Lend a Hand For Africa (LAHAfrica), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that addresses inequality in education through educational programmes for low income children in Africa is celebrating seven years of its Scholarship Scheme Project in Nigeria as its immediate community.
The organisation which is dedicated to giving children and young adults access to basic and quality education and to bringing a complete reform in their lives and on the community at large has reached over 5,000 students both directly and indirectly.
With seven years of continuous commitment, LAHAfrica has grown to become one of the few NGOs whose sole dedication and purpose is ensuring that every child in the slums is properly educated, given basic care and equal opportunity in life.
According to Abimbola Ajala, Founder/Executive Director, LAHAfrica, “In 2015, we started the Scholarship Scheme Project, but we have been operating as a Not For Profit Organisation close to Ten years (formerly known as Bimbo and friends). We have provided a flexible and amazing environment for children and young adults under our care to have access to education through payment of tuition fees, provision of daily meals, provision of school essentials and a platform to engage and interact with them outside of school which helps with interpersonal skills and trust between our team members and the beneficiaries. LAHAfrica is uniquely designed to be a beacon of hope for children in the slums or with various impairment to dare to be different. We understand the menace of illiteracy in the system and how the ripple effect of being uneducated which has led to prostitution, teenage pregnancy and cultism; and we are committed to contribute our quota to reduce this to the barest minimum”.
The organisation currently has over 20 children on the Scholarship Scheme whose lives have improved tremendously. The impact and success can be seen on how different, unique, intelligent our beneficiaries have turned out to be. With the help of dedicated team and God, the beneficiaries have been given a reason to dream right and not be defined by the environment.
Speaking further, the Founder, said that their long-term plan is to have more than 100 children on the Scholarship Scheme, build a standard LAHAfrica service centre for Skills Acquisition and training.
LAHAfrica have an intentional support towards education issue and is committed to giving every child in the slums a structured and flexible access to quality education and opportunities, hence, improvement in way of life. It believes in this cause and is proud of the milestone. We are determined to changing the narrative, the story and lives surrounding it. We want to build a home away from home for children and young adults in our care.