(L-R): Anne Agbakoba (Solar Jooce); and Tolulope Sangosanya (Project LOTS)
Dustbin Estate, Ajegunle
Tolu & Anne with midwife Madam Ogene Eze Mmili (2nd Left); Abiodun Ganiyu (our guide); and the baby delivered by the midwife. On the table is the kerosene lantern used by the midwife to deliver babies after dark
Solar Jooce volunteer engineer, Ekundayo Ojo sets up our donated solar unit atop the midwife's roof while news station NN24 films
Ekundayo shows the midwife, Madam Ogene Eze Mmili, how to work the solar unit and its phone charging function
Tolulope Sangosanya, Director of Project LOTS, has her modern-look office right inside the Dustbin Estate (Awodiora Community, Ajerunmi local government area of Ajegunle). There, she provides free after school lessons to the children of Ajegunle.
For the record, Dustbin Estate is an area filled with, and built on, trash. Tolu caught Solar Jooce's attention last year when she won the Future Awards (Nigeria) and brought the Dustbin estate to prominence.
Solar Jooce teamed up with Tolu on Thursday, June 23, 2011 and under her expert guidance we identified the most suitable recipients for our solar light/phone charging units.
The most intriguing recipient was Madam Ogene Eze Mmili who is:
1. a midwife. She delivers children within and outside the community. We were introduced to one of her patients who had just had twins)
2. a bone healer (she sets broken bones) and
3. a spiritualist. She says she eliminates the spirits of 'ogbanje' or 'abiku' - repetitive cases within a family of children who are born but do not stay long in this world. We caught a glimpse of her shrine but were not allowed to photograph it.
At the end of the solar install in her one bedroom where she sleeps and tends to maternity patients, Ogene Eze Mmilli broke into song and dance. She prayed endlessly for Tolu & team Solar Jooce, saying we had saved her the painful expense of having to buy kerosene for her lantern; we had given her reliable and enhanced lighting that will enable safe delivery of babies; and given her a phone charger to boot so she can charge/use her phone even when electricity is cut for days/weeks on end as is the case.
This entire visit was quite emotional but worth every second.
On the team were volunteer solar engineers:
1. Ekundayo Ojo - who came in all the way from Ilorin, Kwara state just to live this experience
2. David Osokolo - with an eagle eye for detail
The RCCG (Abundant Grace Parish, Port Harcourt), headed by Engr. Nosyke Okoye sponsored four of the lights for this project.
