Rationale

In the course of our work in various rural communities, we realise that out-of-school children generally fall within three categories:

• those that are desirous of going to school but lack the means of realising this aspiration;
• those that are in school but do not have the necessary learning materials to remain in school and have good learning outcomes; and,
• those that lack interest to going to school.

EduVest is conceived and programmed along these lines to ensure that no child of school-going age is left behind.

Education is a fundamental human right of all citizens including the vulnerable. Several human rights instruments exist that provide for education as a fundamental right. The Child Rights Act (2003) for instance, guarantees the right to free, compulsory Universal Basic Education for every child in Nigeria. Hence, it is the duty of society to ensure that these rights are protected.

The increasing number of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Nigeria is a major humanitarian and developmental challenge, which if not addressed creatively may hamper the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all).

Today, a significant number of children in Nigeria have become orphaned for many reasons: insurgency, conflicts, diseases, poverty, etc, that have worsened the problem and produced millions of vulnerable children whose rights are being violated and which is causing such children to experience untold economic hardships, lack of care, poor health, psychological difficulties and suffer deprivation of basic needs including education.

A large number of OVC in Nigeria are school dropouts or have never attended school and constitute the growing number of out-of-school children which currently is estimated at 20 million by UNESCO, the largest of such anywhere in the world.

Although it is customary in Nigeria for extended family and community members to care for OVC, oftentimes, guardians of such children struggle under the strain of providing for all their needs let alone those of their dependants. The orphanage homes where a large number of OVC can be found, provide little succour in this regard, only able to send the children to school when there are funds, otherwise, the children are kept in the homes or are sometimes pushed out to fend for themselves thus reducing their chances of having an education. When children, regardless of their status are denied opportunities for education, their lives are shattered and their future is bleak.

Providing education to every child, including the vulnerable ones calls for concerted efforts from well-meaning individuals and organizations. Education remains one of the most potential and sustainable ways to end illiteracy and poverty. Investing in the education of children not only empowers the child, but also makes a positive shift for the family and society at large.

Through EduVest, we seek to invest resources in the lives of OVC by empowering them with education and skills so that they can grow up to be responsible and resourceful citizens, and also have a better and more secured future.

EduVest Scholar

At the core of this intervention is EduVest Scholar which provides scholarship to beneficiaries to pursue their secondary education. This scholarship is targeted at orphaned and vulnerable children in disadvantaged communities and covers tuition (including cost of books and other learning materials) for their secondary education.