Every child needs a mentor.

In the past few months, we've been thinking about the importance of mentorship in the life of young people in our communities. And we've realized it is often the missing piece that enables young people to live into their potential.

At some point in every child’s life, there comes a moment where they look up to an individual whom they cherish and desire to become exactly like.

As a child, I had many people I wanted to become exactly like. At first, it was the undergraduate lady who lived in the same compound as us. I liked that she had freedom and could cook whatever food she wanted. For the longest time, she was my mentor, until she graduated from the university and we moved houses.

Then again, I wanted to become like Mr. Femi, who was twice the age I was at the time. He was smart and knew how to play chess. He was a dentist too.

I wanted to become like him because of how intelligent he sounded. It seemed like he had the right answers to every question. And more interestingly, his answers were always a bit deeper than surface-level knowledge. He engaged me in many conversations and affirmed me when he said, “I think you are smarter than children of your age.”​
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Soon, he began teaching me how to play chess, and he went on to buy the majority of my literature texts in school, because he said, “You have to begin developing a reading culture.”​
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Then, when I got to the senior level in school, I wanted to become like my Literature teacher, and History teacher, as well as my Economics teacher.

Every child needs someone who shows them what is possible.

Too often, children are quick to draw inspiration from the good examples around them. They love a teacher because of how well they teach in class and simplify hard subjects, or another because they always looked organized.

But, how about children who do not have good examples close to them; when there is barely anyone interested in guiding and holding their hands.

How about children who are not in neighborhoods with good examples; who go to schools with barely enough, or overworked teachers.
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At Sharing Life Africa, we are committed to ensuring young people like this are able to access the guiding light, people and principles that will make a difference in their lives - just like I did while growing up. What this looks like for us, practically, is the creation of a new mentorship framework for young people.

As you step into the new week, we hope you carry with you the memory of someone who believed in you and affirmed you, and we hope that it encourages you to be that person for someone else.