By Chijioke Uzodinma | Backend Lead, Bloom After
In my Week 2 article, I talked about how we moved from planning into actual development — building our backend structure, creating APIs, and wiring the system to the frontend.
Week 3 felt different.
This was the week where things became more intense.
Instead of just building features, my focus shifted to completing, stabilizing, and connecting everything together so the platform could start behaving like a real product.
What I Built This Week
1. Community Stories System (Full Implementation)
One of the biggest features I worked on this week was completing the community stories system.
This included:
- Building the backend for stories
- Creating admin moderation functionality
- Connecting the frontend story page to the backend
- Implementing a rich text editor for proper content formatting
The rich text editor was especially important because stories are not just plain text — they need structure, formatting, and readability.
Instead of storing raw text, the system now supports properly formatted content, making it easier to display meaningful stories on the platform.
2. NGO and Suggestion System
Another major part of my work this week was completing the NGO system and suggestion drawer.
This involved:
- Creating backend logic for NGOs
- Building the suggestion submission system
- Connecting both features to the frontend
- Implementing admin moderation for these submissions
Now, the platform can accept and manage:
- NGO-related data
- Suggestions from users
And admins can review and manage these directly from the dashboard.
3. Admin System Expansion
I also expanded the admin system, making it more functional and closer to a real management dashboard.
This included:
- Creating the settings page for admins
- Building backend routes for inviting new admins
- Connecting the settings page to the backend
- Handling admin-related actions from the dashboard
This brings the admin dashboard to about 80% completion.
4. Email System Integration
One of the more interesting parts of this week was setting up email communication for the platform.
I created email templates and integrated Resend API to handle sending emails for:
- Community stories
- NGO submissions
- Suggestions
- Admin invites
This makes the platform more interactive and responsive, allowing users and admins to receive updates and notifications.
Feature Progress This Week
By the end of Week 3, several major parts of the platform reached near completion:
- Admin dashboard – ~80% complete
- Resources system – fully functional
- Community stories – completed
- NGO system & suggestion drawer – completed
This was the first week where the platform started feeling like a connected system, not just separate features.
Challenges I Faced
The biggest challenge this week wasn’t just technical — it was time and coordination.
Because of how the work was structured, I delayed starting my main tasks until later in the week so the frontend team could finish their parts first.
This meant that most of my workload was compressed into Thursday and Friday, making those days extremely intense.
Another challenge was misalignment between frontend and backend expectations.
For example:
- Some frontend components were built without considering how the data would be structured
- Certain features didn’t account for admin actions like editing or deleting content
- In some cases, I had to adjust or rebuild parts to ensure they worked properly with the backend
This wasn’t anyone’s fault — it’s a normal part of working in a team — but it showed me how important early communication is when building connected systems.
What I Learned
This week taught me something important about leadership:
Being a Backend Lead is not just about writing code — it’s about adapting to people, timelines, and imperfect systems.
Not every task will come to you in a perfect state.
Not every implementation will align immediately.
Sometimes you have to:
- Adjust quickly
- Fill in missing pieces
- Work under pressure
- Still deliver something stable
It also reinforced how important it is to think beyond just your own part and consider how everything connects together.
From Week 2 to Week 3
The shift from Week 2 to Week 3 was clear:
- Week 2: Build the backend foundation
- Week 3: Complete, stabilize, and connect the system This week was less about starting new things and more about making sure everything actually works together.
Team Shoutouts
Appreciation to the team building Bloom After:
Grace Olabode (Engineering Lead) – for continuing to guide the overall development and reviewing key changes.
Nanji Lakan (Product Lead) – for keeping the platform aligned with user needs.
Agugua Genevieve (Design Lead) – for maintaining a clean and supportive design direction.
Prisca Onyemaechi (Lead Maintainer) – for keeping everything organized on GitHub.
And to everyone contributing across tracks — this week really showed how much teamwork matters when systems start connecting.
Looking Ahead
Week 3 was intense, but it was also one of the most important weeks so far.
With most core systems now in place, the next phase will focus on:
- Refining the platform
- Fixing edge cases
- Improving performance
- Finalizing remaining features
We’re no longer just building parts — we’re shaping the full experience.
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