By Ayo Onikoyi
For Joyous Smiles Humanitarian Foundation, a non-profit organization, charity is its way of life and what it knows best to do. Like those of its ilk, the Joyous Smiles Foundation, is doing it’s part in the humanitarian sector and is reaching out not just to the underprivileged and vulnerable, but many others seeking its assistance whether in skills, scholarships and empowerment of various sorts, particularly those passing through trying times.
Few years ago, precisely in 2018 when it formally came on board in the Nigerian space, the NGO, which is resident at Olatunji Street, Ojota in Kosofe council area of Lagos State, held its first community outreach, where it gave out food items and cash to the community.
The NGO has not disappointed since, as across the years, on many occasions, it has been known to empower the downtrodden, including widows, orphans and students, with working tools for business, scholarships and cash.
For instance, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the NGO replicated the feat, only this time to no fewer than 500 people in Ogudu community, with beneficiaries carting home their largesse in a bid to ease those hard times.
An integral objective of the organization has been to put joyous smiles on faces of indigent people, be it the youth, old or adult, without discrimination to gender.
Speaking on the importance of the charity, the founder Foluke Ogbodo said its foray into philanthropy is a medium to provide much needed help to the needy and was non-negotiable.
“We are here to uplift people on the streets, not just those in our immediate environment.
We also assist in renovating schools, orphanages, .., she said. “We do all this within our capacity to uplift others.” When it comes to being passionate, loving and kind, the Joyous Smiles Foundation is that kind of charity that takes the lead in its community and propagates its charity and philanthropy acts in a refreshingly humane way. It continues to show us what it takes to be a true leader in the charity department.
Foluke disclosed that once it was decided to go formally into charity, it came up with the foundation, setting up various arms in order to cater for the different category of needs with ease.
There is the Hospital Discharge Project, school initiative, widows project, among many others, she began.
“The Joyous Smiles Hospital Discharge Project was birthed following the high number of patients that have to remain in hospitals due to inability to pay their medical bills. You know its mandatory to pay your bill upfront, at least a deposit before they commence treatment. This was our way of helping the indigent, pregnant women inclusive get access to treatment,” she added.
For the widows initiative, Foluke Ogbodo believes this is one of the most vulnerable groups, after indigent children, as “many widows especially in African countries face diverse challenges such as feeding, house rent, and paying school fees of their children, ” with the NGO assisting widows with food items and cash gifts.
She noted the foundation usually works with notable persons in the society and the authorities to identify those it assists. Such as Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) to identify patients.
One of the charity’s core mission centres on helping less privileged students stay in school.
“With the Joyous Smiles School Initiative we seek out students who cannot afford their fees and grant them the Joyous Smiles School Initiative Scholarship – one at a time,” she revealed.
“So far, we have helped over 10 students from primary and secondary schools, and counting. We hope to be able to reach out to more students with our scholarship programme.”
In his contribution, Ezekiel Badaru, the Chief Facilitator of the non-profit, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to assisting the less privileged and vulnerable people using social and humanitarian principles.
“We are focused on the personal development and rehabilitation of the downtrodden and indulgent people, to assist in whatever way possible,” he said. According to him, this attitude “is to ensure that they become responsible and useful members of the society.”
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