By Leshi Adebayo
Oluwaseyi Oluyole, the founder of Dream Catchers Academy, a nonprofit organization, has shared the touching story of how she transformed the life of a young girl, Ruth whose dream was to become an internet fraudster.
She took to her Twitter page on Tuesday to celebrate the girl’s 10th birthday.
Narrating their encounter, Oluyole said she first met Ruth in 2019 and to her greatest shock, the girl said she aspired to become a ‘Yahoo girl’.
“Her words broke me. She wanted to be more – and in her environs, more meant ‘FRAUD’. I knew then and there, that I had a BIG role to play in her life,” she recalled.
Oluyole said when she met Ruth’s mother, a petty trader, and was informed that the girl had stopped schooling due to financial challenges.
She would go on to enroll Ruth in a school and her grades were doing fine, but later dropped because she witnessed domestic abuse between her parents which affected her psychologically.
“Myself and the team had a meeting with her mum, who agreed that there were fights in the house. Her mum asked if we could take Ruth in so she could have a safe and healthy space to grow up in. We agreed and y the end of that school term, Ruth’s grade picked up,” Oluyole said.
According to her, Ruth’s mother never failed to visit her every month until her unfortunate death in February 2022.
She recalled, “It was a dark day- and even as I tweet this, I remember her so well. The will in her eyes every time she visited. How she’d get upset with Ruth if there were any negative reports. And then hug her right after scolding her.”
Oluyole described the girl as talented and lively, adding that she is one of the popular children in the academy.
“Ruth’s love for singing and dancing is very evident. She sings while washing plates – she dances on her way to get something. Any Avid follower of DCA would recognize her. For context, I’m attaching a clips of her dancing and singing.”
Ruth’s love for singing and dancing is very evident.
She sings while washing plates – she dances on her way to get something.Any Avid follower of DCA would recognize her.
For context, I’m attaching a clips of her dancing and singing.Thank you all for the love 💕 pic.twitter.com/NJK3vyar8t
— Seyi Oluyole – The Phoenix 👩🏾💻 (@SeyiOluyole) July 5, 2022
Founded in 2016, Dream Catchers Academy is a nonprofit that takes orphaned and indigent girls off the streets of Lagos and offer them a chance at a better life through free boarding education and training in creative and performing arts.
