By Timothy Dokpesi Adidi

Dear Church Fathers,

You have once again rekindled the hope of the Church. I am writing this open letter to you as a member of the Catholic community in Nigeria and a product of the Church. I am writing this letter not out of sentiment (although it will be interpreted as such) but out of a burning desire to put in perspective what the Catholic Church stands for. Your visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was not necessarily political, as understood and misinterpreted. The joy of this visit lay in the collegial dimension it took on. It really brought out the beauty of the Catholic Church as known in the era of the Church Fathers through the ages. Your voice represented the old long saying, ‘Roma locuta est, causa finita est’ (Rome has spoken and the case is finished). A saying that comes from an early fifth-century sermon by Saint Augustine of Hippo, who stated, “The two councils sent their decrees to the Apostolic See, and the decrees quickly came back. The cause is finished.”

Your Excellencies, the visit was indeed timely and necessary. It reflects the unity and oneness of the Catholic Church. This was quite different from the usual ‘one-man squad,’ which sometimes confuses the true nature and identity of the Catholic Church. The visit you had definitely puts an end to the difference between when one speaks from the church and for the church. Your voice has changed the narrative in the nation’s political landscape, and these changes have given the Church a ray of hope in the current economic realities that confront the poor. Your Excellencies, you have also brought to the limelight the Catholic Social Teachings (CSTs). It has become very obvious that the CSTs are not theoretical; they are alive and impactful.

More so, in this regard, you have also reiterated and unraveled the concept of the Church as the Family of God, which was famously highlighted and formally adopted as the guiding pastoral image for the Church in Africa during the “Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops” in 1994 and subsequently promulgated by Pope John Paul II in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation, “Ecclesia in Africa” (1995). As the President of the CBCN, Most Rev. Dr. Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso was reading the mind of the Church; I truly see what the Catholic Church represents.

The Church is known to be non-partisan. This nonpartisan dimension of the Church is indifferent to the realities that characterize the membership of political parties that reside in the Catholic community.

The Catholic Church represents the true Body of Christ but does not belong to any political party. Hence, it underscores the fact that it is this nature of the Catholic Church that gives it the prerogative to speak truth to power. Your Excellencies, you indeed spoke truth to power. It reminds me of the draconian days of Sani Abacha when the likes of Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah (then Fr. Kukah) and Fr. George Ehusani spoke truth to power as they constantly used the Catholic Secretariat to engage the military government.

Your Excellencies, you have done what you ought to do, and the world has seen your significant effort in calling a spade a spade. Your message defied any form of diplomacy and corporate negotiation. It was firm and without fear of intimidation. The gleaming red buttons and the red colors on your cassock reflect your acceptance of the consequences of your position you were ready to take. You were ready to die for the sake of the truth. You were ready to become martyrs for the sake of the members of the Catholic community and all of Christendom, knowing full well that the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christianity. You took the risk to surrender your lives like the Good Shepherd who laid down His life. This you have done for Nigeria and Nigerians. It is also important to know that you have done this not for the Catholic community alone; you have added your voice to liberate Nigerians and Africa by extension. You have set the path for economic recovery.

It is indeed worthwhile to know that the Prophetic mission of the faith is very much alive. Again, you have re-echoed the true understanding of prophecy in Ancient Israel. Your prophetic voice stands out against the misunderstanding of Biblical prophecy. A prophet is not a soothsayer, nor is he a prognosticator, neither is he person who forecast the future. A prophet is a mouth piece of God; he is one who addresses the socio-economic and political condition of his time and addresses the ill; thereby warning the leaders to do what is right or else face the wrath of God. You have issued a warning to the leaders of our time. May they take heed and let no one lead them astray.

On this note, I commit myself to the fidelity of the faith as seen in the Catholic Social Teachings and as deposited in the authority of your mission as Fathers of the Faith. In so doing, I renew my baptismal promises to align with the Faith that was handed over to you through the apostles. May your faith in the teachings that were handed down to you through the Apostles be constantly renewed and reinvigorated.

