“It takes the whole village to bring up a child,” says an African proverb. If you are hearing or reading this proverb for the first time or for the first time in a long while it is because the culture that drives that proverb is fast fading out of the fabrics of our society. In bygone days it used to be believed that “Every child is your child.” Today, however, as far as a child is not biologically our own, he or she is not our responsibility.

 

 

The plights of children today are getting worst by the day because of the weakening cultural values. Child neglect and its resultant effects, namely, juvenile deliquesce seems normal. Many see this evil as something they can do nothing about; yet most of us can do something to contribute towards it elimination or reduction.  Many children who have either lost one or both of their parents or whose parents are not financially capable of sending them to school are left, you my say, to themselves. But in reality, they are left in the hands of unscrupulous individuals who find them ready criminal recruits

PROJECT60 to the Rescue

However, DPat Foundation, through its founder/president, Elder Mrs. Patient Ardey (JP) insists on changing this ugly narratives by floating PROJECT60. As though she is practically echoing the saying of a wise man by name Edward James Olmos who once said that “Education is the vaccine of violence.”

 

PROJECT60 is the scholarship arm of DPat Foundation designed to contribute to the elimination, or at least, the reduction of the menace of out of school children in the society. PROJECT60‘s ultimate goal is to come to point where it can be picking children from the street and send them to the school, sponsoring them all through primary to secondary school levels.

The latest reports on out-of-school children (OOSC) in Nigeria by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) says that the estimated figure of out-of-school children presently in Nigeria is 20 million. Similarly, the latest global data on out-of-school children in early 2023 by the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) also estimated that the total number of out-of-school children in Nigeria is over 20 million, 69 per cent of which is shared by the northern part of the country.

 

In view of this fearful statics and looming danger staring us as a society and as a nation in the face, Founder/President, DPat Foundation, Elder Mrs. Patients Ardey, with the co-operation and blessings of the Chief and community heads and elders of Ibua2 in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT, launched out by picking over 60 children from within the said community to be trained through primary school starting from the 2023/2024 academic session. This is the first batch to be followed by subsequent batches in subsequent school academic sessions.

Empowering Women, the Girl-Child and Youths

Four over four decades, Elder Mrs. Ardey worked tirelessly to ensure that women and young people are not left as victims of adverse socioeconomic situations. She has through DPat Foundation helped to empower women, girls and youths with  trade skills and also helped to connect many of them to financial facilities like loans and grants from reputable government and private bodies to enable them start or expand their trades.

 

Endorsement, Partnership and Awards

In the cause of the years, Dpat Foundation has enjoyed the endorsement and partnership as well as working relationship with several government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). These include Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Bank of Agric (BOA), Bank of Industry (BOI), Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) and many others. The founder and president has also received several awards from reputable public and private bodies.

Partner With Us

The financial responsibilities involved in carrying out these tasks are overwhelmingly challenging. The responsibility of making the future safer extends to making sure children today are inoculated with sound education. All hands must be on deck to stem the alarming tides of the dangerous future consequence of the current wave of out-of-school children.

 

We invite you to be part of this ongoing noble project. Your partnership will go a long way in picking a child out of the street and giving him or her the desired future.