Nene

Nene was a young lady who never gave up on her dreams of becoming a medical nurse so she could come back to her village with the knowledge for services to humanity. She was young and ambitious.

Nene knew that for her dreams to be realized she had to obtain a degree in nursing. What stood between her and her goal was the finance for her school fees. Her poor parents had managed to send her through secondary school and believed that was more than enough. Nene knew better.

One day, Nene went to fetch firewood in the forest and saw some strange men planting and hewing down trees in the part of the forest she heard was sold to a city company. She suspected they were the ones. One of the men was bitten by a snake. Nene rushed in to apply the traditional first aid she learnt its application from her mother. “How can we help you?” One of the workers questioned her. “I’m the one to render help. Will you let me help your brother before he dies?”

Nene cut some leaves in the forest, squeezed the liquid from the leaves into the dangerous wound. Her first foreign patient felt weak and closed his eyes. His colleagues supposed he had died but Nene assured them that he was sleeping from the effect of the medication. Work didn’t resume till he woke up. “Who are you?” He managed to ask Nene after he was informed on who his saviour was. “My name is Nene. This is my village.” She replied. She continued “What are you doing here with trees?” “We use the trees for wristwatches but since we do it in an eco-friendly way, we have to plant them back.”

Nene had never heard of wristwatches made from trees. She requested to be shown one. The man showed her the RO5 Colour A Wooden Watch. She was amazed at the quality and artistry. “This is amazing!” She remarked. The man offered her the wristwatch as a thank-you gift. She appreciated the gift and asked the man if she could sell it and raise money for her fees. Her patient responded: “I could give you money but I want you to be earning it by becoming an affiliate with PRODA. With the 10% you’ll be entitled to in sales, you will surely pay your school fees.”