Passion of young Nigerian begging on the streets to raise N15m for hermaphrodite, others
Most established humanitarian organisations as a rule exercise caution and conduct thorough investigation before backing up victims of one disorder, disaster or the other; but not so with our guest today, young Olwaseun David Fumilayo, born in 1981 here in Lagos of parents from Esu-Ekiti, Ekiti state.
At 35, David is the boss of a humanitarian organisation, an NGO he named Divine Favour Foundation (DFF) that started off without fund and still running without fund. If you hear how this young man raises money for his ministry, you will be excused to ask if all is well. Yet David has taken on mindboggling cases that reputable NGOs would take a lot of persuasion to meddle with.
Top on the list is the riddle of one Oluwaseun Samuel Fajilade, a student at the School of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, in Ekiti State, born 29-years ago with male and female organs, both of which have matured into full blown medical spectacle.
The second case involves a victim of kerosene explosion who has undergone two surgeries but requires more skin graft surgeries, and a third case of a girl born with a hole in the heart.
How do you raise money for your patients? Who are your sponsors?
“I don’t really have sponsors for now, I started with absolutely nothing other than trust in God that whatever the need of any patient He leads me to, God is able to make provisions and He has been faithful…”
Okay, tell us how you raise money
Well, as a foundation, I challenge myself and sacrifice all that is me; so to get money to help my patients, I go to the public.
“I visit shops, homes; I go from street to street and to market places and I solicit for help. Every kobo that is given is thrown into the needs of my patients.”
The picture I want to get clear is that you go to offices, to shops and you introduce yourself…?
“Yes sir. Sometimes I travel around Nigeria to market myself to the public. You know when we talk about sponsors, some people have helped me in this ministry with their resources, but this comes once in a long time and very far between. And because I have patients now who need lots of money more than ever before to treat their cases, I cannot rest; I travel about and publicise my NGO; I show people pictures and addresses of my patients. Some people help, many don’t, but I cannot give up. It is my calling, it is my passion.”
Strange passion
Our correspondents tried to figure out the strangeness of this passion. They sort to know his background and found it even more worrisome. This is David saying.
“I am the first born of seven children born on September 9, 1981, and I lived briefly with my grandmother in the village of Obadeshid in Akure, Ondo state. I attended my primary education at St. Peter’s Anglican school, Akure but I returned back to Lagos to begin my secondary education.”
It was after he graduated from Iju Grammar School in Lagos and had gained admission to the University of Lagos that one statement by a preacher at a conference turned his life to what it is now.
But as one without a professional training, David is a living expression of the ‘Jack of all trades…’ adage, but the young man insists he is a master in as many fields as time would permit him.
“I am someone that has multiple skills and these come naturally to me. I am a cobbler, I can make different kinds of paint; I also make rugs on my own. They are inspirations God gave me to sustain me in times of dire needs.”
So how did you get into this ministry?
“My encounter started on February 15, 2007 at a conference hosted by Christ Embassy where I was a church worker at the time.
“The theme of the conference was on ‘Service to Humanity’. The message was about saving someone and the preacher said that the child you save today might be the one to save you in the future, and that was how I got caught in the vision and started Divine Favour Foundation in 2007.”
How did you arrive at the name?
“Divine Favour Foundation (DFF) was given to me by God Almighty to help humanity and this I do by giving for it and living for my patients. I have my corporate office at 20, Adewole Street at Council area, on the Isheri-Ikotun road.
“Also, DFF is not only for the sick or people with uncommon or peculiar conditions, it is open to everyone who have a situation beyond their capacity to handle. This includes the widows, the homeless, etc. Whoever I can reach as a foundation my hands are open to embrace him or her.”
Tell us about your first patient
“My first patient was a little girl who was badly burnt as a result of adulterated kerosene lantern explosion. That was in 2012. The story was published in a newspaper and someone drew my attention to it. I immediately followed up the case at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where I saw the child with her mother; the child was in agonising pain.
Right there I wrote a letter to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) who came and featured the story on Newsline the same week.”
Documents in his possession showed that the first operation cost over N875,000 which David said his foundation raised most of the money and parents of the girl completed it. There are other operations and skin grafting surgeries waiting for funds at LUTH four years on. As you read this, the child is still at the hospital following complications that developed after the first surgery and the mother is calling for help from DFF.
The other two operations are estimated to cost N250,000 which money David is still begging around for.
