In a bold effort to provide education to underprivileged children, the Regy & Henry Grace Foundation (RHAGF) is calling on stakeholders to support its “Slum to School” project, which aims to enroll 500 out-of-school children over five years.
Speaking at the 4th-year project implementation in Gosa community, Abuja, the National Coordinator, Mrs. Duru Regina, revealed that the foundation has enrolled children who had either dropped out of school or could not transition to secondary education due to financial constraints.
So far, between 2021 and 2024, 400 children across eleven communities, including Kute, Dusepe, Sumpe, Kuchikau, Shishipe 1 & 2, and Garuyi (Bwari Area Council), as well as Gosa 1, Gosa Primary, Torge, Kuyomi, and JSS Gosa, have benefited.
“We provided 100 school bags, 100 school sandals, and books to support the children,” she said.
Mrs. Regina pointed out that the cost of enrolling one child in school is around 45,000 naira, including administrative charges, making it difficult for many parents to afford.
Despite the initiative’s success, the foundation struggles to meet its financial goals.
The budget for this year alone stands at millions of naira, yet RHAGF has been relying solely on family and friends for funding.
“We’ve reached out to the Ministry of Education and other organizations, but they said they could not assist due to a lack of funds,” Mrs. Regina noted.
“We are relying on good-spirited individuals, family, friends, religious bodies, and public institutions.”
To ensure the sustainability of the project, the foundation has trained parents in various skills to help them financially support their children’s education.
However, with the rising costs of school fees, educational materials, and inflation, RHAGF is appealing to humanitarian organizations, NGOs, and well-meaning individuals to contribute and help keep children in school.
“We need immediate support to enroll more children, as schools have already resumed,” Mrs. Regina urged, emphasizing that despite claims by government agencies, education in Nigeria is far from free.
“What we see on paper is just theory. We need action to match the talk.”
The Slum to School project has a sustainability plan called “Family Economic Strengthening,” where parents and caregivers of program beneficiaries are trained in different skills to help them sustain their children in school.
