LRF Volunteers Appreciation 2025: Celebrating Service, Literacy, and Reading Culture

Celebrating the Heart of Literacy: Inside LRF’s Volunteers Appreciation & Impact Gathering 2025

Executive Summary

The Literary Renaissance Foundation (LRF) recently held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Day, a reflective, joyful session dedicated to recognising the people who power its literacy mission across Nigeria and beyond. Anchored by gratitude and a forward-looking strategy, the meeting highlighted LRF’s ongoing programmes, celebrated 38 volunteers for their service in 2025, and surfaced practical insights on sustaining volunteer engagement while expanding literacy initiatives for Nigerian youth.

A Literacy Movement Powered by People

At the centre of LRF’s work is a simple but radical belief: reading can reshape futures. From virtual book readings to policy-facing dialogues, the foundation’s work thrives because volunteers give their time, skills, and creativity, often across continents and time zones.

Opening the session from Prescot, England, Babs Oladele, founder and lead coordinator of LRF, framed the gathering as more than an annual ritual. Volunteer appreciation, he noted, is part of LRF’s culture and strategy, an intentional pause to honour service, strengthen community, and reaffirm shared purpose.

Programme Highlights: What LRF Has Been Building

Monthly Virtual Book Readings

LRF’s monthly virtual book readings continue to connect young readers with Nigerian authors, making literature accessible regardless of geography. These sessions nurture reading culture while offering students direct encounters with writers and stories that reflect their realities.

Quarterly Literacy & Education Dialogues

LRF’s quarterly dialogues convene educators, advocates, and stakeholders to interrogate literacy challenges and education quality in Nigeria. The team’s growing capacity to produce strong technical and policy-facing documents was acknowledged.

Undergraduate Writing Competition

In collaboration with the National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies (NASELS), LRF recently hosted a writing competition for undergraduates. The initiative uncovered emerging voices, offered publication opportunities, and reinforced LRF’s commitment to nurturing young writers at a formative stage.

Internship Programme for Emerging Writers

LRF’s internship programme remains a key pipeline for developing writing skills, editorial discipline, and professional confidence among young authors, many of whom later transition into volunteer or leadership roles within the foundation.

A Room (and Screen) Full of Voices

Participants were invited to introduce themselves, creating a warm, collaborative atmosphere despite network challenges. The gathering brought together team members from across the world, including:

• Hajiya Olabisi Olasupo, Director for Schools Outreach, joining from Ibadan
• Samson Dawodu, Director of Publicity, joining from Lagos
• Ifeanyi Francis, volunteer from Port Harcourt

A moment of levity emerged when Tejumade Oke, initially delayed by connectivity issues, finally joined the call, revealing it was her birthday. The session briefly transformed into a celebration, complete with birthday wishes from everyone, underscoring the sense of community that defines LRF.

Honouring Service: Volunteer Recognition in 2025

Babs Oladele announced that 38 volunteers were formally recognised for their contributions in 2025. LRF has been tracking volunteer hours with greater structure, awarding certificates and tokens of appreciation based on levels of engagement.

Importantly, the foundation also introduced enhanced financial recognition for volunteers who exceed 40 hours of service, signalling a practical commitment to valuing time, labour, and consistency.

Field Insights: Challenges and Realities of Outreach

Volunteers were encouraged to share candid reflections from the field. Olasupo Olabisi spoke about challenges in Ibadan, including declining participation as student volunteers graduate and occasional materialistic attitudes encountered in partner schools. Despite these obstacles, he reaffirmed confidence in the long-term impact of LRF’s interventions.

These discussions reinforced a key truth: literacy work is relational, complex, and often slow, but deeply worthwhile.

Connectivity, Platforms, and the Realities of Virtual Work

Digital access emerged as a recurring theme. Samson Dawodu shared recent experiences highlighting the limitations of Zoom in Nigeria due to data costs and network instability, suggesting the need for more data-efficient alternatives.

While acknowledging these concerns, Babs Oladele outlined Zoom’s advantages, particularly its live streaming and recording capabilities, and confirmed that platforms such as Microsoft Teams would be evaluated for future meetings to improve participation and accessibility.

Growing the Next Generation of Leaders

Ideas for strengthening volunteer pipelines were explored, including involving secondary school students alongside undergraduates. While scheduling constraints currently limit SS2 participation, the discussion signalled LRF’s broader vision: building leadership capacity early and ensuring continuity beyond university cohorts.

Individuals Who Make the Difference

Special acknowledgements were given to:

• Funmilayo Makinde, for leading research and quarterly dialogues
• Amos Akande, for his yearlong commitment and legwork engaging federal agencies and officials in Abuja
• Hajiya Olabisi Olasupo, for her consistent presence across programmes and events sustained commitment to schools outreach

Volunteers themselves echoed the spirit of the gathering. Olabisi spoke about service to humanity as its own reward, while Tejumade reflected on the joy and fulfilment that comes from giving back.

Looking Ahead: Commitment Renewed

As the session drew to a close, Babs Oladele reiterated LRF’s commitment to supporting its volunteers, refining engagement systems, and expanding outreach initiatives that place reading at the centre of youth development.

The gathering ended not with formality, but with gratitude, an affirmation that when volunteers are seen, supported, and celebrated, literacy work travels farther and lasts longer.

About the Literary Renaissance Foundation (LRF)

The Literary Renaissance Foundation is dedicated to reviving reading culture and strengthening literacy in Nigeria through school outreach, community programmes, youth writing initiatives, and sector-wide dialogue.

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