LET'S CHANGE THE WORLD: ONE MEAL AT A TIME.

The poorest among us do not have access to the internet -@damarth.

So today, on my way back from the Abuja Mega Steemit conference I decided to stop at a local community of cattle rearers between Keffi and Akwanga where I had been informed that most of the children begs for daily meal.

I met a few of the kids by the roadside so I asked them to follow me to the local restaurant around there. Instead of just buying them meals today, I decided to take an hour and speak with them to find out why they really resorted to begging. Among them were teenagers as old as 15 with no noticeable physical or medical disability, therefore, I wanted to know why they beg instead of trying to get a skill to help them fend for themselves.

Lord me, I almost cried when I discovered that none of them could communicate with the simplest of basic English language. Communication between us wasn't going to happen as I do not understand the native Hausa language and they do not understand English. I was glad to find a passerby named Ibrahim who offered to served as an interpreter. I listened to their stories of how most of them were abandoned by their own parents and forced to go begging in the street. Some too were orphans who had nowhere to go to but to join this group of beggars and start a small family on the streets.
Ibrahim who volunteered as an interpreter.

Long story short, most of them are here because their parents lack the proper education on family control. How can a man who can barely feed himself, who lives in a small huts in the bush, marries four wives and have 30-40 children from them. What do you expect them to do than to push these kids into the street and then go back home to get more wives and produce more children. So education will be a key instrument in reducing the numbers of beggars and eradicating poverty throughout the world.

I also learned from the small chat with them that providing a meal will not offer a long term solution so I began plans today to get them off the street one child at a time. This will be done by integrating them back into the society through basic education and skill acquisition. Two of them indicated interest in learning skills (one tailoring and the other motorcycle repairs) so I have started negotiations and arrangements with a tailor in Akwanga so she can start serving as an apprentice from next month - March.

Image credit: @damarth

From @damarth's one meal a day campaign, I was able to afford a good meal each for the 8 of them I met today. I also allowed them to play with my phone taking selfie as most of them have never touched a smartphone before (its that bad).

see the happiness of taking a selfie.

I was really moved by the spirit of togetherness and love that they share among themselves. They were 5 so I had initially paid for five plates. They asked that the meal be turned into one large tray where they gather to eat from the same tray. One of them went out to call three more to come share with them. I was like 'even in the little they received, they still have the heart to share with others' I was moved to get for the three newcomers.

I wanna say a big thank you to @damarth for the initiative. In @surpassinggoogle's terms, someone shed a teardrop of joy today because of the one meal a day campaign you initiated. I believe through Steemit we can change the world- - one help at a time. I am proud to be a ground soldier in distributing meals to the poorest among us. How have you made someone smile this week?

Original @lordjames.
Image qualities might be low as I allowed them to take the photos themselves.