Swandeh Terhide

News Letter

Welcome to Torch of Liberty Initiative’s newsletter for June 2024. This newsletter has been carefully curated to keep you updated on the happenings during the month, while also sharing our accomplishments in our mission to extend kindness to all the far reaching corners of human civilization. Grab a seat and relax as we walk you through the month of June. Encouraging Dedication and Consistency of Engagers As part of our community values, we make it a point to recognize and appreciate members of our community who consistently participate in our events and activities. All through the month of June, on weekly basis, we were able to extend a small gesture of kindness to them as a way of expressing our gratitude for their dedicated involvement and support. This should help convey the message that every push of a kind act leads to the movement of success. T.A.L.K Personality for June, 2024 After carefully evaluating various factors, including the exceptional demonstration of kindness, FELIX TORNA GARUTER was selected as an individual who embodied the essence of kindness. By recognizing and celebrating him as the T.A.L.K personality for the month of June, we aim to encourage him to continue on this path and inspire others to follow suit, embracing kindness as THE way of life. Recognition of Torch of Liberty Initiative by UNEP The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has recognized our organization’s impactful effort in support of World Environment Day 2024. In appreciation of our meaningful contributions, UNEP has graciously issued us a prestigious certificate of recognition. This accolade serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship and our ability to make a tangible difference on a global scale. We are truly honoured to have TORCH OF LIBERTY INITIATIVE acknowledged by this esteemed international body. This recognition will no doubt, further inspire us to continue to show kindness to our environment and planet at large. Improvements on Our Website Growth, the hallmark of every thriving endeavour, is clearly evident on our website. We have been actively incorporating interactive enhancements to make the user experience more intuitive and engaging. Last month witnessed the first time we had our T.A.L.K quiz on our website other than our Facebook page. The T.A.L.K Box request option has also been made available on our website as well as the T.A.L.K T.E.C.H interface which by July 3rd, would be open for the intake of learners into various tech inclined areas of interest as seen on the TLI website www.torchofliberty.ngo  This commitment to growth and development reflects our dedication to delivering kindness packed with exceptional value. The month of June also witnessed a grand style celebration of Father’s Day. Members of our community unanimously voted the story of one of our Community member, LASTBORN U BENUE, making him the winner. A token of appreciation was extended to him so as to enable him celebrate his Father on the special occasion of Father’s Day, whom by virtue of this was named T.A.L.K Father of the Year. In the spirit of love, fairness and kindness, it is worthy of note that  whose father was initially declared T.A.L.K Father of the Year, was also gifted a T.A.L.K Box valued at N50, 000. This is to convey the message that KINDNESS is indeed the bedrock of all our outings in this community, regardless. As part of events that spiced up the month of June, Torch of Liberty Community introduced a new category of recognition – The T.A.L.K Badge. This prestigious award is intended to be bestowed upon members who demonstrate exceptional kindness, selflessness, respect and compassion within the Community. The Inaugural recipient of this T.A.L.K Badge is AGYO TERVER, who was honoured for his outstanding display of kind virtues. Upon receiving the news, AGYO TERVER was overjoyed and immediately made the T.A.L.K Badge his profile picture on Facebook, proclaiming his pride and appreciation for this recognition. As it is our culture, his account details were requested so that a token of kindness would be sent to him, in the hopes to appreciate and encourage him, serving also as a factor to inspire selflessness amongst others. The month of June witnessed another dimension of growth that’s worthy of note, the unveiling of T.A.L.K T.E.C.H. This initiative is one that promises to leverage information technology as a way of demonstrating kindness. Interested persons are to visit our website www.torchofliberty.ngo to get started. This is a transformative program aimed at empowering individuals through comprehensive IT training and skill development at no cost. T.A.L.K T.E.C.H, which stands for Try A Little Kindness and Technology Empowerment Community Hub, strongly reiterates the stand that we can be kind and equally ICT compliant. Programs currently mounted for the take off phase include Coding (Python), Spreadsheet (Excel), Web Development, JavaScript and Data Science. More Outreaches in June The previous month witnessed a notable escalation in the volume and scope of our outreach and empowerment initiatives. Some of which include: STELLA OLAWOLE, a member of the TLI community, who reached out to TLI. And in our usual culture, we were moved by compassion and kindness. The T.A.L.K Box was sent to her as a way of helping her navigate through her present economic disadvantage and hopefully find her feet. SHIGHE AGATHA AGATHA (SAA) who experienced a devastating loss when a fire completely destroyed her home. Reaching out for help, she shared her heartbreaking situation with us. Moved by her difficult circumstances, we extended a compassionate gesture of support and kindness to her. In addition to the kind handshake, the ED presented her with T.A.L.K Box, all in a bid to help cushion the effect of the ugly incidence. With the introduction of the T.A.L.K Box Hub, the TLI was able to render support to JAMES PHILIA to help her keep her business afloat. With the new reforms, this makes her the very first beneficiary of our T.A.L.K Box HUB. Other Outreach Interventions It is no news any longer that TLI has a culture of empowering entrepreneurs. In

