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| Photo Credit: ask.naija.org |
As residency is to doctors, so is the one year compulsory National Youth Service Corps for Nigerian
graduates, even doctors are mandated to undergo this national service as well.
Let me ask you,
Is this one year compulsory national service a Waste or an opportunity to really serve humanity?
Well, it depends on your perspective, but for me i would say it's an opportunity to do great exploits
and leave impact in the sand of time.
It's a time to reflect as young people and try to proffer solutions to the problems that surround us.
As a fresh graduate i didn't know so much of this perspective as well, however, my problem-solving attitude didn't allow me fold my hands in the face of challenge.
As a mathematics and basic technology teacher at a secondary in Opatu village, Udi Local goverment of Enugu State, Nigeria, i discovered a special student, who at Senior Secondary school year two, could not even write the English language alphabets correctly.
I was marveled and decided to take up the case to see how the boy can be helped, while probing, my discovery shocked me.
The boy was mentally retarded and was allowed to move along his peers to whatever class they were. The school was magnanimous enough to wave his school fees and also provide his uniform but for me it was a wasted investment as the boy does not belong in that circle.
With the help of another teacher who was an indigene of that village, we secured a permission from the school to take the boy to the psychiatric hospital for treatment where we discovered it was a case of insufficient oxygen at birth. The rehabilitation process commenced and we also engage the service of the Human Affairs Commission to ensure his enrollment in a special school where he could learn skills to make his life worthwhile.
Along the line i also discovered they were homeless, his father was dead, his mother was traumatized
and so they were stigmatized as a mad family.
I engaged the community leaders and invited team ideas to design and cost evaluation of a
self-contained apartment for them. This project couldn't be completed before the end of my service year, so i had to stay back to ensure his enrollment in the special school.
I didn't get an award or recommendation for this service because i didn't document or report it to
the appropriates quarters as this was not my motive but i would encourage you to always document your works for future references, i have started doing so too.
As a corps member make your service year worth it by impacting lives and you can also join me in engaging young people in community services, problem solving and in building sustainable businesses.
See what these guys did with their NYSC:
https://techpoint.ng/2017/09/18/seamfix-founders-nsukka-honey-story/
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