For those who have had close-up interface with her, the simplicity, affability, friendship and accommodating mien she exudes befuddles many, especially given her status as the wife of a federal lawmaker and top politician. But the aforementioned qualities have been critical to her soaring stride through life and strategic support to her husband and former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Randolph iwo Oruene Brown.

Esther Ibinye Randolph Brown, Founder and Executive Director of Yard Give Away (YGA) Foundation, a Fellow of the Institute of Management, obtained a Diploma in Applied Economics and Bachelor of Science degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Calabar, and a Certificate in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Lagos. A seasoned banker, part-time counsellor and teens mentor, she is married with numerous children.

This Bonny Kingdom delectable amazon, whose hobbies include reading, writing, walking and traveling, spoke with Kristina Reports Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Godswill Jumbo on her pet project, Yard Give Away Season Three billed for this December, her passion for charity and positively impacting on lives of people around her, among other issues. Enjoy the excerpts:   

May we meet you, Ma?

My name is Esther Ibinye Randolph Brown. I am the founder, Yard Give Away Foundation.

Talking about Yard Give Away Foundation, everybody has been wondering what it is all about. Especially, seeing people being given something, something, something.

I am sure you have heard the word ‘yard sales’ where people bring out things and sell it at a cheaper rate. People come and pick whatever they want and buy. Now, Yard Give Away is the same thing, only that now, you shop for free.

Oh! That’s beautiful…

Yes, that is what it is.

Who are supposed to benefit from this?

If I say everybody, that would not be correct because we are focusing on all those who actually need the things that will be showcased at the give away. Everyone that needs it benefits from it and these include children, adults, grandfathers, and grandmothers, just everybody that needs it.

By ‘Needs it’ are you referring to like…the less privileged?

I am actually referring to those that cannot afford it. That is what I am talking about when I say ‘needs it’. I say that because when you look closely at the way we live our lives you will find that we don’t really need a lot of things that we have. So, the idea is to give them out to the people that really need these things. They are the beneficiaries of Yard Give Away. And we are excited about this, we are enthusiastic about it.  

But why?

To answer that, I am from Bonny Island, you know Bonny is a very beautiful place and we have fishing settlements around the fringes of the community. some of these fishing settlements are close to Finima, my country home. And this was how Yard Give Away came about? I was in my house, my country home, when two ladies from one of these fishing ports came with their products to sell, that is crayfish and fish. And we were doing spring cleaning with the kids. So, one of them said, ‘Ma, can I have the plate?’ The plate was cracked. And I just said it is bad. But she said, ‘No, it is good’. She needs it. So, both of them now went to the trash and they started picking out things. These were things I wanted to trash. They now started picking out some of those things. And I was amazed and I asked my children to bring more. I saw the excitement in them. They even called out to some of their friends, ‘please come and meet us at Randolph’s house’. They were like five women. I was excited myself to see them smiling and they were all gisting happily. You need to see the hugs they gave to me and the prayers. So, when they left, I sat down and now started thinking that if I could give these women these, I have friends that I know that have more than these. I have siblings that I know that have more than these. I started putting out calls. I called my sister first. I called my friends. And they said they have oh, they don’t even have where to drop them. Some said ‘Madam, I’ll send it to your house tomorrow’. That’s how we started. I started collecting those stuffs from different people. I told myself that I’m going to collect them, I’m going to spread it out on my yard and people are going to come and buy them for free. And that was what my team and I did. So, that was how it started, Yard Give Away.

When did you actually start it as Yard Give Away?

The idea was conceived in 2015 but the first trial, which we christened Season One, was in 2016 and we did the second one, Season Two in 2018. And we are going to be on the third season in 2019. As at now, we are still collecting and gathering the stuffs we would be sharing during the event. And we are going to hold it this December. We expect people to come and shop for free.

For the beneficiaries of the last two editions, 2016, 2018, has there being a way of getting feedbacks on how these things have impacted their lives?

Yes, they have. Several times, I go to the market and people come around me asking, ‘Ma, when are you going to do Give Away again?’ The other day I was at the jetty, one lady kept calling me. She said, ‘Ma, you don’t know me, you gave me, I got a microwave last year’. I didn’t even remember her again. But I was happy that she could derive joy from it. She is still using it. Then there is this elderly man that received a bicycle two years ago. So, every Saturday when I’m home, he stops by to say, Hello. So, I mean, who wouldn’t be happy? This makes me want to do more. This makes me realise that to be kind does not require an effort, does not require money, does not require time, just the passion. It is just the passion. It is not about what I’m doing. It is the way it makes me feel. That is all that matters.

These your other partners, are they just your family, friends and acquaintances, or there are organizations? 