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Nigerian Man Spreads Kindness by Offering Free Rides and money

A heartwarming video of a Nigerian man spreading kindness has taken the internet by storm. The video captures his inspiring acts of generosity as he offers free rides and distributes money, bringing joy and gratitude to many. His kindness doesn’t stop there; he also books rides online, surprising drivers with cash gifts, and approaches strangers to give them bags of goodies. This remarkable display of goodwill has captivated viewers worldwide, inspiring many to demonstrate more acts of kindness in their own lives. Iman Muhammad, a young lady, shared her thoughts on kindness: “Any act of kindness is commendable, no matter how little. It is a blessing to have family who are thoughtful enough to meet one’s needs and expectations, just like this brother who gifted his sibling a phone.” Let this story inspire us all to spread kindness, no matter how big or small, and make a positive impact in our communities. l.https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMrhsR2pX

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Impact of One Selfless Act

In 2015, nine-year-old Marlee Pack was informed that she was suffering from alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer. Marlee was forced to miss a lot of school due to her treatment, which involved weeks of gruelling chemotherapy. When the time came for Marlee to return to class at Meridian Elementary School in Broomfield, Colorado, she felt worried about being the only one with a shaved head. That’s when her friend Cameron McLaughlin decided to shave her head in solidarity with her close pal. 80 students and some teachers from the school followed suit, all shaving their heads in support of Marlee at a school event called “Be Bold, Be Brave, Go Bald”. The event raised more than $25,000 (£19,000] for St Baldrick’s Foundation, a childhood cancer research organisation. “I didn’t think that many people would shave their heads, but I feel good about going back to school and not being the only bald one,’ Marlee voiced out, her face beaming with so much brightness.Sometimes it takes just a thoughtful and selfless act to ignite a chain reaction of positive things. Dare to brighten someone’s day. Dare to be different, in a kind way albeit.

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Unwavering Resolve to Stay Kind even in not so kind Situations

As Mohammed Basha walked through the parking lot, all he could think about was the dire diagnosis he had handed his patient Jimmy: pancreatic cancer. Just then, he noticed an elderly gentleman handing tools to someone working under his stalled car. That someone was Jimmy. “Jimmy, what are you doing?” Dr Basha yelled out. Jimmy dusted off his pants. “My cancer didn’t tell me not to help others, Doc,” he said, before waving at the old man to start the car. The engine roared to life. The old man thanked Jimmy and drove off. Then Jimmy got into his car and took off as well. Take-home message: Kindness has no limits and no restrictions. Being kind does mean one has it all figured out, or has no problems of their own. It only demonstrates a strong wealth of empathy and thoughtfulness.

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In Kindness, Little Selfless Acts Matter

Can you imagine living in a place where everyone but you spoke the same language? Very uncomfortable right? Such was life for Muaharrem, a deaf man in Istanbul who uses sign language to communicate. Muaharrem spent every day communicating with people in his town the best he could. He may have gotten by, but was never able to truly live. Until one day, when a Samsung ad created a new world for him that he never thought possible. As Muaharrem’s sister, Ozlem, walked him through his neighborhood, he suddenly realized that everyone he encountered not only understood his language but was able to use it with him. Samsung had contracted the locals to learn sign language as a promotion for its new technology for the hard of hearing but ended up giving Muaharrem the best gift he could have gotten: the gift of communication. To be kind, one doesn’t need to be rich, intelligent and powerful. You only need to have empathy, you only need to be considerate about the feelings of others you only need to care and be a entity that’s both human and humane .

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Extending a Kind Hand to Someone in Need

Two friends went to lunch together one bright Friday afternoon. While enjoying the sweet meal served to them, they picked a hint of distress on the face of the waitress who attended to them. So they asked how she was doing. She said she was fine at first, but after some persuasion, she voiced out that she was a single mom and didn’t have the money to cover her electric bill due that day.One of them asked how much she owed. They relayed their sympathies to her and went back to eating lunch. However, it appeared both felt God tugging at their hearts to help her. One of them left the restaurant in a rather hasty manner, suggestive of one running to go catch up with something very important. The friend that stayed behind spoke to the manager concerning the waitress.The manager said she was a hard-working, honest person and he would allow her to take a break so she could go and pay her electric bill. On return of the other friend who had earlier dashed out, the two friends gave her the money, her face was priceless. She couldn’t help but glaringly express how grateful she was, as tears welled up in her eyes. This display of kindness and concern for the well being of another doused the whole atmosphere there, with packets of renewed hope in humanity. As everyone who witnessed this, had their day made. I hope this story inspires us to be an answer to someone’s prayer.

