What does a dilapidated, roofless toilet outhouse have to do with a brand-new soccer ball? Everything, as we learned during a recent school visit.
During a visit at our Ododuma Secondary Commercial School in Uyo, Nigeria, a group of students approached me and the Principal with a petition: they urgently needed a new soccer ball for their upcoming competition. I didn’t want to just give a handout, so I proposed a deal: fix the badly broken toilet outhouse (which lacked a roof and a door) to earn the ball.
Honestly, I didn’t expect them to succeed, based on previous perceptions that external help was always needed. However, I believed young people are capable when given the right incentive.
To my complete surprise, by the end of that same day, the sweaty, dirty students announced they were done! I went to see it myself. They had fixed the roof and door using leftover wood from the workshop—without asking for any help.
I was incredibly proud. They didn’t just earn a soccer ball; they proved my inner belief that with the right incentive, young people are highly resourceful and will take initiative to accomplish great things. And, of course, they received their well-earned new soccer ball.