Shaminga

Visual artist and Software Engineer Building @openchowng | [email protected]

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Back in university, I was going through hell, like usual. One day I walked into the cafeteria hoping someone might invite me to eat. I wasn’t begging. You know how sometimes a friend sees you and says, “Come, join us.” Unfortunately, no one did.

So I turned around and started walking back to the hostel.

Just as I got close to the school gate, my phone buzzed. I had received ₦7,000.

I froze.

At the time, I never received that kind of money unless I had been running errands for other students. But this transfer came from someone who had already graduated.

I flashed him, and he called me back.

He said, “NYSC just paid me ₦30,000, and I thought of you.”

My body became weak.

I slowly sat down beside the security men at the gate and cried quietly. Then I got up, walked back to the cafeteria, and finally ate.

These are the memories that keep pushing me to build openChow.

I spent more time in university worrying about where my next meal would come from than actually studying. No student should have to carry that burden.

That’s why I’ll do everything in my power and beyond to make sure openChow succeeds.

And through it all, I’ll never stop believing in the kindness of good friends.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@EGilbert005 @Zlatan_Ibile Thank you 🙏

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Thank you for the suggestion.
One of our biggest goals is preserving dignity. Hunger is already difficult enough, we don’t want someone who’s hungry to have to prove they’re poor, submit sensitive personal information, or ask multiple people to vouch for them before they can eat.

We’ll keep improving the system while protecting that dignity.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Yesterday, I shared a story about how I spent more time in university worrying about my next meal than studying .
I honestly didn’t expect the response.

Thousands of people shared similar experiences. It made me realize my story wasn’t unique, it was the reality for many students.

That’s exactly why I built openChow: a platform that lets people anonymously fund meals through MamaPuts, so no one has to choose between studying and hunger.

We just crossed 101 funded meals, and we’re only getting started.

@DONJAZZY , I know you care deeply about helping people. I’d love for you to see what we’re building.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@yuquas7 @The8ateOne We don’t manually select beneficiaries. We work with trusted MamaPuts who know their communities and can often identify people in genuine need. Anybody can walk up to the MamaPut for food.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@AfriclimClub It’s incredible how the people who fed us during our hardest seasons often have no idea how much they changed our lives. I’m glad she was there for you.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Back in university, I was going through hell, like usual. One day I walked into the cafeteria hoping someone might invite me to eat. I wasn’t begging. You know how sometimes a friend sees you and says, “Come, join us.” Unfortunately, no one did.

So I turned around and started walking back to the hostel.

Just as I got close to the school gate, my phone buzzed. I had received ₦7,000.

I froze.

At the time, I never received that kind of money unless I had been running errands for other students. But this transfer came from someone who had already graduated.

I flashed him, and he called me back.

He said, “NYSC just paid me ₦30,000, and I thought of you.”

My body became weak.

I slowly sat down beside the security men at the gate and cried quietly. Then I got up, walked back to the cafeteria, and finally ate.

These are the memories that keep pushing me to build openChow.

I spent more time in university worrying about where my next meal would come from than actually studying. No student should have to carry that burden.

That’s why I’ll do everything in my power and beyond to make sure openChow succeeds.

And through it all, I’ll never stop believing in the kindness of good friends.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@The8ateOne Thank you. Trust is exactly what we’re trying to build. That’s why every donated meal is tracked publicly, and we partner with trusted MamaPuts. The system won’t be perfect, but we’ll keep improving it as we grow.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

That’s a good question.
We don’t claim to perfectly identify who is “most deserving.” Hunger is difficult to verify.

Instead, we partner with MamaPuts who know their communities and can often tell when someone is genuinely struggling.

We’d rather occasionally feed someone who didn’t need it than turn away someone who genuinely did.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@okekekosi573 Exactly. Hunger shouldn’t be part of the university experience. Students should be worrying about assignments, exams, and building their future, not whether they’ll have something to eat after class. That’s the problem openChow is trying to solve.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Black people can be remarkably cruel to one another. We often reserve our harshest treatment for those we see as beneath us, while admiring and excusing those we see as above us.

That’s why a hungry teenager who steals bread risks being beaten to death, while a wealthy person who steals millions is celebrated, protected, or elected.

Until the black man learns to value one another equally, we’ll always be the inferior race.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Thanking God for someone else’s misfortune is a surprisingly common Christian instinct.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@Ginibaby__ Thank you so much 😂🫶

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

This is the exact tweet that’s now sitting at over 2.2k likes.

I sent it to my friend when it had just 6 likes because that was the highest I’d ever gotten on a tweet.

We were literally celebrating 6 likes. 😭

You honestly never know which story will resonate. Just keep showing up.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@bani_vee7 It’s lowkey heartbreaking that a lot of people related to my story. Students shouldn’t be worrying about food more than they study 😔

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@omoyebraids This sounds funny but it’s true. Your woman has to love you way more than you love her. Got that advice from my mom btw.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

https://t.co/BW7bBGRUqf

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

Back in university, I was going through hell, like usual. One day I walked into the cafeteria hoping someone might invite me to eat. I wasn’t begging. You know how sometimes a friend sees you and says, “Come, join us.” Unfortunately, no one did.

So I turned around and started walking back to the hostel.

Just as I got close to the school gate, my phone buzzed. I had received ₦7,000.

I froze.

At the time, I never received that kind of money unless I had been running errands for other students. But this transfer came from someone who had already graduated.

I flashed him, and he called me back.

He said, “NYSC just paid me ₦30,000, and I thought of you.”

My body became weak.

I slowly sat down beside the security men at the gate and cried quietly. Then I got up, walked back to the cafeteria, and finally ate.

These are the memories that keep pushing me to build openChow.

I spent more time in university worrying about where my next meal would come from than actually studying. No student should have to carry that burden.

That’s why I’ll do everything in my power and beyond to make sure openChow succeeds.

And through it all, I’ll never stop believing in the kindness of good friends.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@maakeshft I don’t even know how that’s done. Let me see if I can do it.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@Artileyin Thank you so much Mickey 🧡

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@Doveshewa07 Exactly! Looking back now, I don’t think it was the ₦7,000 that made me cry.

It was the fact that someone remembered me.

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@makkilight I’m so sorry you had to go through that.
I can only imagine how devastating it must have been.

I genuinely hope your master’s journey is much kinder than your undergraduate years. Wishing you success, and thank you for the encouragement 🧡

[Shaminga @shamingaa]

@slymjosh25 @SaintObi7777 @Sweeegu We can’t guarantee that every single meal goes to the “most deserving” person. Hunger isn’t something that’s easy to verify.

I’d rather occasionally feed someone who could have afforded a meal than turn away someone who’s genuinely hungry because they couldn’t prove it.