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Kindness: The Universal Language that Transcends all Barriers

A fisherman who was fishing east of the Farallon Islands (just outside of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California) spotted a whale who was fully entangled and bound in a fishing net. The fisherman radioed for help and within a few hours, the rescue team arrived and determined that the whale was so badly tangled that the only way to save her was to dive in, cut the ropes and untangle her…. a very dangerous proposition as one slap of the tail could kill a rescuer. They worked for hours with curved knives and eventually freed her.When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, nudged them, and pushed gently, thanking them. Some said that it was the most incredibly beautiful experience they had ever had.The guy who cut the rope out of her mouth says her eye was following him the entire time and he will never be the same. May you be so fortunate to be surrounded by people who will help you get untangled from the things that are binding you. And, may you always know the joy of giving and receiving gratitude. Although we may speak different languages and exist on various levels of the biological hierarchy, there is one universal mode of communication that transcends linguistic and species barriers – kindness. We should strive to be compassionate not only towards our own kind, but to all living things and beings.

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A Stranger That Saved the Day

A heartwarming incident happened and it is worthy of note. A middle aged man pulled up to the hardware store and watched this take place right in front of him, reinforcing his faith in humanity. This guy sees two kids walking in the pouring rain while one is pushing his broken bicycle and he stops everything he is doing and spends 5 minutes getting drenched with rain while he fixes this little boy’s bike. These kids rode off so happy and he left with a smile on his face from ear to ear. As a matter of fact, he put a smile on the faces of everyone that witnessed this selfless act of kindness too. This is the humanity we’re advocating for. One mustn’t necessarily break the bank to be kind. Something as little as a compliment, holding the door for someone, giving them a listening ear, could all have great impact on the lives of people around. In all you do, make kindness a priority.

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The Kidney Domino Effect

At the age of 44, Rick Ruzzamenti had never even donated blood. But, after hearing about a woman who donated a kidney to help an ailing friend, he decided to see if he could donate his kidney to a stranger.His action, the enormous generosity of one altruistic man, generated a domino chain that resulted in what the National Kidney Registry call Chain 124, an unprecedented 60 operations, linking 30 kidneys from 30 donors to people who needed one. This demonstrates in no small measure, the multiplier effect of kindness. Every act of kindness, be it ever little, sets off a chain reaction of other numerous acts of kindness.

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The Consequences of Delaying Kindness

A man in Kano went to a foodseller.He had not eaten in 3 days.He begged the seller for food on credit. The foodseller said no because he already gave food to too many people on credit. The man sat down beside the foodseller’s shop as he had nowhere else to go. The foodseller told him he’s very sorry and he would like to help but too many people in the neighbourhood have collected food on credit and his business is sinking. The man sat there and said nothing. As time went on, other people came into the shop to buy foodstuff and went out- they noticed the man at the door sitting there sleeping. But nobody bothered. Until one man came later in the day and asked the foodseller: “who is the man sitting at your door?” “Why is he there?” Then the foodseller said “oh it’s a man who says he has not eaten for 3 days and he wants to collect food on credit but I could not give him because my business is struggling from all the credit I have already given out”. Then the other man said: “How much is the food he wants?” The food seller said “It’s a few cups of garri, rice and beans. Everything may be 2,000 naira”. The other man said “Alright pack everything he wants and more. I would pay for it. Let him go home to his family and eat”. The foodseller packed all the food and went outside to tell the man with joy that someone has paid for his food. He saw the man still sleeping.He tapped him to wake him up, he didn’t respond. Tapped him again, nothing. The man had died.He died sitting and waiting for help. This happened just few days ago in Badawa, Kano. Some people who live in that area know this story. The man was dead all along while people were coming in and out of the shop thinking he was sleeping. He died hopeless. He died helpless. He died a man who lacked even though the environment flourished in abundance. If you know anyone in this period who is hungry around you and you can afford a little kindness to improve their situation , please do. Many people are walking the streets with an empty stomach, many people are wrestling with the fierce stings of depression. If only you Try A Little Kindness, if only I dare to be kind, and if we all are inspired to act kindly, we would be making the world better. We would be liberating humanity from the shackles of abject poverty and hunger. There’s a role that everyone can play, there’s something anyone can do, KINDNESS. May we never have cause to delay kindness.

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