Adenike Adedeji

Hi, I'm Adenike. I am the CEO/Founder of NELI Children’s Hope and Dream Foundation, and I am fundraising with Ibukun as the organiser to help children and teenagers from underserved communities in Lagos, Nigeria, access education and build a future filled with possibilities. A few months ago, I met a 12-year-old girl named Noweline. Every morning, she wakes up early to hawk snacks in her community for her guardian. Then she comes to our learning program. Despite everything on her plate, she is usually one of the first students to arrive. Noweline stopped going to school after her Common Entrance examination. She still wants to go back. Then there's Elijah, who had never been to school. He spent much of his time going to the sea with his family. When he joined our program, he struggled to hold a pen. Slowly, he began to read and write. One day, after an assessment, Elijah started crying because he thought his score meant we wouldn't allow him to go to school. He wasn't crying because of the test. He was crying because he thought he had lost his chance to learn. These are the young people we work with at NELI Children’s Hope and Dream Foundation. We believe that being born into a difficult circumstance should not determine how far a child can go. Since we started, we have supported children from underserved communities in Lagos to access education. Today, 45 children are enrolled in school through NELI. But we are also meeting teenagers who have already fallen out of the formal education system. Some want to return to school. Some want to learn a trade. Some need time, guidance, and exposure to figure out what comes next. That's why we created APLOY — Alternative Pathways to Learning for Out-of-School Youth. This September, some of our 13 APLOY participants will return to school and join the 45 children already enrolled through NELI. Two others have chosen to focus on mastering a trade. For us, every path forward counts. But getting children into school is only one part of the work. We want to help them stay there, continue learning, and have the support they need to build a future. Why we need your help We are raising ₦15,000,000 to support education for the children and teenagers we serve. Your donation will help us: • Keep children enrolled in school by supporting school-related costs and learning materials. • Support APLOY participants returning to formal education. • Provide practical skills training for young people pursuing vocational pathways. • Provide the learning materials, tools, facilitators, mentorship, and other resources needed for them to keep learning. We have seen what happens when young people are given an opportunity. Social Media Account https://youtu.be/te1w_Eug3bg?feature=shared