By Anthony Nwachukwu
No fewer than 2,000 indigent students across the country will benefit from the 2024 scholarship programme of the Ajoke Ayisat Afolabi Foundation (AAAF), as the philanthropic arm of SIFAX Group sets a huge target for the year.
The Executive Coordinator, AAAF, Foluke Ademokun, who disclosed this while reviewing the non-governmental organisation’s activities for the first quarter the year, said the initiative is aimed at supporting indigent parents, as well as tackling the menace of out-of-school children.
“We are focused on helping the government to reduce the number of out-of-school children,” she said.
“So, in our way, we have provided a platform where we source and pay school fees for indigent students across Nigeria so they can access quality education, despite the financial circumstance of their parents or guardians.
“We have been doing this since the inception of the foundation about 15 years ago. Thousands of underprivileged children have benefitted from the foundation.
“In the first quarter of 2024, we have paid for over 237 students in Lagos and Zaria and are optimistic that before the end of the year, we will reach over 2,000 students. The AAAF also plans to equip the students with in-demand skills, promote life-long learning opportunities, and reduce inequalities in access to quality education.”
According to Ademokun, AAAF also extended support to Umunna Comprehensive Secondary School, Umuosu, in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State with 3-in-1 desks and seats to foster good learning environment and improve the students’ overall learning experience.
“When we visited the school and saw that the environment, especially the tables and desks, were not conducive for learning, we knew that an intervention was necessary to make the school attractive to the students,” she explained.
Other projects executed by the AAAF and SIFAX Group in the first quarter of the year, according to Ademokun, included daily meals for the indigents and start-up grants for women in Zaria, Kaduna State, and foodstuffs to over 1,000 Lagos residents.
Others were also free medical outreaches in Lagos and Ogun states, digital training for market women in Lagos, and distribution of energy-efficient stoves to women in Abia State
Commenting on the various projects, the Executive Director, Corporate and Governmental Affairs, SIFAX Group, Basil Agboarumi, said the company was committed to investing in underprivileged Nigerians through its various intervention projects aimed at improving the quality of their lives.
