By Aderogba George
Ndi Assam Foundation and Ehigie Foundation, both NGOs on Thursday in Abuja provided some essential educational materials to pupils of Inter-Faith Dialogue Forum for Peace Nursery and Primary school, Apo, FCT.
The donation was made during a Spelling Bee Competition organised by Ehigie Foundation for the children who are mostly from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), Camp, Apo, Waru, FCT.
Ms. Ifeoma Dowe, the Programmes Officer, Ndi Assam Foundation, told newsmen during the event that her organisation partnered in the donation to lift off financial burden from the children’s parents.
“Ndi Assam Foundation partnered with Ehigie Foundation to organised a spelling bee competition for the children.
“Our main aim was to provide essential educational resources, which helps to take off some financial burdens off the parents of these vulnerable children, which is in line with our organization’s mission to encourage children in vulnerable communities to realize and maximize their potentials.
“Our partnership includes financial support for the purchase of school bags for 20 children.
“We have also supported this spelling bee competition in other ways t to bring hope to the children, and create that enthusiasm in them to take their studies seriously” Ms. Dowe said.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Director, Ehigie Foundation, Ms Irose Gold-BZ said the donation was to make the children have hitch free learning experience.
Gold-BZ said that the donation was part of the foundation outreach programme to provide support for vulnerable children who were victims of conflict across the country.
She explained that the donation was an integral part of the foundation activities and a move towards enhancing academic performances of children.
“There is need to always help nurture children’s talent, irrespective of their status. Children are my core vision.
“I give myself to children because I realize that they are very vulnerable and the society takes advantage of them. I have reached out to more than 20,000 IDP children since 2016 and it is an ongoing project.
“Water, serene environment and food have been the major challenges for these children to thrive. The school also has no stationary for teaching and learning, these are our discovery.
“We decided to come here and provide all these for the children, ” she said.
The foundations appealed to the Federal Government to support the school with learning materials as well as teaching aids so as to enhance teaching and learning.
They also appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support such schools, saying that, “if we spread more love, the world will be less chaotic.”
The Head Teacher of the school, Mrs Patricia Omirigbe, appreciated the gesture of the both organisations for the donation.
According to her, the donation will also reduced the burden of learning materials on the school.
She said that the school was established on Oct. 20, 2020 and had been struggling to have adequate teachers to facilitate learning.
According to her, the donation will reduce their demands from the pupil parents in terms of buying stationeries for their children,
Ms. Omirigbe said that most of the children come to school without writing materials, while also calling for the deployment of more teachers to the school.
The highlight of the event was the presentation prizes to the winners of the competition and staple food to parents of some of the pupils, who did exceptionally well in the competition.
NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA