By Tope Olotu
My community work matters deeply to me because I know what access can do.
Across the platforms where I have been privileged to serve, improving access is one of our central goals. Our programs look different, but they share a common belief that people deserve opportunities to learn, grow, connect, and build a better future.
Through TECHPLUS, we give K–12 students access to STEM and life-skills learning, including coding, robotics, AI, web development, creative storytelling, and digital media. Early exposure can help young people see themselves as capable creators and problem-solvers while building skills they can use to explore further education and future careers.
Over 6 years of delivering TECHPLUS, facilitator respondents strongly agreed that the training helped develop their own and their students’ knowledge and confidence in coding and digital skills. Several parents also affirmed that the program is inspiring and valuable for their kids, and commented that their students were engaged, “locked-in”, looked forward to the classes every day, and left better equipped with relevant tools and skills.
Many of our participants come from low-income, rural, and other underserved communities, or have parents who are navigating new jobs or immigration to new countries, and face barriers to STEM learning and careers. We have also heard from and seen students who participated in TECHPLUS go on to pursue further education and careers, or access scholarships. Their stories remind me why this work matters.
Through Aspire Hub, we also create spaces for young people to develop character, faith, confidence, and a sense of belonging. These qualities help them
- navigate challenges,
- make thoughtful decisions,
- build healthy relationships,
- fight urban isolation,
and - keep pursuing their goals when life gets difficult.
This kind of growth is closely connected to young people’s well-being and development. UNICEF’s review of adolescent programs found evidence that some psychosocial interventions can strengthen skills such as emotional regulation and interpersonal relationships.
Through Tiraka, we connect youth and women to practical training, mentorship, resources, and opportunities. From skills development and community learning to projects that can open doors to employment, further education, research, enterprise, and investing. We are creating more ways for people to move forward. These pathways matter in a world where many young people still struggle to find a place to learn or work. The International Labor Organization estimates that 20% of young people globally were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in 2025.
These efforts reflect what I have learned from my own life. A little access, a skill, a supportive community, a mentor, a resource, an introduction, a scholarship, grant funding, or free training can help someone see a next step they may not have seen before. We cannot remove every barrier for everyone, but we can keep opening doors and building pathways, one person at a time. Because for just that one person, it matters!
I grew up with little, so I understand how important early training, the right connections, and community support can be.
Just a little access can open a door to further education, a career, an idea worth testing, or the confidence to start investing in the future.
A little access can help a person earn a living and take care of themselves.
When I learned about project management certification, I saw it as a practical way to strengthen how I planned and delivered work. I earned my Project Management Professional Certification (PMP) more than a decade ago, and I’m still reaping the benefits today. That credential improved my competencies and opened the door to work in engineering, government, and a global technology company. It continues to strengthen my community work and entrepreneurial efforts. It taught me ways to organize ideas, manage people and resources, solve problems, and move a project from intention to action. I’m grateful that a skill I gained years ago is still helping me create opportunities and make an impact today.
One value I carry as a Yoruba girl is Iṣẹ́ ni òògùn ìṣẹ́, meaning work is the remedy for poverty. It has been part of my life since I was a young girl. My hardworking single mother made sure we had food. She had a day job, but we farmed and traded on the side. So food was available most of the time, but pocket money was scarce. I sold groundnuts on the street to buy my own hygiene products and clothes. And while waiting for university admission or for ASUU strikes to end, I taught in private schools. At university, I sold clothes and took on side jobs to get by. Because there is no shame in taking care of yourself with dignity. So I kept looking for honest ways to work and keep moving. I appreciate the Proprietors who allowed me to teach at their school while waiting for University Admission and the countless ASUU strikes.
The value of hard work still drives much of what we do across the platforms where I serve. We promote hard work and discipline. We support people who are trying to do something good for themselves with just that little access that could move them forward. Because for one person, that may be all they need. I know what it means.
A hard-working person should not have to figure everything out alone. Sometimes a little help can amplify the hard work. Sometimes a little access is all it takes to move to the next step, navigate a barrier, or explore new opportunities for growth. Sometimes it’s not even money; it is the right counsel, encouragement, connection, or support.
Growing up in Nigeria, where systemic support is limited, I have seen the power of community support. Sometimes an uncle pays for their niece’s WAEC exam. A youth group helps cover someone’s GCE. A nonprofit supports a family with school fees or food. A sponsor funds training. A mentor makes an introduction.
And sometimes people step into roles they never planned for because someone needs them; an older sibling helps with homework, a student tutors a classmate, or a young person takes on extra responsibility at home or in the community. A grandma steps in to provide food and shelter when things get really hard for her children or grandchildren.
It really does take a village.
As someone who didn’t grow up with a father at home, I was blessed to have my eldest brother step into a fatherly role in my life from a young age. He didn’t have to. He needed to build his own family. But he chose to. He stood by me, counseled me, corrected me, challenged me, and supported me. One image that has stayed with me is from during one of the many fuel crises we had in Nigeria when I was in high school; my eldest brother carried my “Ghana Must Go bag” containing my books and foodstuff on his head as we walked miles from Ipetumodu, Osun State, to Ile-Ife so I could return to school. I will always be grateful for his love and sacrifice. That is aside from the sacrifice of paying my school fees and giving me pocket money.
I’m also thankful for the leaders in my Youth Fellowship who invested in my growth. Their care helped shape the person I was becoming. I appreciate friends’ moms who generously gave me pocket money or food when they didnt have to.
And I’ve been paying the care forward.
Even when I did not know what I was doing. Starting from during many of my holidays, while waiting for admission or for an ASUU strike to end, I tutored other students in science and mathematics for free. During my NYSC, I tutored students and helped pay their school fees. I didn’t know it then, but that was where my community work began. Today, I’m grateful for more opportunities to keep paying it forward through my community work across the platforms where I serve. Thankful for the impact made so far. Excited for what is ahead. And I am super grateful for everyone walking this path with me.
“A little access, a skill, a supportive community, a mentor, a resource, an introduction, a scholarship, grant funding, or free training can help someone see a next step they may not have seen before”
If you have helped someone move forward in their education, career, or life, thank you.
Thank you very much!
Your support may have been a sibling helping out when you didnt have to, a fellowship leader offering guidance or financial support, or someone taking time to help a student understand a difficult subject. Those acts may seem ordinary, but they can shape a life.
The needs around us can be overwhelming. So many people could use support, and so many challenges need attention. We cannot boil an ocean. But we can keep doing what we can, with what we have, and trust that a small act of care can indeed make a difference for one person.
That is one reason I’m excited about the Tiraka Youth IPO Empowerment Initiative. While it is disappointing to learn that less than 5% of Nigerians participate in the Nigerian capital market, it may not be too surprising. Because I imagine myself as a young University girl in Nigeria, investment did not quite cross my mind; it is too far away – because all that mattered was survival; just getting enough money to eat, buy hygiene products, get school supplies, even pay school fees sometimes.
And so, through the Tiraka Youth IPO Empowerment Initiative, Tiraka Nigeria, with support from our funders and sponsors, is empowering 10,000 Nigerian youth with grant support covering 10 IPO units each. Terms and conditions apply.
Learn more at https://ng.tiraka.org/youth-ipo-empowerment/
For someone, this could be a first step toward understanding how investing works. It could break the ice and create a connection through which they learn more about building their financial future, career, and life. I’m excited about what this opportunity could mean for Nigerian youth. I’m also super excited about the work Tiraka is doing and what lies ahead.
I’m grateful to our sponsors, partners, team, trustees, and volunteers. Community work takes many hands, and I do not take yours for granted.
Now let’s pause for TEA
For the givers,
Our sponsors, funders, partners, volunteers, the caring uncles/aunties/sibling/cousin/step-parent/grandparent/neigbor
- Thought: Thank you for all you do! You cannot meet every need, but the support you have the capacity/ability to offer can be the bridge between someone’s challenge and their next opportunity.
- Encouragement: Keep serving, guiding, giving, and connecting with care. Your contribution, whether it’s time, encouragement, mentorship, an introduction, a connection, or funding, can be all that person needs to move forward.
- Affirmation (Say it with me): My generosity matters. I am thankful to be a part of the village helping someone learn, grow, and take another step toward a brighter future. I am not discouraged.
For the young person,
who is navigating uncertainty or hardship:
- Thought: Not knowing exactly what comes next can be discouraging. But hang in there. Every skill you learn and opportunity you explore can help you find your next step.
- Encouragement: Keep showing up for yourself. Ask questions, seek support, and make the most of opportunities to learn, grow, and build, one step at a time. All you need for your breakthrough might just be that little access.
- Affirmation (Say it with me): My circumstances today do not determine what’s possible for me. I can keep learning, make meaningful choices, and create a future I’m proud of.
“We cannot boil an ocean. But we can keep doing what we can, with what we have, and trust that a small act of care can indeed make a difference for one person.”
* Iṣẹ́ ni òògùn ìṣẹ́, is a Yoruba proverb meaning work is the remedy for poverty. Yoruba is a language spoken by many people in Western Nigeria
About Me
I am a certified project management professional, community advocate, and a compassionate nutritionist.
I share thoughts, encouragement, and affirmations through my TeaWithTope posts.
I also created Teal Nutrition, providing nutrition services for individuals, workplaces, and communities.
I am very active in my community, collaborating with others to educate and empower children, youth, young adults, women, and families through the non-profit initiatives I co-founded, including a Christian youth club, Aspire Hub, and an international non-profit, Tiraka, with branches in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Nigeria.
About TEAwithTope
T.E.A: Thoughts, Encouragement, and Affirmations.
I share bite-sized reflections, personal thoughts, encouraging words, and affirmations through my #TEAwithTope posts, videos, and conversations with friends, where I invite you to pause and breathe, just like you would over a calming cup of tea.
