Making a positive impact can be considered as the responsibility of us all for the sake of a better future for the planet. We need to help others be the best that they can be and afford them the opportunities that will help them to change their situations. A few times, I have worked with the welfare department of my church during the Medical and feeding-the-poor outreach. I was helping disadvantaged children and single mothers in an impoverished part of Makoko, Nigeria. It took a group effort from the church community to make sure everything ran smoothly by fundraising food, clothes, and medical supplies. There were different medical personnel ranging from counsellors, doctors, nurses, dentists, ophthalmologists, and laboratory technicians on the ground attending to people in that community. There was an overwhelming number of people there; I could see adults and children of various ages roaming around the venue where we were holding the event. They were quite happy to see us and welcomed our help. Seeing the children eagerly lining up made me see how any kind gesture can make a change in the lives of the less privileged. I was in charge of making sure that they all got what they were entitled to, and that they didn’t get more than they were supposed to get. Which could mean less or none for some and more than enough for others. Food and clothing were evenly distributed. I noticed that some of the children were very young in age. Seeing how small they were reinforced that there is no age limit for misfortune; some people are born right into it. However, we were able to bring them hope with our mission. When the children were able to get their bags and food, they went away with smiles on their faces, and I could see that this gave them joy, knowing that I was a part of that made me feel good and accomplished. During my time studying for the International Baccalaureate program, I was involved in a lot of community service work as part of my CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) requirements. We raised money collectively through various means to help children at Raco Orphanage in Lekki. This allowed us to build a sense of connection with those we helped, working together to achieve a common goal and purpose. Going there during the school year and the Christmas period was such a positive experience. We celebrated, played music, and danced with the children. We also gave them a lot of gifts, money, and books as a way to give back to the community and appreciated them for hosting us a number of times up until that point. My classmates and I also helped to aid the Pacelli School for Blind and Partially Sighted Children. We visited them to spend time together, singing songs and playing games with them. We also the raised money through the act of a jumble sale and we planned car washes so that we could help some of the students who could not afford to pay for their tuition and uniforms, we donated bags and also raised funds to help the school get the provisions and food they needed, we fixed a few things such as the water pressure pump in the school. I want to make a positive impact by always advocating for those in unfortunate predicaments - raising awareness, collecting donations, and fundraising so that they can be aided. Community is like a muscle: the more you work on it, the stronger it gets.

Through my International Baccalaureate Programme, I engaged with many philanthropic pursuits in the name of community service and was able to witness firsthand how there are many social issues that go unaddressed every day. I worked with a school for visually impaired children, raising money with my classmates to provide uniforms, tuition, and repairs around the building. We also spent time connecting with children from a local orphanage and provided them with donated Christmas presents as thanks for hosting us so many times. Through all of this, however, a specific social issue that is close to my heart is the empowerment and protection of the girl child. Although societal progression has allowed more women and girls to become high achievers both academically and career-wise, these advancements are often concentrated in the Western half of the world and other countries that are more developed and have a higher cost of living or better quality of life. Across the world, many young girls are pushed into the role of housekeeper or are married off to men much older than them. This completely stops their lives before they can ever truly begin in the name of religion or culture. If there were to be more education or empowerment among them, more young girls would be able to find it in themselves to reject these enforced norms and go after the things that are needed for survival, along with activities that they are passionate about. There are many obstructions on this path, such as traditional practices, limited opportunities due to economic situation or geographic location, and gender-based violence, such as honour killings and female genital mutilation. All of these things come together to prevent young women from reaching their full potential and achieving their purpose. My mother has started a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that addresses these problems. She would like to train girls up and prepare them for the workplace and independent living, so they will not be subjected to forced marriages. She would also like to be able to empower them and help them find their way by looking for things that they are good at and turning them into profit. She assists young women who have been forced out of school or are lacking options to find purpose and create a new path for themselves with confidence. This also inspires me to do the same. It is important to make sure young women and girls know their rights because they stand to gain so much from their potential, which would otherwise be dampened if they do not know how to make their own opportunities and enhance their self-esteem. It is important for women and girls to be empowered and versed in a sort of trade so they will be able to fend for themselves and maintain financial stability. The African proverb “train a girl child, train a nation” is a popular saying that means that the capability of our female youths will be what strengthens us all. The education of the girl child improves families and nations, creating a more equitable society. Protect the girl, and your nation will prosper.

