Project Asha Empowers Lagos Community With Poetry Art and Dance (PAD)

Beginning the year 2021, the Project ASHA team Nigeria organised a poetry hangout in honour of her Founder and Global Programs Director Vweta Chadwick(1988-2020), a gathering of both young and old to express individual appreciation of music, drama, poetry, and great discussion. The meeting featured poem recitals, brainstorming and bonding with people of great minds. The beautiful hangout reignited the Asha(Hope) spirit and birthed the idea to train community children in Poetry, Art and Dance which is tagged as PAD project 2021 with a theme - “Reaching for the stars”

As part of ASHA's achievement In 2016, about 100 young women and girls were trained at Sogunro community in Lagos State. They developed talents in music, dance and public speaking skills. This remains a success story to Project ASHA and there's an excitement to repeat such in 2021. To foster healthy cooperation and for a larger impact, boys are enrolled to encourage cohesion.

The 2021 P.A.D. Project is a unique expression from the heart; in Poetry, Art, and Dance. where young girls and boys in marginalised communities tell their stories in the most natural forms unique to them.

In April, Team ASHA visited Pako Community in Olusosun area of Ojota where about 20 girls and boys aged 9 and 16 years old were enrolled for the PAD project; to train them extensively for 4 months. The host community is a developing cross-cultural settlement in one of the interior parts of Ojota, sparsely populated by about 250 adults and children. Pako community has been warm, welcoming and supportive of the project. Project ASHA maintains a very cordial relationship with the parents and other stakeholders.

The ongoing project aims

To help discover and nurture the talents in the young minds to encourage big dreams in Pako community
To develop and instil a sense of importance and possibilities in children
To create a platform for these young voices to be heard
To encourage synergy, community cohesion regardless of cultural and economic differences.
To create an enabling environment to reward talent as a tool to financial freedom

So far, Project ASHA has recorded significant progress. This is very visible in the attitude and increased confidence level of the participants. The training sessions are conducted on Sundays at noon within the community, with the assistance of passionate volunteers, dedicated and professional instructors to teach the children poetry, dance, painting, drawing, and crafts.

PAD project is a wholesome journey to greatness and we are excited about its progress. One of the key pillars of Project ASHA is to develop the talent inherent in young girls, especially the ones living in marginalised communities. ASHA provides professional tutoring, encourage a fortifying support group for young girls to thrive and create platforms for their voices to be amplified and talents exhibited.

At the end of this project, ASHA aims to organise an event to showcase these talents and exhibit amazing skills in poetry performance, music, art and dance. Project ASHA is passionate about converting passions to economic values, improving present livelihood and reigniting dreams for greatness.

while ASHA works tirelessly towards achieving these goals, we will appreciate all forms of support towards our P.A.D. Project.

For partnership, sponsorship, support and/or donations please send an email to projectasha@gmail.org

Or use the donation link below.