The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Foundation

  • Foundation gives hope to students in Ekiti schools

    Excitement was in the air in Ayede-Ekiti in Ekiti State last weekend as the third Micbeth Empowerment Foundation (MEF) School Debate Competition brought out the best in the students of two major secondary schools in the community.

    Education has been described as the best legacy that can be bequeathed to the future generation but many children are out of school in Nigeria due to poverty and lack of benefactors.

    In Ekiti State, education is the major industry with many indigent parents doing everything possible to send their children to school to ensure their better tomorrow.

    But a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Micbeth Empowerment Foundation (MEF), which has education as one of its areas of interventions, is changing the narrative.

    The foundation is giving hope to many students in Ayede-Ekiti, one of the major communities in Ekiti State by giving scholarships to students in public schools.

    The two major public schools in the town, Ayede Grammar School and Government Science School are benefiting from scholarships awarded annually by the foundation.

    The beneficiaries of the scholarship are drawn from best performers in the annual MEF Schools Debate Championship established to stimulate healthy competition among the schools’ children and test their knowledge of English language and key issues affecting education.

    Since 2016, MEF had developed three key areas of intervention which include scholarship, debate between the two secondary schools in town and broad consultation with stakeholders through Education Summit.

    This year’s debate, the third in the series, which held at the Event Centre of St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Ayede-Ekiti lived up to expectations with stakeholders including teachers, students, retired school administrators, parents and the clergy being part of the event.

    The occasion was powered with funds from donors to the foundation with the International Breweries Plc, Ilesa also supplying one of their products, Beta Malt for the audience’s refreshment.

    This year’s debate was attended by teachers and students from the two contesting schools. It was also attended by the Anglican Archdeacon in charge of Ayede Archdeaconry, the Venerable Simeon Olaoluwa Olajobi, an educationist, Prof. Olajire, retired teachers, school administrators and lovers of education.

    The topic for debate was “Should Corporal Punishment Be Allowed in Schools?”

    Speaking in favour of the topic was Ayede Grammar School while Government Science School opposed the motion.

    The Chief Speaker for Ayede Grammar School was Omolere Deborah while the supporter was Awoyemi Blessing. The Chief Speaker for Government Science School was Ogundele Juwon while the supporter was Ashaolu Grace.

    The panel of judges was led by former President of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in Osun State, Mrs. Modupe Olagunju, who anchored the debate and reeled off the guidelines of the competition and the criteria for the award of marks.

    Students who were not representing their schools and other members of the audience were also given the opportunity to speak for and against the motion to add colour to the competition while the marks were being computed.

    At the end of the debate, Government Science School scored 65 points to defeat Ayede Grammar School which obtained 31 points.

    Recall that Ayede Grammar School won in 2016 and 2017. That explained why the students of Government Science School and their teachers celebrated their first win this year.

    Both winners and runners-up received cash prizes which would be used to fund their education. They were also decorated with medals but the icing on the cake was the trophy presented to Ogundele and Ashaolu who represented the victorious Government Science School.

    The topic for next year’s debate is “Does Internet Cause More Harm than Good?” The two schools have one year to prepare as the next edition comes up in 2019.

    At the event, two beneficiaries of the scholarship, Yaya Pelumi and Ayodele Alaba gave words of encouragement to other students and showered encomiums on MEF for adding value to their lives.

    Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of MEF, Mrs. Yetunde Daramola, explained that the NGO was established to give support to education in public schools, particularly in rural communities.

    According to her, the motivation behind the establishment is based on the need to develop future community leaders. On the motivation behind the scholarship scheme, Mrs. Daramola, an Engineer, revealed that MEF conducted an assessment in Ayede students in 2014 and discovered that many of them were deficient in the English language.

    This led to the establishment of a mentorship programme for about six months preceding scholarship to our students for their senior secondary education.

