Preface — The Start

Hi, I'm Onnae. I started Geniusly, and now I’m launching a project that means a lot to me — 15 Steps to Changing a Life. I’m not sure exactly where this journey will take me, but I hope it becomes the beginning of a life spent helping others. That’s the kind of life I want to live. One built on purpose, love, and action. A passion I hope to turn into a career.

This past December, I met a girl named Tinuola in Lagos. She lives in Makoko, a part of the city where most homes are built on stilts over water. It’s often referred to as a slum, but what I saw there was more than poverty. I saw strength. I saw hope. And in Tinuola, I saw someone who reminded me why small acts can carry the power to change everything.

Hopefully I will succeed in this journey. And even if I don’t meet every goal, I will know that I have done something meaningful. I will know I helped another young girl like me — someone who dreams, who tries, who simply needs a little more to become everything she can be.

I want to document this journey because I believe in the impact one person can make. You don’t need to change the lives of hundreds to make a difference. Sometimes, it starts with just one person. One story. One step.

When I met Tinuola, I wouldn’t say there was a single life-changing moment that pushed me to do this. In fact, what I remember most is how calm and familiar it all felt. Despite sitting in a room full of people I had never met before, I felt completely at home. It was a beautiful moment — gentle, joyful, and full of laughter. I was learning how to play chess from a group of girls, and Tinuola was calm, gentle, and friendly. We laughed. We played games I had never seen before. We shared stories. Before I left, we exchanged numbers, and we’ve kept in contact ever since.

It was through those messages after that day that it has become clear to me what I can do the friendship we have formed has made me realise that I can do something to help. Even if it is small. Even if it doesn’t solve everything. I can be someone who listens. Someone who supports. Someone who shows up. And honestly, that’s why I want to do this — to help a friend.

In one of our conversations, Tinuola told me that she struggles to balance school, family, and everything else life throws at her. She said she feels overwhelmed and stressed. She also told me she hawks to earn money — selling fried pastries in the street — and that she doesn’t enjoy it. But what stood out most was when she said she dreams of becoming a surgeon. Not just any surgeon, but the best in Makoko, and one who treats people for free because she wants to help, not hurt. She said her dream is to be paid by organisations, not by her patients, because no one around her should have to suffer just because they don’t have enough.

I’ve always looked for ways I can help my home country from the inside out. But I’ve also learned that people often know what they need — they just don’t always have the means to reach it. I think through this project, I can become a guiding force. Not to lead, but to walk alongside. To listen, support, and do what I can to make the road a little easier for someone else.

Tinuola (bottom right) during a local chess tournament in Lagos