United for Kids Foundation to launch N100m fund

Nigeria’s Leading children charity, United for Kids Foundation (UKF), a volunteer-led not for profit organisation registered as an incorporated trustees’ entity and established exclusively for charitable, health and educational activities targeted principally at needy children in Nigeria, is set to launch a N100 million fund this year during its anniversary gala.

“Our aim is to create a vehicle that enables fortunate Nigerians and friends of Nigeria apply their resources towards alleviating the conditions of less fortunate, poor, sick and orphaned children, and providing them with necessary tools to overcome poverty, sickness and illiteracy,” says Tope Fajingbesi-Balogun, coordinating trustee.

“To achieve this aim, we receive contributions from donors, and use these to provide essential services for the benefit of children in state-owned hospitals, state and privately owned orphanages, public schools and other institutions in need. For fifteen years, we have implemented programmes targeted at children from low-income families with donations solicited from friends, members of our network and fundraising events. In this way, we have reached more than one hundred and twenty thousand children over the last five-year period,” she explains.

Among UKF’s highly successful programmes is its annual ‘Back to School’ programme, which provides bags and essential school supplies to children from low-income families. The purpose of this programme, which covers fifty two thousand children in fifteen states in 2016, is to reduce the number of “out of school” children in the country.

In 2011,the NGO established and actively maintained daily library programmes in 10 public primary schools in Lagos. These programmes continue to provide six thousand pupils with opportunities to develop their abilities through reading as well as actively learning with arts, crafts, film-shows, holiday camps and field trips.

UKF’s proposed N100million fund launch is open for donation from all interested individuals and corporate bodies.

Commenting on the planned launch of the fund, Adesuwa Ladoja, vice chairperson of UKF, says, “We have noted the positive impact of our programmes on the children and their families and are therefore, determined to scale our programmes in order to reach more Nigerian children who desperately need help.

“We wish to increase the number of children covered by our programmes to one hundred and fifty thousand by December 2018, introduce pre-school age scholarship programmes to give children a better chance in the fight against illiteracy, and enrol mothers of the children covered in our “Sponsor a Child” programme in apprenticeship programs, which will guarantee financial independence for their families.”

She went on to say, “We are however, aware that this goal can only be achieved through concerted efforts to increase our network of donors and supporters. It is in view of this fact that we wish to solicit your support and encourage you to partner with our foundation.”