By Timothy Dokpesi Adidi, PhD

By Son Tertsegha, Abuja

In a gesture that is likely to open debate about aid options, Canva billionaires Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht are investing $150 million in an ambitious experiment that challenges conventional aid by putting cash directly into the hands of Malawi’s poorest households.

Since launching the initiative in 2021 through the Canva Foundation and nonprofit GIVEDIRECTLY, the couple has expanded what began as a $10 million pilot into the largest unconditional cash transfer program ever attempted in a low-income country.

Their strategy is not building infrastructure or distributing food, but the programme sends cash directly to recipients via mobile phones, with no strings attached. Each adult receives about $550—an amount that can exceed a year’s income for many Malawians.

The initiative has expanded rapidly. With initial commitment of $50 million between 2021 and 2023, the couple pledged another $100 million in October 2025, so far the largest single donation in GiveDirectly’s history.

In justifying the initiative, the founders said Canva has always been guided by what they call a “simple yet ambitious” two-step plan.

According to them: “Step One is to build one of the world’s most valuable companies. Step Two is to do the most good we can. With more than 30% of Canva’s value (shares) committed to doing good in the world, this vision has shaped everything we do, from the products we create to the kind of company we’ve strived to be.”

So far, more than $52.5 million has reached recipients, with the remainder scheduled for distribution over the next four years.

Early results have been striking. In Malawi’s Khongoni sub-district, where every adult received cash, 90% of recipients rose above the extreme poverty line within three months, according to GiveDirectly.

The result, according to the organisation’s reported, is a 48% decline in child mortality, a 27% reduction in illness and a 23% increase in school enrolment. More than 139,000 people have benefited from the programme.

Researchers have also found broader economic gains. A study showed that every $1,000 transferred generated roughly $2,400 in local economic activity as recipients spent and reinvested the money in nearby businesses. Fears that the influx of cash would trigger inflation failed to materialise, with markets absorbing the increased spending.

Testing the model
The next phase is even larger. In Malawi’s Chiradzulu district, the program aims to reach 185,000 people by early 2027 in what GiveDirectly says is the world’s largest randomised controlled trial of unconditional cash transfers.

Conducted in collaboration with the Malawian government, the study will examine whether additional support, such as technical assistance or community grants, yields better outcomes than cash alone.

For Perkins and Obrecht, the project reflects a broader philosophy. The pair, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2021, have committed to donating most of their Canva wealth through their foundation. Their belief is simple: people experiencing poverty are often best placed to decide what they need most.

The then-teenage brothers launched JUNK TEENS back in 2021 with a single pick-up truck. A pair of working speakers found at a dump grew into a collection of resellable items — $1,000 worth — sold on Facebook Marketplace.

Entrepreneur in 2024 first connected with brothers Kirk McKinney, 22, and Jacob McKinney, 21, then, their Greater Boston-based junk-removal business, Junk Teens, was still a side hustle, albeit a $1.2 million one.

Now, the brothers’ largely student-run service, which also serves Cape Cod and Rhode Island, operates eight trucks and has 25 full-time employees. The business has handled an estimated 7.4 million pounds of items, sorting usable goods for donation, resale or repurposing whenever possible.

Junk Teens hit $3 million in revenue in 2025 and is projected to reach $5 million in revenue this year, per the company.

The company also grew its community partnerships. A computer drive with Computers 4 People distributed refurbished laptops and desktops to under-resourced communities, and a partnership with WellStrong on the Cape raised funds for wellness and peer-support programs that aid substance abuse recovery.

Here’s how the McKinney brothers unlocked their blue-collar business’s massive growth — and what’s next for Junk Teens.

For a long time, Jacob scheduled employee routes and figured out where to dispose of the items they picked up. Managing it all was challenging when the business had a fleet of three to four trucks, just half of what it is now.

“I was working 12 hours a day, nonstop,” Jacob recalls. “So I didn’t really have any more time to try to figure out how to hire someone else or anything like that. Long story short, one of the biggest first things we did was delegate my job position.”

The brothers split Jacob’s role into several different ones, which helped streamline employee bookings and hiring.

“We promoted to manager one of our guys who had been with us for a couple years who was taking a gap year from college,” Kirk adds, “and gave him some of the responsibilities that Jake had, like calling in the employees every day and reviewing the schedule.”