    She said: “Last session (2017/2018) MEF decided to review the procedure to conduct assessment prior to the scholarship award. The following were observed: Very poor ability in the mastery of Mathematics; students don’t understand the basics: fractions, probability, ratio, LCM, angles all of which are common entrance questions.

    “My advice is that class quizzes be based on fill in the answers as opposed to objectives to establish adequate subject knowledge. I believe, in most cases, students guess answers on objective questions.

    “At the end of the assessment, the two students that passed pulled their marks from the Civic and English questions only. I need to state here that from next year, a pass in Mathematics will be required.

    “I appeal to parents, teachers and students to put in the required efforts to ensure a pass in

    Mathematics.”

    Speaking further on the debate, Mrs. Daramola said: “The maiden debate took place between SS2 students of both schools in 2016 with Ayede Grammar School emerging as winners. The first edition had no consolation prize, the winner was awarded 100,000 Naira project.

    “The 2nd Edition also was won by the same school. The consolation prize was a project worth N150.

     

  • Foundation trains 441 youths

    Founder, Rose of Sharon Foundation  Mrs Folorunso Alakija has stressed the need to develop career and capacity building for graduates and undergraduates to empower working class and self-employed youths.

    Mrs Alakija, who spoke at the third Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), organised by the foundation at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, said the themeYoung entrepreneurs of the 21st century: Bridging the knowledge gap was important because of the dearth of knowledge among young entrepreneurs.

    The event attracted 441 participants.

    It is also aimed at equipping youths with knowledge and life- changing skills that will help them to support their families and become useful to the society.

    This year’s programme is focused on how the youth can leverage necessary information, which will help them succeed in their industry of choice without falling into land mines.

    Alakija said: “It is imperative that before you embark on any venture, you need to get the requisite information and knowledge. You must understand the dynamics of the industry to avoid falling into land mines.”

    She added that it was necessary that the youth were armed with as much information as possible to enable them navigate through any area of interest or challenging terrains.

    “Today, we are privileged to have seasoned professionals who have carved a niche for themselves in their various endeavours. These ones have volunteered their time, energy and skills to impact your lives by sharing their wealth of knowledge and experiences with you,” she added.

    Resource persons at the event include a renowned life coach and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jjaulos Ambassador Utchay Odims. Award-winning actress and movie producer Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha,  spoke on how to succeed in the entertainment industry; a digital media Consultant, Jude Oguta, spoke on Online digital marketing;  MD/CEO, Sophia ERP Limited, Conrad Adigwe, spoke on Leveraging technology for global competitiveness; finance management Consultant Adewumi Oni, spoke on Finance management skills; while MD/CEO, Moore-Money Agropreneur Limited, Yusuf Biliamin Moore spoke on agriculture/farming Industry.

    YEP began in April last year with 115 participants, who were taught  how to compete in the market place, skills required for employment, such as preparing for interviews, do’s and don’ts of CV writing, common mistakes at interview panels and how to change jobs.

    It was followed by a second edition, which held last March. About 194 participants took part in it.They were trained in five vocational skills areas, such as wig making, fancy slippers making, shea butter processing for export, perfumery and soap production.

  • NGO, foundation empower physically-challenged

    A non-governmental organisation (NGO), the Movement for Disabled Right Forum, in conjunction with a United States of America-based health foundation, the Xanderena Foundation, has organised a one-day health talk on how people will change their perception towards people living with disabilities.

    Its Coordinator, Comrade Kehinde Oshilaja, speaking during the programme held at the weekend in Ebute-Metta, Lagos, said not everybody living with disabilities should be seen as beggars.

    Some of them resorted to begging because the government failed to assist them, he said.

    Oshilaja urged the government to create a special budget for the educated and serious ones among them.

    According to him, the government should assist the physically-challenged financially and morally.

    He said most of them are intelligent and can compete favourably with their counterparts who have no defects, if given the opportunity like able-bodied people.

