Five Cowries unveils plans to harness arts, culture-based learning

In its efforts to support community resilience across Nigeria, Five Cowries Arts Education Initiative has launched its Vision 2030 to harness the power of arts and culture-based learning.

Juan Sell, the ambassador of Spain, who hosted the reception at his Abuja residence, said the aim is to use arts to enhance the quality and capacity of education and teaching in Nigeria, according to a statement.

“We are committed to projects that leverage the arts to offer inclusive pathways to education that are responsive to individual learning, social and cultural needs.

“We are pleased to be able to host the launch of this initiative and wish the Five Cowries team well as they work to broaden their impact over the coming years,” Sell said.

Speaking about the vision, Olumide Adeosun, the chair of FCI, said the programmes offer a pathway to improving school attendance and learning among school children.

“These programmes offer a route to education that improves school attendance and significantly improves numeracy and literacy outcomes whilst ensuring that no child in the community is left behind,” Adeosun said.

Polly Alakija, founder/chief executive officer at FCI revealed that the board of trustees were excited about the planned rollout of the innovative and impactful programme.

“We are counting on our donors, particularly through these lean times to deliver these programmes to communities that need them the most. “These programmes have a proven positive impact on educational outcomes, such as improved numeracy and literacy, as well as transferable skills such as communication, problem-solving and creativity and are fun!

“FCI’s goal is to “drive equitable empowerment in underserved communities,” she said.

The vision sets out Five Cowries’ ambition to scale up its work to harness the power of arts and culture to enhance learning for children and young adults in Nigeria.

It seeks to build on the success of Five Cowries’ existing programmes, which have already delivered results in Kano, Kaduna, Ogun, Oyo and Lagos States.