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By Damiete Braide
Dr. Temiloluwa Adeshina, an award-winning author and co-founder of Readland Global, has always been passionate about education and the transformative power of stories. Her latest book, Risi Recycle – The Dustbin Girl, is a testament to that passion. Longlisted for the prestigious Nigeria Prize for Literature, the book is inspired by Dr. Adeshina’s work with underprivileged children in Lagos, particularly those in the Dustbin Estate, a community built on refuse and despair but not without hope.
Dr. Adeshina’s journey into this realm began in 2018 when she resigned from her teaching job at Brainville Schools to pursue what she calls her “purpose.” As a health teacher, she often saw children loitering on the streets instead of attending school. This sight disturbed her deeply, especially as she took her own children to school each day. Many thought she was losing her mind when she began gathering these street children into her home, teaching them to read and write in her sitting room. Yet, for Dr. Adeshina, this was the beginning of something profound—this was the birth of Readland, a movement that started in her sitting room in 2019 and has since expanded into multiple communities across Nigeria and beyond.
The inspiration for Risi Recycle came during the COVID-19 lockdown when Dr. Adeshina first ventured into the Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle. Through a project sponsored by Lafarge called “Read To Children in the Slums,” she brought flat screens, masks, and books to the community. It was during this time that she published Mama Safety in Go Go Germ Go and Kaffy the Dancer, which garnered widespread attention. However, it was her experience in Dustbin Estate that planted the seed for her next major project.
In this community, Dr. Adeshina encountered a young girl who had never seen a laptop before. The girl’s simple request “Please, can you teach me how to use this system?” moved her deeply. Surrounded by dirt and what many would consider hopelessness, this girl, like many others in the community, had dreams. Dr. Adeshina realized that she needed to show these children that they could achieve global visibility and success, even from within the confines of their impoverished environment. This realization led her to create Risi Recycle.
Risi Recycle tells the story of Risi, a young girl who, after losing her parents in a Boko Haram attack in Maiduguri, finds herself alone in Lagos. Her father, a professor at the University of Maiduguri, had kept secrets that Risi only begins to uncover after his death. Guided by the remaining survivors in Maiduguri, Risi makes her way to Lagos, where she is taken in by an old woman known as Iya Agba, who lives in the Dustbin Estate. Iya Agba, a recycler of refuse, is seen by the community as a witch because she has no children of her own and lives in the last house on the estate, surrounded by trash.
Despite the rumors, Risi does not believe Iya Agba is a witch. To her, the old woman’s kindness in rescuing her from the streets is proof enough of her goodness. But life in the Dustbin Estate is harsh. Risi must navigate a world where survival is uncertain and hope is scarce. Along the way, she befriends other children like Ali, who dreams of becoming a footballer for Arsenal or Chelsea, and Amina, a girl from the Hausa culture who aspires to be a lawyer and fight for the rights of girls in the North.
These children, though living amidst trash, hold onto dreams that shine like hidden treasures. But life in the Dustbin Estate is fraught with challenges. The community is plagued by thuggery, with characters like Killer and Scopio stealing scraps from the children, making their already difficult lives even harder. Risi also faces bullying from Omotoke, a spoiled girl sent to Lagos from Florida by her parents to learn discipline from her aunt, Anti Abike.
As Risi struggles to survive, she finds solace in the lessons from her past, the education she received before her parents’ death. This knowledge makes her a lifeline to her friends, offering them glimpses of a better future. Together, they share stories and dreams amidst the refuse they collect, turning their trash into treasures, both literal and metaphorical.
The book also tackles issues beyond recycling and environmental consciousness. It highlights the importance of technology in today’s world, emphasizing that digital literacy is crucial for the future. Dr. Adeshina uses Risi’s story to show that, regardless of one’s background or circumstances, everyone has the potential to achieve greatness if they harness the power of education and technology.
Moreover, Risi Recycle addresses the challenges faced by the girl child, particularly in cultures where girls are often denied education. Risi’s friends, Amina and Chioma, each face their own battles, Amina against cultural norms that suggest girls should not go to school, and Chioma against a father who believes a girl’s place is in the kitchen. Yet, through their friendship with Risi, they begin to see the possibilities that education and determination can offer.
Risi’s journey is one of resilience and hope. As she fights through the challenges in Dustbin Estate, from bullying to the closure of Gogolu Factory, their primary source of livelihood, she learns that life, even in the harshest conditions, is full of possibilities. Through her story, Dr. Adeshina conveys a powerful message: that dirt is not death, and within every challenge lies the potential for transformation. Risi Recycle is not just a story about a girl in a dustbin, it is a story about finding treasure in the most unexpected places and turning dreams into reality, no matter where you come from.
