INSPIRING: Tonia Shodunke Celebrates Birthday With Special Kids In Uganda [PHOTOS] || @toniasho1

May 11, 2015

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Tonia Shodunke

Nigerian Gospel music act, Tonia Shodunke celebrated her birthday recently in Uganda. She also used the medium to celebrate and reach out to the indigent children in Uganda. Isn’t that just inspiring? Read her heartfelt below –

”As an initiative to give back to the society, I chose to spend my birthday with some very special kids from the Bushenyi Primary School for the Disabled, Uganda. It’s a place where kids who are blind, lame, deaf and dumb were being educated and raised to be meaningful to the society. It came as a big shock to discover that some of these kids had actually been abandoned by their parents who most likely had become frustrated at the situation and totally given up on them. We had a great time and it was absolutely a wonderful experience seeing these same kids giggle, laugh, jump, dance leap for joy with huge excitement (even stretch for a drink of water, as they found the meal a bit pepperish since they are not so used to ‘chilly’ here in Uganda….#ReflectiveSmile. It was a whole new experience for them and indeed we had pure undiluted fun that day!

According to the Head Mistress in charge of the school, she had never seen the kids that happy before and she was grateful for the initiative. It got really emotional at some point, that I was almost moved to tears. Knowing some of these kids were happy and excited even though they danced off beat/out of tune with the rhythm of the music; since they could not hear the music playing. It never deemed their excitement. And to think that most of these kids had never seen balloons before!

I was privileged to share some supplies with them that included food stuffs like rice and Irish potatoes(some of their staple food here) and sugar and liquid milk (partly because they had previously been served cereals and pap without milk and sugar). Along with sanitary pads for the girls among them who had attained puberty, yet had been without such. Shoes were also distributed among the kids, as the weather here is cold and somewhat harsh, yet they move around without shoes/slippers. Stationeries, which included books, pencils, erasers, rulers to aid school work was also given out.

Such opportunities are rare and I count it a great privilege to share my joy in this way!‎ I deeply desire to be remembered, among other things, for the people I helped, the lives I affected positively and the smiles I put on several faces!!!

More photos –