As I boarded the plane from Trivandrum airport in Kerala, India last December, I was filled with mixed feelings because I was not only leaving behind my Kerala friends but I would also have  to see my new global network of change makers travel to their different abode to change the world in different continents. It is end of a 7-month intensive training and we are all ready to join the host of different change makers all over the world to lend our voices to what CHANGE should be.

I got so much on my plate as I was trying to settle in my new reality, identifying my beneficiaries and seeking for support through my newly crafted fundraising strategies. I was also trying to make my family get used to my novel way of life by having to constantly convince my 5 years old child that I wouldn’t be traveling for a long period anytime soon. Amidst this, the pandemic struck and we all need to stay at home. No movement and more like a forced holiday in the corridor of our rooms. No one knows when it will be over nor does anyone know when life will return to normal.

We are living in an interesting time; a time the whole world is paused because we have a zoonotic disease threatening our existence. Schools were forced to close, religious activities are on hold, flights were grounded and several industries need to re-think, re-evaluate/re-strategies what survival implies for businesses in a “global lockdown”. For environmentalist, it is time for mother earth to heal. Whether the global warming effect is caused by carbon dioxide or not, the results are obvious-the earth healed. We walked into this new era without prior knowledge of what its promises are, I personally do not know anyone who has experienced a global pandemic to have given me a hint of what living means in those times. In fact, Nigeria was not yet an independent republic when the last global pandemic happened over 100 years ago.

Do you want to know how this period has changed everything for me? Yes, I got to read so much about pandemic and its effect on existence. I realised that pandemic, epidemic, and natural disaster are parts of life which the world needs to make provision for, not vice versa. For me, it is family time-a time to reflect, plan and pause from the fast pace movement of existence. During this period, I got the time to teach my child Mathematics and I put together a Mathematical game for him to learn better. It makes me feel like superhero.

Wait! Does this mean my change project will have to wait? Does this mean the children to whom  I have talked and interviewed will have to kill their excitement of becoming a programmer in 52 weeks? Does this mean I have to keep donors’ funds in the bank and keep writing reports of no activities? No, this is a period to reflect more into what life is and find innovative ways to make impact in the lives of these vulnerable and marginalised children even if the world will have to stop breathing.

It is time to apply some frugal innovation into our project because there is need to spark the light in these children once again. Hence, we are working on taking our classes to these children in their various houses virtually (either through Bluetooth or Whatsapp). We will have a gsm call to address their questions and get them busy with some interesting exercises. We cannot quantify how far this will go but with feedbacks and reiteration, we might be up to a new way of learning.

Life will not remain the same. According to Newton’s Law of motion, “Every object in a state of uniform motion will remain in that state of motion unless an external force acts on it.” Here is  the big force that is putting human activities to a big pause so we can reflect. We should learn to not just exist… It is time to live. If there is any better time to redefine what humanity and existence mean, it is NOW!