KIR FOUNDATION DIGITAL AND VOCATIONAL SKILLS TRAINING

In response to the challenge posed by the very high rates of unemployment or underemployment in the Niger Delta, particularly amongst the youth population; Foundation For Partnership Initiative In The Niger Delta (PIND), a   Nigerian non-profit Foundation established in 2010, with funding support from Ford Foundation, started the implementation of the Niger Delta Youth Employment Pathways (NDYEP) Project in the last quarter of 2017. NDYEP will be implemented over two years in Abia, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States as pilot States.

With target sectors that include Agriculture, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Construction, the project seeks to map the ecosystem of skills development, analyse opportunities for employment creation and develop models of youth job readiness or workforce development that will provide disadvantaged young men and women in the Niger Delta the opportunity to secure sustainable jobs and enterprises. The approach is to make this happen is through innovative and quality training that prepare participants with market-relevant skills and linkages.

To achieve its objectives, PIND working in collaboration with its partners and stakeholders has designed specific interventions targeted at

• Building Skills for the Construction Sector
• Strengthening ICT Ecosystem
• Bright Future Grant
• Agric-Innovation Challenge
• Jumpstarting Aquaculture Enterprise skills

Keeping It Real (KIR)Foundation is fortunate to be one of the partner organizations working with PIND on the Bright Future Grant.  The focus of this grant is to run a training program for rural and/or disadvantaged youth to provide training on basic digital literacy or similar basic ICT training for job readiness and employability. Our main goal in this program as an organization is to provide vocational training (digital literacy, hardware repairs and maintenance and entrepreneurship) for 50 unemployed and disadvantaged youth with and without disabilities to enhance employability and provide a skilled foundation for job readiness.

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EMERGING SERVANT LEADERS

Martin Luther King J - “Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”

The focus of the 2018 Inclusive Young Leadership Academy was on Creating Positive Influence Through Servant Leadership. Some of the delegates and the winners of the Essay Competition gave us the following feedback;

Nelson Simeon Nkiinebari – A student of Community Secondary School, Nkpolu-Orowurokwo, Port-Harcourt and the Winner of the of The Inclusive YLA Essay Competition (‘The Difference I will Make As A Student Leader)
“I thank KIR Foundation for this privilege, I have benefitted a lot from the  Inclusive Young Leadership Academy, the program taught me about the importance of tolerance as a leader, because leaders get criticized and also applauded. Also, good leaders are visionaries and they inspire their followers to be greater than they are”.

While Christabel Emelle Onyiyechi – A student of Immanuel International college and the 1^st Runner up of The Inclusive YLA Essay Competition (‘The Difference I will Make As A Student Leader); said,
“I am really excited that I participated in this programme because it has taught me the difference between a leader and an effective leader. Also, leadership is not all about taking control but inspiring people, I am grateful for what KIR Foundation has done”.

And, Promise Neka Leka - A student of Model Secondary School, GRA and the 2nd Runner up of The Inclusive YLA Essay Competition (‘The Difference I will Make As A Student Leader); said,
“I appreciate KIR Foundation for giving me the opportunity to be part of the YLA program, it has really brought out the best in me, and has taught me that being a leader without a goal is factious and the best form of leadership is servant leadership”.

On the 23^rd of May, KIR Foundation hosted the 5^th Annual Inclusive Young Leadership Academy which was attended by 95 new elected or nominated secondary school prefects and 23 teachers from 23 public, private and inclusive secondary schools in Port-Harcourt Rivers State. The objective of the Inclusive YLA is to build the leadership capacity of the students and to motivate the teachers to become a positive influence in the lives of the emerging leaders. 

The one-day leadership workshop was facilitated by; Nancy Iheduru, Enoh Ogbevire, Esther Nweje, Victor Briggs, Roland Kenneth and Michael Diala made presentations on the following topics respectively Servant Leadership, Effective Communication, Etiquette, Influencing the Next Generation as a Leader, Social Media, SDGs and Global Citizenship. Also, the students were divided into four tribes; Yoruba, Zulu, Izon and Ashanti so that they could interact, network, collaborate and forge new relationships.

