Brazil consulate in Lagos is supporting a new project for children proposed and to be executed by Yagazie Foundation, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on children including those with disabilities in underprivileged communities.
The new project, the Yagazie Education Sports (YES) Camp is targeted to engage abled and disabled underprivileged children with sporting, educational, social, and cultural activities in order to provide trauma response, disconnect them from juvenile delinquencies and make them successful in the near future.
In his welcome remarks, the consul general, Francisco Luz, said YES Camp was an important project since it aims to work with disadvantaged communities in Lagos and a project he is proud to support.
“And I hope everybody will do the same,” he adds.
Commenting on the disabled children who will benefit from the project, he described it as an important initiative because the children do not have so many opportunities.
To further illustrate his stand, he revealed he has a couple of disabled members in his family and remembered how one of them had to move to America because there was nothing for them in Brazil.
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But this, he said, led to the development of many projects, and now, Brazil is considered one of the countries that treat a disabled person better.
“They have accessibility projects in all sectors. So, it’s one option for people that don’t have many options in the world. That’s why this program is so important to them,”
Stating that he sees the good works that the foundation does, the consulate pledged to support them in his personal capacity, including giving his time, as well as through moral support, and making the structure available for their events.
The YES Camp project will kick off in September 2021, and this, according to Kennedy Ezirim, founder of, Yagazie Foundation, is to engage the children when they are not in school.
He said when they are not in school, they need to get busy so that society does not take advantage of their idleness.
“The program has come to stay,” he said. “YES, Camp will always keep them busy.”
For the venue, the foundation looking at engaging the children at the Union Bank Sports Complex or the national stadium for YES Camp 01 which targets between 150 to 200 children in different batches for a duration of four days.
The foundation also has plans to have its own campus where it can bring in these children, provide accommodation for them, education and expose them to sporting activities that will position them for future opportunities so that they can be useful to themselves and their families and society, for a better Nigeria.
The program was slated to kick off in July but rescheduled for September due to the many variants of the coronavirus. Ezirim said it is because they are concerned about their safety, and that YES Camp will hold when the coast is clear.
“The unveiling is to let Nigerians and the world know that we have this plan for the children. And when the coast is clear, we will observe all precautionary measures to see that they are safe from the virus,” he said, noting that there will also be a health awareness program.
Ezirim, as the founder of an organization willing to work with government, private sector, and individuals, further called for support from Nigerians to make the dreams of the children a reality.
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