2 foreign charities sign pact to provide scholarships to Nigerians

Two foreign charities have signed a memorandum of understanding to forge a partnership to offer scholarships to young Nigerians at some private universities in Nigeria.

The two charities are the UK-based IA-Foundation, which has been active in Nigeria and another charity, known as Values of Affordable Education (VOA), which is based in the U.S.

The charities are partnering to sponsor indigent students to study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-related courses “based on merit and proven financial needs”.

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IA-Foundation, Mrs. Ibironke Adeagbo, said in Abuja on Wednesday that the scholarship was to reduce the dropout rate of students eager to pursue tertiary education but constrained by funds.

“The scholarship will provide a university scholarship of up to five million naira for each beneficiary to cover tuition, accommodation, feeding, and logistics throughout the four-year undergraduate study duration.

“Although students can be supported at other private universities in Nigeria, Babcook, Redeemers, Kings, and Covenant universities are the preferred institutions,’’ she said.

Adeagbo said that the partnership with VOA was aimed at eliminating financial barriers to university education in Nigeria and ensuring that no child was left behind in acquiring education in the 21st century.

She restated that the IA-Foundation was committed to strategic partnerships to ensure that the numerous challenges facing education in Nigeria were addressed to build a better future.

“As a young charity with over 100 children in schools across nine states in Nigeria, we are happy that more children will be able to receive quality education in science and technology courses.

Adeagbo expressed her optimism that the scholarship scheme would change the lives of beneficiaries for the better and improve their socio-economic conditions forever.

IA-Foundation has been active in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Delta, and Nassarawa States, where the foundation has been playing crucial roles in tackling the problem of out-of-school children.

The UN agency UNICEF reports that some 20.2 million kids are out of school in Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous nation.

Also speaking, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VOA Foundation, Dr. Victoria Adekoya, said that the partnership between the two charities would go a long way in creating opportunities for students from poor backgrounds to acquire quality education.

At the VOA Foundation, we are deeply passionate about promoting the uptake of STEM courses as a strategy to breed future innovators, critical thinkers, and problem-solvers in Nigeria.

“We are aware that there are very intelligent children with an interest in pursuing STEM courses but who cannot afford to pay for university education even in the most affordable schools in the country.’’

Adekoya said that the partnership would enable the two charities to identify qualified children and place them in private universities in Nigeria where they could receive quality training and complete their studies on schedule.