Of the second and most trying patient, David said:
“The reason why I am here (The Daily Times office) today is to assist a brother who was born hermaphrodite 29-years-ago. The patient is Oluwaseun Samuel Fajilade, a student of the School of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State.”
Displaying copies of photographs of the patient supported backed with a video interview and documents from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), David lamented that his patient has been living with this psychological trauma all his life and needs urgent surgeries to correct the odd birth.
Seun, whose pathetic condition is medically known as Disorders of Sex Development was born to the family of Mr. Babatunde and Mrs. Kehinde Fajilade on March 16,1987 at Onikan Health Centre, Lagos State.
At the time of his birth, doctors told his parents that his gender could not be clearly distinguished. Within a few hours, the parents were referred to Massey hospital, a specialist health facility for children on Lagos Island, where new baby was admitted.
Father of the child, Mr. Babatunde Fajilade said after examining baby Seun on the night of birth, doctors at the hospital informed him that the case was beyond what they could handle. The next morning, the family was referred to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi Araba, where he was admitted for a week for evaluation.
“We spent about four months there, going up and down for diagnosis, tests and x-rays. Instead of focusing on what should be done, LUTH management started using my baby for practical lessons. More than once I saw more than 20 clinical students surrounding him at one of their lessons,” Fajilade said.
For the first five years of Seun’s life, his father said that he had no testicles as the doctor told the family that an operation to correct that could only be done when he was six years old. When he clocked six, the operation was done and one of the testes descended into the scrotum. At age 12, the second operation was done to make the second testes to descend.
But nature had more surprises for baby Seun as his breasts began to enlarge like that of girl reaching puberty. This development made the parents to panic and headed back to the hospital resulting to further tests, x-rays, and other diagnoses.
“We did that for some years. At a time, the hospital visits began to affect his education. He could not go to school. We would get to the hospital in the morning and they won’t attend to us until evening. It took more than four years before doctors at LUTH eventually told us the way forward. The professor in charge said our child could undergo surgery to determine the sex, as one organ would have to go for the other but warned that the possibility of conception would be slim.
The family wanted their baby to be a male because he was given a male name at his christening, and he could not turn around to re-introduce the child as a female again. But the doctor recommended the female option as the cost of the operation would cost less.
“I told the doctor I would prefer my son to be my son. He said no. We should go home and think deeply on it because to lessen our cost, he advised us to opt for female since he was already developing bust. But I said No! I have studied him well enough. He should be a man but if any higher report advises against that, I have no choice. I just want him to have a normal life.”
Babatunde described Oluwaseun’s childhood as a sweet and bitter experience. The primary school days were okay, but when Seun got to secondary school and became aware he had a problem, he started to withdraw. He loved playing football but today he does not play anymore or socialize with anyone. Seun lost admission to Yaba College of Technology, where he wanted to study Banking and Finance but didn’t make all the papers and was asked to withdraw.
After staying at home and toying with the idea of going to Ogun State Polytechnic School, the father sent Seun to another school in Ekiti.
Through providence, Mr. Oluwaseun David Funmilayo, chief executive of Divine Favor Foundation, learnt about the family through Mr. Kunle Pedro, one of their friends.
David said that after visiting the family, and speaking with them, he made independent inquiries at LUTH, where he obtained the medical records of Seun. According to the doctors, the male organ is the dominant one and can be corrected. He gathered from the doctors that the breast could be ingested and the female organ closed while the penis would be pumped out. The doctor further disclosed that it would take about two or three surgeries for the condition to be corrected. For this reason, David is on the forefront through his foundation and leading the family to appeal for assistance from public-spirited individuals and corporate organisations.
So, how much is David and family sourcing for the surgery?
“The good part is that the operation can be done at LUTH although it is still very expensive. When I talked with Dr. Isaac at the Teaching Hospital he gave me a breakdown that will cost N15 million.
“The Fajilades are poor and helpless; even Seun’s education is not sponsored by them, that’s is why I am appealing to Nigerians to help this young man.
“As a foundation, I don’t have money on hand; that is why I am going round to shops , market places, companies and individuals to ask for help.”
Do you expect to raise N15million walking from shop to shop in the streets?
With God, all things are possible. In spite of the economy, Nigerians are very good people.”
Still single and evidently a workaholic, David has five people on his team but he said they are all volunteers. His dream is that Divine Favour mission will cover many countries across the Continent.
