My name is Cynthia and am the founder of Talklove Africa Foundation, a charitable organization that empowers and meets the needs of the less privileged children, vulnerable women and destitute.
I write this not because I want to impress,
Neither is it to garner attention,
Nor to vaunt,
Instead,
I write to engage;
I write to motivate;
I write to share my story;
I write to let you know that you are not too young
Nor too old to make a difference.
I write to share one of the stories
behind the reasons why I started Talklove Africa Foundation.
On a certain morning many years ago,
I could vividly remember
The tears that rolled down a group of women's faces
As they wrapped and cuddled a new born with a shawl.
Being a child who loved babies a lot,
I was bewildered at why these women were shedding tears
while cuddling such a beautiful baby.
Alas, cold shivers were sent down my spine
When I heard another woman by the corner narrate what had happened to the baby.
I was thrown into a state of chaos,
I was devastated at the same time broken.
I remembered choking back sadness,
As I repeatedly palmed away tears before they could bowl over my eyelids.
What kind of a woman dumps her new born baby overnight in a drainage system, leaving her to die? I wondered........
What crime has this innocent baby committed to deserve such inhumane treatment?
What does the future hold for the baby without the parents?
After that day, I was determined to make a difference.
I wanted to change people;
I wanted to put smiles on people’s faces;
I wanted to be the hope for the hopeless;
I wanted to impact my world.
The next time i had a chat with my mother
about my dreams and aspirations,
I told her i wanted to own an orphanage.
She smiled and encouraged me that it was a noble thing to do.
Over the years, i realized that most children in the orphanage were abandoned by vulnerable women.
Perhaps if they had a trusted means of livelihood
and right guidance they wouldn't abandon their babies.
This led me to go after the greater issue.
Much more than starting an orphanage,
I had to find a way to provide for the needs of these less privileged children while addressing the root cause of why women abandon their babies in the first place.
Consequently, Talklove Africa Foundation was born.
To provide the needed help and support to the less privileged children and vulnerable women in the society.
As the name indicates, Love conquers all.
The society is somehow debased,
That Love is relegated to the background.
It then becomes necessary to teach love by showing love.