|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Sixty-six orphans and vulnerable children have graduated from the CleverMinds Educational Foundation, a youth-led initiative dedicated to providing free and affordable education for disadvantaged children in Delta State.
The graduation, held at the foundation’s Iyara campus, marked the 7th Annual CleverMinds Ceremony and carried the theme “Empowered to Shine, Prepared to Grow.”
The event featured debates, cultural displays, ballet performances, and recitations, as the children showcased the confidence and skills they had gained through the programme.
Founded in 2017 by Zion Oshiobugie, a youth leader, CleverMinds has become a beacon of opportunity for children who might otherwise remain out of school.
Oshiobugie noted that the tuition-free Iyara school provides uniforms, daily meals, and psychosocial support to orphans and vulnerable children.
He disclosed that a second campus in Edjeba offers affordable learning options for families unable to afford private schools. Together, the schools cater to over 325 pupils daily.
“Since inception, the foundation has graduated 115 children and provided tens of thousands of meals.
“Beyond statistics, its impact is seen in transformed lives as children once unable to read now lead prayers before peers; shy pupils have grown into confident debaters; and those who once struggled with hunger now nurture dreams of professional careers”, he added.
Addressing the children, Oshiobugie urged them to carry forward the values instilled in them:
> “You are lights to the world. Go out and be excellent, wherever you find yourselves.”
The ceremony drew community figures, including Tobore David, a Pastor, who shared his personal story of growing up in a slum and encouraged the graduates to hold fast to education and faith as a pathway to a better future.
The foundation announced that it plans to establish a CleverMinds Orphanage to provide housing, discipleship, and holistic care for vulnerable children By 2027.
It added that by 2035, the initiative aims to reach 20,000 orphans and vulnerable children across Africa.
