The Onelife Initiative has unveiled a new education project, Standing School, aimed at improving literacy and numeracy among children who combine schooling with street trading and other income-generating activities.
The initiative was launched during the inauguration of the organisation’s permanent office in Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State, as part of efforts to expand educational opportunities for vulnerable children.
The Executive Director of Onelife Initiative, Sola Fagorusi, said the project would encourage individuals to contribute ₦30,000 to support the education and development of young people.
Fagorusi explained that the organisation’s new office would strengthen its interventions across youth development, education, sexual and reproductive health, agriculture and civic engagement.
He described the permanent office as a significant milestone in the organisation’s 10-year journey of working with young people and adolescents.
According to him, the facility would provide a stronger institutional base for expanding partnerships and improving operational sustainability by reducing recurring rental expenses.
Education and Development Interventions
Fagorusi highlighted the organisation’s achievements in education, healthcare, agriculture and governance.
In sexual and reproductive health, he said the organisation had provided age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to 6,487 in-school adolescents, while another 12,640 young people had been reached through community-based programmes.
He added that 67,714 girls and women had been linked to sexual and reproductive health services, while 128 healthcare providers had received specialised training across Oyo, Ekiti and Akwa Ibom states.
In agriculture, the organisation established 27.5 acres of learning and pilot plots and mobilised 3,955 smallholder farmers for cassava production in Ekiti State. The beneficiaries included 1,534 women and 1,105 young people.
The initiative also trained 1,919 horticultural farmers in good agricultural practices and innovations, while 918 farmers received knowledge and skills to address aflatoxin contamination in maize production.
Fagorusi disclosed that the organisation had completed 37 projects, produced 36 radio drama episodes in Yoruba and English, and reached an estimated 8.6 million people through radio and television broadcasts.
He said 289 staff members, volunteers, interns and externs had participated in the organisation’s activities over the years.
On civic engagement and accountability, the organisation developed 11 election briefs, submitted 15 Freedom of Information requests to government ministries, departments and agencies, and instituted five reproductive justice cases before the ECOWAS Court and various high courts.
Stakeholders Call for Stronger Partnerships
The representative of the Oyo State Agency for Youth Development, Muyiwa Oladoja, commended Onelife Initiative for its contributions to youth development, emphasising that addressing challenges facing young people requires collective responsibility beyond government interventions.
He urged other non-governmental organisations to emulate the initiative’s efforts.
The Permanent Secretary of the Oyo State Agribusiness Development Agency, Yinka Shotonwa-Roagess, also welcomed the organisation’s agricultural interventions, noting that increased youth participation in farming was essential to strengthening food security.
Similarly, Hadi Olanase of the Oyo State Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning called for stronger collaboration between government institutions and civil society organisations.
He stressed the importance of social protection, poverty reduction and inclusion, particularly for young people, women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.
The launch of Standing School highlights the importance of expanding access to education for children engaged in economic activities while strengthening partnerships to support vulnerable communities.
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