When Doyinsola Ogunye was a child, she wanted to be a scientist, to change the world, like the characters in the cartoons she watched then. “I don’t know why, but I always wanted to invent things and create solutions.” Years later, she’s not just changing the world, she’s inspiring kids to do the same.
She’s the founder of Mental and Environmental Development for Children (MEDIC), whose main program, Kids Clean Club, is an initiative created to teach kids, especially those in coastal areas, the importance of taking care of the environment, encouraging them to pick up litter, and sorting through recyclables, while teaching them how to take care of themselves, and empowering their mind so as to improve their educational abilities.
“In children’s formative years, it’s important that they know and are able to imbibe values and learn a lot that will definitely change their outlook towards life. If we’re teaching 2 million children the right thing to do, we know that in the nearest future, we’ll have more children and people supporting a cleaner and healthier environment,” Doyinsola says on why she decided to focus on kids.
MEDIC also runs Kids Beach Garden, a sustainable beach space where we encourage kids to plant trees and clean the beach while having fun.
Another MEDIC initiative is Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment (RESWAYE), whose mission is to provide economic empowerment for women and young people in coastal communities through recycling initiatives, while eliminating plastic waste in the waterways.
How It All Started
Years ago, Doyinsola’s family moved houses within Lagos, and while in her new environment, she noticed a lot of children roaming the heavily polluted streets and was worried about the health hazards this poses. “I asked myself, ‘what can we do to change this?’ I started talking to older people but no one really understood what I was saying. Then I decided to speak to the younger generation and encourage them to take care of their environments. We started to play games together while they learn how to take care of their environments. I started going to schools to teach about recycling and tree planting and that’s how it started,” she says.
“Children can’t vote or change laws, but they can do little things in their environments that would change the world on a global level. That’s why I encourage them to do things for the love of the environment and their country.”
State of Nigeria’s Environmental Healthcare Sector
“We have a lot of learning to do. We have a lot of work to do,” Doyinsola says. “To be honest, it’s below average. People do not care and they don’t because they think it doesn’t really affect them. So, we need to do a whole lot more in ensuring that people are aware of the importance of protecting our environment,” she added.
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