    “We call on our rulers and politicians to assist us, because we deserve to be treated equally like able-bodied people. We are all Nigerians,” Oshilaja said

    The founder of the foundation, Irene Iwerebon, said free medications would be distributed at the event.

     

  • Foundation targets sexual violence victims with new app

    Women At Risk International Foundation (WARIF), a non-profit that combats sexual violence, rape and human trafficking of girls and women across Nigeria, has gone live with the SAP People Connect 365 mobile service from the SAP Digital Interconnect group.

    Using automated keywords, templates and workflows along with channels such as SMS and e-mail, this cloud-based service allows organisations to connect with employees and others during planned and unplanned disruptions. WARIF Gatekeepers Project, sponsored by the ACT Foundation, is using SAP People Connect 365 to manage communication with midwives and other key staff that work with the foundation’s clinics to connect with abuse victims.

    WARIF seeks to raise awareness of the growing prevalence of gender-based violence, sexual abuse, rape and human trafficking and the stigma of reporting it. The foundation is using SAP People Connect 365 to help communicate with affected women in rural areas who do not have ready access to the services offered by the organisation and to improve on the reporting of such cases.

    With the help of SAP People Connect 365, WARIF now has a simple-to-use tool to reach victims in rural and urban areas, said Dr. Kemi DaSilva, founder, WARIF. “Our primary social responsibility is to ensure that all young girls and women live in a society free of rape and sexual violence across all communities in Nigeria. With over 50 percent of the population in Nigeria still living in rural and sometimes hard-to-reach areas with limited access, the implementation of SAP People Connect 365 has finally given us the ability to send and receive information in a timely fashion. The cloud-based interactive dashboard is an ideal platform that has enabled us to monitor and measure events relating to cases of gender-based violence. It allows us to obtain the necessary data to help in the early detection and prevention of these cases in affected communities,” she said.

    “This initiative shows that technology improves society, not just economy,” said Michael Kleinemeier, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE, adding that “with SAP Digital Interconnect and its 99 percent reach of mobile consumers worldwide, WARIF connects everyone with positive effect for the whole community.”

    Since adopting the service, WARIF has reached approximately 500 midwives, who help identify and treat sufferers of abuse. SAP People Connect 365 will enable streamlined communication and create a more scalable solution for WARIF to realise its vision of building a society free of rape and sexual violence.

  • Foundation lifts aged with monthly stipend

    The Zakat and Sadaqat Foundation (ZSF) has assisted 300 aged people with monthly payment of N5,000.

    Tagged ‘Senior Citizen Programme Scheme’, the initiative was meant to assist aged people who are not receiving pension.

    Its Executive Director, Prince Sulayman Olagunju, said the scheme was designed for people who are 65 years and above.

    “We started giving them N5,000 stipend monthly to improve their livelihood after thorough screening. Those that have benefited so far are over 300 and our target for this year is around 500. Though, we have not attained our target but at least we have covered around 300.

    “Our goal is that we don’t want to see aged people not having something to live on. We want to try to keep their soul and body together, so that situation won’t become worst, and that is the whole idea of the scheme,” he said.

    Olagunju said the foundation has helped about 11 communities that do not have access to clean water with boreholes

    He said: “We have been to Kwara, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun and Lagos states. Not forgetting Abuja.  In some states, we have two or three communities we provided them with potable water. The communities go through a lot of stress in getting water, and the one they got is not healthy. So, we thought of limiting their stress and improve their health status.”

     

  • MTN impacts lives through foundation

    MTN is contributing back to the economy came up with an initiative, the MTN Foundation. The Foundation was launched in 2005 with the main aim of improving the quality of life of the Nigerian people. About 13 years have passed since the Foundation kicked off and within that time, it has impacted lives positively through several social investment programmes in the Economic, Health, and Education sector.

    The Foundation since its inception has been giving out scholarships every year to college students with each scholarship worth about N200, 000 (Two hundred thousand Naira) that covers tuition, book allowance and stipend for each academic year. In 2018 alone, a total of 1,164 students comprising 1,068 Science and Technology students and 96 blind students were awarded scholarships.

