BACK TO SCHOOL. BACK TO PURPOSE. BACK TO THE WORK THAT MATTERS.

As schools reopen and a new academic year begins, I find myself reflecting on a journey that has become much bigger than I initially imagined.

Over the past few weeks, I visited several primary and secondary schools to introduce my initiatives and explore ways of bringing practical health education closer to children and adolescents.

The response from principals and proprietors has been encouraging. The openness, the conversations, and the willingness to explore collaboration reminded me that there is a real need for what I am building.

I took a little time to rest afterward but truthfully, the break was anything but quiet. 😄

I was working on the ELCI Learn Africa app, developing the NurseMaryJane AI Studio for educational content, creating content for my social media platforms, and working on something that has occupied a very special place in my heart: a blueprint curriculum for age-appropriate health education for children and young people.

And somewhere along the way, I had a conversation that left me deeply emotional.

Someone asked me, in essence:

“What is the benefit of all this? Who appreciates it? Why invest your time and personal resources into something that may not give you anything in return?”

I understood the question.

And perhaps many people see what I am doing the same way.

But there are some journeys you cannot explain simply by talking about financial returns.

There are experiences you have walked through or watched others walk through that never really leave you.

They become reminders.

Reminders that some things we have normalised should never have become normal.

Reminders that a little knowledge, timely action, and the right information can sometimes make the difference between life and death.

And when everyone else sees something as “just the way things are,” someone has to be willing to stand up and say: it can be different.

That is where Every Life Counts Initiative (ELCI) comes in.

I believe health education should not begin only when someone becomes a patient.

Children should learn how to recognise danger.

Young people should understand their bodies.

They should know basic first aid.

They should understand nutrition, hygiene, prevention, emotional wellbeing, emergency preparedness and when and how to seek help.

Because health awareness is not merely information.

Health awareness can save lives.

Yes, I may be “just a nurse” to some people.

But I know I have more to offer my generation.

I am building something I want to be sustainable.

Something that can continue teaching long after one outreach event is over.

Something that can reach children across different communities, languages and backgrounds.

Something that can become part of how we prepare the next generation to understand and protect their health.

I have drafted a curriculum blueprint.

I am building a digital platform.

I am developing educational content.

I am engaging schools.

I am learning, researching, creating, failing, starting again and continuing.

And yes, I am doing much of this with my time, personal resources, perseverance and determination.

Not because I have everything figured out.

But because I believe in the vision.

And above all, I believe God gave me the assignment.

I may not have all the resources today.

I may not yet have the institutional backing I dream of.

I may not have everyone applauding.

But I have something I refuse to lose:

VISION.

So as our children return to school, I am returning to the work too.

With renewed strength.

With greater clarity.

With faith.

And with an even deeper conviction that every life truly counts.

No child should lose their life because a preventable situation was not recognised early enough.

No family should have to ask, “If only we had known.”

No community should be left without the knowledge that could help protect its people.

So, let me reintroduce myself.

I am Nurse MaryJane Obianuju Ayika.

A nurse.

An educator.

A health advocate.

A builder.

And a woman determined to contribute something meaningful to her generation.

I am working toward a future where practical health education becomes an integral part of the Nigerian school experience.

This is not just health awareness.

This is a movement toward a generation that knows better, acts earlier and lives healthier.

And I am only getting started.

EVERY LIFE COUNTS. ❤️

Supported by Every Life Counts Initiative (ELCI)
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