ASCP

Christian Food Aid (CFA) International Organization launched the 'Adopt a School Child Project' (ASCP) in the month of June 2021 in furtherance of her vision of "No one goes to bed hungry tonight." ASCP is a flagship program of CFA that adopted forty (40) primary school children from very low-income families for a year. The idea arose from reports that some of these pupils frequently came to school without having eaten breakfast, because their parents could not afford it.

Some teachers recalled having to give money to buy some of these children breakfast because they were crying or unable to concentrate in class. On the recommendation of the school's teachers, eligible pupils from Baptist Elementary School in Ile-lfe, Osun State, Nigeria, whose families had persistent difficulties meeting their physical as well as school related needs, were chosen to be beneficiaries of this project. The project enrolled forty (40) children using the IPPEG Approach.

Our research team conducted house-to-house visits. Some one of our team members ascreening exercise to verify of these children's living said, "their situations the pupils' status through conditions were so bad that brought me close to tears." Some of the children were impairment, and also had an orphans who lived with an absent father.

FLAG OFF OF ASCP

In April 2021, ASCP was first introduced to the public at the formal inauguration of Christian Food Aid, where we showcased the road map to our sponsors in attendance, as well as the funding requirement of ten million Naira for the welfare of the pupils (beneficiaries) and the empowerment scheme for s e l e c t e d p a r e n t s (beneficiaries).The formal Inauguration was attended by dignitaries including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, represented by the Sooko, Dr Kemade Elugbaju, Individuals, families and businesses committed to one-off or monthly cash donation to support the flag-off project.

Subsequently, the ASCP launch ceremony and the first distribution of the welfare package took place on June 10, 2021 , in the multipurpose hall of the beneficiary school (Baptist Elementary School in Ile-lfe, Osun State). The event was attended by dignitaries including the Commissioner for Education, Osun State, who was represented by the Zonal Inspector Mrs Olufunke Bolaji, the Local Inspector of education, Mrs Odeniyi, school head teachers, parents and guardians of the pupils. Part of the launching included training event anchored by guest speakers. Mrs. Olubunmi Arije, a public health nurse, and Mrs. Kushigbagbe, a dietician, spoke on the need for cleanliness and cultivating a healthy and balanced diet for children, respectively.

Monthly monitoring and evaluation of pupils' school attendance was also done by visiting each pupil's class to inquire about their attendance and performance in school. Each student enjoyed one-on-one contact with our staff and volunteers during this time, and pupils who required immediate attention were recognised and helped. We discovered a serious eye defect that was interfering with a student's academic performance during one of our monitoring and evaluation visits. The pupil was recommended corrective eye glasses after several check-ups with medical practitioners at Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, which the organisation purchased for him.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Distributed welfare selected pupils) were packages containing rice, beans, garri, vegetable oil, seasoning, spaghetti, tomato paste, detergent, and toothpaste on a monthly basis to the families of the beneficiary children at a meeting held on the first Friday of each month. In the consistently taught God’s word and sensitized on ASCP’s importance of raising a whole and healthy child in the society. Receiving the welfare package monthly was conditioned on the child having at least 90% also covered any unpaid school fees by their parents or guardians, and each child received a back-to-school package at the start of the program, which included a school bag, exercise books, and stationery.

ASCP EMPOWEREMENT SCHEME

In the fourth month, the empowerment scheme which was the other aspect of A SCP was established. This phase involved equipping and supporting the parents with resources to help build their businesses and/or start-up new ones. This was done with the hope that by the end of the ASCP project year, the parent can comfortably support and provide for the children. Ten parents were empowered during a threeday workshop, bank accounts were opened for them in a co-operative bank, and a start-up capital was given to them with the goal of saving money daily with thrift savers, also known as ‘Ajö’ in Yoruba. This was to encourage them to develop a saving culture and to postpone gratification. So far, they have been able to save at least five hundred naira (N500) per day. Among them are those who sell cooked food, raw food, and fruit. Thus far, we have seen and observed growth in their businesses.

For those included in the empowerment scheme, continued receipt of monthly welfare package was conditioned on regular contribution to their savings account at the cooperative bank.

ASCP GRADUATES n the course of the twelve (12) months of the project we graduated six (6) pupils from the program who had just completed their primary school education. Out of the six (6) pupils, four (4) were replaced by their siblings and us over the past one year Of months.

Our current flagship project is what we have called ‘Adopt a School Child Project‘. In the first year of this project, we will identify at least 40 vulnerable children (i.e., from very low-income families) in selected primary schools within Ile-Ife, and enroll their families in a conditional food support program. In this program, the families will receive monthly welfare support for one year. However, continuing to receive help is conditioned on the child’s school attendance, withdrawal of the child from child labor (such as hawking), and ensuring that they receive nutritious meals daily. The end is to improve the child’s chances of advancing through school in that year to the next level in his/her educational journey. The child will also receive, one-time, some school-related items such as school bags, books, stationaries, and other case-specific support. To this end, we are conducting a 5-million naira fund-raising as part of our inauguration activities. We covet your support for this. This project is just a small start of what we believe will become an international operation of helping people live a better life.

You may ask how I can be part of this. There are many ways, including the following: Join us as a volunteer in carrying out our operations; become a partner with us by committing to give a certain amount regularly (monthly, quarterly, or yearly) to support our numerous outreaches and functions; or make a one-time donation in cash or kind towards our general operations, or to a specific project. Please see details on how you can give in a later page of this brochure. God bless as you give. Remember, “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD and he will repay you!” (Proverbs 19:17 NLT).