A ‘Meet The Leader’ session was moderated by Mrs. Bitebo Gogo, the Executive Director of Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation with Mr. Barine Gbosi; the Special Guest of Honour on his leadership journey. Thereafter, there was a question and answer session.

The Inclusive YLA ended with an award ceremony for the winners of the essay competition.
Nelson Simeon Nkiinebari of Community Secondary School, Nkpolu-Orowurokwo, Port-Harcourt emerged the winner. Emelle Christabel Onyinyechi of Immanuel International School was the First Runner Up and Nummue Promise Leka of Model Secondary School, GRA was the Second Runner Up. KIR Foundation appreciates Cinfores Limited, TND Press,  ACCANigeria , Rotary GRA District 9140 Port - Harcourt, Red Chilli Catering services, Cobbs Engineering Limited, Denna Rossi, Rhythm 93.7 FM and Port Harcourt In Pictures, our facilitators, volunteers, interns and the entire KIR Foundation Team for supporting us to raise the next generation of servant leaders!

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A BOOKSHELF FULL OF BOOKS WITH THE POWER TO CREATE A READING CULTURE!

KIR Foundation commemorated the World Book and Copyright Day on the 23rd of April 2018 by donating books and a Bookshelf to the Senior Secondary School Section of Community Secondary School (C.S.S) Abuloma . The Executive Director of KIR Foundation; Bitebo Gogo spoke to about 57 Senior Secondary School Students on the importance of reading books. She used the acronym; ‘CHANGE’, to emphasise her point.  CHANGE; C=Creativity; think about solving problems, H= Do your homework, A= Be actively engaged in achieving your dreams, N= Never be lazy, G= Get up early and work hard, E= Educate yourself by reading off and online. She encouraged the students to become lifelong learners, so that they can achieve their dreams, become successful in life and make a positive difference in the society.

In the month of June, team members from KIR Foundation went back to the school to conduct monitoring and evaluation on the above project and met with Joy Adebochi a Senior Secondary School 2 student who said;

“I say a very big thank you to KIR Foundation for the Bookshelf they donated to our school and for the insight that they shared with us on the WORLD BOOK and COPYRIGHT DAY 2018. I could relate to the acronym that was used on that day; ‘CHANGE’, which has really helped me; now, I allocate time for reading”.

While, Precious Douglas, another student of the school told the team that;
“The donation of the bookshelf and books have helped me and my fellow students to learn more and improve in our academics.

Also, Dr. Bede Nwosu, Principal of C.S.S Abuloma, thanked KIR Foundation and said; “When I made the first contact with the organization, I made a plea that the school needed a bookshelf because, before now, an organization came to donate books, but where to keep the books was a challenge. The only place to keep the books was on the floor in my office and when it rained, some of the books got damaged. I was surprised when a staff of KIR Foundation called me and informed me that the organization was coming to the school to donate a bookshelf. The donation of the bookshelf has really helped us to display our books and we have been encouraging students to borrow books after school to take home and when they come back the following day, they are required to explain to the teachers what they learnt from the books they read. This development has enabled us to encourage the habit of reading amongst our students. Thank you very much”.

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The Easter Empowerment Project (TEEP) - Putting Opportunities in the Hands of Youth!

George Dagogo Nathaniel -
 “The shoe making training is a life changing experience and practicalizing the skill has enabled me to venture into shoe making as a trade, and to teach others who desire to learn shoe making , I appreciate all the donors and also Keeping It Real Foundation for giving me this life long  opportunity”. 

The above statement by George Dagogo Nathaniel, a mobility challenged and disadvantaged youth who was among the 40 youth that participarted in the KIR Foundation TEEP is the reason why KIR Foundation organizes two sessions of skills acquisition and development project every year; one in April and another in August. TEEP commenced on the 4^th of April and ended on the 20^th of April. The participants were trained in the following skills; Shoemaking, Basic ICT, Social Media and Digital Marketing and Sign Language. KIR Foundation appreciates our facilitators who trained the participants; Shoe making by Collins Ajanatu, ICT by Ikechukwu Anaba and Victor Kamalu, Social Media and Digital Marketing by Victor Bella and Sign Language by Ohakwe  Onyediziri.

