How Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation is putting smiles on faces of Nigerian school children
By Matthew Denis Abuja
Succour at last to thousands of Nigerian school children as Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation is gradually putting smiles on their faces through several donations and support projects to improve their pathetic situation across the country.
Princess Taiwo Oyepeju Ajisefinni is the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation (TAF) who has taken the ‘cow by the horns’ to contribute her quota in the Education Sector towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 which is targeted at 2030 “to Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of Education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including disabilities, indigenous people and children in vulnerable situations.”
The Federal Government had announced that 2022 year the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria has dropped from 13 million to 6.9 million in 2020.
Speaking on this passion, Princess Ajisefinni revealed the foundation was birthed following a visit she made to Nigeria in 2008 after observing the agony school children encounter.
She said, “I noticed on a particular day, children leaving school for their various homes and saw that many of them were not adequately dressed and while some had schoolbags and others without bags. For a very long time, I complained about the way things were, I heard the stories and I complained and talked about how things should be.
“No matter how much I complained or lamented, I noticed that nothing changed and then it dawned on me that I had to change. I had to stop complaining and do something. I had to bring that picture in my imagination to reality and that is what birthed the Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation (TAF). TAF has been set up to give hope to children and adults alike.”
According to her the desire for education is to ensure that every child has access to quality education. After a few years of thinking about the best way to start, the foundation was registered in June, 2017 with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria. TAF is also registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The Chief Visionary Officer emphasized that the foundation seeks to provide educational support in various ways to children, especially those from indigent and underprivileged backgrounds.
“Our target is to reach out to as many schools as possible in Nigeria, especially those in rural communities. In 2016, TAF sponsored 19 people with physical disabilities by paying their fees to attend vocational courses to become solution providers in society.
“Our first school project was executed at a Primary school in Offa local Government of Kwara State were over 80 students benefitted from the services we provided. Interestingly, since the completion of the first stage of the project in this school, parents, and relatives of children in the community and surrounding villages, have shown interest in enrolling their children in the school. The Foundation is also in the process of donating Lawn Tennis equipment to a school of over 2000 students in Ikeja, Lagos State.
She decried that there has been no collaboration yet with the government. However they are working towards collaborating with similar NGOs so that they can get a lot projects done for children in education to actualize the target and vision of the foundation.
“The plan towards collaborating with the government is in the pipeline as it is a means of delivering better results for all involved.
“Education is first and foremost not just the impartation of knowledge but also the assimilation of what is being taught and of life’s experiences. Quality education is therefore about the teacher and the taught: the student. Education is and always will be very important in building a strong foundation in one’s life. It is important that our children are educated, are up to date with current issues, and can provide knowledge to the next generation. Education is a strong building block in building a stronger and healthier community. As a community, it is our obligation to help a child develop their identity and be a contributing factor to society. We must refocus on the idea that a child is the centre of our community.
“The focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 is on ensuring that children have access to quality education and that the number of children that are out of school is reduced.
“With the number of out of school children announced by the federal government, evidence is showing that it has further recorded an impressive enrolment of school children in the last year. Therefore, more intervention from the government in synergy with Those, and like-minded individuals, there is bound to be more significant progress in the standard of education and learning outcomes.
“We plan to go anywhere we are needed, all over Nigeria. We are working on getting as many people as possible on board to be a support system and network for the NGO. Together, we will be able to do more. Our goal is to have stationed in every State, Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation volunteer teams. They will be responsible for locating the communities and schools where support is needed and then go on to oversee the execution of all that is needed.”
The philanthropist stressed that the Foundation seeks to provide wholesome support to schools.
“We aim to support everyone in the education chain – teachers and students alike. As we provide conducive learning atmospheres for the students, we will also ensure that the teachers have everything they need to provide quality education – training and teaching aids and ultimately achieve all learning outcomes. Our focus will be on ensuring that school children get a good education by making sure that the atmosphere is conducive to learning.
“Together, we can give hope, support, educate and make a difference in the lives of school children one school at a time.”
Please donate and make a difference!
Bank – GTB
Name – Taiwo Ajisefinni Foundation
Account – 0257690459
GoFundMe
www.gofundme.com/f/blaze-a-trail-with-taf
Paypal
