HISTORY OF SEED FOUNDATION
Summary
This is a charity programme by which we have invested in the nursery school education of children from age two to five around some villages in Ugbawka Clan, Nkanu-East LGA, Enugu State. This Programme started from the year 2005 till date.
Reason
Founder discovered that about 35% of children within the nursery school age were not in any school due to some reasons such as:
(1) Lack of fund for the payment of their school fees, and
(2) Ignorance of some parents, on the need for nursery education for children within that age bracket.
History
Early in 2005 when I travelled home as a very junior public servant working in Enugu Metropolis. I came across some little kids precisely at Ogbunabor Village Square, Isigwe Ugbawka, Nkanu East LGA of Enugu State, Nigeria, driven away from school for non-payment of school fees; out of pity, I went in to enquire more from the school teacher. Then I was told that they had 25 pupils in the school register, 20 are from homes whose parents were capable of paying school fees (of just three hundred naira per term) whereas 5 attend the school free based on the understanding between the school management and their poor parents.
It was out of those 20 that, those who failed to pay were sent back home before the exams on that fateful day we met. At the end of our interaction, I promised to send a package of school fees for all the kids.
Later, when I sent the money to them on a Friday, the teacher that supposed to receive the fees was not on seat and it was announced to the children that someone has sent school fees for all of them. The children became happy and the rumor went round the village. Then on Monday when we made the second attempt to pay, it happened that the initial figure of the pupils dramatically increased from twenty-five (25) to thirty-six (36). Then the teacher assigned to make the payment called me for advice on how the situation can be handled. Based on the fact that some kids whom their parents kept at home for fear of school fees were released and they showed up now that someone had offered to pay. Unfortunately, the money at hand could no longer carry the weight of the latest figure.
I then asked the teacher to make it up out of our other merger contingency budget for the whole children having realized that the additional eleven new pupils were my major targets that need the educational support more than the rest.
At the end of it all, I had to meditate on what will be the fate of that latest eleven children from the next term if nobody pays for them. It simply means that all other efforts earlier made would become wasted because they would have to go back home. That was why I personally took that divine decision; “to sustain that sponsorship as far as I live”, or till when the government provides a better education programme to carter for children under such age/condition.
The Federal Government of Nigeria graciously provided the Universal Basic Education programme which gives free education for children from primary one to junior secondary school 3 (JSS3). Unfortunately, the programme left a gap at the nursery school level hence nursery education system is somewhat new and has not been captured in the Federal Government education curriculum.
I sustained the sponsorship until 2006/2007 academic year when I became financially incapable after being transferred from Enugu to Benin City, etc. It was painful to note that at this period, the school closed down as a result of my withdrawal of sponsorship. But by 2007/2008 academic period when things got a little better for me, I simply rented an accommodation at Onungeneoma Village Square in Isigwe Community where I opened a new nursery school named GOD FIRST FOUNDATION NURSERY SCHOOL, ISIGWE, UGBAWKA. That was done to mop up the children around the area including those who were stranded as a result of the closure of the other school at Ogbunabor, a nearby Village. This plan came into being so that when the teacher’s salary are paid, the pupils can learn free. Then we had thirty-two (32) registered pupils and I was buoyant enough to even provide them with free school uniforms.
At this juncture, I was faced with the challenge of how to sustain that effort with my merger salary as a junior worker. The possible option then was to approach Mr. Ralph Onovo (late), the then chairman of Asu-Nkanu Development Center, under Nkanu-East LGA, to assist in the payment of the teacher. However, he said that his government cannot guarantee that, but advised that rather than giving nursery scholarship to all and sundry, that we should give rebates to parents who are financially capable, to enable me make it up to pay the teachers’ stipends. I saw the idea as a good one. I then rebated the fees of parents who are capable whereas it was a total free education for those whose parents cannot pay.
