"Education, The Bridge For Development"- Ariori

Education and extra-curricular activities have been described as one of the fundamentals to lift vulnerable children out of poverty, because the duo activities are practical in nature.


Hakeem Ariori, a Social worker at Ebunoluwa Foundation made this known at the closing ceremony of Easter Career Counseling Seminar, themed "Impact of goal setting on personal development", held at the Children Foundation home in Sango Ota, Ogun state.


According to Ariori, who is the Coordinator of the coaching, ‘Rural Community Children Academic and Vocational Support Initiatives is a project that started in 2004 with twenty vulnerable children as a family project, and I have always loved doing things with children at their level via singing, dancing, and playing games with them as an avenue to teaching’.


It started with educational coaching, but over the years, it has grown to include street football which have always been used to teach about goal setting, team spirit and problem solving. Spelling competition was introduced and then treasure hunt, reading competition, tyre race, Disney word search game, and Value Added Seminars among others.


Ariori stated that to make it more interesting, himself and other members and the principal, Chief Mrs. A.T. Oni Okpaku of Ebunoluwa Foundation donated different items like sweet, biscuits, balloons, new and fairly used clothing's, toys, books, foot wears, educational puzzles/games, and a host of others over the years so as to make it attractive to socializing and learning in a fun way.


He affirmed that as at date, there are three major events for the children every year with the Easter Career Counseling Seminar, at the end of which payment is made for Joint Academic Matriculation Board, JAMB exams for the winner in Senior category. Other participants get consolation prizes of educational materials, and we as well get professional friends to interact with the children, on educating them on early savers account with the theme Focused Savings.


The last three weeks in August is for our daily quiz competition season for the children, and this is usually done on the street. We give puzzling question to make them think and solve problems through games. Also, the last week in August is more for vocation, where we choose to make confectioneries like chinchin, doughnuts, paper mashed art and other related activities.


Ariori also stated that the month of December is always heavy with a three week long activities and that on the 25th of December, prizes and awards are given to winners of different events. So far, we have excess of 650 participants on the last day and representation from about forty schools around the community, he stated.


This is the time for the vulnerable children to be taken off the streets and they need series of intervention to positively change their orientation, as well as nurture them toward the right path for better future, and it is our desire to engage the children in a practical way, Ariori maintained.


The Coordinator of Ebunoluwa Foundation while thanking sponsors of the program for their donations, also used the medium to make clarion call to people to join forces in taking care of the less privilege in the society by partnering and sponsoring them as part of social service delivery.


Furthermore, he commended dedicated Volunteers from his family, the children institution and around the community, hence organizing training sessions for the volunteers to be better equipped to serve.



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