Impact dashboard

All children have the right to quality education, no matter where they live or their circumstances. However, one in every five of the world’s out-of-school children is in Nigeria. UNICEF Statistics show that 10.5 million children between 5 and 14 are not in school.

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Co-founders

Education is a priority. How can we resist exploitation if we don’t have the tools to understand exploitation?

- Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

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Our history

A few years ago, as life and providence would have it, our paths crossed with fantastic kids who made it difficult to do nothing. Their eagerness, numerous questions, creativity, and laughter, made us think, what if? We were there for one year, so we felt there was no need to try. Because what’s the need to start if you won’t be there to continue? But every day when we went out and taught these kids, the same nagging questions kept replaying in our minds, ‘what if?’

And so we decided to do something. Just like today, we came on WhatsApp and other forms of social media, and for weeks, we talked to you about them. We shared pictures, videos, and funny messages. We told you what endeared them to us and some of their aspirations. We met these kids first, but you guys took them as your own and somehow saw the vision through our eyes and contributed to impacting their lives.

Many of you took on kids and paid their annual tuition. People donated books, others contributed to desks and chairs, and everywhere we looked, we saw people resharing our fliers and urging people in their own circles to donate. For us, it was a very humbling experience. That family, friends, and strangers could unite and support us to send these kids to school. Months and years later, friends and acquaintances alike have reached out to say that they started similar things because they saw us do it. And it warms our hearts very profoundly because that was part of our intention, to let people know that we are who we have been waiting for. Everyone can play a role in making the world a better place for someone else.

After our N.Y.S.C., we took some time to think and reminisce on the lessons we learned. We were also plagued by the issue of sustainability. We did not want kids to start JS1 and be unable to take W.A.E.C. if that was their ambition. We did not want to promise them a better future and take it back. But if all these years of thinking and doing life have taught us anything, it is that starting and striving to achieve a goal is better than doing nothing.

One of our first kids from three years ago is now in SS1. Her name is Alice. We learned about Alice from a university classmate who knew of her stellar performance. Despite dropping out in primary 6 and missing the whole of her 3rd term, she got the 6th best result out of hundreds in her Local Government Area when she sat for the Primary 6 exam. Thereafter, we knew we had to enroll her in a secondary school. Her brilliance was too loud to ignore.

And so, in January 2022, the founders of GiftBox Initiative (from N.Y.S.C. year 2018) and The Empowered African Child Initiative (T.E.A.C.I., from N.Y.S.C. year 2019) decided to merge both initiatives to reach more children and create a more sustainable structure that secures the future of our children. Under this merger, we will now be known as ‘Giftbox to Educate an African Child Foundation’ (G.E.A.C. Foundation).

Our objectives remain the same;

1. To link beneficiaries to talented kids and ensure that these children have education sponsorship till SS3 (at least).

2. To create a mentorship system that connects these children with professionals worldwide. These people will talk to them over the phone a few times a year to encourage them and show them the world’s limitless opportunities.

We learned in 2018 and 2019 that many people want to play a role in children’s lives like this, but many do not know how to start or who to reach out to. Our coalition creates more room for us to help link as many people that are willing and able to donate. All G.E.A.C. Foundation children will continue to receive scholarships till their SS3, as long as they remain in the top 50% of their class.

On Saturday, 10th September, we will officially launch and begin our campaign for the 2022 academic year. Our maiden edition will start with ten children (4 in Nassarawwa and 6 in Delta State). Our target amount that covers tuition for them is N420,000. The kids in Nasarrawa are in a private school that costs 60k per child (for tuition), while the kids in Ubulu-Uku are in a public school that costs 30k per child (for tuition and other learning materials).

As we have done in the past, we will ensure that our donors have a live update of each transaction at every point in time. In addition, we have made provisions for donors who wish to remain anonymous. So please, D.M., and we’ll provide greatly-detailed responses to any questions you might have.

We will continue to share our financial and sustainability strategy in the coming months. We are always open to suggestions and are constantly looking for volunteers. Please don’t hesitate to reach out.