The first thing that struck me when I got to the venue was the sheer amount of people. Despite the sun mercilessly beating down upon us, children ran around excitedly, darting in and out of a bouncing castle set up at the corner of the football field where players were warming up for their charity match. Food and water kept arriving, ready to be distributed and the medical stand where antimalarial and deworming drugs would be handed out was ready to go.

This was an effort put together by our foundation, Connect2Hope, a non-profit charity organization, aimed at providing immediate needs to the under privileged, particularly in deprived areas. Given our objective, that was exactly where we decided to host our charity football match, in an area off the Lekki expressway in Lagos.

It turned out to be a huge success. The children played their match before the adults took over. There had to be a reason to gather so many people together, after all, which is what the match accomplished, as football is a way of life for many in these underprivileged. Some promising talents were revealed despite not performing in the best conditions (sand pitch, no defining out of play confines, no nets in the goal posts etc) and not playing for any sort of remuneration.

During the matches food and water were handed out to the children and their families, as well as deworming drugs for the children and antimalarial drugs for the adults. Although it didn’t seem like much, every little effort counts. It was particularly evident when one noticed the delighted looks on the children’s faces and beyond the material things provided, the most important was that they felt remembered. They felt like there were people out there who cared for them. It gave them hope that things would get better, which is what we strive to accomplish.

Of course, we can’t do it all on our own, and the areas that could benefit from our help are too many to count. If we are really to make a difference in these people’s lives and give them substantial hope, every contribution, in any way, shape or form would be immensely appreciated. If you would be interested in joining hands with us to give them hope for a better tomorrow, please visit our website and donate at http://www.connect2hope.org/donate-now/