EKO DARA

Approximately 20.1% of children are currently out of school in Oyo State Nigeria making it the largest state in South West Nigeria where children are not receiving education posing a significant educational challenge to the region and country’s educational system, with the most impacted groups being young girls and children from low-income households living in rural areas.

In Oyo State alone, there are about 463,280 children who are out of school, according to the Ministry of Education. This situation calls for immediate action to provide these children with the opportunity to receive quality education and break the cycle of poverty.

This crisis has profound implications not only for individual children but also communities and societies at large. Lack of education increases the cycle of poverty, limits economic opportunities, increases social inequalities, and undermines long-term development prospects. Globally, the issue of out-of-school children is a significant concern, with millions of children worldwide unable to access quality education due to various barriers such as poverty, conflict, gender discrimination, disability, and inadequate infrastructure.

OUR SOLUTION

After months of intensive research, we found out that Poverty is one of the leading causes of children not receiving education. We came up with a comprehensive solution – Èkó Dára which will be piloted in Oyo State Nigeria, before scaling to other states in Nigeria.

Èkó Dára will reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria by providing comprehensive support programs within existing government-owned schools for children who are currently not in school. The project focuses on partnering with the government, providing essential resources, mentorship, and empowerment opportunities for both students and their guardians.

OUR THEORY OF CHANGE

School Enrolment

We enroll children who are not in school in government-owned schools.

School Comprehensive Support

We provide support including school tuition, school supplies like sandals, uniforms, bags, textbooks, notebooks, stationaries, etc.

School Feeding

We provide nutritious meals for students enrolled in the school.

Mentorship

Eko Dara pairs each student with a mentor who provides guidance, support, and encouragement. These mentors are members of the National Youth Service Corps.

Economic Empowerment

We will empower their guardians with seed funding which will make them economically self-reliant. This is important to break the poverty cycle and also, will allow the guardians to provide for their ward’s needs in the coming years. The guardians will go through Business and Financial training to build them to be financially accountable.

OUR OBJECTIVES

• Increase enrollment and attendance rates among out-of-school children.
• Improve academic performance and retention rates.
• Empower guardians with sustainable livelihoods and active involvement in their children’s education.
• Establish a scalable and sustainable model for long-term impact.