In October and November, our team at Freedom Foundation Nigeria visited two expressions, This Present House and Holy Trinity, Lagos, with the intention to let the congregation see the broader canvas of what the Foundation does, and to meet, face to face, the people who have worked with it through their donations.
The visit was led by the Foundation delegations: Dolapo Adetuyi, Onyeka Obilo, James Ogbe, Anne Bassey, Edward Oloruntoba and Edidong Udoh. Together, they represented the Foundation’s “Paint It” visits, a season in which Freedom Foundation steps out of its own spaces and into the communities that give its work meaning.
In a short presentation to the congregation, the team spoke about the foundation’s work, and chose to tell it largely through what happens at Genesis House, the Foundation’s rehabilitation and empowerment home for young women. Many arrive carrying the weight of sexual violence, human trafficking or substance abuse.
Dolapo walked the congregation through the journey that follows, from the first days of safety to the slow, deliberate work of rebuilding a life, until each young woman is ready to return to society healthy, whole and productive. It was a window into a larger vision: that restoring one person strengthens her family, her community and the society around her.
She was candid that work of this depth draws on significant financial and material resources, and that it is carried by many hands, not one. The team thanked the leadership and members of Holy Trinity for the audience and for their continued support, and encouraged them to remain close partners in the vision.
The visit was a fruitful one, and Freedom Foundation looks forward to deepening its relationship with Holy Trinity in the months ahead.
It was only the beginning. Between October and November, the Paint It visits carry on to other communities, each one a chance to show people not just what the Foundation does, but who it does it for.