Anneozeng Ogozi Aid Foundation (AOAF), a Non-Governmental Organisation, yesterday donated educational materials and medicines to Kaida Community in Abuja.
The Founder of AOAF, Mr Anneozeng Ogozi said that she deemed it fit to provide Kaida community children with writing materials such as books, pencils, erasers, sharpeners and pens, to help foster education within the community.
She said the community had just one non-functional hospital and that prompted the need to also provide the village with malaria test kits, drips and deworming medicines, amongst others.
She said that her foundation had realised that the educational and medical system in Kaida was poor and needed the intervention of NGOs, federal government and other well meaning Nigerians.
“Children in this community look really malnourished with blotted stomachs and the hair on most girls have changed colour to red,” she said.
Ogozi said that her foundation was willing to place 20 randomly selected students on scholarship.
Our source reports that Ogozi, who initially wanted to sponsor just 20 students ended up sponsoring 36 students after seeing how passionate majority wanted to be selected for the scholarship.
Among those selected were orphans in the school and the best academically performing students, amongst others.
Ogozi said she decided to increase the number of beneficiaries because she realised that 20 was too low to be selected from the total number of students in the school.
“They all need help. They all cannot help themselves, they all cannot afford things for themselves.
“We will discuss with the teachers to know how their administration works here.
“We will make enquiries on, if the children pay school fees or if they are being taught for free, as that will also help us know how to place our support and assistance,” she said.
On the foundation’s visit to a nursery and primary school headed by missionaries in the community, the classrooms were found in poor conditions.
“This place is so timid that when the children see you, they start running so you will have to call them, make friends with them and let people who understand their language tell them you are not here to harm them.
“We first took them on a play session outside, just to calm their nerves as their classroom environment was really nothing to write home about,” Ogozi said.
The foundation also gave out clothes and footwears to some of the students they noticed were in school without footwears.
A Primary three beneficiary of the scholarship, Mary Paul, expressed gratitude for the kind gesture of the foundation.
She said that she was happy to get many writing materials but would like well meaning Nigerians to assist in restructuring the school.