According to The World Bank; " Over 35 per cent of the estimated 201 million unemployed people today are youth (between the ages of 15 and 24).  Worldwide, the challenge is not only to create jobs but to ensure quality jobs for young people who are often underemployed, work in the informal economy, or engage in vulnerable employment. Today, two out of every five young people in the labour force are either working but poor or unemployed".
Youth Unemployment Rate in Nigeria on the average is about 21.31 percent. However, unemployment tends to be higher for people within the labour force that have post-secondary school qualifications (31.8% unemployment rate and 50.0% combined unemployment and under-employment in Q3 2017).

Quite a number of KIR Foundation youth beneficiaries are disadvantaged post-secondary school youth who want to attend tertiary institutions, but their parents cannot afford the cost and they are currently unemployed without any skills. KIR Foundation through our skills acquisition/development projects equip youth with relevant skills that are consistent with the needs of the labour market. Thus, enabling our beneficiaries to get employment or become self-employed so that they can further their education and become contributing members of the society. Research by World Bank has shown that; ‘Youth employment programs have shown positive effects on skills development, entrepreneurship, subsidized employment, and employment services for youth’. KIR Foundation with the support of donors has organized 40 Skills acquisition/ Development Projects since 2013.
 

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Holiday Empowerment Program (HEP)

Conrad Burns -

"Vocational education programs have made a real difference in the lives of countless young people nationwide; they build self-confidence and leadership skills by allowing students to utilize their unique gifts and talents".

Youth Unemployment Rate in Nigeria on the average is about 21.31 percent. However, unemployment tends to be higher for people within the labour force that have post-secondary school qualifications (31.8% unemployment rate and 50.0% combined unemployment and underemployment in Q3 2017).

Quite a number of KIR Foundation youth beneficiaries are disadvantaged post-secondary school youth who want to attend tertiary institutions, but their parents cannot afford the cost and they are currently unemployed without any skills.

KIR Foundation through our skills acquisition/development projects equip youth with relevant skills that are consistent with the needs of the labour market. Thus, enabling our beneficiaries to get employment or become self-employed so that they can further their education and become contributing members of the society.

Research by World Bank has shown that; ‘Youth employment programs have shown positive effects on skills development, entrepreneurship, subsidized employment, and employment services for youth’. KIR Foundation with the support of donors has organized 40 Skills acquisition/ Development Projects since 2013.

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Educate 270 Children in Northern Nigeria

GlobalGiving May 2018 Info graphic Report

INSPIRING NEWS FROM MUBIL HILLS!

It is precisely one year since the Keeping It Real(KIR) Foundation team visited the following adopted schools in Mubi Hills in Adamawa State; CDM Primary School, Lila, CDM Primary School Lainde, and CDM Nursery School Gilmari. After that visit, we wrote about our observations and desire to build the education infrastructure of the communities. We informed you our dear donors that the communities require basic physical infrastructure---classrooms, toilets, playgrounds---to create a safe learning environment for the pupils, as well as giving learning materials to the teachers so that they can provide quality education. Thank you so much for responding and we are most grateful to our recurring donor too.

Last year May, the Keeping It Real(KIR) Foundation team metCalmas, Goldiya and their school mates when the KIR Foundation team visited their school; CDM Primary School Lainde in Mubi Hills in Adamawa State. At that time, they were learning under a tree with a few rickety benches and this affected their school attendance, because when the weather was too hot, or it rained they could not attend school. Due to your magnanimous investment, the construction of the classroom block is now at the roofing stage. The Chairman of the PTA; MrShawa expressed his profound gratitude to you donors for constructing a safer and more conducive environment for learning for Calmas, Goldiya and their schoolmates. Also, he pleaded with you dear donors to assist in finishing the classroom block. The classroom block needs to be fitted with doors, windows, desks and has to be floored for it to be completed.

