Mission for Betterlife in Slums (MBS) Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has donated books to selected indigent students from two primary schools in Ibadan.
The convener of the initiative, Israel Arogbonlo, while speaking during the presentation of the books on Tuesday in Ibadan, said that the aim of the initiative was to give back to society through outreach programmes focused on human development.
Arogbonlo added that MBS initiative seeks to address the challenges faced by people, particularly children living in slums with limited prospects for a better future.
According to him, MBS initiative operates with the objective of providing practical solutions to societal issues that hinder development.
“MBS initiative envisions a society where every child and adult has a voice of their own and actively combats social vices in their surroundings.
“There is need for creation of a network of support for children in slums as well as advocacy for a balanced society that prioritises the quality of life for children.
“The children in the slums need access to quality education and adequate supply of necessary learning materials with support,” he said.
Arogbonlo reiterated that the move by MBS initiative toward providing support for children in the slums was because most times they were being neglected and more vulnerable than their counterpart in urban areas.
He added that the initiative would also complement efforts of the government to ensure that the children in slums were properly empowered academically.
He noted that similar projects had been extended to children living in a floating slum in Makoko, Lagos and other states in Nigeria.
“In the past five years, we have executed different faces of intervention for students with disabilities and other groups in the society.
“The essence of this back-to-school campaign is to motivate the children in slums academically to address menace of out of school in our society, “he said.
No fewer than 80 students selected from two different schools in Ibadan have benefited from the initiative.