That was the system we ran till I was promoted to senior carder in 2011, and gladly in appreciation to God’s love declared the entire program free. Then, the number of our pupils keep fluctuating between one hundred and twenty (120) and one hundred and forty (140). Today I am proud to state that in Onungeneoma, and other Villages around it such as Ogbunabor, Amodoro, Ametiti, we are providing free nursery education for children in the area. Hence this project is just one of the many ways the arrow bearer and other supporters strive to impact on the lives of the less privileged members of the society. I pursued the registration of a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) to secure a better platform to prosecute other aspect of my desire to give more to the society. I consulted with good friends of like minds such as Mr. Tope Akinnola, a writer, an editor and a motivational speaker who after living mostly in the United Kingdom is back to contribute his quota in developing this country. I also consulted with Mr. Olawale Fasanya, Director, Enterprise Development in the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) who is not only a good friend, but a mentor since 2010 when he saw my entrepreneurship development book titled, The Formula for Economic Prosperity. My consultation with these and other valuable individuals gave birth to our NGO, Spectrum Economic Empowerment and Development (SEED) Foundation. Consequently, the name of our nursery school now changed from God First Foundation Nursery School to SEED FOUNDATION NURSERY SCHOOL, ISIGWE UGBAWKA. It is noteworthy, that over one thousand kids have passed through the school between 2007 and 2016.
My Challenges
Well, I cannot say that I have not had some challenges while trying to do what I believe is good for mankind. Notable amongst them include;
(1) When I started the charity gesture in 2005, I noticed that the school teacher, even after paying for all the children, would still go ahead and collect fees from parents who were not aware that I have already paid. This made me to announce to the community that the parents should totally hands off hence I have undertaken to fund their nursery education and that brought the situation under control with the awareness on the part of the parents.
(2) The second complain came from the parents who reported that whenever I finish paying, the teacher would try to cut the term short so as to send the children on holidays, to possibly have more time to do other businesses. To solve this problem, I devised the idea of paying, only when the school is about to close. That was how the issue was addressed.
(3) Another unfortunate challenge was my encounter with an American based international charity group called Lordec Foundation between 2006 and 2007. The NGO was managed by one Cynthia Omokaro. When they contacted me (through emails/phone calls) in the process of reaching out to Nigerians, I briefed them about my project, etc. The group really commended the idea and even promised giving us financial support. But when Lordec released about two thousand USD to support the programme through Cynthia, a Nigerian lady who attended University of Connecticut, USA, though she informed me, but she started blackmailing me so that the group will see me as one of the Nigerian scammers amongst other insults she put forward just to intimidate me. She turned down all my invitations for further investigations just to clear her doubts and finally succeeded in diverting the fund to herself. This is because I had no direct contact with Lordec, instead she was middling between the sponsors and myself.
(4) It was also a challenge, sometime in 2008, when my teacher reported of incessant sickness on the part of the pupils, which forced her to spend a good part of her stipend on their treatment. I made serious efforts to procure some Mosquito Treated Nets from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), but all to no avail. However, we were able to get around that huddle within a short while.
External Assistance
May I use this opportunity to thank someone like Chief Yele Ogundipe, Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Finance, Ondo State. Although I had earlier made a few attempts to approach some individuals especially on particular issues, which I considered critical, but Chief Ogundipe gave both financial and moral support to the project.
On Wednesday, 29th Sept., 2010, Chief Ogundipe gave supported the project with fifty (50) Insecticide-treated mosquito nets, worth over twenty thousand naira (N20, 000; 00), which was distributed to the pupils to protect them from the negative effects of mosquito bites.
Also, in 2011, Chief Ogundipe assisted us with another cash donation of twenty thousand naira (N20, 000: 00), which was used to make up for the payment of the teachers for the term.
Similarly, in 2011, I received a message from the school Head Teacher, that a group of youths, who identified themselves as supporters of Manchester United Football Club, visited the school, and presented some gift items such as books, dresses, etc., to the children.
We are indeed grateful to our donors may God bless you all. We equally thank in advance those who would like to share in this our common ideology and equally support the project in future.
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