How HoodProf Received Hundreds of Storybooks

Through an Alumni Association, a Private School, and a Private Donor

In preparation for HoodProf’s inaugural event—a well-attended launch of our flagship reading club hub, the Wole Soyinka Centre—we set out to source age-appropriate storybooks for children aged 6–10 years. These books were intended as gifts for children enrolled in our book club.

We initially reached out to several individuals and organizations to request book donations; however, the response was largely underwhelming.

HoodProf’s Board of Trustees (BOT) is composed of individuals from diverse professional and social backgrounds. We therefore decided to leverage their personal and professional networks to help achieve our goal. In our society, it is often easier to get things done through “who you know” rather than “what you know.” From this perspective, members of the BOT began compiling a list of potential storybook donors we could approach.

One such connection came to mind through a former employer from my pre-university years. As the owner of a premium catering outfit in Lagos, she has strong ties within elite circles—many of whom either own private schools or sit on their boards. Through her goodwill, Mrs. KD was able to secure a carton of high-quality storybooks from an elite private school in Lekki. We are deeply grateful for this contribution, and she has also pledged to connect us with more people in her network who may support our work in similar ways.

Despite this generous donation, we were still far short of the quantity of storybooks required. We then turned to our alumni networks for support. The Ahmadu Bello University Mass Communication Alumni (Class of 1999/2000) maintains an active WhatsApp platform, and our founder—being a bona fide member—shared visuals and updates from our reading club activities with the group.

Many alumni members took time to visit our website, learn more about our work, and commend the initiative. This outreach eventually led to the shipment of quality storybooks from Jos, generously paid for by Madam Panmun of Books for Africa. We are sincerely grateful to members of MACOSA (Mass Communication Students’ Association) for coming through for us in this regard. This experience clearly demonstrated the power of leveraging trusted networks.

In 2024, we organized a Spelling Bee Competition and needed storybooks to gift all twenty participating children. As usual, we began searching for potential donors. Through the introduction of one of our trustees, Ms. Tega Okeme, we were connected to Ms. Ronnie, who supported the initiative by donating storybooks and other educational materials.

The children who have benefited from these storybooks and learning resources—through our various events, programmes, and activities—span multiple neighborhoods within underserved communities in Alimosho Local Government Area. Looking ahead, HoodProf plans to expand this impact to underserved communities across Lagos State in the foreseeable future.