Gideon Olanrewaju Restores Hope of Learning In Rural Communities Through AREAi

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Gideon Olanrenwaju is a recent graduate of Biochemistry from Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso, Oyo state. From a lowly background, in 2014, Gideon founded Aid to Rural Education Initiative, AREAi – a non-profit volunteer driven social enterprise that seeks to improve the access and quality of education available to disadvantaged children in rural communities across Africa. Gideon, has through this initiative connected with disadvantaged children across rural communities, and restored hope of learning with provision of books and basic insfrastructure. He shares this commitment with Nigerian Bulletin on Weekend Spotlight

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When did you start AREAi? What was the inspiration?

AREAi started November 2014 as a charity organization with the name Learn to Lead Foundation but the vision translated what we have today as Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi).
Having grown up from a rural community with limited learning opportunities and unsafe learning environment ,i saw the need to bridge the gap and provide educational opportunities for underserved children in rural communities and prevent them from suffering from the consequences of limited learning opportunities.

What's the core focus of AREAi, and what problem is it poised to addressed?

According to the UNESCO Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report 2015,Nigeria has approximately 10.5 million out~of~school children,the highest in the world which amounts to about 47% of the world's population of out of school children,a figure that is higher as compared to outer countries sich as Libya,Liberia or Togo. For the 4.7 million children of all out of school children in Nigeria who are of primary school age, they are poor and vulnerable children who were born and are living in remote and desolate communities,sidelined majorly because of poverty or distance to school or violent extremism which has left many homeless and displaced in the country.

Knowing fully well that the importance of education of every child cannot be over emphasized, especially for poor and vulnerable children in rural communities, I started Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative (AREAi) in the year 2014; AREAi functions as a non-profit organization that organize and mobilize material,physical and financial resources to improve learning outcomes for poor and vulnerable children in poor demography settings to live up to their fullest potential despite their geographical marginalization or any litigating factors limiting their access to quality education. As such,we are committed to reshaping the state of quality education in Africa,one community at a time and at the same time, ensuring that every child regardless of their geographical location, socio economic status and religious background has access to a quality education.

The projects so far? And which communities have you reached to and hope to reach to?

From January 2015 till date (August 2016), AREAi has worked with school administrators and teachers, partner NGOs,community heads,religious leaders and other stakeholders,corporate organizations and of course,passionate volunteers to directly impact over 3000 learners in 8 schools across 4 different locations (Ile-Ife of Osun State) and Apete,Ogbomoso and Ibadan of Oyo State) in Nigeria.

Base on current capacity,we adopt 3 schools on a yearly basis,in selected host communities after conducting needs assessment surveys. Learning needs identified are adressed with resources mobilization in form of basic educational and home supplies and school infastructural support as well as awareness and advocacy campaigns while Teaching needs identified are adressed through Supplementary learning classes,mentoring sessions and non~conventional classroom learning on practical skills for personal growth and societal transformation. In scaling our impact,we are currently planning on adopting five communities around Ibadan in Oyo State,Nigeria.

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How have you been able to garner support for the projects?

AREAi is a non~profit initiative whose programs relies solely on funds generated from the members of the Executive Board and donations from volunteers,friends and families. Through resource sourcing and mobilization,we have been able to generate physical resources that has been channelled to execution of past and current projects. This remains a major concern because as we seek to increase the level of social impact and extend our reach,the more the issue of financial sustainability arises. As of now,we are currently consulting and researching to draw a sustainable model the organization can work on taking into consideration the demography of our project beneficiaries.
On the other hand,since the establishment of AREAi, we have recruited over 600 volunteers and have been supported and partnered with organizations like MTN Foundation(Infastructural support), The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (a United Nations Agency), The International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity (United States), National Library Board of Nigeria, SDG Action Campaign Group ( Nigeria), Facebook ( Strategic product partnerships), Teach for Nigeria ( Educational resource materials ).

Do you think the projects are sustainable in local communities? Will it truly aid access to rural education?

AREAi's intervention projects and social welfare programs are designed to suit the UNESCO Model of Quality Education which significantly buttress the vision of the organization. This model holistically addresses the issue of education in Nigeria, and drawing on our Competitive Analysis Matrix using the Model, we built Nigerian singular intervention model that is holistically redefining the state of teaching and learning with attention on curriculum,teachers and teaching practices, school environment and infrastructure,school leadership and management,students physical and emotional stability as well as the socio~economic status of their families and location of their communities.

The successes recorded?
Every step taken as an organization has been a huge success towards achieving our organizational aspirations and the basic highlights of our ScoreCard include;

1. Renovation of Modern Library for Apete Ayegun Community High School with support from MTN Foundation and National Library Board.

2. Provision of classroom tables, chairs and office furniture in Apete Ayegun Community High School with support from MTN Foundation Nigeria.

3. Distribution of free notebooks and textbooks and other basic school supplies for learners in Iseoluwa Model College,Ile Ife.

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2. We also indirectly reached out to an additional 2000 children in our host communities through our Bi~Monthly Education for Sustainable Development Forum that creates real time dialogue on pressing global issues such as peace,water,sanitation and hygiene,climate change and other thematic focus areas of ESD.

3. Our Pre~Examination Coaching ahead of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in our led host school, Apete Ayegun Community High School for the year 2016 yielded a 13% increase in success rate as compared to the 4% success rate recorded in the previous year.

4. From our House to House Education for All(EFA) Senzitation Engagement, we were also able to record about 47% increase in parents who permitted their children to attend extra mural coaching classes as against hawking or running menial errands as culled from our primary assessment prior to adoption of host communities/schools.

5. Our recognition of our holistic approach in tackling the root cause of the educational decadence in the Nigerian context,the International Commission on Financing Global Educational opportunity partnered with AREAi to host the only Consultation in Nigeria and second in West Africa whose results will be globally presented at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on the 18th of September,2016.
 
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