Hoffen Project Takes Yuletide To Lagos Slums, Celebrates Lagos Children

The Yuletide season is a period to show love and share gifts not just to loved ones but to the underserved and underprivileged.

In the spirit of giving back, The Hoffen Project, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), creates memorable experiences for children in underserved localities during every festive period.

The NGO on Tuesday organised a Christmas party comprising games, music and food for the children in the Otumara-Ilaje community, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

Hoffen Project also distributed clothes, toys and school supplies to the children in the community.

Oluwatooni Akinola, founder of Hoffen Project, said the organisation was created in 2018 to give hope to areas often ignored by charity groups.

She said the 2023 event is the sixth edition of the initiative, which had previously been held in Makoko, Iwaya, Oworo, Apapa-Ajegunle, and Agboyi areas in Lagos.

“We realised that at the end of the year, most orphanages are remembered and recognised by organisations and individuals, but we have remote areas, and slums that are worse off and ignored,” Akinola said.

“We then decided at the end of each year, we will try to make them happy. That is what Hoffen is about, hope for the less-privileged. We come with clothes, and food and give them a good time.”

Tinuoye Akinola, a member of Hoffen’s board of trustees, said the organisation’s long-term goal is to be a facilitator of lasting impact on communities.

“We have put smiles on their faces, but food is temporary. We have thought about doing something more lasting,” she said.

“We have future plans to look at what the community lacks and try to provide it for them. Maybe water, electricity. We are thinking of the bigger picture that the community, not just the children, will benefit from.”