By Tijjani H. Attahir, YES 2009-2010, Nigeria

On July 18th, 2014, YES alumni in Sokoto, Nigeria, as part of their monthly community service, once again visited the Sokoto State orphanage, where they donated food items to the orphans during the month of Ramadan. The Alumni donated five crates of eggs, three packages of noodles, one pack of tin-can milk and one bundle of clothes. During the visit, the alumni spent time with the orphan children, talked to them about their lives at the orphanage, gave them some advice, and played games with them. A former host family funded the project as a donation in honor of the marriage of Fodio Aliyu, the YES student they hosted from 2004-2005.

The alumni and the participants (non-alumni) involved in the project were happy with a job well done! The alumni/volunteers see this project as a step forward towards developing the community. Spending time with orphans and less privileged was eye-opening for everyone involved, and hopefully made the orphans happy and more confident in their strength and character. The ultimate goal would be to contribute to helping them be productive to society at their own capacity.