27 Ajegunle Girls Receive Scholarships as Herlight Foundation Champions Girl-Child Education

Herlight Child Development Foundation awarded scholarships to 27 indigent girls in Ajegunle, Lagos, while partners provided additional scholarships, cash gifts, sanitary pads, and mentorship to promote girl-child education.

Also, Addosser Microfinance Bank awarded N50,000 each to 20 students, while LAPO Microfinance Bank granted full scholarships to five girls from JSS1 to SS2.

Two other students received full scholarships through the university from individual sponsors, while several additional students also benefited from scholarships and educational support provided by the foundation and other donors at the event.

Teachers from the participating schools were also recognised at the event and presented with cash gifts of N50,000 each in appreciation for their contributions to the education and development of the students.

Speaking at the TGCC, themed “Beyond Limits: Scripting Your Own Story,” the convener, Blessing Sunday, said beneficiaries were selected based on academic performance, moral uprightness, and family background, with priority to girls from underprivileged families who required financial support to remain in school.

Sunday said the theme was designed to help the girls appreciate their self-worth, discover their potential, and intentionally work towards building a better future for themselves.

He further explained that Ajegunle was chosen because many young girls in the community become pregnant at an early age, while others engage in prostitution or other social vices in a bid to make ends meet.

She added that many girls also struggle with low self-esteem and lack confidence in their potential.

However, “there is more in store for them. Some of them just need the opportunity, platform and support. I went to school on a scholarship from SS2 until I completed my university education, including my master’s degree. This is my way of paying the kindness forward by giving back to the community,” she said.

According to her, the foundation is also engaging parents, schools, and government agencies in its intervention, as some parents, particularly in the Ajegunle community, can be neglectful of the educational and personal development needs of their daughters.

The foundation also distributed sanitary pads to over 400 students and conducted a health talk on menstrual hygiene management. Sunday disclosed that the foundation had secured 8,000 sanitary pads for distribution, noting that 4,000 pieces had already been distributed over the past year.

She further revealed that the foundation was working towards establishing clubs in secondary schools to serve as mentoring hubs, where volunteers can provide continuous guidance and monitor the progress of the girls beyond the yearly one-day conference.

Meanwhile, the keynote speaker, who is an award-winning actor, author and purity advocate, Juliana Olayode, moved the audience with her emotional life story and encouraged the girls to believe that there are no limits to what they can achieve.

Olayode urged them to invest their time in worthwhile pursuits, believe in possibilities beyond their current circumstances, and refuse to let others define their future, stressing that every challenge presents an opportunity for growth.

One of the scholarship beneficiaries, Aisha Adebayo of St. Philen’s College, alongside her mother, Ramota Adebayo, expressed gratitude to the organisers and the individual sponsor who awarded her a scholarship covering her education from secondary school through the university.