With that in place, Jacob broke out of the bottleneck; he had more time to work with Kirk on building better systems and training, allowing the business to scale.

When Junk Teens hit $1.2 million in revenue in 2024, the entirety of the business’s day-to-day operations existed on Apple Notes.  

“Then Jake would sort those out and copy and paste those schedules to the guys that were going out every day,” Kirk explains. “That was how we ran our business. It was basically a $1 million side hustle at that point.”

Now, Junk Teens is taking advantage of tech tools. The company uses Jobber for customer relationship management, GoHighLevel for customer data collection and Connecteam for employee management.

The business is also embracing AI in its many forms, from the built-in “slight automation” that makes sense of data across the software programs it uses, to vibe coding its very own app.

A Junk Teens employee who was on the team for several years and had basic tech skills built the app, using Base44 and ChatGPT for a lot of the UI and UX referencing. The app features a leaderboard and other statistics that help track employee performance — for instance, an employee’s revenue per hour or closing rate.

“Our entire app was developed by a teenager,” Kirk says. “That’s another interesting thing — that technology’s at the point where high school kids can create full apps. And our entire company uses that app every single day.”

In the early days, Kirk edited content and posted videos on social media when he had the time. But Junk Teens has since systemized its social media strategy too. Now, Kirk collects footage when he’s out on the job, then outsources the editing to help realize his vision.

About eight months ago, Kirk brought other Junk Teens team members on board too.

“ I started training other guys on our team to go out there with Meta Glasses and GoPros and film some of their day-to-day operations and what they’re doing out in the field every day,” Kirk explains. “So now I have all this great content to work with, and then I can kind of be the translator between that footage and the team.”

Currently, Junk Teens has surpassed 213,000 followers on TikTok, 269,000 followers on Instagram and 69,000 subscribers on YouTube.

Not only has systemizing Junk Teens’ social media approach helped market the business, but it’s also served as a major team-building tool.

“A company is just a group of people at the end of the day, and when you see yourself in these videos and the social media’s capturing it, you’re a part of that, and it really elevates the culture,” Kirk says. “Then new people see what we have going on here, and it actually attracts more people who want to work with us.”

Most of Junk Teens’ employees are high school or college students, and the company aims to pay them more than its competitors to attract top talent.

On average, that pay works out to about $25 to $30 an hour, including hourly rates, commissions and tips.

“A lot of the employees feel like they’re building the company with us because they’re also building their opportunity as the company grows,” Kirk says. “Because of that, we have a lot of forward-thinking people, and I think that us all being young is a part of why that happens.”

Although Junk Teens loses some employees when the school year starts back up, the seasonality of junk removal aligns well with the ebb and flow, and the brothers always plan for it.

The business’s volume nearly doubles in the summer months; the new Cape Cod location alone booked $350,000 in services during peak season last year.

What’s more, Junk Teens’ young team members bring an open-mindedness and high energy that make for a vibrant company culture, the co-founders note.

“In that scenario where someone had something happen in their life where they might be a little down coming in the next day, they get picked right back up because there’s 10 or 15 other guys that all have high energy around them,” Jacob adds. “It’s impossible to still act sad or down when you’re in that type of environment.”

Now, the McKinney brothers are focused on perfecting their business’s systems as they eye a national expansion, ideally within the next couple of years.

“ For me, the most exciting thing is empowering the youth,” Kirk says. “With technology, there are so many opportunities to make money. But everyone’s always going to need junk removed. There’s always going to be high schoolers looking for after-school and summer jobs. And young people are looking for different career paths other than the traditional college route.”

The co-founders receive daily DMs from young people asking for advice on starting a business. They would encourage anyone who’s considering it to stop procrastinating and go for it.

“I don’t think there’s ever a perfect roadmap unless you already have $1 million and are a business expert, which we were not, and most people starting businesses are not,” Jacob says. “So start, even if it’s not going to be the business that you retire with. We just started with something that we thought was adventurous and entertaining, not even something that we thought would make us the most money.”
Source: Entrepreneur.com.