DREAM CATCHER'S HOME FOR 100 GIRLS

DREAM CATCHERS IS BUILDING A HOME FOR 1OO HOMELESS/INDIGENT GIRLS

My name is Seyi Oluyole, and I am the founder of Dream Catchers Academy in Lagos, Nigeria. At Dream Catchers Academy, we aim to support less privileged girls who have experienced homelessness, neglect, or economic hardship. We hope to transform the lives of these girls through housing opportunities, wellness and welfare resources, and access to quality education. Moreover, we provide our girls with an introduction to the arts. An art-based education teaches students that there are multiple approaches to solving problems. Art is our way of keeping our dreams and hopes alive.

Founder Backstory

By the age of twelve, I knew I wanted to be an artist. I valued creativity and recognized at an early age the unique influence of those in the art and entertainment industries. Yet still, like many of the young girls currently enrolled at Dream Catchers Academy, I was living in extreme poverty. My parents worked tirelessly to provide for both my academic and artistic dreams. However, their efforts often fell short. From overly expensive tuition fees, homelessness, and first-hand trauma, my desire to contribute to the world of entertainment, art, and dance slowly dissipated. By the age of twenty-one, I had an opportunity to leave Nigeria and begin a new life in the United States over time. However, I felt unfulfilled. While my own aspirations were thwarted, I believed I could create opportunities for other young girls who not only struggled in poverty as I had but who also dream of making a living in the arts.

Dream Catchers Academy Launch

Thus, by twenty-four, I moved back to Nigeria to found the Dream Catchers Academy. My goal and the goal of our team at the academy is to counteract the detriments of growing up in the slums of Nigeria. Slum conditions are especially daunting for young girls. These environments are often laden with poverty and trauma, given that young girls here are often the targets and victims of gender-based violence. Moreover, many of these girls are passionate about the arts. Through the Dream Catchers Academy, I strive to provide hope and opportunity for these girls to not only thrive in their wellness and education but to support their dreams of artistry.

By 2016, I officially launched the Academy. Starting with only five girls, I began my mission to support and provide for the young girls living in poverty who are also passionate about the arts. We then set out to build the first free formal and arts education school in Lagos, Nigeria. This school will cater to 100 girls who are indigent or orphaned and looking to learn more about the arts. With previous donations, in March 2022, we finished constructing a school building for our girls, and the school will serve over 100 girls in our community. Now, we’d like to do even more by providing room and board for girls.

How to Support

As the academy continues to grow, so as the needs of our girls. This is especially true following the global pandemic of 2020. In the heat of the pandemic, we saw an increase in the vulnerability of indigent girls and the associated threat to their education. Hence, we have more girls in need of housing. As a result, we have our sights set on building a dormitory to fully house our girls. And to realize this goal, we need your support.

We are asking for your assistance to raise a total sum of $258,750. All of your donations will be used to build and provide a home in the form of a dormitory and support the need of our growing academy. Our living space will provide a safe and healthy environment for our girls to grow and flourish. They will follow a curriculum and after-school schedule that will allow them to focus on their goals in the arts and their general education. To date, we have purchased a plot of land in Ikorodu, Lagos - Nigeria, to start building a home for these young girls. Now we need your financial support to accomplish this project.

***This gofundme is being managed Noimot Bakare on behalf of Seyi Oluyole and Dream Catchers Academy. Noimot Bakare is on the board advisors at Dream Catchers Academy.