    Commenting on the effort of the Foundation in securing a bright future for everyone in the country, the Director of the Foundation, Dennis Okoro, while speaking at the Awards ceremony and Scholarship Alumni induction of the foundation held in Owerri said; “Through the MTN foundation, Numerous resources and energy had been invested into communities with the goal of building better relationships, working together to build a brighter future for all.” It is worth knowing that despite the global socio-economic situation, the Foundation has given out a total of 8,454 scholarships valued at approximately N1.6 billion to students in the country.

    In an effort to also help people with disabilities realise their potential and find their purpose in life, the Foundation decided to assist some visually impaired individuals from different parts of the country as parts of its Scholarship scheme. It also organized a workshop for the visually impaired individuals that majored on how they can make the most of new and disruptive technologies.

    Moving aside from the Education sector, the Foundation also focuses on developing communities and making life easier for people. To date, over 400 communities including 347 LGA’s have benefited from the Foundation as it has provided over 40 transformers, installed 40 boreholes, furnished various schools and provided medical equipment to more than 80 primary health centers in the country.

    A unique avenue for which the Foundation impacts life is by taking up the costs of individuals with the serious life-threatening condition. It sorted out the operation of an 8 – year old Oluwatosin Williams who had problems with her heart valve, a six-year-old Ngozi Chijioke who had a hole in her heart and had about 4 weeks to live, a little boy named Great Nkor who got his face burnt beyond recognition in a domestic accident and many other people.

  • Foundation empowers constituents

    Businessman cum politician, Prince Ashimiu Adeyinka Afeez Adio, kept his promise to the people of Ona Ara and Egbeda Constituency of Oyo state by not only setting up Adio Foundation, but also funding it. The foundation also commenced a free skill acquisition programmes to empower the people.

    The programme, which started from October 30 to November 3 involved training of participants in the production of soap and other domestic items such as liquid disinfectants, Vaseline, stove threads and body spray.

    It was held at Oremeji Babanla area of Ibadan, the exercise was a very revealing one as it empowered a huge number of people. It also exposed the participants to a number of entrepreneurial skills, little wonder many called on the businessman cum politician to repeat it in order to empower more people.

    Prince Adio assured participants that “Adio Foundation will not relent in its efforts to bless people with enterprise but also to develop APC party members and others in such a way that poverty will be eradicated in Ona Ara and Egbeda Constituency of Oyo state.”

    He noted that he is happy with the turn out that though a few number of people were expected, but a larger number of people turned up for the programme. This, he said, confirms that Nigerians are ready to improve themselves and develop new skills.

  • Foundation buoys education in Anambra communities

    An organisation, Ugo Igbo-Ukwu Foundation has rewarded over 173 students in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State with various cash prizes for their academic brilliance. The beneficiaries include those in primary, secondary and tertiary schools from Aguata communities.

    The idea is to inspire them to shore up education and regenerate the society through their output.

    The primary school pupils who came first, second and third in their examinations organised by the foundation were given cash ranging from N25,000 to N10,000, while consolation prizes were given to others.

    In the secondary category, the first to third positions received between 50,000 to 20,000 naira with laptops, while other consolation prizes of 10,000 each went to others

    For those in tertiary institutions, 100,000 and 75,000 naira were giving to them, including books.

    The event which took place at the Central Primary school Ekwulobia, attracted all the traditional rulers in the 14 communities in Aguata and the parents of the awardees.

    Also, the Secondary schools in the communities participated in March past, with the crowd singing praises of the foundation.

    Speaking with The Nation after the event, the owner of the Foundation, Mr Bart Nwibe, said the non-governmental organisation was established to celebrate and encourage the brilliant children in those areas.

    He said the programme had been on for the past 14 years in Aguata, adding, it was to encourage the young ones to persevere.

