By Esther Onyegbula

Christmas came early for five indigent women in Lagos as the Oyinkansola Serah Ogungbemi Foundation rolled out a special end-of-year intervention that combined festive relief with full makeovers aimed at restoring dignity and confidence.

The initiative, tagged “Christmas With a Difference,” marked the sixth edition of the foundation’s annual outreach, but with a shift from its usual mass distribution of food items to a more personalised intervention focused on vulnerable women in underserved communities.

Speaking at the event, the convener of OSO Foundation, Ms. Oyinkansola Ogungbemi, said the foundation deliberately chose to do things differently this year by focusing on the emotional and psychological well-being of women who are often overlooked.

According to her, OSO Foundation, which has operated for six years, was established primarily to bridge the education gap between children in rural and urban communities, while also providing food relief, books and teacher training to underserved families.

“Outside bridging the gap in education, we provide food relief packages, books, teachers’ training, name it, for children and families in underserved communities. One of our pet projects is Christmas With a Difference, where we make Christmas happen for families every year,” she said.

Ogungbemi explained that instead of reaching hundreds of households with food items as done in previous years, the foundation selected five women facing extreme hardship and gave them a complete transformation.

“This year, we thought to beautify women, not just beautify them, but to really make this Christmas an exceptional one for them. A lot of women want to look beautiful. They want to wear makeup and feel extraordinary, even if it is just once,” she said.

The beneficiaries, drawn from underserved communities, included a cleaner, a school teacher who rarely receives her salary, a woman who is the breadwinner of a six-child household, and another with eight children.

The women received professional makeup, hair styling, new outfits, accessories, food packages and cash support to celebrate Christmas with their families.

“It is not enough that we are giving them food packages. We want them to look at themselves and see that they are beautiful. This will change their narrative and elevate how they feel about themselves. It will rebuild their confidence and help them see that the life they want is truly possible,” Ogungbemi added.

She noted that the reactions from the beneficiaries underscored the impact of the gesture, as several of them expressed shock and joy when they saw their transformed appearance.

“One of the women literally said, ‘Is this me?’ They are beautiful women already, but to see themselves looking polished really elevated their confidence,” she said.

The foundation partnered with Rammy’s Glamz Beauty studio, Style by Dressier, Funside event, Daniel Chris Media and Ixhola grants foundation, which also supported the distribution of food to children living on the streets of Lagos.

Beyond the makeover initiative, OSO Foundation also shared food with street children across parts of Lagos as part of its Christmas outreach.

A volunteer with OSO Foundation, Leticia, described the initiative as deeply fulfilling, noting that many of the women had never experienced such care focused solely on them.

“Most of them spend all their time taking care of their families and looking for what to eat. They never think of taking care of themselves, not to talk of sitting in a studio to be made over. Seeing the excitement on their faces is amazing, and I am sure this will leave an indelible memory in their hearts,” she said.

Expressing gratitude, one of the beneficiaries thanked the foundation and every individual who donated, for restoring her joy during the festive season.

“I really appreciate this. May God continue to bless her and OSO Foundation. I am very happy and I feel very beautiful,” she said.

Another beneficiary, 43-year-old Deborah, said the gesture would make her Christmas memorable.
“My words alone cannot appreciate this. God will continue to lift them higher. I will have a wonderful Christmas with all this, and even my children will be happy,” she said.

The foundation reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining its education and welfare programmes while expanding initiatives that uplift vulnerable women and families across underserved communities.