“All Nigerian children deserve a fighting chance – no matter who they are or where they are. And this must include education. It is not only their right – it is the smartest and best way to secure the future of Nigeria as a whole.”
PETER HAWKINS OF UNICEF
AOA foundation rightly agrees with the above statement and has demonstrated that through our carefully designed Child Aid Program (CAP) an educational program that includes Back-to-school Initiative, a scholarship for government school pupils, and the Educate a Vulnerable Child program (EVC).
Statistically, In Nigeria, at least 10.5 million children are out of school and this is the highest rate in the world. In other words, a full one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world is Nigerian, even though primary education is officially free and compulsory.
The above statistics imply that there is a problem with the inclusive education system in Nigeria. Inclusive education means that education (quantity and quality) is accessible to all children, irrespective of their circumstances. However, in Nigeria, some vulnerable groups of children are excluded from quality education. These include children with disabilities, children from nomadic groups, and internally displaced children. Worryingly, the socio-cultural and economic backgrounds of the children in Nigeria continue to influence their access to education.
Furthermore, education data shows gaps in access and learning between the popular dimensions of exclusion: gender, location of residence, region, and wealth.
All Nigerian children deserve a fighting chance
AOA Foundation’s EVC program supports the government in achieving SDG 4 by 2030 by eliminating gender disparities in education and ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations.
Our program prioritized and targets children who are least likely to receive an education. AOA Foundation, therefore, brings education and training to the doorsteps of these vulnerable children, who are willing to learn but do not have access to quality education or any form of formal education.
The Foundation visits, rural communities, and IDP camps, to bring education and training to these children who are desperate to learn but are limited by various challenges, some of which are unconducive learning environments: depilated buildings, leaking roofs, broken desks, etc. other factors include a lack of teachers, lack of teaching and writing materials.
AOA Foundation with the permission of the village head or the headmaster organizes accelerated free classes and training for these children in the community hall, or outside the classroom to keep them up to speed with their counterparts. In addition, the Foundation offers educational materials to the pupil and scholarships for vulnerable children, especially girls. And they equally educate the children on Sex education and safety measure, hygiene, and courtesy.