The community rallied together to support Uncle Enjin, providing companionship and assistance throughout the day, so it was heartbreaking when we found him fallen between his bed and the floor, having passed away, and I truly grasped the power of service and the spirit of generosity that can unite a community. You see, I learned that my family was no relation to Uncle Enjin and that the dedication and care my grandmother showed him came from the truest source of generosity. Indeed, Uncle Enjin willed his house and land to my grandmother in recognition of all her years of service, but we already had a home and ample space to live, so my grandmother in turn gave away the house and land in its entirety to someone else in need in our community. That was my first big lesson in generosity and in creating community to support others.
I later went to live with my father in the city, and it was again the power of generosity that re-enlivened me from the very traumatic event of leaving my grandmother’s home in the countryside. My new home was large and filled with many comforts, but I missed my grandparents and at barely 10 years old, the leave-taking had caused me to experience extreme and dangerous weight loss, anxiety and depression, and after a year, I still was not engaging with my family at my new home. One day, my elder brother, Labaster, took my hand and dragged me to the store next door, where our father would regularly give $100 USD to the store owner and invite those in need to have a meal – the meal, a sandwich and a drink and a hundred US dollars went a long way in those years, those many Friday evenings ago, and nourished a seemingly unending line of hungry people. This was an arresting moment for me. It holds me, still.
Though I did not possess the vocabulary to articulate it at the time, these early experiences instilled in me a deep understanding that philanthropy encompasses far more than monetary contributions. It is about fostering collaboration, embracing innovation and developing sustainable solutions to drive positive change in our societies. It took many years, but with this realization firmly rooted, I have embarked on a journey that has led me to establish Bunchful Enterprises, an organization founded on the principles of generosity and dedicated to the spirit of giving. We believe that generosity should infuse every aspect of our work, and we have aligned our cause with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) to make a lasting impact on critical issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, education, hunger, health, and much more.
We understand that true philanthropy extends beyond mere financial donations. It involves leveraging our collective talents, resources and personal gifts to build thriving communities and foster positive change, so we coined the term “bunchful” to mean to share our abundance with others. If you share our vision and would like to collaborate with us or contribute to our efforts, we would love to hear from you. Together, let us continue to embrace the transformative power of generosity and work towards a better future for all.
