I would like to share a story with you, a story of what a common purpose, a desire and will to bring about positive change can achieve.

Three weeks ago a group of friends embarked on what at the time seemed to be a Herculean task, they embarked on a project to 'Feed A Village', a village known as 'Alheri Special Village', situated in Yangoji area of Kwali district in Abuja.

This village is ‘special’ in that, about 50% of its inhabitants are living with the debilitating after effects of a condition commonly known as 'Leprosy', and for that reason they are isolated and rejected by society. In actual fact, the people of Alheri are 100% cured from the disease but have to live, handicapped by the deteriorating scars of the disease and the associated stigma, which make life very difficult.

These friends decided to start a charity drive, appealing to family, friends, colleagues and even strangers to donate whatever they could to aid this small community of 584 people and 87 homes.

And the responses they received were overwhelming! The generosity of People from all over Nigeria (Kaduna, Kano, Abuja, Lagos) and even as far as the UK, moved by compassion & spurred on by a desire to help, resulted in donations ranging from loads of food items, clothing, toiletries and funds to the tune of over 1 Million Naira being raised so far.

The funds raised in the first week, the sum of N350,000 was used to purchase food packages, items and other basic necessities to feed this village by stocking all 87 homes in time for Sallah Holidays, for a short period of time.

The task of Feeding a Village, however is much more than providing food and basic necessities for a short time period. It points to an element of sustainability and development that goes beyond perishable food items. It is about nourishing a community to be empowered and independent as they forge a path towards a better future for generations to come through sustainable income, education, health amongst other things. “To Feed” is an adjective that defines an action, so when this group of friends embarked on a journey to “Feed a Village” this action connoted something much more than just satiating hunger, but the long-term welfare of a people.

Alheri Village is a dynamic community despite their ‘special’ status. They engage in sustenance agriculture to provide food for themselves and an income from crops sold. However stigma and fear of contagion from the wider public proves to be a great challenge for them as it has hindered their market activities. Simple tasks like travelling on public transport is not an option as they are met with hostility by bus conductors and taxi divers.

http://www.abujafood.com/people/be-inspired/858-feed-a-village-the-strength-of-human-kindness.html