OJAJUNI.

I am a graduate of Human Physiology from the University of Ilorin with interest in Social entrepreneurship, project management,public health,monitoring and evaluation, HIV/AIDS, Youth reproductive health and right, Maternal health.

HOW DO I FEEL

I feel I am an agent of change who sees hope in the present and future of my generation and others to come in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

I feel it is time for every youth to take action in addressing pressing global issues by being part of the process of change by creating long lasting solutions through sustainable initiatives.

PROFESSIONAL QUESTION

How can I successfully plan, initiate and run a youth friendly center I intend to establish and why is there little support/acknowledgement for youth led development initiatives/projects.

MY DREAMS

My dream is to establish a youth friendly centers where youths can meet, interact, share ideas and receive counseling and also in the near future establish an orphanage for children most especially those who lost their parent to HIV/AIDS.

I also dream an HIV/AIDS free society where no child will be orphaned and become vulnerable, I dream a world where youth reproductive right will be highly upheld, I dream a world where young people play pivotal role in addressing global issues and are supported to create solutions by initiating development projects, I dream a world where every youth becomes an agent of change anywhere they may be irrespective of race, gender, and religion.

MY CHALLENGES

Little support for youth led initiatives from the government and bad government policies towards such initiatives.

Encouraging youths to initiate development projects has also been a major challenge and most are unwilling to sacrifice time and energy in being an agent of change.

MY PURPOSE

WHY I WANT TO TAKE PART IN WARRIORS WITHOUT WEAPONS 2011

To gain more knowledge and skill in social entrepreneurship - how to initiate a project, sustain it and effectively monitor and evaluate the project which will make me a better social entrepreneur. Meet and share ideas with other gifted youths from around the world who are passionate about creating change. I also intend to be part of the warrior without weapon program to learn from success stories from other youths and possibly discover how to overcome my challenges which is part of the motives why the program was created.

MY ACTION

I have over the past 4 years been involved in peer education training for youths in my community, in secondary and tertiary institutions in my state, creating focus groups among them for better interaction, creating awareness on HIV/AIDS, youth reproductive health and right, help in setting up HIV/AIDS counselling and testing centers.

Cross section of myself and secondary school students I trained

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  Helping to take away orphaned and vulnerable children of the street and placing them in orphanages.

   

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  Empowering uneducated women in villages to live healthier lives by teaching them simple healthy lifestyles and also making them more relevant and productive in the society by teaching them how to set up small and medium scale enterprise.

These projects are majorly financed by donations from people and organizations that are socially responsible and from selling donated used items such as cloth, shoes, furniture, and food items.

ABDUL’S STORY

                            Picture of myself and Abdul (picture taken six months ago)

Abdul is a seven year old boy orphaned eight months ago by HIV/AIDS, Abdul’s father was a farmer who died from complications of HIV/AIDS two years ago, since then Abdul has been living with his mother. Unfortunately Abdul’s mother also died eight months ago from complications of HIV/AIDS. I have been working with some other young people to take children like Abdul of the street which they have made their own. Abdul is the fifth of six children in the family and the others are still on the street. Abdul is currently in an orphanage where we help place him in. There are still so many children who have similar case such as Abduls’ on the street who have nobody to call their own but live on the edge and can only hope for a better tomorrow.

MY COMMITMENT

MY PLANS, THINGS I WILL DO WHEN I RETURN

I will definitely apply knowledge and social entrepreneur skills gained from the warriors without weapons program  in planning and setting up a youth friendly centers where youths can meet, interact, share ideas and receive counseling on issues such as HIV/AIDS, relationship reproductive health, value clarification, self esteem.

I will also teach youths about becoming agents of change by being social entrepreneurs which I will include in my curriculum while I train them hereby making a social entrepreneur out of them.