The Buni Yadi Foundation, in its effort to support the less privileged, has provided scholarship programmes to out-of-school children at the Area 1 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp.

The founder, Ayoola Daniels, speaking at an event in Abuja on Saturday, said the initiative aimed to develop the children’s potential and empower them through education.

He emphasised the importance of supporting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education while also organising food outreach programmes.

“We are here at the IDP camp, where we have many Buni Yadi scholars in primary and secondary schools.

“We are distributing books, materials, clothing, sanitary wares, and providing nutritional support.

“We conduct regular food outreach during festive periods and also offer skill acquisition programs to help individuals become self-sustaining,” Mr Daniels said.

Mr Daniels shared his personal story of being falsely accused of theft in his youth and experiencing compassion and unity from a judge who overlooked his ethnicity.

He explained that this compassion inspired him to give back to his community by establishing the Buni Yadi Foundation to provide scholarships to out-of-school children, preventing them from engaging in negative activities.

Idris Halilu, coordinator of 18 IDP camps across the FCT, expressed concern about the closure of the IDP camp school for the past seven years and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reopen it.

He noted that around 3,550 children in the camp have been without schooling since 2017, with less than 25 per cent attending school outside the camp.

Mr Halilu lauded the Buni Yadi Foundation’s efforts to sponsor children’s education outside the camp, but urged that the school be reopened for local education.

One of the beneficiaries, Alheri Samaila, expressed gratitude for the scholarship and educational materials.

Voluntary coordinator, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, stated that since its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the foundation had sponsored 13 students and provided support to more than 500 women in the camp through food and household items.

(NAN)