“Volunteering is the ultimate sacrifice in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in”. Our guest this month is building a community of passionate Nigerians who are selflessly creating the kind of community they want to see.PROJECT_INSPIRE: Can we meet you? Chinenye: I'm Chinenye Nzom Busayo, 25 years old, and am from Anambra State, Nigeria.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: Tell us briefly about your experience as a child.
Chinenye: I had an amazing childhood, I come from a very good Christian background, my parents ensured that my siblings and I were comfortable, my best memories are from my childhood, from going to church, and playing with my siblings, it was fun.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What’s your educational background?
Chinenye: I was in the Science department in secondary school, and I was very much in love with mathematics. I went ahead to study Chemistry in Federal College of Education, Akoka, then proceeded to study Guidance and counseling, in the prestigious University of Ibadan, the first and best university in Nigeria.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your contributions towards making Nigeria a better place?
Chinenye: Presently, I run a volunteer organization, Volunteers Hub Africa, we provide and outsource volunteers to NGOS and nonprofit organisations for successful execution of their projects, this has made youths around me more conscious about making impact in their community and the larger society. Volunteers Hub Africa was an idea I conceived and started while I was in my final year in the university, I've been a volunteer since 2014, and I've seen the positive impact it has had on my life; how it has made me a better person who is conscious of making my country a better place. I shared the idea with some of my friends in school then, and we started, now we are over 500 in four states in Nigeria, we have worked with multinationals, we have also won over 20 awards in the space of two years. The biggest achievement for me will be to see young people who are very passionate about making their society better, because Volunteers Hub Africa has inspired them to.
PROJECT_INSPIRE:What motivated you to do what you are doing?
Chinenye: I love to see young people do great things, I believe strongly in being proactive, rather than wait for people to do things for you, take action! This made me start up this initiative, and also inspire young people to come together to be a force, because I also believe that together we can accomplish a lot, and, thus far, it’s been worth the while. Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general said that " If our hopes to build a safer and better world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever" This quote explains everything, so many people are carrying out different projects to make the world better, they need people who will help them with human capacity, that's where we come in, we are always ready to commit to carry out such projects. With the little we do, with different organizations, we believe strongly, that the nation will gradually reach its full potential.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What have your achievements been?
Chinenye: Volunteer Hub Africa has a membership of over 500 volunteers and we are in the process of recruiting more. Our volunteers have worked with and supported events organised by organizations like The Coca-Cola Company, She Leads Africa ,Oyo State Government (during the inauguration of Governor Seyi Makinde) , Ibadan City Marathon ,Energy Institute Annual Conference, NECCI PR Annual Round-Table and several other humanitarian projects and outreaches. We constantly organise trainings and workshops to better equip our volunteers. These trainings have been facilitated by highly sought after speakers with more than 800 participants in attendance. More trainings are lined for the remaining half of the year even as we prepare ourselves for life after covid-19. Since inception, we have won over fifteen awards. I will list just a few here: 1. Nigeria Volunteers Award , August 2018. 2. Best Use of Social Media in the NGO category, November 2018. 3. JCI Awards, University of Ibadan, 2018 4. Team Spirit Award by Global Leadership Summit.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What are your prospects in the next 5 to 10 years?
Chinenye:My dream is to expand this organization to become a volunteer movement with thousands of selfless youth volunteers contributing their gifts and talents to global impact.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: Many young people have great ideas, but lack of funds is always a stumbling block. What’s your advice in this regard?
Chinenye:Start small. Let people see that what you are doing is worth it. It is after you have started that people can be drawn to give to your vision. No one wants to give to what he is not sure about. If you want to till you get all the resources you need, you may never start.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: How have you been able to raise money to implement your ideas?
Chinenye: We raise funds from within the organization. On some occasions, we send out appeal to people outside our organisation to support what we are doing. We are still working towards getting grants and donations.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What has been your major challenge since you began Volunteers Hub Africa?
Chinenye:Starting out wasn't easy. The first challenge was finding people who were willing to work for free. When I scaled through that one, the next was how to manage the people that have been brought together. I had to begin to train those who volunteered in order to help them build the right mindset for effective volunteerism.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: Could you please share with us some of the experiences in course of your campaign that have impacted you?
Chinenye: In the course of my work at Volunteers Hub, I have seen people change literally for the better. These are people who, when they joined us, were depressed and confused about life. However, by volunteering their lives they began to uncover and realise their potentials as they saw that they too could make impact. Today , they thank me for the opportunity to work with our organization. These success stories gladden my heart in no small way. I have also become a better leader . I am a no-nonsense person by nature but in the course of working with people, I have learnt patience and emotional intelligence.
PROJECT_INSPIRE: What do you think is the major cause of unemployment among youths today, and how can we get over it?
Chinenye: People say that there are no jobs but that's a lesser problem when you look at the fact that those who are unemployed are unemployable. While we don't have the best structures when it comes to leadership, some people are just lazy. They are unwilling to learn new skills and prepare themselves for the opportunities that may come their way.
PROJECT_INSPIRE:The final word for the Nigerian youth.
Chinenye:You don't know how long you're going to leave on earth so ensure that you live life to its fullest. If you want to write a book, write it now. Do it now!
Many thanks to our guest editor Mr. Ibeh Miracle.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @BUSAOSOWO FOUNDATION
Email: bofinitiatives@gmail.com
This is great, very motivating
ReplyDelete