Yeah, there are. First on my list is my sister, Mrs. Eka Alagoa, she literally jumped on the idea when I called to tell her about it. Then my other sister, Mrs. Adata Bristol and her foundation, Adata Bristol Foundation, she is part of us. They have been of tremendous help. Then apart from her, Faith Tom-Babs, and her organization, Heal the World and Care for People Foundation. We also have my sister and friend, Mrs. Fortune Dappa, she has been of great support. Then my children and my siblings, they make up the team. But we get different things from everybody that have, talk of strangers, friends, and relatives. I put a call to everybody I think cares and likely to have and you know it is amazing how many of these persons respond.

But do you think that the fact that it is gaining traction speaks to the fact that there are a lot of gaps in our social structure in terms of how people manage their livelihoods? Looking at it, these are things you don’t need but the excitement, the enthusiasm that goes with how people approach it shows that they need it, and critically so. Don’t you think that there are gaps in our society that charitable efforts like this should help bridge?

Of course, like I said, Yard Give Away has given me the opportunity to touch lives including mine. How do I mean? It has given me insight into life that is completely different. One of such is that I don’t shop for what I don’t need anymore. I could buy things and they are there in my box for six months and I don’t use them. And there are people out there who don’t have half of what I own. So, what do I do now, I give more. I might not even have it that way but I still give more. I am curtailing how I buy things for my children. I only buy what they need and not what they want. As a family, we give more, and it makes us happier. And they say that in the society, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer; people tend to have more than what they need when others don’t even have. So, this has opened my eyes to life and to insights on living, to being human, to being kind, and to loving. It is like an everyday living for me now. Everyday it changes my perspective about things and how I see people.

That your friends, family and other acquaintances are buying into this, do you agree that there are people out there in the society who want to give, who want to touch lives, but just looking for the opportunity?

I see on social media where people write that when you are about helping somebody leave the camera at home. I disagree with that. I told you that I started this and it opened my eyes to something. I didn’t know it until then. That means there are a lot of people out there who don’t even know what they can do for others. So, where does this come in? Obviously, the camera comes into this. Sharing my information comes into play. Telling others comes into play. So, I inspire them, other people inspire me. I go out to see what other people are doing and have been doing for humanity. I take examples from that, I draw important lessons from that. The consequence is that I try to improve on what I am doing. When I say this year is going to be bigger than every other year it is because we have improved, we have learned, we have gone to various seminars where he heard talks on managing charities, philanthropic initiatives and best ways to impact lives in the society. We have attended events organized by other NGO. And in all, we have improved tremendously on our own. So, take it from me, Yard Give Away Season Three is going to be bigger than that of any other year.

This is an individual effort and it is having a ripple effect. Do you think that if government was doing what it was supposed to be doing we would have these gaps that charity is trying to bridge now?

Who is the government? It is you and I. So, I am doing my part, you should do your part, and let everyone of us do their part. That is all I can say.

Going forward, when you have this year’s event, who will you be expecting there?

For this year’s event, we are still working on something different. We want to reach out to the beneficiaries of the past two years, check out what we did right, what we need to improve on, and new dimensions to introduce to the programme. We are learning from experience gleaned from the past two events. We are trying to bridge the challenges we had. We are trying to make it better. So, we have not yet concluded on what we are going to do differently from that of last year. We are still working on that.

Now, your last words, talk to those like you who have so much…

(Cuts in) We don’t have so much, we just have enough to share. Let me say it this way, in this season of yuletide, of festivities, of remembering the ultimate gift and love demonstrated by God Himself, kindness does not involve a lot of effort, does not involve time, does not involve money; it involves passion. Passion borne out of love, born out of the predisposition to put a smile of another’s face. It could be that spoon you have not used for a long time. Those dresses you’ve not worn, those kids’ things, just stuff you could buy every day. That bag of rice that is almost getting bad, bag of garri that I don’t know when last you touched it. Those toys that you’ve asked your girls to dump in one storage. You will be amazed how that will put a smile on somebody’s face this year. You will be happy you did it. You will be glad you did it. The love that radiates from you and from them will be awesome. So, why don’t you just try it? That pair of shoes you’ve not used for a while, please, please just send it to us. We know where to direct it to. They are the beneficiaries of Yard Give Away.

So, where do they send it?  

We have (phone) numbers, we have a Facebook page, you can drop your contact and personally you can reach me to send and my phone number is open.

Then to the beneficiaries…

We are excited to even meet them. Honestly, we can’t wait. I guess we are more excited than they are. And trust me, this year, we will all smile together.

CALL OR WHATSAPP:08038980774   ALSO GO TO FACEBOOK.COM/YARDGIVEAWAY