    Nwibe, a one-time governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, said, “If you get it right in your secondary you are likely to get it right in tertiary, but believe in yourself and hard work to succeed. The easy part is not the right part, but the difficult part is the right path to take.”

    The Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the foundation, Dr Gab Mba, told The Nation, the parents and stakeholders in education could not afford to neglect public schools.

    He said, “we may think that what happens in our public schools does not concern us so far as we have our children in standard private schools, but this miscalculation is fatal “

    “By the time these our children graduate from Oxford and Harvard Universities, they shall come back to meet the vast majority that were ruined in the public schools, and the majority, whether right or wrong, must have their way “

    “It is in the light of of all these, we wish to make a clarion call to our town unions, old boys and girls of our public schools, village unions, clubs and all lovers of our towns and people to always visit our public schools to see where we can be of help in synergising the efforts of the government to make our public schools what they should be in the interest of all of us,” Mba said.

    Some of the recipients of the Scholarships, Eze Precious Chiamaka, Pius Chinecherem, Okoye Alexander and Chukwuemeka Chidirim, told The Nation they were grateful to the foundation for such opportunity.

    They pledged not to dissapoint their different communities and the foundation, adding the Scholarship would help them to achieve their goals in life.

    The traditional ruler of Umuchu, in Aguata,  Igwe Godson Ezechukwu, told The Nation that other communities need exactly what the foundation had introduced in Aguata, adding that with that, some of the less privileged students would benefit.

    The monarch called on politicians to stop wasting money on frivolities, but engage in such laudable projects that would benefit the poor and needy in the society.

     

  • Foundation offers free training

    Prince Ashimiu Adeyinka Afeez Adio, a businessman-cum-politician, has kept his word to set up a foundation to assist All Progressives Congress (APC) members and others in his Ona Ara and Egbeda Constituency of Oyo State.

    Prince Adio, who lost out during the Oyo State APC primaries, promised his party supporters that he would not relent in his effort in supporting his party in winning elections in 2019.

    He said: “The foundation has rolled out a planned schedule of social services for the people in the Ona Ara and Egbeda Constituency which will commence with a free skill acquisition training on the production of soaps and other domestic items, such as liquid disinfectants, cream, stove threads, body spray and so on.

    “The programme, which will be held at the Oremeji Babanla area of Ibadan, has already recorded a huge number of those who have registered to partake in the programme, taking place between October 30 and 3 November 3.

    “This is a move in the right direction. As I said a few weeks ago, Adio Foundation is set to meet the needs of the downtrodden in the society. This foundation will be open to all, but more importantly to the needy amongst our people. We will not limit it to just meeting the needs of individuals, but to meet the needs of all through projects.”

    The training will take place in conjunction with Glomajos Acquisition Centre.

  • Foundation lifts students, women

    The fourth in the series of the Lateefah Moyosore Durosinmi (LMD) Foundation award of scholarship to students and grants to women in small business will hold on Thursday at Obafemi Awolowo University Central Mosque, Ile -Ife.

    LMD’s Secretary Dr Sururah Bello in a statement said over 40 students and women would benefit from this year’s gesture.

    She said four students have been selected from each of the six Southwest states and additional four from Ife Central Local Government while a total of 14 grants and interest free loan will be given to two women each from the Southwest states and additional two to Ife Central Local government.

    Bello said a lecture entitled: “Educate a child, Empower the Ummah’’ will be delivered by a renowned Educationist, Alhaja Simbiat Aderinko.

    It will be recalled that the first in the series of the Foundation activities started in 2011 as a project for indigent pupils in public primary and secondary schools.

    The second in the series was grant to women in small business while the third ceremony combined both the scholarship and empowerment of women.

    Since the inauguration the Foundation in 2007 when the promoter, Dr Mrs. Lateefah Moyosore Durosinmi clocked 50 years, the Foundation had been contributing to knowledge through book publication on women and involved in activities to assist the girl child and uplift the status of women in the society.