By Folakemi Adesina, GivingTuesday Nigeria Country Leader
What began as a small initiative in one school has blossomed into a movement that inspires students, parents, and teachers across Nigeria to embrace generosity. The Giving Seeds Campaign, hosted within the GivingTuesday movement in Nigeria, is planting seeds of kindness and empathy in young hearts, fostering a culture of giving that transcends the classroom.
It all started with Bloomfield Heritage School in Abuja, the first to integrate GivingTuesday into its curriculum. Lessons on generosity and kindness were brought to life as students, parents, and teachers actively participated in giving back to their community. The results were profound: children became more compassionate, families grew closer, and a ripple effect of giving began to take hold. Inspired by this success, along with Community and Spark Chapter Leaders in various regions we launched the Giving Seeds Campaign to extend this impactful model to other schools.
“Generosity is a seed that, when planted early, grows into a lifelong habit,” shared a campaign leader. The Giving Seeds Campaign aims to nurture future generations of compassionate individuals while strengthening family and community ties.
At the core of this initiative is the Generosity Corner, a simple yet powerful concept: schools set up a dedicated space for donations, encouraging students, parents, and teachers to contribute items like clothing, food, hygiene kits, or funds for chosen causes. These contributions are then distributed to communities in need.
The impact has already been extraordinary. At Bloomfield Heritage School and Homat Group of Schools in Lagos, students rallied together to collect essentials for orphanages and internally displaced persons. The Generosity Corner became more than just a collection point; it became a hub of collaboration, compassion, and community pride. In the community of Gbagada students delivered the collected items at a local public school.
These acts of kindness weren’t just about meeting material needs—they instilled a sense of responsibility and care in the students. For many, it was their first experience of making a tangible difference in someone’s life. Teachers and parents witnessed the transformative power of generosity firsthand, as students grew into young changemakers.
Launching the Giving Seeds Campaign hasn’t come without its challenges. Securing enthusiastic staff members to oversee the initiative in new schools sometimes requires additional training and awareness. To address this, the GivingTuesday Nigeria team organized orientation sessions for teachers and staff, equipping them with the tools and inspiration needed to manage the program effectively.
Despite these challenges, the campaign’s success has exceeded our expectations, thanks to the unwavering dedication of school communities and their belief in the power of giving.
The Giving Seeds Campaign has only just begun. The vision is to see schools across Nigeria—and beyond—embracing GivingTuesday, instilling the values of generosity and empathy in their students.
My advice to schools is simple: just start. Generosity is everyone’s business, and we all have something to give. By incorporating these values into their curriculum, schools can inspire a generation of compassionate, community-minded individuals. The journey is as rewarding for the school as it is for the students.
This GivingTuesday, the Giving Seeds Campaign invites schools, families, and communities to plant their own seeds of generosity. Together, we can build a brighter future—one act of kindness at a time.
