By Daniel Okereke
A kind donation of $6,000 by a U.S.-based philanthropic organization, Friends of Nigeria (FON), to the American University of Nigeria’s Atiku Center for Development (AUN-AID) in February 2024 has, like the proverbial mustard seed, grown into a fully-fledged investment in hope with huge community impact. The Friends of Nigeria donation, which was received by the President of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Professor DeWayne Frazier, is a contribution to the Feed and Read program, a community literacy intervention program through which the Yola-based Development University offers literacy and nutritional support to boys and girls in the local communities who find themselves outside the crowded and dysfunctional public school system. Dr. Frazier appreciated the kindheartedness of the Friends of Nigeria (FON) and thanked them for investing in the future of young kids by giving them an education that brings them hope. The President assured them that every kobo of their donation would be judiciously utilized for the objectives of the scheme.
Currently, 50 pupils are enrolled in the program. They are divided into two classes of 25 each. Three times every week, volunteer teachers, including students of the American University of Nigeria, teach them basic numeracy and literacy skills. The pupils also learn personal hygiene and civic education. In addition, they receive one meal per lesson day. The meals are cooked by women in the local community, a process that fosters community bonding and livelihood support. The number of enrollees could easily be quadrupled with adequate funding while the volunteer tutors themselves require constant retraining in modern methods appropriate for teaching and evaluation of out-of-school kids.
In the fall semester of 2024, the donation by Friends of Nigeria (FON) became a timely lifesaver as the program was already suffering from funding challenges. The AUN-AID Feed and Read program is designed to provide high-quality basic education to the pupils. They require reading materials that must meet the standards prescribed. by the local education authorities. They also need uniforms and a regular supply of soaps and detergents to keep up with their personal hygiene, which is an important part of their curriculum. And considering that the meals they eat after lessons might be the only food they will have the entire day or even for days, the organizers ensure that the meals have a nutritional richness that guarantees the physical and mental well-being of the pupils. The donation from Friends of Nigeria was therefore a crucial intervention. With the funds, the organizers were able to keep the Feed and Read program going throughout the semester. Enrollees gained a lot from participation, and with the funding, did not skip classes. It is instructive that pupils who graduate from the AUN-AID Feed and Read programs perform better than their contemporaries when they graduate to higher classes in the furtherance of their education.
This point is aptly captured by the Administrator of Grants and Contracts of the AUN-AID, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq Hussaini. ‘‘There is a need to reduce the number of Almajiris begging on the streets. The American University of Nigeria Feed & Read program, enhanced learning for Almajiris for giving them the right to learn, opportunity to speak and opportunity to write and not to be begging on the street to survive” All these is happening with the help and donations coming from Friends of Nigeria (FON) and other donors. The Friends of Nigeria (FON) are giving us yearly donations to support the program and we say a very BIG thank you to them, Dr. Abubakar, who is also the Dean of the AUN School of Engineering, said.
It’s truly inspiring how a gesture of kindness can have such a profound impact. The metaphor of the mustard seed beautifully captures the essence of growth, hope, and the transformative power of education. Even the smallest contributions can lead to significant positive changes in the lives of these children and their communities.
Education has the incredible ability to unlock potential, break cycles of poverty, and empower future generations. Just as the mustard seed grows into a flourishing tree, nurturing these young minds will create a ripple effect of opportunities and benefits that extend far beyond the classroom.
Friends of Nigeria (FON), a non-profit organization, works to harness the economic resourcefulness of Nigerians in the diaspora to facilitate the development of the nation. Through regular engagement with Nigerians all over the world, advocacy for international promotion and regular training sessions for members, the organization remains focused on its goal to improve economic development in Nigeria.
Established in 2015 by former AUN President—Dr. Margee Ensign, the Feed and Read program is the flagship intervention program of the American University of Nigeria, raising the literacy level of economically disadvantaged boys and girls in the Yola community of Adamawa state. The program was targeted at the ‘Almajiri’—young boys who leave home in pursuit of Islamic knowledge. Due to the economic hardships in the country, these children are often forced to beg on the streets and they end up without basic skills. The AUN-AID Feed and Read program focuses on equipping these children with basic formal and vocational education to give them a footing in the economic landscape.
The initiative was later expanded to include girls with a grant from the Irish Government despite the initial focus on boys. Young girls who were displaced or orphaned by the violence that resulted from the insecurity that was rampant in the Northeast at the time. The program started out with fifty girls, but as more girls showed up each day, bright-eyed and eager to learn, that number quickly grew to one hundred and twenty-six. The inclusion of the girls inspired a newfound focus on sustainability in addition to that on literacy.
Beneficiaries of the Feed and Read program are children aged between three and seventeen from different cultural and religious backgrounds who enjoy one meal a day along with their formal lessons in mathematics, English language, and vocational training such as soap making. Though difficultly, the children are gladly making progress as they frequently bring their friends of similar backgrounds to join the program. Indigenes of the Yola community have expressed gratitude. towards the program as they have witnessed a reduction in loitering due to the children being engaged.
Accompanying the program’s educational and developmental goals of raising the literacy rate, creating employment opportunities, and improving the economic outlook of these less fortunate community member, the Feed and Read initiative aims to curb the vulnerability of youths to extremist religious groups such as Boko Haram. An educated youth occupied with gainful self-employment is much less likely to fall for the false promises of such terrorist associations.
This donation by Friends of Nigeria (FON) has empowered the Atiku Institute for Development, as well as the American University of Nigeria (AUN), to continue to give back to the community, as both organizations have pledged to do since their inception. Expanding the Feed and Read program will allow for a wider reach and get both organizations closer to the goal of eradicating illiteracy and hunger amongst the youth in Adamawa State and Northeast Nigeria.