Furthermore, the Chairman of the PTA of CDM Primary School, Lila, Mr Grody, also thanked you our wonderful donors, he said; “The desks that were donated have delivered our children from sitting on bare floor, the text books have enhanced the learning ability of the children and even the bookshelves where they keep the books have provided ultimate protection for the books so that they can continue using them for a long time. All of the items are extremely useful, and we shall forever be grateful to those who have made life easier and better for our little ones, God bless you!”

We are so elated and relieved to inform you that our little toddlers in CDM Nursery School Gilmari are no longer learning under the makeshift zinc and bamboo structure. We appreciate the efforts of the Head Teacher Polycarp, who coordinated the stakeholder community involvement by getting the parents to mould 750 blocks, fetch water and provide labour for the construction of the classroom block. A classroom block has been completed for them with donations from local donors who heard about the commitment of the parents and decided to do a fundraising during Christmas. The children are currently safely ensconced from the weather and insects and can now attend and stay in school despite inclement weather conditions. However, they do not have desks to sit on and are presently sitting on the floor.

Indeed, dear donors, together, we have come a long way since last year. Your investments have made learning fun, interactive, life changing and possibly life saving for our beneficiaries. According to a report released last year by UNESCO, 264 million children around the world lack access to education. However, we believe that number could even be higher if not for the investments of donors like you!

Nonetheless, we are very certain that with your continuous investment we can reduce the number of children around the world who lack access to education. However, we still need  $34,929 to ensure that the project is finished on time. Kindly consider becoming a recurring donor and donate to the https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/educate-270-children-in-northern-nigeria/ and please encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to do the same. All donations are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers to the full extent permitted by the law. Your donations will help us break the cycle of poverty by providing quality education for our rural beneficiaries. Also visit our website www.kirfoundation.org to learn more about us.

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KEEPING IT REAL(KIR) FOUNDATION INCLUSIVE YOUNG LEADERSHIP ACADEMY 2018

Keeping It Real (KIR) Foundation is hosting the 5th annual Inclusive Young Leadership Academy on Wednesday, 23rd May 2018, with the objective of building the capacity of newly elected prefects of twenty-five (25) public, private and special secondary schools in Rivers State. Since 2014, KIR Foundation in partnership with some corporate partners has hosted the Inclusive Young Leadership Academy (YLA) for three hundred and fifty-four (354) Senior Students and sixty-seven (67) Teachers with the support of thirty-five (35) Volunteers and twenty (20) Facilitators working with fifty-nine (59) Secondary Schools including Special Schools for youth with disability, which makes the project disability inclusive, hence the name Inclusive Young Leadership Academy (YLA).

The feedback from the participating schools indicate that after the leadership workshop, the students have a clear understanding that student leadership is a call to serve and not to be served.

Peace Gillis, the Social Prefect of Community Secondary School Amadi-Ama, was one of the participants 2017 YLA. At the end of the workshop Peace said she was going back to her school a changed leader, because she has learnt how to communicate effectively. She made a commitment to be an inspiration and a good example to her peers and the Junior students in her School.

Another participant, ThankGod Thomas Rufus, a student of Community Secondary School Oyibo, said he realized that Leadership is not about bullying juniors students, but being a positive influence. He decided that he would initiate self-development projects for the students in his school.

This year, KIR Foundation will build the capacity of four newly elected prefects each, from twenty-five Secondary Schools including the Special School for Handicapped Children by giving them the tools they need to become innovative leaders in the Society.

Some of the prospective participants of this year’s Inclusive Young Leadership Academy, are eagerly looking forward to the one-day workshop and are planning to become change agents in their school with the knowledge they will acquire.

When the KIR Foundation team visited their schools, the emerging leaders shared the following with them;

Micheal, the Senior Prefect of Dietams International School, believes that the knowledge he will get from YLA will enable him to make a difference in his school.

Sonia, the Sports Prefect of Immanuel International School, hopes to learn ways to make her fellow students become better citizens and have good goals in life

Chukwuebuka, the Deputy Senior Prefect of Tamwills Educational Centre, expects to be enlightened on how to become a good role model, and to teach other students what he will learn from the workshop.

Kindly partner with us to raise the next generation of innovative leaders by investing in the Inclusive Young Leadership Academy. Donate Now

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