Today’s Changemaker: Ogechukwu Purisima
Oge didn’t know the impact that joining the Boy with the Ball team would have on her life, but being part of Love Your City has helped her family, personal development, and life as a whole.
Where It All Began
In 2017, Oge first met a leader from Boy with a Ball Nigeria named Ifeanyi. She recalls their conversation as a bit out of the ordinary because he asked specific and intentional questions such as “What’s your dream for your life?” She mentions feeling skeptical about it at first but curious about where the conversation would lead. This was only the beginning of her journey in growing as a person and a leader in her community.
A Walkthrough in Irkirke
Oge reflects back to her first experience of a Love Your City Walkthrough in the slum of Irkirke with Ifeanyi. She was shocked at the living conditions within the slum and its residents. She remembers meeting “Obiye,” a little girl that barely had any clothes to cover her body. Oge felt the urge in her heart to talk to Obiye that first day, and after getting to know her, she wanted to come back the next week and the week after. Oge recalls the way walking through the community first felt; she ached to see how people were hurting. And she wanted to be part of change.
She continued to visit and over time, she began to notice Obiye’s life was changing. This story alone was a rewarding and motivating factor for Oge to continue to dedicate her life to pour love into her community.
"As a young person, you are so often directionless. You don't know where you are or where you are going,” Oge observed. She believes vision for their future and for positive change is what young people need.
She knew she wanted to be part of the team who got to go find them and help them just like she was helped.
Conclusion
Oge shared that the impact Boy With a Ball had in her life caused her to want to stay and care for many, many others. She first noticed this change when her mother mentioned the changes in her behavior. Though she didn’t realize it at the time, Oge had been learning and growing by being alongside Ifeanyi and leaders like him on the BWAB team. Having experienced something so unique through the relationships formed and the positive change she was witnessing first hand in her community. She knew many people who were going through the same things as her who didn’t know their way in life just yet.
