Some years, the festive season arrives lightly. Other years, it arrives against the grain of everything people are quietly carrying. 2016 was one of those harder years — a recession had tightened its grip across the country, steady incomes had thinned, and for many families the end of the year brought more worry than celebration.
It felt like exactly the right moment to bring some joy.
How it came together
The idea began with the University of Lagos Chemical Engineering alumni of 2010 — a group who wanted to turn their bond into something bigger than themselves and reach the lives of people in need. One of them, Jide Odukoya, brought the vision to Walk in My Shoes, and a partnership was born.
We knew exactly where to take it. WIMS had already adopted Ijora Oloye Nursery and Primary School — a well-known government school in the Ijora community — through our educational outreach, and that relationship gave us a natural home for the event. On the 24th of December 2016, the school became the setting for a Christmas party built entirely around one goal: to put smiles on faces that needed them.
Our aim was to host 300 children and 100 parents — to celebrate with them, to support their children’s education, and to send families into the new year with a little more ease.
A day that filled the room
The turnout moved us. Word had travelled far beyond what we expected, and within thirty minutes of the start, the venue was full — children from the school, families who had heard through the community, and honoured guests including the school’s principal, Mrs Fakeye, her teachers, and representatives from the Apapa division of the Lagos State Education Board.
We divided the day into two.
In the adults’ section, we sat with parents and talked — about their work, their families, their hopes. We invited them to complete a short survey capturing their skills and family histories, with the idea of building an employment database that might open doors to income in the months ahead, and to understand how many were able to keep all their children in school. Then each parent went home with a package of food items and a pack of gently used clothing.
In the children’s section, joy took over. There was face painting and costumed mascots, and a run of games — musical chairs, a spelling bee, dancing competitions — where laughter came easily and prizes were won. Every child left with food, drinks, and a gift pack of snacks, stationery sets, exercise books, and storybooks: a little celebration, and a small investment in the school year ahead.
By the close of the day, there had been enough for everyone — including the many who came unaccounted for, and were welcomed all the same.
Why it mattered
It would be easy to remember this as simply a party. It was more than that. Behind the games and the gift packs sat the two convictions that have always guided WIMS: that no child’s education should be left to chance, and that a family’s dignity is worth protecting — especially in a difficult year.
That survey we ran quietly in the adults’ section was an early sign of where our work would grow — from supporting children in school toward empowering the women and families around them. Looking back, Ijora was one of the early chapters in that story.
We are grateful to Jide Odukoya and the Chemical Engineering class of 2010 for trusting us with their vision, to Mrs Fakeye and the staff of Ijora Oloye Nursery and Primary School for opening their gates, and to a community that showed up with open arms.
Some of the most important work we do is simply this: making sure that, even in a hard year, joy still finds its way to the people who need it most.
Photos for post
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