Ms Ocheme Elizabeth Ane runs an NGO, Whiteworld Foundation, born out of her love for young girls. She especially takes delight in talking to young girls, seeking out their peculiar problems and challenges, and working out solutions with them.
Tells us about your Whiteworld Foundation? Whiteworld Foundation is a non profit organisation that addresses most of the challenge that our teenage girls experience today, ranging from low self-esteem to early pregnancy. We look into these issues by helping girls through adolescent to adulthood periods, for those who don’t have adults around them.
I never planned to start the NGO. I just realised that I like relating with young girls and the idea came. I just wanted to start to gather them together and talk to them because I realised that so many of them are missing it, but I was shocked at what they told me, which quickened my decision to start the NGO.
I discovered that some of them just want to have fun. Hardwork to them is nothing. They believe their beauty is enough for them and all these are because they don’t have an adult to talk to, since their parents are too busy making money at work. They rely on the social media and information they gather from their friends.
For example, my six year-old niece celebrated her birthday recently. The MC asked that she brought out her best friend and she went into the crowd of guests and brought out her classmate. When asked why she picked the girl, she said because she listens to her.
That is how important it is to listen to your children, because they need someone to listen to them and talk to them.
So, I never really bargain to start an NGO, I just saw that it was getting bigger and bigger and I became so committed and the responsibility became so much.
Why Whiteworld Foundation?
I called it Whiteworld Foundation because every colour shines on white. No matter how bad it is, just come as you are and we will make you as pure as possible, such that when you take another look at yourself, you will appreciate the transformation we would have impacted in you.
How old is the foundation?
The foundation is three years old and so far, we have impacted about 500 girls. I give them my phone number and they call regularly. You could see that they all want to talk to someone.
What does your NGO offer them?
Our last outing was tagged “Educating the girl child against predators.” We call the men who are after them predators. Many of them fall victims of rapists, so we educate them on how to be security conscious. We also trained them on how to be entrepreneurs. I have learnt how to do facials and make Chinese meals in the past, so I train the girls in these two areas.
One sent me a message on a social media after a while, thanking me for the training, which she said is helping her in school. Many of them fall victims because they have need for but have no means of making money.
Their parents may be trying, but it is usually not enough. When I learnt how to do facials, body scrub and other things that I know how to do, I used to have clients that wanted home service and it really helped me. I never went a day without money, so there was no need for me to meet with any man for money. And I thought, if it helped me, it could also help the girls.
How do you raise funds for the NGO?
I raise funds through my family and friends. I’ve been told to visit companies, but I said I wouldn’t because I don’t want people thinking that I just want to take their money and enrich myself. So far, no individual or company brought out a huge sum to help us, but for the future events, which will be much bigger than the previous ones, we are looking for sponsors. At the moment, I would say funding is the greatest challenge Whiteworld Foundation faces.
What is your dream for the NGO?
I hope to create a vocational training centre for challenged teenagers in future. If you are interested in any form of skill, you can just walk into the centre without paying, as long as you are between the ages of 13 and 19. It breaks my heart when I walk pass some streets in Lagos and see young beautiful girls selling their bodies. I want to believe many of them never wanted to live such lives but they never had someone to talk to and provide for them.
Which of these girls’ story has touched you most?
One really touching story that one of the girls told me was that her father died and her mother had to move to the village. She was left to live with her sister and her husband in Lagos; but rather than put her in school; she was made to hawk fried unripe plantain chips. They claimed things had become too difficult for them.
It was as though she was working for her sister’s family’s survival. She said once, she requested for N1, 500 to buy her school uniform but instead of giving her the money, she was again given plantain to sell. Her guardians told her that after selling they would give her the N1, 500.
While hawking, someone advised her to go to a clinic where they had a lot of pregnant women, since it has been said that unripe plantain is good for pregnant women.
But at the clinic, she was accosted by a shameless old doctor on duty, who rather than be of help, lured her and had carnal knowledge of her before giving her the N1, 500. That man could have just been a hero and give her the money; but he didn’t. He instead made her service him for the money.
Individuals and government can help
We as individuals are not helping. Even churches and schools are not safe again for our teenage girls as pastors and male teachers sleep with them at every opportunity.
Government should concentrate on the girl-child education and when I say education, I don’t mean classroom education because you can have a PhD and not be educated. I am talking of education of the total being. When you train a child it remains with the child but when you teach it can leave the person.
I also think attention should be focused on the children of the less privileged. In Nigeria we are not helping matters, the universities that we say belong to the church are not affordable. Let them make the fees affordable to the less privileged.