“Now from his breast into the eyes the ache of longing mounted, and he wept at last, his dear wife, clear and faithful, in his arms, longed for as the sunwarmed earth is longed for by a swimmer spent in rough water where his ship went down under Poseidon's blows, gale winds and tons of sea. Few men can keep alive through a big serf to crawl, clotted with brine, on kindly beaches in joy, in joy, knowing the abyss behind: and so she too rejoiced, her gaze upon her husband, her white arms round him pressed as though forever.” ― Homer, The Odyssey Homer’s Odyssey is an iconic piece of literature that has influenced the now-popular trope of “the hero’s journey” in countless forms of media. My chosen quote is derived from the section where Odysseus has finally made his way back to Penelope after 20 years. Despite all of his trials, Odysseus was able to reunite with his wife and son, whom he so desperately wanted to see again. Homer is conveying the longing that comes with being so far away from home, those that you love, and the breakdown of a hardened exterior. Homer’s use of “wept at last” and referring to Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, as “his dear wife” conveys how much he cherished and missed her. Even after all those years, Penelope was still so dear to him, and he was so overcome by the relief he felt seeing her again that he cried into her arms. He had longed for her all that time and was finally able to reunite with her. The writer established that Odysseus had been strong for too long a time before this moment. In the story of The Odyssey, Odysseus’ journey is far from smooth. After being at war with the Trojans for a decade, Odysseus and his fleet are ready to return to his kingdom, Ithaca, but are obstructed by various trials, such as being punished by Poseidon for mutilating his son, Polyphemus the cyclops, and Odysseus being trapped on the goddess Calypso’s island for seven years. To long for someone is to feel immense and overbearing sadness in the wake of their absence. It is a feeling that is often considered excruciating by the person feeling it, as though they are being deprived of the object of their desire. These feelings can be towards a thing, a person, or a concept, but the emotion remains. In Odysseus’ case, his longing was caused by the love he had for his wife and son, Telemachus. He had not been able to see his child grow up, with Telemachus being a grown man by the time he returned from his journey. To have missed so many pivotal moments and left his family at the mercy of hundreds of greedy suitors led to intense feelings of rage and guilt that could not be dissuaded, leading to a massacre that he claimed was “divine punishment” for their deeds. It took a great deal of violence for Odysseus to make his way home. He sacrificed and traded the lives of all of his comrades to make it back to his wife because he loved her so much. Much of the ideology contained within the Odyssey surrounds ruthlessness and how far one is willing to go to reach a goal. For Odysseus, no price was too high for Penelope. Odysseus has finally escaped the rough waters of his tribulations. His heart ached, and that ache transformed into tears of love and ease. His pain and tension were finally able to subside, and his seemingly eternal longing was able to come to a close as he had finally achieved his most desperate wish. I chose this passage as I enjoy the story of The Odyssey, and consider Odysseus and Penelope to be one of the greatest romances in literature. Odysseus had been lost and had yearned for his wife for two decades, and she greeted him with open arms even after so much time had passed between them. He had missed his home and family, and being able to fall back into Penelope’s arms took all the weight off his shoulders. This passage means very much to me as it is the end result of fierce resilience. Without determination, Odysseus would have never been able to return to his homeland. He had to be strong for longer than many people would be able to handle, but was able to break through it and once again be among those who mattered most to him. This passage is a lesson on how determination can help you reach your true purpose, and I see it as an admission of strength of character. I find it inspiring as it shows that there is an end to pain. Odysseus' struggles did not last forever, no matter how lengthy and treacherous they had seemed at the time. He suffered, but he overcame it and made it home to his estranged family.