Inflation and Job Losses in Nigeria

Photo by sheyi owolabi on Unsplash

by Yecenu Sasetu

Have you been out of a job before? I have. 

Shades of Us Visits Amazing Grace Foundation for the Old

Shades of Us Visits the Amazing Grace Foundation in Commemoration of Nelson Mandela Day

By Cynthia Umeh

On July 25, 2025, Shades of Us marked Nelson Mandela Day with a visit to Amazing Grace Foundation, an elderly care home in Abuja. The foundation provides shelter, medical care, and compassion to older people and those living with terminal illness. It also rehabilitates traumatized widows and victims of family violence, offers counseling, and works to ensure that no elderly person spends their final years in loneliness.

Blood Beneath the Soil: How Mining Fuels Africa’s Wars

Photo by Lucio Patone on Unsplash

By Atinuke Adeosun 

For many, life feels like a card game. I have always liked the saying, “You have to live life with the cards you have been dealt.” Some dismiss it as fatalistic, a way of trapping people in the circumstances they were born into. But I see it differently: it is a call to clarity. If you know your hand, you can choose — fight to improve it, or fold and stay where you are. That feels fair enough.

Stories of Strength: African Solidarity and the Refugee Experience

By Chiamaka Mbah

Shades of Us hosted its July Forum on Friday, July 25, 2025, to commemorate World Refugee Day, traditionally observed on June 20. We explored “Stories of Strength: African Solidarity and the Refugee Experience.” It was a conversation that reminded us that solidarity is not just about standing with refugees on designated international days, but about how we live every day.

Lessons, Laughter, and Fundraising: My Little Big Fund Story

The Little Big Fund Facilitators and Fellows’ Power Pose. From Left to Right: Andrea, Vanessa, Kuol, Abhinav, Aisha, Erioluwa, Andrea, Christine, Ramatu, Monal

It has been a little over a year since I first learned about the Little Big Fund Fellowship for non-profit and social impact founders. Since then, I became a fellow, had incredible learning sessions, visited Kenya for the first time, and received a microgrant for the Shades of Us Mobile Cinema project. Phewww! What a year it has been!

You know I am a long-winded writer. So… let us get into it!

Empowering Young Lives Through Hygiene: A Day at Destined Children’s Orphanage

Shades of Us and Adeyemi Orphanage Relief (ADORE) Celebrate the Visit to Destined Children Orphanage Home with the Children and Staff 

By Cynthia Umeh and Simbiat Amzat 

There is a simple truth often overlooked: good hygiene is one of the most powerful tools we can give a child. It is not just about cleanliness; it is about dignity, confidence, and the foundation for a healthy future. From learning how to properly wash their hands to understanding the significance of menstrual hygiene, these habits become building blocks for self-esteem and independence.