Changing Lives of Out-of-School Children

KUNI TYESSI writes on the Not Forgotten Initiative, a non-governmental organisation in Abuja, helping many out-of-school children to live their dreams through free education.

Nigeria is ranked second after India in the number of out-of-school children globally. However, that does not tell the whole story because the percentage of out-of-school children, when compared with the population, is higher in Nigeria than India.

This embarrassing situation has led to the introduction and modification of certain policies in the educational sector. But the results are yet to be felt.

However, to change this sordid narrative, some individuals have chosen to serve as bridge between a fraction of the millions of out-of-school children in the country and a meaningful future by starting from their immediate environment.

One of such is Mrs. Oluwatosin Adeniyi, founder of the nongovernmental organisation- Not Forgotten Initiative (NFI), who has chosen to make a difference in the lives of children of the less privileged people in the society.

From a chance encounter with a concerned and sorrowing mother of some out- of-school children early in 2018, the NFI has created structures within the highbrow Asokoro residential area of Abuja for children of underserved communities in Kpaduma Hills and environs.

In collaboration with Agora Policy and MacArthur Foundation, the NFI School recently organised a Student Public Policy Forum for ten community schools in Abuja.

Speakers included the Registrar of Baze University, Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi; the Abstract Communication Specialist for Policy Innovation Center (PIC) Mrs. Agharite Omofuoma; former consul general of Nigeria in New York, United States, Amb. Lot Egopija, and a retired Director at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Mrs. Modupe Ogundimu and the Agora Policy Founder, Mr Waziri Adio. But the first real story is about the NFI School that offers not only free education but also one meal a day to 154 children of the poor.

The main idea, according to Mrs. Adeniyi, is to make basic education available at no cost to the children of the less privileged people within their vicinity with the overall aim of breaking the cycle of poverty. ”We believe that if we could provide quality education to those under-privileged children, not only would they take charge of themselves but would also have positive influences to their families and those around them,” Mrs. Adeniyi said.

The initiative, which started with 14 children in December 2018, has defied the odds of lack of financial support from the government.

With donations from family members and friends, especially of the founder’s husband, Olusegun Adeniyi, Chairman of THISDAY Editorial Board, NFI has matured into a school-like setting with about 154 children in its register, with the motto that every child is a champion and has the ability to make the world his/her oyster when given the right opportunity, support, and a safe as well as conducive environment for learning.

The public policy forum programme held recently, according to Mrs. Adeniyi, was organised with the intention to further expose the children to their peers from other schools and showcase how far they have travelled in nurturing them through education and also the children’s receptiveness and adaptability to learning.

In his keynote speech, Prof. Adeniyi said with the seeds of hope and enthusiasm being planted into them, the world can only wait with optimism to hear and see how far the NFI children would go in supporting indigents like them to chart ways to progress.

“The problem is that we wait for people to grow up and then try to now force them to change behaviours and change thinking patterns,” said Mrs Omofuoma in her presentation. “If we can catch children at this young age and tell them that they can begin to think about solutions to practical problems, then we are gradually building a better society.”

In her submission, Mrs. Adeniyi said such topics and discussions surrounding policies and their implementation will continue to be brought to fore in order to engage the minds of young people towards proffering solutions to the nation’s challenges.

In all, 17 schools participated in the session, with each making a presentation on what they understood by public policy and how they could be part of the process of change within their respective environments.

Such interactions and collaborations, Mrs. Adeniyi believes, are important.

According to her, “Today, we are maximizing this opportunity for the children to go back to their schools, and share with their mates what they learnt and did today, we hope they’ll set up a club, and the conversations will continue,” said Mrs Adeniyi, a chartered accountant and chartered insurer who is a member of ICAN, ACCA, and CIIN, and holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, United Kingdom. But she has left those qualifications and 24 years of experience in financial services and risk management for the classroom where she not only superintends the NFI but also teaches the pupils. The school also offers full scholarship to 47 students that are currently in Federal Government Colleges in Abuja.

Speaking on why teaching children about policy is important, Mrs. Adeniyi said it would make them to appreciate that “it is not enough to know the problem, but that they can also be part of the solutions and should begin to think about how to proffer and communicate those solutions very early.”

While the government continues in its search for permanent solutions in catering to the educational needs of every out-of-school child in the country, the NFI School serves as an excellent torch bearer for individuals and organisations with foresight and compassion by firing the imaginations of children who would otherwise have been left behind by society.